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 LIBRARY 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 No. Ojise,j:''2_ 
 No. Shelf, ^^ 
 No. Book, 
 
 . - -. . - - - ■ 
 
 r 
 
 The John M. Krebs i)oiiatioit. 
 
 ~)W *---^ 
 
1 
 
 // 
 
^- f^.- ^y,y. f/^^ ^^^Ar^.^ 
 
Sacred Biography, 
 
 O R, 
 
 Scripture-Characters : 
 
 Uluftrated in Several 
 
 DISCOURSES: 
 
 Ufeful for thofe who wau*d acquaint them- 
 felves with the Hiftory of the Bible. 
 
 To which are added, TWO 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 Preach'd before the 
 
 Univerfity (?/OXFORD: 
 
 In the Years 17085 and 170^. 
 
 By Richard Theed^ M. A. 
 
 Adjuvari fe Exemplis exoprat humana infirmitas, quo faciliils 
 ipfa nunc faciac, qua? alios fecifle ante cognofcat. Salv. 
 
 Whatfoever things were written afore time, were writ- 
 ten for our Learning ; that we thro* Patience aril Comfort of 
 the Scriptures might have Hope. Rom. xv. 4. 
 
 L V D li: 
 Printed by W. Bowyer, and fold by Daniel Brown 
 at the BlackSwan mthovLzTemple-bttr^ George Strahan 
 at the Golden Ball , near the Royal Exchange , in Cornhill ; 
 Henry Clements at the Half Moon in St. Paul's Church- 
 yard, and Charles King, in iVeflminJler-halL 1712. 
 
^ I 
 
 y--; 
 
THE 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 WHElsrifirfi fet out in Preach^ 
 ing^ a nporthy Perfon gazfe 
 me this Advice to proceed 
 hy^ that for the woji part I rvoud make 
 choice of Hiftorical SubjeSls^ as being 
 the mojl inJiruSlive and affe^ing^ and 
 confequently the mojl- praSiicdl. I rea- 
 dily took^ the Uint^ and fome of thefe 
 iDifcourfes rpere the Firft-Fruits of it. 
 Whether all or any of them dnfrver thofe 
 Ends, others ?mtft determine. I rPiJh 
 they may y and truly I thought they 
 might in fome meafure ^ or 1 had not 
 publifh'd them. If they do not , th^y 
 mil ferve homver to tejiify to the World 
 
 A 3 how 
 
The Preface. 
 
 hon> I jiancl inclind to do God Ser^vice 
 in the Miniftry which I have recciv'd 
 of the Lord Jefus. 1 offer d my felf 
 to it rpith that Inclination^ God k^onp- 
 eth ! And hy the Grace of God 1 rvill 
 retain the fame to 7ny Lvve's end ^ 
 7uaugre all the NegleSis^ HardJJjips^ 
 Difcottragements^ familiar to the beft 
 of Fundions. But my Sphere of A- 
 Ction has been hitherto fI:)ort by the Ap- 
 faint ment of Fro'vidence ^ which fore- 
 
 eut/for a wider. I mujr Write or ftand 
 all the Day idle^ whkh I xvonld not 
 do one Moment^ could I employ it ufe- 
 fully, for any ofthofe for whom Chrift 
 4yea Jf ^ Keajon therefore he de- 
 manded of my Appearance in Print, 
 here is One-^ and were I to flrain my 
 In'vention for more^ I could hardly af- 
 fign a better. J content' my felf how- 
 ever with this^ and fd I hope will my 
 Candid Reader. 
 
 . The Sabjefl:s I ha^ve chofen are aU 
 ,of ihcm feafonabk^ and fucb as every 
 
 Capacity 
 
The Preface. 
 
 Capacity or Circumftance of Life ma^ 
 he the better for upon Rcfledion.- 
 Whether we are married or i7ngle 
 Jofeph obliges m with a Vdttern of 
 inviolable Chaftity. Whether affli6icd 
 or profperous ^ Jofeph recommend f 
 Temper or IndifFerence^ ^ a Method 
 of Management he found moft proper 
 under each Condition. If a Cafe of 
 Competition happens between a great 
 temporal Intereft and Duty^ Mofes 
 determines for ns on that fide of the 
 Qnefiion which is more honeft than 
 profitable. // the World bids high 
 for our Service in doing Mifchief the 
 Providential Rejiraints on Balaam /Z^^n? 
 the Vanity of fighting agaifift God. 
 If our hot falleth in an Age (?jfLewd- 
 nefs and Debauchery^ Elijah exempli^ 
 flies Zeal^ under fome Defers and 
 Abatements which his Hiftory forbids 
 in the Imitation. If we are advancd 
 i% Pojis (?f Eminence and^Fower^ the 
 Fate of M^mzn may ferzieras d kind of 
 Sea-mark to deter us from jietririg tl^ 
 
 fame 
 
The Preface. 
 
 fame mad Courfe. If we are not pafs'd 
 the Years of Minority^ the holy Child 
 Jefus has drarvn us a Sample of O- 
 bedience to Parents, If ^ refolute 
 Maintenance cf our Principles in Pub- 
 lick upon Occafton^ entangles us in Dif- 
 ficulties^ the great Apoftle invites us 
 to form our Apologies by hhi 
 
 But that 1 may draw up the whole 
 into one View j to befriend the Intereft 
 and Relations of Society^ to excite a 
 ^ertnous Emulation in Perfons of all 
 Gharafters and Stations^ to anfwer the 
 Intent of NathanV Parable^ and pre- 
 *vail with Men to abhor in their own 
 Deportment what they fee delegable in 
 another s : This is^ in fhort^ the buji^ 
 nefs of the following Sheets. And now 
 that I ha've been fo free as to mention 
 their ^fe^ I will be fo honeji withal 
 as to own in general their Defe&s. 
 Several I coud point to my felf-^ and 
 the Critical may lay their Fingers on 
 many more^ without doing any Injury 
 to me or them : But for Pity-fah to an 
 
 Infant^ 
 
The Preface^ 
 
 Itihrxt'Fen^ I tpond beg them not to 
 make rvhat they do not find^ lejl it be 
 difcourag'd. 
 
 A Reflexion or ttvo I wufi here an^ 
 ticipate. 
 
 If in the firfi: Difconrfe the Lan- 
 guage feems too open^ let it be remem- 
 pred that the Praftice ti^hich occaftond 
 it is much more fo. A Poifon jhotid 
 be Jhotpn fometimes, tphofe EffeUs are 
 fo frequently felt. The fight thereof 
 may fro've one good Antidote again jt 
 it^ If in others there are thought to 
 he unfriendly Allufions^ I can ajfure 
 the Cenforious^ no Perfonal CharaBer 
 is attempted ; but fhould any on^ not- 
 withfianding^ fanjy himfelf concern d 
 in the Application^ or that I ha^e co- 
 pied after his particular ill Features^ 
 Td adz^ife him to fpoil the Pifture by 
 mending the Original. // Tediout 
 nefi be objeBed to ally I have this to 
 fay^ that it lyeth in making the moft 
 of my Text (or the refpeSli've Hiftory) 
 not in leaguing it^ to make a Flotirip:> of 
 
 Words 
 
The Preface. 
 
 Words and mere Invention. My Thoughts 
 and Meditations I pleafe my [elf with 
 refleBing ^ are moftly confind to the 
 Word of God^ or rather (and that un- 
 confirainedly too^ fetched from it. 
 
 I Jhall clofe with one Requeft more 
 to my good Reader^ that he n?ond be 
 fleas' d to belie've^ my Heart goes along 
 rpith my Pcii in every Inftance of Mo- 
 rality reeommended by me ; for it reaU 
 ly does :^ and unlefs he judges fo^ he 
 will not prof t much by my Inftrudions. 
 
 "f-i *. ■ . ' 
 
 'oletih 
 
PH 
 
 H?S3&j 
 
 
 Gen. xxxix. p. 
 
 Horp then can I do this great rvich^d^ 
 nefs^ and fin againfl God? 
 
 THE Words, even to a common 
 Reader, niuft appear full of Em- 
 phafisandfuUofTranfport. Here 
 Zeal was uttered in the higheft 
 Key, and the livelyeft Stroaks of holy Paf- 
 fion are exprefs'd in little. Confirmed 5*?- 
 raphins^ that are about God'sThrone, when 
 foUicited by Lucifer into the grand Revolt 
 from their common Maker , hardly fpoke 
 out their Refentment in nobler Strains of 
 Piety and Devotion. 
 
 As to their Occafion : They are a part 
 of Jofeph\ confcienrious Reply to the un- 
 godly iVIotion of the Wife of Potiphar^ and 
 fo lead me to confider two things: i. The 
 Greatnefs of the Wickednefs to which he 
 was tempted. 2. The Height of his Fertile 
 in refitting the Temptation. 
 
 To know what it was (lie urged him to, 
 we muft go back to the feventh Verfe, 
 where we read that his Majlers Wife ca?i 
 her Eyes upon Jofeph , and flje faid. Lie 
 
 B with 
 
Joseph'/ Continency. 
 
 with me. A ftrange Addrefs indeed as to 
 all its Circumftances ! Sure (he thought 
 one impure Flame would find no Difficulty 
 in kindling another, that the luftful Paf- 
 fion might be as readily propagated as it 
 was conceiv'd, or fhe would never have 
 come upon him fo uncerimonioufly, fo ab- 
 ruptly. So natural it is to all Men to be- 
 lieve their own Wifhes^ fo common with 
 great Sinners to efteem others altogether 
 fuch as themfelves. There was no ground, 
 certainly, for the Conceit in refped of Jo- 
 feph ^ for his Mafler faw that the Lord was 
 with him^ the righteous Lord who loveth 
 Righteoufnefs and nothing elfe, and that 
 he made all that he did to proffer in his 
 Band: And fo might his Miltrefs have 
 done too, if (he had pleas'd , but, it feems^ 
 fhe look'd another way, or to a very dif- 
 ferent Purpofe. She had been too familiar 
 with her Eyes , and that made her impu- 
 dent with her Tongue \ (he lets the former 
 range abroad and fetch in Matter for irre- 
 gular De(ires, and then the latter muft have 
 a Loofe too, and beg the Gratification of 
 tbofe Defires. Senfe reprefented him to 
 Jier, as the Text does to us, a goodly Per- 
 fon^ and zvell favour d'^ whereupon Ihe al- 
 lowed a Scope to Fancy, threw cut njany 
 a lafcivious Glance, and to be fure often 
 gave broad Signs of a vicious i inclination. 
 At lafl, when (he faw he did not or would 
 
 not 
 
JosephV Continency. 
 
 not underftand he was ill ufed, fhe u- 
 fes him ftill worfe, and out of the ahm- 
 dance of a naughty Heart the Mouth fpea- 
 keth^ what were not fit to be fpoken again 
 but only to Ihew the Vilenefs and Maligni- 
 ty of the Speech. Lye with ?ne^ fays the 
 hardned Wretch , loft to every fcrupulous 
 Thought of Honour and Confcience *, and 
 when Ihe had faid fo, 'tis like, with Solo^ 
 nioiis Strumpet, ihe wip d her foul Mouth 
 as demurely as if fhe had done or attempted 
 no Wickednefs. But whatever her Senti- 
 ments were of the Matter, that had dropt 
 the nice Point of Reputation and her Rea- 
 fon together, fure we are, who have nothing 
 to biafs us in our Judgment, it was highly 
 criminal and impious. The Propofal car- 
 ried with it the Affurance of a Man^ and 
 the Filthinefs of a Beajl: She muft have 
 ferv'd a long Apprenticeftiip to Satan , be- 
 fore (he could become fo thorow-pac'd in 
 the Trade of Iniquity^ (he muft have un- 
 dergone a tedious Courfe of Reluftances 
 and Self-denials, of Agonies and.Convulfi- 
 ons, before Ihe could arrive at fo perfeft a 
 Metamorphofis. That one of that ftiy Sex 
 whofe Minds are naturally tender, deli- 
 cate, to outward Appearance almoft inca- 
 pable of Temptation, ftiould yet offer one 
 her felf of the grofleft kind, that a Tender 
 of Impurity and Pollution Ihould come 
 from the very Seat of Modefty and Inno- 
 
 B 2 ceace. 
 
A Joseph'j' Continency. 
 
 cence, this mufl: be a furprizing Scene to 
 Devils themfelves, by whofe Inftigation it 
 was brought about i An AfFrightment to 
 the very Heavens ! She is, in truth , the 
 Object not fo much of our Thoughts as 
 our Amazement, that could thus throw her 
 felf as it were out of her kind, and aft Con- 
 tradictions to Nature and Probability.- 
 
 How dangerous a thing then is it, to 
 flight that Bafhfulnefs which the wife Au- 
 thor of our Frame has fet as a Centinel o- 
 ver Female Vertue, to throw up thofe Re- 
 ferves which Education has fuperadded for 
 its Protedion. The Fence being pulled 
 down, the Gtound lies common of courfe. 
 When once the Bounds of Stridnefs and 
 Severity are paft, no body knows where 
 corrupt Nature will (top in its Freedoms 
 and Indecencies. The Liberties taken by 
 this Woman were fuch as the whole Sex 
 may well blufhfor in fecret, the whole Crea- 
 tion groan, in Abhorrence of what fo much 
 refleded upon both. She could not bear a 
 Reftraint, tho' but from Shame and Infa- 
 my ! And that fhe might have enough of 
 that, her black Charader remains upon the 
 facred Records, to be read and fpit upon by 
 all Pofterity. 
 
 But as wild and monftrous as her Sug- 
 geltions mufl: appear to a fober Imaginati- 
 on, a Compliance with them would have 
 rais'd no lefs difmal Ideas, and added much 
 
 to 
 
Joseph'j* Continency. 5 
 
 to the Horror of the Story. For if Shiners 
 entue thee^ consent thou not^ is the Law 
 both of Nature and of Scripture •, and as for 
 Adultery , the Matter of the Enticement , 
 what has a more uncouth Harfhnefs in the 
 very Sound than that? what fooner puts 
 the Ear into a tingling and the Soul into 
 Confufion. Adultery in every Age , and 
 under every Difpenfation, had the ill Luck 
 to be frown'd upon anxl exploded. Paga- 
 nifffi itfelf gave it no Countenance, Reve- 
 lation no Quarter-, with fome of the barba- 
 rous Nations it was made a Forfeiture of 
 Life, with others an Incapacity for pubhck 
 Characters, with JU an Occafion of Smart 
 and Difgrace. xAnd how roughly the Scri- 
 pture treats it, none of us can well be ig- 
 norant. The Law had a (landing Miracle,Numb. 5. 
 the Waters of Jealoitfy for its Difcovery, 
 and the Severity of Death for its Punifh- Lev. 20.10. 
 ment. The Gofpel ranges together the blac- 
 keft Vices to bear it Company to the Place 
 of Torment, and provides the hea vied Dam- 
 nation to make it full Amends. Si^Ww/Prov.i^.^g; 
 calleth it a Reproach that camu:t be wip'd 
 away, ?A-\^Job brands it for a flaring Crime, 
 an Iniquity that fiouU be punified hy the 
 Judges. When David had committed it 
 fecretly, we fee, God rewarded it openly^ 
 by a bitter Series of x^fflidions. And when 
 the hypocritical Pharifees were importur ate 
 with our Saviour for Sentence again f^ a 
 
 B 3 Crea- 
 
JosephV Continency. 
 
 Creature taken in the very aEi of it, tho' 
 the Sinner found fome Grains of Coinpaf- 
 fion from Him who came not with a judi- 
 cial Power to deftroy ^ but with a mediato- 
 rial to fave , yet an awakening Caution 
 withal, to/in no more^ lesi a wcrfe thbigi\\2in 
 the legal Infiidion of Stoning fhould come 
 unto her ^ the infinitely more terrible Sen- 
 tence of Death at the final Day of Judg- 
 ment. 
 
 Nor is it any wonder at all, it fhould be 
 thus feverely dealt with by the Oracles of 
 God\ for what can be a greater Breach of 
 the Marriage Inftitution? Twas a divine 
 and awful Efcablilhment, that Trro fhould 
 become one Flefb by Piomife , by Bargain, 
 and by Vow. But how do we keep holy 
 what the Almighty Oiade fo? How is the 
 matr'Toniai Unity preferv'd , the mofl for- 
 mal Engagements fulfiU'd , if one of the 
 Parties is alienated to another. 
 
 For this reafon Jofeph held the Perfon 
 of his Mijlrefs facred and inacceflible. He 
 declares her excepted out of the Number 
 of the Goods that were left at his Difpo- 
 fal, and makes the Marriage-Covenant the 
 Ground of that Exception. Behold my Ma- 
 Jier wotteth not what is with me in the 
 Houfe , and he hath committed all that he 
 hath to my Hand '^ there is 7ione greater 
 in this Ho74fe than /, neither hath he kept 
 back any thing from me but thee , becaufe 
 
 thoT^ 
 
JosephV Continency. 
 
 thou art his Wife. That Relation binds up 
 both thee and me, and fufFers you not to 
 have power over your own Body, How 
 then am I Jo this great wickeJnefs^ and Jin 
 againft Cjod ^ Being thus Ihut out of all 
 poflibility of Intereft in you, how can I 
 come near you, without deriling my felf, 
 and rebelling againfl Heaven, where all 
 Nuptial Contracts are regifter'd in a Book 
 of Remembrance ? 
 
 Again, what can be a forer Nufance and 
 Injury to Mankind ? It makes a whole Fa- 
 mily the Obfervation of the Town, and the 
 Finger-but of the Neighbourhood. Ene- 
 mies hence take occalion to infult , and 
 Friends can but pity. The Uncharitabk 
 find fomething to ground a Talk of Jttdg-^ 
 ments on, and the Envious are tempted into 
 Hopes of a future Level in point of Cir- 
 cumftances. It robs the neglefted Confort 
 of a friendly Converfe, of a good N ime, of 
 a compofed Temper. Hence Rencounters 
 of Paflion come in the place of Carelles and 
 Abhorrence of Endearments. The one con- 
 jfidering what the other is going about, al- 
 ways parts with Uneafinefs *, and yet re- 
 niembring what the other has done, never 
 meets with PJeafure. If it be the Man that 
 is thus aggrieved, he has all the Proverbs 
 of Reproach and Appellaiives of Scorn calt 
 at him \ that is, the fevere World does not 
 think him miferable enough, unkfs he be 
 
 B 4 upbraided 
 
Joseph*/ Contweticy. 
 
 upbraided too for being fo. If the Woman, 
 fhe paffes for an indifcreet Wife at the beft, 
 that has fo bad an Hufband. Neither Par- 
 ty can be a Sufferer, without being pro- 
 nounced a Fool ^ and bufy Cenfure, which 
 makes FauUs as well as finds 'em, always 
 charges Vice Abroad upon Mifcondud: at 
 Home. And fuch Reflexions eafily conjure 
 up the evil Spirit of Melancholy to haunt 
 and torment the Innocent. 
 
 The very Tidings too of a Rival are kil- 
 ling, but the Cojifequences of the bold In- 
 vafion, when mus'd upon, give fuch a gafh 
 to the Heart, as is dolorous beyond Expref- 
 fion. No Soul can conceive the Pains of 
 wounded Honour, but that which feels 
 them : They are fo acute, fo intolerable, 
 that fome have beraoand themfelves into 
 the Grave to get far enough from them, 
 and others gone madly into a refembling 
 Scandal, merely to revenge them. 
 
 It deprives the guiklefs Babes of their Sub- 
 ftance, if not of their Reputation. Hence fome- 
 times a Bajlard Brood are brought into the 
 Inheritance of a lawful Iffue -^ and fome- 
 times a lawful IlTue , into a fufpicion of 
 Baftardy. A jealom Hufband has been 
 known to cafliier and abdicate his own Off- 
 fpring, for the Uncertainty of their Origi- 
 nal : And a perfidious Hufband to flarve 
 and undo them, in complement to his va- 
 grant and expenfive Lufts. When the In- 
 
 clofures 
 
Joseph'j* Continency. 
 
 clofures of Marriage, which were appoin- 
 ted to preferve an holy Seed, are broke up, 
 the Blood runs in a filthy Chanel, and a 
 new Race ftarts up into Being, feparate in 
 Intereft and AfFefition from the former, for 
 want of the Ties of Confanguinity. But 
 this is not the utmoft of domejUck Incon- 
 venience. 
 
 It too often founds Hereditary Difeafes, 
 and what is fadder yet, Hereditary Tranf- 
 greffions. A leud Father generally begets 
 an unhealthful Son, and not feldom, an un- 
 unchaft one. There is a Defcent of cor- 
 rupt bodily Humours by the courfe of Na- 
 ture ^ a Defcent of corrupt Principles and 
 Praftices by Conftitution, Education, and 
 Example. The Children then, that are as 
 their own Bowels, have a bleffed Portion 
 bequeath'd to them by the Licentious, 
 namely, the fhort Leavings of their Wan- 
 tonnefs, with an Incapacity of enjoying 
 them truly, and with many ways of fpen- 
 ding them unprofitably ! 
 
 FiihUck Society too, as well as Private, 
 fuflfers by this Vice. Induftry, which is the 
 fupport of the one, is inconfiftent with the 
 other •, and the diforder of FarjiiUes confe- 
 quent thereupon, muft more or lefs affeft^ 
 Kingdoffis. If refped be had to the Judg- 
 ments of God, a Sin fo refembling Sodojn?, 
 RudGomorrbas Guilts, is of weight enough, 
 if much pradis'd, to fink a Nation , and 
 
 render 
 
iQ Joseph V Continency. 
 
 render it like unto Gomorrha in the Effefls 
 of Vengeance. So that every time Men are 
 .entring upon the important bufinefs of Con- 
 cupifcence, one would imagine, Nature 
 fhould make aftand, and their Hearts (hould 
 fail theme 
 
 Laftly, what can be a more manifeft 
 Prejudice and Mifchief co the Perfonsthem- 
 felves that commit it. 
 
 Hence comes Averfioo to Home, and cold 
 Receptions ^ a conftant fear of Deteftion, 
 and bitter ihamq upon the Difc very 5 gri- 
 ping Remorfe and ftraiten'd Circumftances^ 
 dinmefs of Underftanding, and rottennefs 
 of Bones*, a languifhing Life, and a piece- 
 meal Death ;> infamous Epithets, and a pe- 
 rifhing Memory. Ihere is trouble and 
 difquietude in the purfuit of forbidden 
 Pleafures , there is danger and apprehen- 
 fion in the Enjoyment^ there isirkfomnefs 
 and loathing afterwards. The (hort minute 
 of Fruition, is fucceeded by a long Day of 
 Repentance , and what gratifies Senfe for 
 an inftant, offendeth Confcience for ever. 
 In fhort, the way of the Adulterer is hedg^l 
 abouv with Thorns , and it leadeth down to 
 the Cha?nbers of Death. Of this David is a 
 lively and emphatical Inftance. How ma- 
 ny unprincely Arts and Stratagems did the 
 2 Sam. II, Matter of Bathjbeba coft him in its Contri- 
 vance and Condud? how much forrow, 
 in refpeft both of its Guilt and of its Pu- 
 
 nifliments ? 
 
JosephV Continency. i j 
 
 nifliments? what an heavy chain of Misfor- 
 tunes did it draw after it ? Not to mention 
 that it was the caufe of the beloved hifant'saSam. 12. 
 Death, to whom it had given Life , a Daugh- ^'^' 
 ter is ravifli'd, a Son murder'd, and both chap. ,g, 
 the Ravifliment and the Murder committed ^^''•''^>^^- 
 by his own Children -^ his Wives are de-chap. 15. 
 fil'd, and that pubhckly hy Abfalo?n -^ hc^-- 
 himfelf is forc'd to fly before hmi, and thatchcp. ,5. 
 in fuch an abjed manner, as drew Tears ch^p ,^* 
 from fome of his Subjeds, and Affronts v. 5. 
 from others. So great Evil was rajs'd to 
 him out ^his own Hoitfe^ in recompence of 
 the Evil done in it. What a check too did 
 it give to his Prophetick Spirit, and his In- 
 tercourfes with Heaven? Wliat a dark Ihade 
 did it caft on his many Vertues ? What an 
 odious mark of Diftindion hath it left upon , Kinasij. 
 his Charader ? All his other R.ilhneires, s- ° ' 
 whether in Speech or Adion, all his Over- 
 fights and infirmities have a friendly Man- 
 tle thrown over them in Scripture : Only 
 this great Offence is fet up for a Monument 
 of Shame, and for a warning to After-times. 
 Pardon it felf could not blot it out of his 
 Memory, nor Repentance out o^ God'sl 
 
 Thus Adultery is a m.oit comprehenfive 
 Evil, a World of Iniquity. Too much 
 would not be fa id againfl it, did we fum- 
 m^n in all the Amplifications of Rhetorick 
 and Virulency of Satyr: And yet as if the 
 ftrongeft Arguments could be urg'd for it, 
 
 it 
 
12 Joseph V Contimncy. 
 
 it every where prevails and triumphs. That 
 Complaint may now be as juft againft us, 
 as it was formerly againft Ifrael : How is 
 the faithful City become an Harlot I It was 
 fuU of Judgment \ Righteoufuefs lodged in 
 it , but now Adulterers ! How often is the 
 Hand puU'd back in Scorn^ that was given 
 lovifigly in Marriage, and the Bond can- 
 celled that was feal'd with fuch devout So- 
 lemnity on the Bridal-day ? How are Ver- 
 tuous, Beautiful, Honourable Ladies, that 
 left their Father's Houfe, and their Mo- 
 ther's Bofom, to be treated as kindly and 
 refpeclfully in thofe of others, and to know 
 no Separation but what (hould be made by 
 the bitternefs of Death , on the contrary 
 fnubb'd and brow-beaten, caft off and aban- 
 don'd, for thefake of bafe, Dunghil Profti- 
 tutes, whofe Beauty lies only in their Paint, 
 and Merit in their Filthinefs ! How are 
 Ceremony and Regard every day tranferr'd ! 
 How do Figure and Equipage attend on 
 Impudence ! To fpeak more freely ftill, and 
 not to flatter the ftate of the Wodd, Who 
 almoft, efpecially among thofe ofjoft Cloa- 
 things and that are in Kings Palaces^ is true 
 to his Bed and Honour? ThcTonth qLjQt^a- 
 lity is but half a Gentleman, withd^i ' ' 
 modifli Vice which renders him ^\ 
 Beaft '^ and the Aged JSoble does no ci 
 to his Years, unlefs he can boaft of his 
 continuance in it ! The very thought of be- 
 ing 
 
JosephV Continency. 
 
 ing confin'd fets both a ranging •, and thci 
 lamentable Quarrel that lies to their 
 Wives, is only this, that they are fo. Nay, 
 the Men of this Generation do not only 
 pradife Lewdnefs, but juftify it upon Prin- 
 ciples : They quote upon you the Liber- 
 ties of their Forefathers^ and the Allowan- 
 ces of the Old Testament, They will tell 
 you, they have Solomon for their Precedent, 
 who, tho' the wifeft of Men, was yet fo 
 addided Unto Women , that the Houfe 
 wherein he kept 'em exceeded the grand 
 Seraglio, and that therefore themfelves fure- 
 ly may be held excused, if they give a lit- 
 tle into the fam,e Pradice. 
 
 But thefe Reafonings are not more carnal 
 than they are fallacious. 'Tis true , the 
 having feveral Wives or Concubines ob- 
 tain'd under the Mofaick CEconomy;> but 
 then as that Law doth not perhaps exprefly 
 candemyi, fo neither doth it exprelly tolerate 
 it. And if it were tolerated, we can look 
 upon it only as an occafional, political, 
 temporary Indulgence. The Patriarchs^ it 
 is like, might be permitted for the peopHng 
 of an Infant-world, and the Jews conniv'd 
 at, for the hardiiefs of their Hearts^ to pre- 
 vent a greater Evil by the fufferance of a 
 lefs. I'he Divine Wifdom having to do 
 with a rude, and not a reform'd Nation, 
 feem'd to regard , in the ocheme of Laws 
 given them, rather what they could bear, 
 
 than 
 
 1 *> 
 
Joseph*/ Cohtimncy. 
 
 than what it appro v'd of. And fuch ^ 
 Condefcenfion to the Infirmities of that Peo- 
 ple will be lefs a wonder, if we confider 
 the refembling every Day's Pradice of Go^ 
 vernours in reference to the Body Politick^ 
 and of Phyficians as to the Natural The 
 Morals of the one, and the DiHempers of the 
 other are reduc'd by Difcipline or Prefcrip- 
 tion refpeftively, to what they caji be, when 
 they cannot to what they JIjouU he. How- 
 ever as to this particular, 'tis certain, from 
 the beginning it was not fo, and our laft 
 Lawgiver declares it fhall be fo no more 
 for ever. The Matter flood determin'd vir- 
 tually by the very manner of the Creation. 
 One Male was made, and one Female , to 
 dwell together according to Knowledge, and 
 therefore it is Sacrilege to receive a Stran- 
 ger into our Embraces. But the Inference 
 is flronger yet from the Declaration of our 
 Saviour, that whofoever /ball put away his 
 Wife^ one Cafe excepted, and jljall marry 
 another^ committeth Adultery *, for if a Man 
 that marries a fecond Wife , upon an un- 
 lawful Divorce from his firft, finneth in fo 
 doing , much more when there is no Di- 
 vorce at all 5 neither could that Sin amount 
 unto Adultery, but upon this Ground, that 
 double Marriages were unlawful. If others 
 then alledge an old Cuflom for Polygamy 
 and Concubinage^ we can an ancienter Law 
 against em. If others plead a Permiflion^ 
 * and 
 
JosephV Continency. 15 
 
 and that from Mofes^ we may too a Coun- 
 ter-Precept, and that from ChriH. Befidcs, 
 the Permiflion by Mofes was an Exempti- 
 on from Penalty only, not from Guilt, as 
 is probable from Lev. 18. 18, as is evident 
 from MaUchi 2. and confequently is not a 
 Foundation that may be built upon under 
 the Gofpel-State : No, the Apology from 
 the Latitudes of Judaifm muft go for no- 
 thing, or rather can be conftrued no better 
 than defending a bad Pidure by a bad O- 
 riginal. 
 
 Nor let the Wanton pleafe himfelf with 
 eafier Thoughts of fimple Fornication^ for 
 tho' this is no Violation of conjugal/Ho- 
 nour, yet it is of Virgin Chaftity. There 
 is no maintaining it , to be fure , without 
 going off from Revelation *, Chriftianity will 
 rot bear it. The Body ^ fays St. Paul^ is 
 not Jar Forjiication any more than for Adul- 
 tery ;, Holy Writ forbids both, and that in 
 the fame Place, and under the fame Penal- 
 ties, The Gates of Heaven have this In- 
 fcription on them,- Here no unclean thins; ^^^^'■^^•''' 
 
 ^ T-^^, ' 1 • 1- • Locum, 
 
 can enter: Whoremongers^ that is, tornica-Heb. 15. 
 tors properly fo called, 'miA Adulterers^ vveRev. 21. 
 are told, God will judge -^ and Hell will re- 
 ceive as Its proper Portion. 
 
 Having confidered the Greatnefs of the 
 Sin to wh^ch Jofeph was tempted, let us 
 now proceed to examine tlv.- Height of his 
 
 Vertue in refiftiug the Temutanon. 
 
 That 
 
Joseph'j" Continency. 
 
 That the Temptation was well-baited, 
 appears at firft view. For firft, the Temp- 
 ter was his MiJIrefs, and that Superiority 
 made the Requeft look like a gracious Stoop, 
 an obliging Condefcenfion. She might feemi 
 to do him a Favour in alking one of him , 
 and a fenfe of Gratitude, higenuity, and 
 Honour, as fome would conceit, invited 
 him to grant it. 
 
 Again, Jofeph was a Toiah^ and that Sea- 
 fon rendred him the m.ore capable of un- 
 happy Impreflions. Then Senfe is forward 
 to take the Chair, and Reafon almoft too 
 weak to maintain it. Then Heat of Blood, 
 and Corruption of Nature, put in for Bo- 
 fom Counfellors, and perfuade a Preference 
 of fprightly Vice to dull Morality. Then 
 Experience is a Contradidion to our Years, 
 and for want of it, we are apt to play our 
 Appetites with an over-vehemence, and let 
 fly at every Satisfaction that comes within 
 our reach. 
 
 Again, the forward Petitioner, 'tis like, 
 had her (hare of native Charms and acqui- 
 red Gayeties, a fair Outiide, and a diver- 
 tive Tongue. 'Tis not neceilary to fuppofe 
 her as to external Form one of the more (tu- 
 died and perfeder Pieces of Divine Work- 
 manftiip. Doubtlefs whatever God and Na- 
 ture made her, {he appear'd to Advantage 5- 
 (he underftood all the nice Rules of ena- 
 ujouring, all the winning Allurements of 
 
 Drefs, 
 
Joseph V Coniinency. ly 
 
 brefs, Gate, and Pofture : Doubtlefs fhe 
 was not without her falfe Blufties, afFefted 
 Softneffes, and artful Languilhings. She 
 fet her felf off like a painted Jezabel^ and 
 met him in the Attire of an Harlot. In a 
 word, fhe negotiated for Luft, and omitted 
 nothing that might ferve to call his Eyes td 
 her and ftart Concupifcence. 
 
 Again, it feems, like a wife manager, 
 fhe flruck the critical Minute, and rightly 
 timd her wanton Solicitations. Solitude 
 and Privacy are the Devil's ground of Ad- 
 vantage , and the proper Seat of Infeftion ': 
 There, there is nothing to difengage the 
 Fancy from the Objed , and divert the 
 Application. Whatfoever offers it felf, has 
 an undifturbed Notice, and full Attention ; 
 For this reafon, virhen Jofeph ivent into the 
 Houfe to do his biijhiefs^ that is, Family- 
 Concerns, dnd there ivas none of the Men 
 of the Houfe there 7vithin, this induftrious 
 Agent of Satan fet about her Bufuiefs too, 
 and went to work with her abominable 
 Entreaties. Seeing him alone, fhe was for 
 keeping him company , and would fain 
 have made a bad ufe of the filent Hours. 
 
 Again his Refufal was fo far from dam- 
 ping or difcouraging her AddrelTes, that it 
 did but animate and redouble them : Well 
 knowing the Inconveniencics of a faint and 
 dafterly Spirit, fhe therefore would not fall 
 back upon the hrfl check or the fecond 9 
 
 C buc 
 
8 JosephV Continency. 
 
 but as if deaf to a repulfe, floe fpake to him 
 day by day^ ftill went on begging, follici- 
 ting, praying. And truly after (he had 
 had the Impudence to begin the AfTault, it 
 might feem her Prudence to purfue it •, for 
 nothing is fo likely to prevail as repeated 
 Inftances. Refolution fometimes has yiel- 
 ded to Importunity : And tho' one Onfet 
 does but alarm an Enemy into Self-defence, 
 yet a frefh Invafion may bring him to 
 Terms. 
 
 Once again, her fmooth Perfuafions were 
 back'd with another Experiment, that of 
 violence and roughnefs. To get poffeflion 
 of his Heart, fl:e caught him by his Garment ^ 
 and 'tis highly probable, at the fame time 
 irung a peal of Menaces in his Ears, threat- 
 ning that if he would not be woo'd into 
 (what (he called) Happinefs by courteous 
 behaviour, he (hould by a contriv'd Accu^ 
 fation be reduc'd to the loweft Ebb of Mi- 
 fery. " Here, fays (he, you are but a De- 
 *' pendent, and your Subfiftence is preca- 
 " rious : You boaft indeed of vour Autho- 
 rity and Jurifdidion, that there is none 
 greater in this Houfe than your felf 5 but 
 know 'tis in my power (as much as you 
 overlook it) to render thee as little and 
 *' contemptible as I pleafe. Although the 
 *' Infpedion of Houlhold-matters belongs to 
 " you, yet Arbitrarinefs and ill Humour 
 *^ (hould not : The Servants are at your 
 
 *' beck. 
 
 
Joseph'/ Continency. ip 
 
 " becic, but you ought to be wholly at the 
 Devotion of your Miflrefs, This is ex- 
 pefted from you , and if you will not 
 anfwer my Expeftations, my Lord (hall 
 " take from you theStewardfliip ^ and what 
 " will you do, when you muft be no Ion- 
 '' ger Steward > Dig you cannot, and to 
 " beg youll be afham'd. 
 
 With thefe Forces the Mafculine Crea- 
 ture laid clofe Siege to the Man of God , 
 with thefe Advantages fhe fet upon youth- 
 ful Innocence, but all in vain: His ftiff re- 
 fblute Vertue was an over-match for her:^ 
 and, like an impregnable Fort, held out brave- 
 ly againft all the Batteries of Infinuation and 
 Addrefs, of Favour and Terror* 
 
 Her Quality was fo far from being a re- 
 commendation of her Suit, that it did but 
 give it a more offenfive Air, as being the 
 ftrongeft motive to Religion , the moft 
 heightning circumftance of Impiety. 
 
 His own Jge was fo far from being a 
 Snare to his Integrity, that it inclin'd him 
 the more to hold it faft, as being a luftre 
 to the Beauty of Holinefs* 
 
 Her F^rfon^ how beauteous or amiable 
 foever, either perfeftly difgufted him, as 
 betraying the Vanity of the Mind -^ or if it 
 did take with him, it was only as it dif- 
 play'd the Skill of the Contriver. 
 
 AH her elaborate Deckings and methodi- 
 cal Embellifliments were quite thrown a- 
 
 C 2 way 
 
20 JosephV Contimncy. 
 
 way upon him. She valued her felf upon 
 the glaring Splendor *, but he defpis*d her 
 for it, at leaft, notwithftanding it. 
 
 The Opportunities of Secrefy and Retire- 
 inent, as great furtherances as they com- 
 monly are to Intriegue and Mifchief, had 
 here no influence at all : As earneftly as 
 flie watch'd for them, he avoided them. 
 For fo fays the Text, that he hearkned not 
 unto her to lie by her^ Of to be with her. 
 'Twas his Refolve not to know what Danger 
 was but in Idea only, not to parly with Tem- 
 ptation and encourage its Approaches. He 
 therefore declin'd Interviews as much as 
 poffible 5 and when he could not, he flood 
 on his guard, not trufting himfelf a mo- 
 ment but in God's and his own keeping. 
 When David walk*d alone upon the Terrafs 
 of his Palace, he ftumbled and fell. His 
 Soul being out of the Proteftion of honeft 
 2 Sam. II. Cares, Bathjheba commuted a Rape upon 
 it. Luft had leave to ftep in, and dally 
 with the Imagination 5 and when the un- 
 clean Objeft had been dandled a while in 
 Thought, nothing would ferve him but he 
 muft embrace it in FacS too, and fo make 
 himfelf like one of the Fools in Ifrael 
 
 But Jofeph's Solitude was employed to 
 better Purpofes ; and tho' the Wife ofPoti* 
 phar found him out, yet not at leifure to 
 attend to her vile Suggeftions. 
 
 The 
 
Joseph's Cantiaefjcy. ii 
 
 The frequency of the Propofal too figni- 
 fied as little : It was no oftner made than 
 rejefted. The luftful Satyr reinforced her 
 Enticements by a fupply of ftill more ur- 
 gent and preffing Applications. But he 
 could not be talk'd out of his Conftancy, 
 nor wearied into a Confent. 
 
 Laftly, Frowns and Menaces work'd no 
 more upon his Fear, than Smiles and Be- 
 feechings had done upon his good Nature. 
 When (he chang'd her Paffion from Love to 
 Averfion, ftie fhifted the Guilt too from her 
 felf to the Objed: of that Averfion. See, he 
 hath brought in an Hebrew to 7nock us ! 
 And this was no more than might have 
 been look'd for from a furious Luft difap- 
 pointed, perhaps no more than was threat- 
 iied by her before the Difappointmenr. And 
 what might be expeded to follow upon the 
 Execution of fuch a Threatning but Rage, 
 Jealoufy, and Refentment ? What might 
 have been expefted from the Apprehenfion 
 of a loving Majler's Confidence abus'd, but 
 an immediate difmiffion from Service, if 
 not Imprifonment withal, which did enfue? 
 And in cafe fuch a fevere Exercife of Pow- 
 er fliould follow, where could fo mean a 
 Perfon, in fo ftrange a place, think of go- 
 ing for Redrefs or Patronage, for a favou- 
 rable Interceflion, or an equal Examination 
 of his Caufe ? 
 
 3 
 
 But 
 
'11 JosEPRj* Continency. 
 
 But as manyDiffiGultiesandRubsas wero 
 fure to attend a ftubborn Incompliance , 
 he pertinaciously maintain'd his Port, and 
 would not furrender upon Summons. 
 
 This was the Conduft and Management 
 of ferious Jofeph ^ and (which ferves to 
 render it the more admirable and glorious) 
 he afted thus merely upon Principles of 
 Confcience. 
 
 The Hazards indeed of an adulterous 
 Praftice could be no Secret to him, no more 
 than the Dangers of the refufal. But ftiil 
 the former were not -^ and if put in the 
 balance againft the latter, could not be fo 
 checking a reftraint upon him, as Duty. 
 'Twas Gratitude towards his Mafter^ and 
 Piety towards his God that would not fuf- 
 fer the leaft Uncleannefs, the working of 
 it fo much as in Thought or Imagination. 
 " My Obligations to Fotiphar^ fays he, are 
 " very confiderable. Of a Stranger, he 
 " made me a Friend •, of a Slave, an Over-^ 
 " feer of his Houfliold. All his Concerns 
 " are committed to my manage, all his Pof- 
 ■' fefiions intruded in my Hands, fave the 
 " Wife of his Bofom, which could not be 
 " given out of it. How then can 1, ha- 
 " ying receiv'd fo much good from him, 
 ^' do him the leaft mifchief*, whereas the 
 " coveting, the meddling with that facred 
 ^' ^eferve, would be the greateft poflibleo 
 *' He did not furely advance me in his 
 
 " Family, 
 
Joseph'/ Contimncy. 
 
 " Family, that I might ftep into his Bed ; 
 *' nor would fuch a Prefumption be the 
 *' way to clear Accounts with my Bene- 
 « fador. 
 
 " My Obligations to the Almighty are 
 " much greater. 'Twas his over-ruling 
 " Providence that procur'd for me fuch 
 " exuberant Kindnefs in a Foreign Land, 
 " chang'd the Condition of Servitude in- 
 " to that of Dignity and Honour. How 
 " then can I do this great Wickednefs^ and 
 " fi^ againfi God! He does not cry , my . 
 Fate hangs upon the Pleafure of Potiphar ; 
 and therefore Tm undone, if I am caught 
 in your Embraces : But ftands off in Reve- 
 rence to the Divine Prohibition. Religion 
 was at the bottom of the Denial , and 
 all his expoftulatory Dialogues came from 
 an Heart that was throughly afFedted with 
 it, 
 
 I have done with the Particulars pro- 
 pos'd to be infilled on. It only remains 
 that I make fome pradical Deduftions from 
 them. 
 
 And firft, if Whoredom and Adultery are 
 fuch damnable Sins, fo reproachful in their 
 Nature, and fo pernicious in their EflFefts, 
 let the Pradifers and Advocates of them 
 tremble. 
 
 Oh! Adidterers ^ni Adidtereffes^ fit down, 
 I befeech you , and confider Confequences, 
 hov/ you are purchafing Tears of Bitter- 
 
 C 4 nefs 
 
^^ JosephV Continency. 
 
 nefs to your loving Conforts, and all tho. 
 melancholy Fruits of Beggary to your be- 
 loved Heirs, and to your felves Loathfom- 
 nefs, Shame, and Vengeance : What Occa- 
 ^SaiBc 12.J1QJJ you give to the Enemies of the Lord tq 
 blafpheme^ and to thofe about you to tranf- 
 grefs. 
 
 If you have not the patience to contem- 
 plate the Beauties of a vertuous AfFeftion, 
 and the Joys that follow it *, yet conftder 
 the extreme coarfenefs of your Vices, how 
 unfuitable they are to your boafted Refine- 
 ments , how much fitter for Goats and 
 Swine, to whom they liken you, how ob- 
 Itruftive withal of the Publick Welfare, 
 
 Confider too the mighty Terrors of Fu- 
 turity, that your Provifions for the Flefli 
 do but breed the Worm that never dies , 
 do but kindle the Flames that never jh all he 
 quenched. The Son of Sirach fays, Chil- 
 dren begotten of imlarvful Beds floall be Wit^ 
 ne£es of Wickednefs againfi their Parents in 
 their Trial\ and methinks this ihould ftrike 
 a cold Damp on their Concupifcence, and 
 jay it dead at their Feet. For who, in his 
 Senfes would be willing, the Fruit of his 
 Body (hould be reckoned to him as the Sin 
 of his Soul , before that bright Theatre of 
 Saints and Angels, the Affefforg with God 
 in Judgment, and afterwards prove the De- 
 JlriiElio7i both of Soul and Body in Hell, E- 
 ^ernal Fire is indeed a chilling Doctrine, 
 
 but 
 
Joseph'j* Continency. 25 
 
 , t)Ut it can have no Effeft on the Carelefs 
 and Unthinking-, and I am afraid I have 
 to do with fuch. Alas! Confideration is 
 their Averlion and their Dread ^ that Can- 
 dle of the Lord is carefully put out, that 
 all may be Night about them , when they 
 enter on their Works of Darknefs 5 they 
 prepare themfelves for the brutifli Scene by 
 the intoxicating Fumes of fprightly Wine , 
 and when it is over they have recourfe to 
 the fame jolly Remedy to arm againll the 
 Uneafinefs of Self-refledion. And fee the 
 V^ife Refult of their ftupifying Methods ! 
 Faith and Conftancy pafs with them now 
 for idle Tales, which the Defigning fug- 
 geft, and the Jealous fpread. They fay 
 much of the Gallantry of being wicked, 
 and undertake to anfwer all the Scruples 
 and Coynefs of our Confciences. 
 
 However, a Time will come, when the 
 Light (hall flafh full in their guilty Faces 
 that can fo little bear it, when they fhall 
 wifti they had went untainted to their 
 Graves, and blefs thofe few Families whofe 
 Blood has run for many Generations in the 
 pure Chanel of unfullied Honour , for 
 There, there is prefent flouriftiing, and Peace 
 at the laft. Lonely Shades perhaps , me- 
 lanchoUy Mortality, to be fure, brings fo- 
 berer Thoughts along with it , and fuch 
 devout Breathings as this, O that I had li- 
 ved 
 
a 5 Joseph V Continency. 
 
 ved the Life of righteous Jofephy O that 
 my latter End were to be like his ! 
 
 2. The young Man's Carriage in the 
 Text is a ftanding Reproof to fuch as com- 
 plain of Impotence in themfelves, and im- 
 pradicable Heights in God's Command- 
 ments. Hwnan Frailty is the common 
 Theme for Satyr and Declamation , almoft 
 every body is full of this melancholy Sub- 
 jeSj fome charge their Sloth upon it, o- 
 thers their Licentioufnefs. Poor innocent 
 'Mature is ftrangely cry'd down , and bears 
 the Blame of all our Mifcarriages, but 
 God be thanked! there is fomething ftill 
 to take her part , Experience that will not 
 be contradifted. The Days of Brifknefs 
 and Vigour, if any, feem to call for Liber- 
 ty and Indulgence •, and yet, we fee, Jo- 
 feph in his warmeft Seafon, did not at all 
 defire or expect them. Temptations to the 
 Sin of Uncleannefs prefs'd hard upon him, 
 but were far from getting the better of 
 him in the Encounter. What the Profli- 
 gate reprefent as a Praftice, which, becaufe 
 of flefhly Propenfities they cannot forego , 
 the pious Soul remonftrates againft as a 
 thing he could not do , upon the Account 
 of its being fo great a wickednefs againfl 
 God, Divine Grace bore him up, whilft 
 the Waves arofe, and the Winds blew, and 
 the fame holy Spirit is ftill ready for Sup- 
 port 
 
JosephV Continency. ^7 
 
 port and Succour upon all Occafions. It 
 is the adding therefore of one Sin to ano- 
 ther, to make finning the Refult of a com- 
 plexional Neceflity. Corruption indeed 
 hangs about our Nature, but the time we 
 fpend in whining out the forrowful Story, 
 would be better taken up in applying to 
 God for Strength againfl: it, 
 
 5. From Jofeplo^ Expoftulation we learn 
 of what Confequence it is to Virtue , to 
 Jive under a conftant Senfe of the divine 
 Prefence. David, in a time of Perfecuti- 
 on, fays, / have Jet God always before me i 
 and fo Jofeph did in the critical Moment 
 of Temptation ^ and from the fame Expe- 
 dient , both received a very great Benefit , 
 fuitable to their refpedive States and Cir- 
 cumftances^ the one was comforted, and 
 the other embolden'd ^ the one was thereby 
 aiTur'd the Calamities, how cutting foe- 
 ver for the prefent, work'd for his future 
 Good thro' the divine Influence and Ap- 
 pointment, and the other thereby guarded 
 againfl the fiery Darts of the wicked One ; 
 Now their Pradice deferves an Imitation, 
 and their Succefs encourages it. In truth, 
 if Ve do but remember God's Prefence, we 
 cannot forget our Duty. For walk before 
 God andbeperfeB, is one Aphorifm of Ho- 
 ly Scripture, and fiand in awe and fin not^ 
 another. 
 
 4. Nei- 
 
8 Joseph V Contimncy. 
 
 4. Neither are human Prefervatives to 
 be neglefted, fuch as Warinefs, Circum- 
 fpeftion and Referve. 
 
 Prudence as well as Piety is legible in 
 JofepVs Conduft-, confidering the ill Ef- 
 fefts of a Familiarity with tempting Objeds, 
 tho* his Vertue might feem impregnable, he 
 would not trull it in fo bad a Neighbour- 
 hood, The Prefence of the Wife of Pott- 
 phar was as dreadful to him as her Re- 
 quefts were odious. And upon the fame 
 Account there lies a juft Exception againft 
 the Ufe of immodeft Piftures, Books, Com- 
 pany and Places. Thefe are dangerous 
 Things, and they may prove fatal. We 
 have much ado to keep our Feet upon, dry 
 Ground, and why then fhould we venture 
 our felves where it is fo flippery? A confi- 
 derate Pilot never puts to Sea in fufpeded 
 Weather, when the Face of Heaven is trou- 
 bled, and a Storm gathering. Nor will a- 
 ny but a Fool chufe his ftanding on the 
 Verge of a Precipice, where he muft (hake 
 if he does not ftumble. 
 
 5. And laftly, We obferve in the Life 
 of Jofeph, the blelTed Returns of a vertuous 
 Education. His Piety , no doubt , grew 
 partly upon the Advantage of good Nurture^ 
 and partly on the Stock of an excellent 
 Difpofition. If he had been deftitute of 
 either, the fierce Attack probably would 
 have tript up his Refolution. But of the 
 
 tWQ 
 
JosephV Continency. 
 
 two Reftraints, the former could have leaft 
 been fpared. Was his Reafon naturally 
 flrong? That confirm'd it. Was his Will 
 originally well inclin'd? That doubled the 
 Biafs on the fide of Vertue. 
 
 A careful Difcipline is of the laft Impor- 
 tance. It founds Principles ^ it begets Ha- 
 bits '^ it furnilhes Arguments for Religion : 
 and where (uch a Foundation has been laid, 
 the Superftrudure muft needs be beautiful 
 and glorious. It is a known Story, that 
 when a great Pretender to the Talent of 
 reading Men s Tempers in their Faces pro- 
 nounc'd of Socrates^ that he was intempe- 
 rate and wild, the good Man fav'd the Cre- 
 dit of the Phyfiognomift, by affuring the 
 Company he was fuch by Nature , only 
 Philofophy had made a new one in him. 
 And but for a like painful Application, 
 Flefli and Blood would be very untoward 
 and perverfe. It is a rank Soil ^ and if ne- 
 gleded, the Superfluities of Naughtinefs 
 fpring up in it. 
 
 Not but that Inftitution it felf has been 
 born down by Nature in fome, and by 
 Temptations in others. Men, very promifing 
 in their tutour'd Minority, that gave won- 
 derful Proof of prefent Proficience, and 
 ftrong Expeftations of an after-holy Life , 
 when left to themfelves and their own In- 
 clinations, have furprizingly ftruck out into 
 Inequality of Behaviour ac firff, and Ex- 
 
 ceiTes 
 
^^o JosephV Contimncy, 
 
 cefles of Vice afterwards. Like fome Plants 
 which are obferv'd to thrive by the Nutri- 
 ment which the Body of the Seed affordeth 
 them, but when they come to depend on 
 the Strength of the Ground only, wither and 
 die away. But this ought to be no damp 
 to good Inftrudions, is no Argument a- 
 gainft their general Influence. Nay , tho' 
 there is no hope of an Herb, if it be dead, 
 that it will fprout again, yet there is of an 
 abortive Education, that it will revive into 
 a great Degree of Fruitfulnefs and Excel- 
 lency. Afflidion finds a Confcience to 
 work upon in the well-nurtur'd, and found 
 practical Reafoning, a Judgment. And ac- 
 cordingly, when the Impreflions of Difci- 
 pline have not fecur'd* Innocence , they do 
 Repentance. Jofeph and his Brethren v/ere 
 educated together into right Apprehenfions 
 of Things , and the Effefts thereof were 
 good in both, tho' not equally in point of 
 Degree or Time. He held on an even uni- 
 form Courfe of Vertue, without halting ^ 
 They fet out wrong, v/ith Cruelty towards 
 him, and Impofitions on their aged Father ^ 
 but were brought back again upon the kind 
 converting Calls of a fevere Providence. 
 He and they met at lad at the fame Point 
 of Sincerity and Goodnefs. Hence care- 
 ful Parents may receive Encouragement, 
 and the Difappointed Confolation. In the 
 Morynng they muft fov? the good Seed of 
 S whol- 
 
Joseph'/ Continency. ^t 
 
 wholfome Advice, and in the Evenm£^ 
 with-hold not their Hand: For they know 
 not whether Jljall pro/per^ either this, or that^ 
 or whether they both Jhal/ he a4ike good. 
 What if the Harveft coineth not in accor- 
 ding to Expeftation ? It is but fufpended. 
 What if an unlucky Blaft has finited the 
 lovely Fruit juft upon its Maturity? The 
 fame Soil may be grateful to a fecond Cul- 
 tivation, the fame Perfon be recovered in- 
 to the Interefts of Vertue by renewed 
 Applications. Let them not be weary in 
 well-doings for they fbaU reap if they faint 
 not. 
 
 ■» - — - — — 
 
 Jofep{/t 
 
^2 JosephV good %>[e 
 
 Jofeplos Good Ufe of the 
 Divine Providences* 
 
 Gen. 1. ao. 
 
 As for you^ ye thought e^il againji me^ 
 but God meant it unto Good ^ to 
 bring to pajs^ as it is this day^ to 
 fave much people ali've. 
 
 THefe Words, being a Judgment paft 
 upon Matter of Fad, naturally di- 
 reft us to the foregoing, to let us into the 
 occafion of them, where we have prefen- 
 ted to our View, the much lamented Death 
 of old Jacobs and the anxious Jealoufies of 
 his Guilty Family confequent thereupon. 
 Having perform'd their laft Offices, accor- 
 ding to the Will of the Deceased, in the 
 Land of Canaan^ and paid down the Tri- 
 bute they ow'd his Memory in Tears, the 
 afflided Children return back into Egypt^ 
 with the folemn Train of Egyptian Mour-* 
 ners. 
 
 But now that which was before a Place 
 of Comfort and Refreftiment, becomes their 
 
 Sufpicion 
 
of the Di*z/ine Vro^vidences. 33 
 
 Sufpicion and their Dread. The beloved 
 Jfrael^ they refleded with Horror, lliould 
 be feen in it no more forever, and ail their 
 Pretenfions to Compaflion and Favour were 
 buried with him. The hated Jofeph^ they 
 remembred with Anguilh, had receiv'd from 
 them, what, we fay, is fometime tht youn- 
 ger Brother* s Portion , Extremity of Hard- 
 fliip, and a Day of bitter Reckoning was at 
 Hand in their diftruftful Apprehenfions. 
 Fer adventure Jofeph will hate W5, and r(?r-Gen.$o.i$; 
 tainly will requite us all the Evil that we 
 did unto him. Twas a tender Affeftion to 
 their Father and his, they fuppofed , that 
 hitherto fkreend them from the Demerit 
 of their Aftions, and the EfFefts of his Dif- 
 pleafure •, now they expefted nothing elfe 
 but to fee the old Quarrel ript up, and 
 long-conceal'd Refentments break forth with 
 the greateft Violence. Now, there being 
 no powerful winning Family-Advocate to 
 appear for them, they concluded, the Lord 
 of the Coimtry would make good his hum- 
 bling Bream in the fevered Senfe, and re- Gea. 37; 
 quire fuch ObeifafKefrom their lofty Sheaves 
 as came not {hort of Servitude it felf. 
 
 However, being fully fenfible of their 
 fa ft Offences, and not perfedly defpairing 
 of his future Clemency, they make the moft 
 acknowledging and fubmiflive Addrelfes to 
 him, as Offenders ought to do, and fucceed 
 accordingly as P^7Wfd';jrj'ftiould, He, as if fa- 
 
 D tisfyed 
 
^4 JosephV good Vfe 
 
 tisfied of their prefent Sincerity, returns em 
 a moft gracious and condefcenfive Anfwer -, 
 firft affures era of his Protedion, telling them 
 whom they fhould fear , not hiinfelf but 
 the omnipotent Jehovah^ to whom alone 
 'Vengeance belongeth ^ and then, left the 
 grating Senfe of their Barbarity towards 
 him fhould punifh 'em above Meafure , he 
 diverts their Minds to a more comforta- 
 ble Theme, the exceeding Mercy of God 
 towards them^ in direding even that to their 
 Benefit and Advantage, As for yoUj ye 
 thought EvH againft me , but God meant it 
 wito Goodj to bring to pafs as it is this Dajy 
 to fave much People alive. 
 
 In difcourfing on which Words, I Ihall 
 ly?. Endeavour to evince a Providence in 
 general. And, 
 
 ... 2dlj. lUuftrate by the particular Cafe the 
 Text remarks upon, that eminent Ad of 
 it which confifts in bringing good out of evil, 
 or over-ruhng wicked Purpofes to excellent 
 Ends. 
 
 As for the Firft, the Exiftence of a Pro- 
 vidence in general, it is v/hat the great Ma- 
 fter of the Heathen World thought fitter 
 to be defended by a Scourge than an Argu- 
 ment againft fuch as were fo unreafonable 
 and brutiih as to oppofe it. And furely 
 no one can deny but that objedions deferve 
 as fevere a Reply under the SunQiine of 
 Chriftianity. Nay,. Fin perfuaded, there 
 
 would 
 
of the Dwine Trovidences, 35 
 
 would be none found to objed, were it e^ 
 Very one's Interefl: to believe it. Scepticifm 
 begins always at the Affeftions, and thence 
 pafleth to the Head. Thofe who fay with 
 their Mouths, firft faid hi their Hearts^ 
 there is no Providence, that is, wilVd there 
 might not be Any, becaufe they could not 
 fin quietly for't, and then fet their Wits to 
 vote on the fide of their Wifhes. 
 
 And in truth, when Men refolve to be 
 wicked they take the right way to be eafy. 
 This in fome Meafure accommodates the 
 Difference betwixt their clamorous Con- 
 fciences and their commanding Lufts , 
 and makes for the more peaceable En- 
 joyment of the Latter. The Difbelief of 
 a Providence, if attainable , mufl: needs 
 render them fecure^ and if it could be well- 
 grounded, fafe. Could we be afcertain'd 
 God regarded not what we did, there could 
 be no Reafon why we Ihould , prefent 
 Negligence in the Judge promifing future V 
 Impunity to the Criminal. But to fuppofe 
 the Ahnighty fo negleftful of human Af- 
 fairs is a Charge in the wrong Place. For 
 fliall the God of Ifrael be no better than 
 the Gods of the Gentiles^ that have Eyes and 
 fee not^ Ears and hear not? Can Elijah'* s 
 Sarcafra concerning Baal be applicable to 
 the Mafter whom Elijah ferved , that he is 
 talking^ purfuing^ in a Journey^ or per adven- 
 ture in a Sleeps lolling, like a lazy Mo- 
 
 D 2- narch 
 
Joseph'j' good ZJfe 
 
 narch in his Throne of Glory, when he 
 fhould attend to the Services of his Votaries? 
 A flunjbering Deity is a Contradiftion. He 
 could as foon ceafe to be as to be idle. tJhe- 
 rubins^ that approach neareft to him inPer- 
 feftion, are reprefented in Scripture as mi- 
 niftring Spirits, always ready to receive and 
 execute his high Commiffions. And when 
 fecular Votentates are ftil'd God*s Vicege- 
 rents , yea Gods themfelves, 'tis not upon 
 the Account of infignificant State or volup- 
 tuous Repofe, but in Reference to their ci- 
 vil Ubiquity or 0?nntprefe7Ke ^ by which, 
 like Gods^ they fupervife the Earth, and 
 with the Heads and Hands of fubordinate 
 Officers do infinite things at once for the 
 publick Welfare. What then can be our 
 Notion of the mojl High, but that He is all 
 Spirit, and Life, and Energy, that He 
 holds the Rudder of this floating Univerfe^ 
 and, as abfolnte Pilot, fleers its Courfe ac- 
 V cording to his Pleafure ? 
 
 'Tis true, the Reverfe-Sentiments of £- 
 piciiYiis agreed well enough with his Do- 
 (ftrine concerning the Origin of the World, 
 For when he had once fwallowed the mon- 
 flrous Abfurdity of this beautiful Fabrick's 
 taking its Rife from fome lucky Hit of 
 blundering Chance, from an happy Jumble 
 or Rendezvous of bufy but undefigning A^ 
 .toms, 'twas eafy for him to excufe God the 
 fuppoiedly heavy trouble of looking after it, 
 
 when 
 
of the Di'vim Vrovidmces. 37 
 
 when produc'd ^ it being prefumable, that 
 if a blind Fortune could range things into 
 fuch a delicate Order, (he could want no 
 Affiftance to uphold them in it. But that 
 an intelligent Being (hould create the Work 
 of Nature^ but (hut it out of His Hand as 
 foon as He created it, and having once fet 
 the Wheels of Aftion a going , take his fi- 
 nal Leave , and abandon it for ever to the 
 giddy Sport of Chance and Contingency, is 
 a thing incredible and extravagant beyond 
 Imagination, 
 
 What would become of all the divine At- 
 tributes and Perfedions, were it as true as 
 it is incredible? What firft of infinite Wif- 
 dom .<? For could it be confident therewith 
 to throw afide fuch a noble FroduBion^ to 
 call it into Exiftence, and yet lay out no 
 more thought upon it, than as if it exift- 
 ed not at all, to render it capable of ma- 
 ny excellent Ends, and yet propound none 
 by it, as if it had no fuch Capacity. Eve- 
 ry ordinary Agent works always For fome 
 Caufe, and in Profecution of fome Defign^ 
 and doubtlefs the fupreme Artift does fo 
 too. 
 
 What of infinite Goodnefs ^ For can that 
 be backward in imparting ^/?^(^, that is, it 
 felf ? It is the Wifemans Obfervation , 
 that He would never have rnade any thhig if 
 He had hated it , and it may be ours, that 
 He could not love what He has made if He 
 
 D 3 Icfc 
 
38 JosephV gOGdZ)[$ 
 
 left it to (hift for it fel£ 'Twas Benignity 
 and Love that infpir'd that fweet Genius 
 into Creatures, whereby the old Ones are 
 difpos'd to cherifli the young-, and does 
 not the fame Benignity conftrain Him tQ 
 eaft a gracious Eye on his own Offspring ? 
 Can He, to whom we owe our moft mel- 
 ting Paflions, the Father his tender Heart, 
 and the Mother her yearning Bowels , be 
 fo ill a Parent Himfelf as to forget us ^ and 
 becaufe unfpeakablybleffed in Himfeif, un- 
 generoufly wTap Himfelf up ia the Enjoy- 
 ment of His own BlefTednefs ? What of hi- 
 finite Majejly .<? For is Omnipotence any 
 thing without Exercife, Sovereignty with- 
 out' Dominion? PraBice alone fets out hu- 
 niafi Abilities to Advantage, and can a D//- 
 itfe fuit the Divhie ^ His Power can do 
 whatever His Pleafure can w'lU^ and is it 
 likely it fliould be His Pleafure to do juft 
 nothing ? 
 
 What laftly of infinite Jufiice .<? For does 
 not that imply an overfight of Adions, and 
 a Difpofer of Events ? Does not that bear a 
 neceffary Relation to Rewards and Punifh- 
 ments ? To behold Mqntty with Approbati- 
 on, and bear the Sword in vain^ is a Solos- 
 cifm which giddy Mortals may be guilty 
 of, but God cannot. Are not my ways e- 
 qital^ faith the Lord-^ but how could this 
 be faid of Him and by Him, if He regar- 
 ded not the Inequality oi ours. 
 
 Thus 
 
of the Dizf'me Pro'vidences. 3 
 
 Thus the Nature of God infers a Provi- 
 dence, fo Hkewife doth the Nature of Ma?i, 
 'Tis well known, we carry a fecret Mo7iitor 
 in our Bofom, which faithfully whifpers to 
 us what we JhouU do, and as it were judi- 
 cially examines what we have done. Up- 
 on a Temptation to Vice, it give us a Cau- 
 tion^ upon 4:he Commiflion of it, a Rebuke'^ 
 upon an Opportunity of Vertue it gives us 
 an Encoiirageynent^ upon the Exercife of it 
 a Commendation. 
 
 Now how {hall we account for thefe in- 
 ward Apprehenfwns concerning the Diffe- 
 rence of Good and Evil ^ What is it that 
 occafions them? ^ot Education^ becaufe 
 they are univerfal and indehble. The mod 
 U?iciviliz,'d entertain, the moft Profligate 
 can't wholly get rid of them , whereas if 
 they were the mere Imprellions of Difci- 
 pline or Nurture, a maturer Judgment, and 
 a freer Converfe, might in time difmifs 
 them. Not pofitive Lam^ becaufe they ex- 
 tend to Matters never confidered, to Actions 
 fecret , and fo no way cognizable by any. 
 They are therefore nothing elfe but the 
 Language of Reafon, and the Voice of 
 Heaven, plainly intimating that He who is 
 above All, ruleth over All. Confcie?ice^ as 
 a divine Deputy, excufes or accufes, ac- 
 quits or condemns. And her particular 
 Judgment may go for an Antedate of that 
 y/hich will be general 
 
 D 4 Again, 
 
40 JosephV good %}fe 
 
 Again if there ever hath been any fuch 
 thing as a verified Prophecy or a real Mira- 
 cle^ there is, there muft be an uncontrola- 
 ble Providence : It being manifeftly beyond 
 human Sagacity to define the precifeTime, 
 Place, Perfons, and other contingent Cir- 
 cumftancesanfwering to the accomplifhment 
 of the one ^ beyond human Aftivity , as 
 much to put natural Caufes out of courfe, 
 for the working of the other^ as to eftablifk 
 that courfe at firft. And neither of thefe 
 extraordinary Occurrences can be doubted 
 of, without difcarding the Credit of ail 
 Hiftory. 
 
 But we need not truft to the reality of 
 fupernatural Events. The harmonious QEco- 
 nomy of the Univerfe is a fufficient Proof 
 in the Cafe. 
 
 The Lilies of the Field that have every 
 Spring a Beauty exceeding Solomon in all his 
 G/^py, muft have one Gr^^r^r than he to help 
 them to it. And the Fowls of the Air that fing fo 
 chearfully, even when they know not where 
 to pick up the next Meal, do thereby at 
 once exprefs their Gratitude for the laft, 
 and their Dependence on an invifible Prove- 
 ditore for their Food in due Seafon. But 
 to take a larger View, how do the great 
 Larrips ofKeaven^ notwithftanding their ve- 
 nerable Age, ftill rejoice as Giants to run 
 their daily Courfe, and dance about the 
 ' Firmament ^ and the Elements^ in fpite of 
 
 their 
 
of the Dwine Trozfidences. 41 
 
 their contrary Qualities, all live fweetly 
 together like Brethren in Unity ? How do 
 the Brute Creation^ notwithftanding their 
 Stupidity, ftill ad up to the original Laws 
 of their refpedive Frames ^ and Mankind^ 
 in fpite of their Paffions, ftill maintain a 
 comfortable Society with one another ? And 
 what are all thefe Regularities but ftanding 
 Monuments of a Divine Superintendency ? 
 Did not the Lord Jehovah vouchfafe as a 
 Nurfing Father to carry feeble 'Nature in 
 his Bofom, (he, poor helplefs Thing, would 
 foon droopy hang the Head, and faint quite 
 away under the rude ftruggles of turbulent 
 Matter. The upper Regions would be a- 
 gain without Light and gloomy, and the 
 Earth without Form and void. 
 
 'Tis He that continues to all Individuals 
 the Succours of Life, and to all kinds the 
 prolifick Word, hcreafe and multiply, ' Tis 
 He that fajs with effed to the proud 
 Waves that are ambitious of rambling, and 
 to the prouder Politicians that- are given 
 to change -^ Hitherto jhall ye go , and no 
 farther. 
 
 In (hort, there is not a Being that has 
 broke its rank, not a Wheel that has mov'd 
 out of its trad fince the Creation. And what 
 but a God of Harmony could keep every 
 thing true to the firft Vlan^ amidft fuch 
 Antipathies and Emulations as are difcerni- 
 
 ble 
 
Joseph'/ good Vfe 
 
 bie amongft the Creatures? How can we 
 think but that the great Machine is daily 
 wound up by its Builder and Maker, God.^ 
 Nay the World of Fancy too, as well as 
 JSl/iture^ begs a fupport from the Hands of 
 Heaven. For what is unaflifted Art but 
 bungling, what human Contrivance unfe- 
 conded but a Scheme of Vanity? JFe build, 
 but the Almighty upholds. Our boafted 
 Works, which we call Palaces, are made of 
 Duft ^ and let any one tell me if he can, 
 that Suppofition afide, why they do not 
 immediately moulder into it? 
 
 If this Confideration with the former 
 ones can't fatisfy the Followers of Epicurw^ 
 I hope the Invalidity of their own Obje- 
 Bions v/ill. They pretend 'tis vaftly be- 
 neath the Great and Lofty one that inhabi- 
 teth Eternity^ to meddle with Temporal Con- 
 cernments, and take cognizance of every 
 little Paifage here below. His tranfcendent 
 Dignity would fuffer by fuch a ftoop, his 
 {uTpvQmc Happinefs would be allay'dby fuch 
 a Condefcenfion : and therefore they give 
 him his Quiettts eft, and draw the Curtains 
 about him, that lie may not be difturbed. 
 But what a grofs Impropriety is this, to 
 draw difparaging Inferences in regard of 
 the Effence of God, which is ineffably per- 
 fect, from the Defeds and Imperfeftions of 
 Man ? 'Tis by reafon of them, that we ne- 
 ver operate but we toil too, 'tis becaufe 
 
 our 
 
of the Di'vine fro'vidences. 43 
 
 our Faculties are feeble and our Underftan- 
 dings fliort, that a little Employment pre- 
 fentiy untunes the one, and various Ob- 
 jeds pverprefs the other. And will they 
 force that Wearinefs and Diftraftion upon 
 the Deity which we lament in our felves ! 
 Could not Infinitenefs of Power and Infi^ 
 nitenefs of Knowledge exempt him from 
 both, tho' the number of things to be at- 
 tended to was infinite likewife? That im- 
 plies an irrefiftible Influence over, This a 
 prefent view of, whatever is poflible, And 
 could not two fuch Attributes in conjundion 
 prove an over-match for the Affairs of a 
 thoufand Worlds, fo as to fence off Drud' 
 gery and Fatigue in the management of 
 them ? All things are not forefeen by us 
 before they happen, nor well order'd,when 
 they do: Their Natures are ftubborn and 
 make refiftance, when we go to alter and 
 ad upon them •, and confequently our Coun- 
 fels are oft attended with reproachful Mi- 
 Jlakcy our Defigns with ^SlidiivQDifappoi?it- 
 nient. But fo are not his, to whom no- 
 thing is a Secret or a Difficulty. 
 
 And as fuch an univerfal Infpedion can 
 be no bar to his Eafe^ fo neither is it any 
 blemifli to his Glory, The larger the Sphere 
 we move in is, 'tis held fo much the more 
 creditable *, and nothing ferves more to re- 
 commend the Divifie Majefty to our Admi- 
 ration and Reverence, than the full Alfu- 
 
 rance 
 
Joseph*/ good Z)[e 
 
 ranee that his Arm is without meafure and 
 his Eye every where. 
 
 Befides how can thofe things be unwor- 
 thy of his Care^ that were not of his Work- 
 7nanjlnp ^ As mean as they may be thought, 
 they are what he made them , and were 
 they much meaner than they are, the doing 
 good to them would be an Ad: of Gran- 
 deur rather than a leffening to it. Earthly 
 State and Quality we are fure looks the 
 bigger for Condefcenfions , and the&mflii- 
 neth upon Dunghills, without being fullied 
 at all by them. 
 
 Thefe pretty Reafoners then may take 
 back the Complement they make him of a 
 iiftlefs InaBivity. God's Honour, I doubt 
 not, will be fafe enough without it. They 
 own him an Eycelle^n ^tiv\g'^ and He is 
 not a whit the lefs fo, for being a Benefi- 
 cent one too. 
 
 It is farther alledged by them, that the 
 outward State of the Moral World, at leaft, 
 is not beholden to the Condud of a wife 
 and impartial Deity. For if it were, there 
 would furely be a conftant and vifible Dir 
 ftinction made as to fecular Occurrences in 
 favour of Piety and Vertue : Whereas we 
 fee to our furprize, the Righteous are often 
 expos'd to Nakednefs andDifgrace, to Dan- 
 gers and Perfecutions. 
 
 This is the main Engine whereby they 
 endeavour to batter down the great Do- 
 
 ftrine 
 
of the t>imne Tro'vidences. 45 
 
 ftrine of Providence ^ but yet it ftands as 
 firm and immoveable as the Rock of Ages. 
 Several Arguments might be brought to 
 break the Force of the doubty Exception, 
 and ruin the Conceit of a fedentary Retreat 
 in the Heavens 5 as particularly, that God's 
 Sufferance of Diforder is but necefTary to 
 exercife the natural Freedom of human 
 Will, to gratify the Wicked for their little 
 Services, to cut out Work for a future 
 Judgment. 
 
 But to give the moft fatisfaftory Account 
 I can, and fuch as may afford immediate 
 relief to afflidted Vertue, I haften to my 
 fecond general Head, viz>. to illuftrate, by 
 the particular Cafe the Text remarks upon, 
 that Divine Ad of bringing Good out of 
 Evil^ or over-ruling unrighteous Purpofes 
 to bleffed Ends. 
 
 As 'tis the jfirft Point of Wifdom to ftavc 
 oflF Evils, fo it is the fecond and more ex- 
 cellent to render them beneficial. Accor- 
 dingly the Inftance of Jofeph humbled by 
 his Brethren^ and exalted by mere Stran- 
 gers^ does not more refled upon the former, 
 than it magnifies Vrovidence. 
 
 When they obferv'd how large and di- Gen. 37. 
 ftinguifhing a (hare he had in \hdxFather\^'^' 
 AfFeftion, and what big Prophetical Ac- 
 counts he gave of his future Grandeur, the 
 (lately Sirs were in an heavy Combultion, 
 and laid much to heart the feeming In- 
 fringement 
 
^5 JosephV good Z^fe / 
 
 fringement of their Right of Prmogemttire. 
 The comparative Difadvantage by him 
 threatned fat very uneafy on their haughty 
 Minds, and it troubled them infinitely to 
 refled that he v;rho was the kasi among 
 them (hould think of becoming the grea- 
 test. This inward Difpleafure increas'd 
 with the occafion. It often had a vent, 
 and they long'd for an opportunity of re- 
 moving the grounds of it. This they rec- 
 koned upon, that Jacobs Love would be 
 fhifted, if the beloved Objed was but dif- 
 pos'd of, and that his Dream would pafs 
 away like one, if they could but get rid of 
 the vexatious Dreamer. The friendly Vifit 
 he made them in the Field of Shechem, put 
 them upon revengeful Projeds ^ and as he 
 was advancing towards them with an Heart 
 full of Love , Simplicity and Innocence, 
 fome were for ftriking home and mortally j 
 as if the barbarous MaiTacre formerly there 
 committed by Simeo?i and Levi had fandi- 
 iied Murder, and made the Place a proper 
 Stage for fuch bloody Tragedies ! And tho* 
 the others as earneftly rejeded as they ftar- 
 ted the terrible Propofal, yet all went a 
 prodigious ftep towards his Deftrudion, 
 They left him at firft to the hazard of 
 Death *, and when that Severity was retra- 
 ded, to a probability of perpetual Servi-^ 
 tiide, which was but little better. 
 
 Having 
 
of the lywine Proifidences. 47 
 
 Having proceeded thus far in wreaking 
 their Malice, they hugg'd themfelves and 
 their own Meafures , thought they had 
 afted a wife Part, and agreed to aft an 
 Hypocritical one before their Father. They 
 return confident of Succefs from the Field 
 of Slaughter^ and by feign'd Probabihties^*3i*e&'Ct 
 fcruple not to lead the bereaved Jacob into 
 a Belief that a wild BeaH (very different 
 from thofe he was thus worried by) had 
 devoured his fondling Jofeph. 
 
 And what a melancholly Entertainment 
 is all this to a lively Imagination? How 
 like a negled or overfight in a Deity that 
 had forgot to be gracious unto his Servant ! 
 And truly were it not a Prologue to a Sub- 
 jeft more agreeable, it would be a Theme 
 altogether unfit for the contemplative Man 
 to be trufted with, as tempting him to 
 think every thing run at random, and every 
 Man in fcuffling for himfelf might do what- 
 ever feem'd good in his own Eyes. 
 
 But the next thing we hear of this abu- Gen. 3^. i: 
 fed Innocent^ is, his Reception in the Houfe 
 of Potiphar^ and Advancement over ir. And 
 tho' Infelicities take not yet their final leave 
 of him, yet their farther Attendance on him 
 was only to make way for his farther Pro- 
 motion. 
 
 Tile Mifreprefentation of his luftful Mi-w, 20. 
 flrefs drew on him the Difpleafure of his 
 indulgent Mafler, and that, a tedious Con- 
 
 5 finement 
 
^S Jost?iis'good Z^fe 
 
 finement with the worft of Criminals. Li 
 Gen. 40. that time of Reftraint, a Fellow- fufferer re- 
 ceiv'd Comfort from him by a Dream ^ 
 which he conftrued expreflive of an imme- 
 diate Enlargement •, and what more proba- 
 ble than that, the Event verifying the In- 
 terpretation, and fo enabling him for a Re- 
 quital, Jofeph ftiould immediately partake 
 of the Blefling which he foretold. Yet like 
 a dead Man out of mind he languifh'd ori 
 in the uncomfortable Durance. The Cup- 
 bearer's Office, it feems, had an Opiate 
 ftrong enough to lay afleep the good Im- 
 preffion! But the happy Talent of expoun-^ 
 ding fignificant Dreams, when wanted, was 
 acknowledged. 
 
 The Service he alo7ie could do that way 
 
 Gen. 41. brought him at length into the Knowledge 
 
 ''*' of Pharaoh^ and the Service he did do, 
 
 by an immediate ftep , to the Height of 
 
 Power. 
 
 Thus from a Bond-fefvant hecommenc'd 
 Governour of a great Family, and from a 
 Prifoner, the Ruler of a mighty Kingdom! 
 V. 48, ire Nor was this Inveftiture of Dominion lefs 
 beneficial in its Confequences, than credi- 
 table in it felf Canaan and Egypt were 
 fenfibly the better for't. A fore Famine 
 falling upon both, his excellent Hufbandry 
 of former Plenty prov'd a Prefervative a- 
 gainft the difmal Effects of it. The People 
 of the Land ow'd their full Granary to his 
 
 Manage- 
 
of tht Divine Providences. 4P 
 
 Management, and the Clourch ofGod^ then 
 compriz'd within the narrow Limits of his 
 own Kindred , their Deliverance to his 
 Bounty. 
 
 And now could FtBion it felf invent 
 any thing more furprizing in its Procedure, 
 and yet more beautiful in its Seafon ^ Does 
 not the intire Hiftory fet out a well-order'd 
 Drama^ in which all the crofs Accidents 
 and amufing Difficulties clear lip at laft, 
 and receive a fair Iffue ? Is not the Clofe 
 thereof as fatisfadory as the introdudory 
 Scenes were frightful? Can we look upon 
 the whole otherwife than as the wife Con- 
 trivance of an over-ruling Providence ? 
 
 'Tis certainly worth reviewing iti every 
 Particular. 
 
 To be thrown into a defolate Pit, fold 
 into a grievous Bondage, hurried into a 
 ftrange Country ^ and when there, afpers'd 
 with a foul Imputation, and caft into a 
 loathfom Dungeon 3 thefe are fuch an un- 
 grateful variety of Conditions, as 'Sature 
 ftarts back and recoils at the very thoughts 
 of. Nay Grace it felf is almoft ftagger'd, 
 upon contemplating the ground and occa- 
 fion of them, namely, their being unde- 
 ferv'd by the Party that went through thera. 
 But the Event makes full amends, and re- 
 conciles 'em to fecond Thoughts, even to 
 the Apprehenfions of Flelh aud Blood. 
 
 A State of Subjeftion at Home is ex- 
 
 E changed 
 
JosephV good Vfe 
 
 cliang'd for a State of Government Abroad y 
 the Patronage of an indulgent Father, for 
 the Charafter of a Father of his Country -^ 
 and the party 'Colon/d Coat^ which was a 
 raark of paternal Endearment, for a Scar- 
 let Rohcj an Enfign of Royal Favour. His 
 jRip, it feems, depended on his Fall -^ and 
 having obferv'd the one, we wonder not at 
 the other. So that tho' Jofeph could not 
 but caft a wifhfiil Look after his native 
 Dwelling, and drop many a bitter Tear 
 under fuch unexpeded Difafters j yet could 
 he have open'd the dark Psges, the fecret 
 foldings of the Divine Counfel, and feen to 
 the end of that Book of Providences in which 
 all his Concerns were written^ he would 
 doubtlefs have made the hard LefiTon his ex- 
 prefs choice, he would have pronounc'd it 
 good for him that he was thus affliSed^ be- 
 caufe otherwife he had not been brought to 
 fo great Honour^ and comforted on every fide» 
 Again, to be depriv'd of a Favourite- 
 Child, begotten in old Age, and not yet 
 paft the fweet Years of Innocency ! to be 
 depriv'd of him too of a fudden, without 
 the Solemnity of a parting Kifs, or the war- 
 ning of a fatal Sicknefs ! This is a very try- 
 ing Calamity , and accordingly Jacobs up- 
 on feeling it, broke out into the moft vio- 
 lent lira ins of Grief and Sorrow. The fup- 
 posd Death of his Son made Life a real 
 Burden to himfelf ^ and nothing would 
 
 ferve 
 
of the Dimm Tro'vidences. ^ i 
 
 ferve him in the firft Tranfports of his Paf- 
 fion, hut he inufl go down mottrnmg to the 
 Grave after him. 
 
 But afterwards when he could fay with 
 the Man in the Parable^ This my Sdn was 
 deadm my Apprehenfion^ but is alive again ^ 
 was loft and is found : He had infinite Rea- 
 fon to make ?nerry , and be glad at fuch 
 unlook'd-for Tidings. Since the Circum- 
 ftances in which he was found, were far 
 different from thofe of the returning Prodi- 
 gal^ a$ different as Dignity is from Shame, 
 Affluence from Nakednefs, 'tis no wonder, 
 that his Spirit revivd^ that his Soul did ^^'^•45*' 
 magnify the Lord who had done fo great ^'^' 
 Things for him. 
 
 Farther, to be made to do Homag;e to 
 one that was formerly trod upon and de- 
 fpis'd, is a moft juft Judgment, an equita- 
 ble Reprizal. And this befel the unnatural 
 Brethren we are fpeaking of. They looking 
 upon Jofeph's magnificent Prefages as Ro- y 
 
 mantick Hopes, grounded on their Father's 
 Fondnefs, as the wanton Ifllie of a teeming 
 Fancy, the airy Suppofitions of an afpiring 
 Temper, were refoiv'd to mortify, if it 
 were pollible, the Toimgfter'sY dXiiij. The 
 befl Remedy they could devife for his grow- 
 ing Ambition, was to remove him far e- 
 iiough off from thofe difcriminatingCareffes^ 
 and exercife all his fuffering Capacities. 
 This fevere courfe they took with him, 
 
 E 2 and 
 
^2 Joseph'/ good Vfe 
 
 and then fported themfelves with hisMifery 
 and triumph'd in his Difappointment. But 
 how wofully were they out in their adored 
 Politicks ? In felling him to the Egyftians^ 
 they purchas'd their own Shame , and whilft 
 they fought his utmoft Debafement, they 
 unwittingly lifted him up to what they 
 made fo much a Jeft of, his prediBed Supe« 
 riority over them ! 
 
 A ftrange turn of things throws them in- 
 to the Hands of him whom they had trea- 
 ted fo defpitefully with theirs. He receives 
 
 3en.42» them in a pofture oi Majefty^ and with the 
 Submiffion of the Knee from them. He 
 perfonates an angry Man during the Inter- 
 view, and is as rough in Appearance as they 
 had been in Reality. He pretends to take 
 them for Spies of his Land^ as they had 
 took him for an Invader of their Privileges. 
 He threatens what they had infiiBed^ and 
 with a kind of arbitrary Air heaps the hea- 
 vieft Commands upon them, as if he was 
 their Sovereign rather than their Brother. 
 
 And behold the goodly Effects of this 
 Lordly Deportment and rigorous Ufage fo 
 unwillingly praftis'd ! Conscience w^iich is 
 the beft Expofitor of affliftive Vifitations 
 pointed out to them the meritorious Caufe-, 
 and the fmart of their Puni(hment led em 
 to a Conviaion of their Guilt. We are 
 
 Gen. 42. verily guilty^ fay they, of the Blood of our 
 Brother — and therefore is this dijlrefs co?ne 
 
 upon 
 
of the jyivine Pro'vidences. ^5 3 
 
 upon ti^. Tho' a long Interval had pafs'd 
 between their Cruelties, and the feign'd Se- 
 verity of the Man the Goverfwur of the hand\ 
 yet being diftrefs'd by the one, they can 
 lament the other, and remember Mercy in 
 the midft of a Judgment that reveng'd their 
 want of it. 
 
 Laftly to promote the pMick Welfare 
 by a private Inconvenience, is a very rea- 
 fonable Difpenfation. And therefore fince 
 the AffltBions of Jofeph tended to the Pre- 
 fervation of Multitudes, the Profpect of 
 them in that Light ftrips em of all their 
 Horror. 
 
 The Sufferer himfelfi we fee, when he 
 found they render'd him in the Upfhot a 
 general Benefador, could fpeak very kind 
 things of them , and fmil'd upon the Evil 
 that was thought or intended againH him^ 
 when it appeared that Heaven defign'd 'em 
 for Good^ fo great a Good, as the faving of 
 his Father^ s Houfe. 
 
 There are innumerable Inftances of the like 
 nature in Holy Scripture and Ecclefiaftical 
 Story. But Neither perhaps can help us to 
 a better than our own Hiftory, our own 
 Experience. 
 
 Chriftian Hearts, like afflided f /z's, have 
 in Times part been oft tre?nbli7Jg for the Ark 
 of God, They faw Men wounding it thro* 
 the fides of its Votaries, and expeded eve- 
 ry Moment to fee it delivered up unto D*-?- 
 
 E 3 gon^ 
 
54 JosephV good%}[e 
 
 gon, by the worB of Phili/iines, its pyetenr 
 ded Guardians 5 when on a fudden the For- 
 tune of the Day wheeFd about to the A- 
 mazement of the wondring World, and the 
 deep ProjeBors were turn'd backward, to 
 iiiake: Mirth for Drolls, AH their long-da- 
 ted, well-concerted S^/i^^fw^jof Mifchief and 
 Deflruclion, at the very point of Accom- 
 plifhinent came fliort , and that very Thing 
 which they conceited would give them a 
 firmer footing ftill in Wealth and Power, 
 was unto them an occafimi of falling. 
 
 There cannot then be any fenfe or weight 
 in the comm.on peevifli arguing againft a Di- 
 vine Adminiftration. It proceeds from an 
 abfolute Unacquaintance with Scripture^ 
 hnperfeH Views of Things , or a worfe 
 fri^iciple. 
 
 And thus I have, I hope, perform'd the 
 two things I promised from the Text, the 
 Proof of a Providence^ and the Confirma- 
 tion of one particular kind of it, which con- 
 iirts in over-ruling harfli and fevere Acci- 
 dents to wife and gracious Purpofes, 
 , ,. And now for the Ufe that may be made 
 of thi$ Difcourfe. 
 
 Firft, fince fo much may be faid in be- 
 half of God's Govermnent of the World, let 
 us ail (land by and maintain it with Con- 
 ftancy and Relolution. 
 
 This is a Point we muft expefl: to hear 
 oppos'd and flurted at m a lewd and profli- 
 
 gate 
 
of the Di'vim Vroz^idcnces. 1 1 
 
 gate Age. As long as hnmorality prevails, 
 Error will fo too , and therefore 'tis, I fup- 
 pofe, that St. ?aul reckons Herefies among Gal. 5. 1^ 
 the Works of the Flefi. Debauch'd Livers 
 in their own Defence are apt enough to 
 give out, that there is too much of doe and 
 buftle made about Confcience and Religion •, 
 and fo it is no wonder, if they ftrive with 
 all their Engines of Wit and Drollery to 
 break up the Ground and Foundation of 
 them. But let no EpicuremiC^vil^ no Scep- 
 tical Surmife, no giddy Scoff have the Ear 
 of Chriftiansy much lefs get the better of 
 our Belief. If fome are fuch Fools as to 
 wreft the Scepter out of fuch good Hands, 
 for the fetting up a rigid Fatality or a ca- 
 pricious Fortune^ there is no reafon others 
 Ihould run mad for company. IVe hiow 
 whmi we have believd-^ and the occafionai 
 awakening Notices of the Divine Prefence 
 are a Pledge and Earneft that he will be 
 prefent with his People always^ even to the 
 end of the World, 
 
 Secondly, if 'tis the Property of God to 
 bring Good out of Evil^ here is then abun- 
 dant Matter of Satisfadion and Aaiuiefence 
 in the worst of Times. 
 
 To fee Uproars aud Revolutions abroad 
 in the World, Religion bleeding, Laws in- 
 fuited, and Government diftrefs'd, is a very 
 mortifying Spedacle -^ and infupportable 
 too v/ithout the Aids of Religion. Upon 
 
 E 4 fuch 
 
5 6 Joseph V good Vfe 
 
 fuch a fhocking View, our firft Thoughts 
 are all over Horror and Diftraftion, and 
 our firft Wifli is to be inftantly difmifs'd 
 out of Being. But when we look up to 
 Heaven, and contemplate the Power, Wif- 
 dom , and Goodnefs of the Majefiy that 
 dwelleth there, that He is at the Helm and 
 governs :, that tho' the Storms are mighty^ 
 and the Jfaves rage horribly^ yet he is ^nigh- 
 tw\ and can lay 'em afleep at pleafure, and 
 in his own good time wiU condud the 
 whole Tumult and Hurry of Affairs to his 
 own Glory and our Welfare ^ our Paflions 
 are fweetly hufti'd, our troubled Minds fet 
 at reft, and there follows a Calm within, 
 foft and pleafing beyond Expreflion. 
 
 This compofing Confideration doubtlefs 
 was the loyal Sufferers beft Cordial in the 
 gloomy Midnight of Confufion, when the 
 Sun was tnrnd into bloody and the Stars m~ 
 to darknefs. This made them a kind of 
 Gojhen to themfelves, while Egypt was co- 
 vered with Clouds, and rais'd up glimme- 
 rings of Light in Obfcurity. 
 
 When they faw the hungry Viper of U- 
 furpation fajTend to the best of National 
 Con'siitutions^ they were chearful, as ho- 
 ping to live to fee it fljaken off. When pre- 
 vailing Treafon infulted onMajefty, Liber- 
 ty and Juftice, they were comforted, as 
 rejnembring the Jffaclio?js of Jofeph , the 
 F alienee of the Saints^ and the End of the 
 
 Lord. 
 
of the Di'vine Fro^idences. ttj 
 
 Lordy that he is very pitiful , and of great 
 Mercy, .vvm. 
 
 And the fame Refleftion cannot be re- 
 new'd too often with the Occafion. Upon 
 a Delay of Deliverance, the Wife and Good 
 will not throw up their Expedations, nor 
 anticipate it by any indirect Courfes. When 
 Jofeph had the Keys of the Prifon in his Gen. 99. 
 keeping, 'tis like he might have made ufe 21, 'b'^- 
 of them to let himfelf out of Bondage j but 
 then he had went before Preferment was 
 ready for him. This had been to take the 
 Mat^ter out of God's Hand, in which it 
 would fucceed beft, and run before him 
 with a fruitlefs Forwardnefs. He therefore 
 would not be hafty, or prefs on Providence. 
 And what came of his fubmiffive Carriage? 
 He was deliver'd with Advantage, and 
 found the Paifage eafy from Captivity to 
 Glory. The Mercies of God are leifurely, 
 but yet certain 5 they are fufpended to try 
 our Refignation, our Truft , our Conflan- 
 ,cy, and then granted, to reward them. 
 
 5. Are feeming Difficulties no Obltrudi- 
 ons at all in the way of Providence? How 
 ought we then to rely upon it for every 
 thing, even the mod diftant and unfeafible, 
 where God has given any Word or Pro- 
 mife ? The exalted State Jofeph was admo- 
 nifh'd of in a nightly Vifitation, had no 
 appearing Foundation in the prcfent Courfe 
 of things 5 and accordingly his Dreams were 
 
 reckon'd 
 
^8 . •i'.JosEPHV good Z^fe 
 
 reckon'd no other than idle Images of wa- 
 king thoughts. Jacob chid him for reciting 
 them, and the Patriarchs' infulted him with 
 a Behold this Dreamer cometh ! Their fupe- 
 riour Sheaves^ whofe Humiliation was pre- 
 figur'd, were in their Opinion too ftiff to 
 bend to his. The Sun^ Moon and Stars, 
 whom he was one Day to exceed in Glory, 
 had no tether Notices of their Diminution ^ 
 and therefore the pretended Revelations 
 went with them for delufory and fufpicious. 
 But this Man of God, knowing them to be 
 real^ depended on them, tho' wonderful, 
 and therefore publifli'd them. His Confci- 
 ence bore him Witnefs, he coveted not Do- 
 mi7non over his Brethren , much lefs over 
 the Loins that begat , and the Womb that 
 bore him. But feeing plain Charafters of 
 Divinity in the Suggellion concerning it, 
 he could not but conclude Dominion would 
 obtrude it felf upon him in God's good 
 time, and in a way at prefent impercepti- 
 ble. Amidft all the hard things 4iat bore 
 upon his Faith^ there was nothing appear'd ' 
 fo incredible to him, as that God lliould 
 deceive or be deceiv'd. And according to 
 his Faith , things were llrangeiy ranged, 
 furprizingly managed for the making good 
 the Predidion. Such Caufes accidentally 
 irjct , fuch favourable Occafions were at 
 length offered , fuch Advantages happily 
 drawn out of them, as rather wing'd than 
 
 led 
 
of tht pimne Froz^idences. ^9 
 
 led him up to Greatnefs, and fet him al- 
 moft on a level with the Throne. And 
 .when they came in Time and Coiirfe of 
 Providence to need the Corn of Bgypt^ 0- 
 ver which he now prefided , then his Bre- 
 thren could bow themfelves before him^ with Qtn, 42, s. 
 their Faces to the Earth, 
 
 And what does this infer, but an Obli- 
 gation of abfolute Dependence upon Hea- 
 vens good Promifes. Truft in Man may, 
 nay muft, govern it felf by Probabilities; 
 but v/hen it has the Almighty for its Ob- 
 jed^ it fhould wave all Confideration of vi» 
 fible Likelihoods. The honeft Servants of 
 God being well affur'd that fuch is indeed 
 the Promife, iuch the \Vill of their Great 
 Mafter, ftagger not thro' Unbelief at the 
 qn^^ or Difobedience at the other ^ make ' 
 no Difference betwixt probable and impro- 
 bable, difficult and eafy. 
 
 Is a Child decreed unto old Age ^ Natu- 
 ral Incapacity is no bar to fuch a Profped. 
 God promifed, and Abraham believ'd. Is e- 
 very one to be born ngain^ in a fpiritual 
 Senfe, that %viU enter the heavenly Kingdom ^ 
 The true Ifraelite afketh not the Qiieflion, 
 How can this be ^ Is it declared that all that 
 are in their Graves fhall arife out of them 
 unto Judgment ? The Objections of carnal 
 Reafon weigh nothing with a Chriflian, In 
 fuch Cafes, perfeci Trwr/?, and perfed/fo^n-- 
 ledge^ back'd with Fower mfinite likewife , 
 
 are 
 
6o Jo^ephV good Vfe 
 
 are an Anchor of the Soul both fure and 
 ftedfaft. The Means and Methods may 
 lie out of fight, but Hope receiveth no 
 Damp thence , for that is properly the Con- 
 vidion of things not feen. The Event may 
 be wrapt up in the darkeft Fogs of human 
 Uncertainty, but Faith bids Defiance to the 
 Difcouragement, for where there is no En- 
 counter there can be no Triumph. 
 
 4. Since Sufferings^ thro' the divine Blef- 
 fing , may prove Advantages in the IfTue , 
 it behoves us upon that Account to be mild 
 and eafy towards the Inftruments and Abet- 
 tors of our Troubles. For why (hould I 
 make that a Quarrel which was defign'd 
 for a?i Obligation ^ 'Tis true, the immedi- 
 ate Inflider has hardly fo kind a Meaning ^ 
 but what then? Is it not enough that Fro- 
 vidence hath ? Second Caufes, being under 
 the Subordination of the Firji^ cannot move 
 but by its Permiflion. And why (hould not 
 this cool our Refentment of their Effeds ? 
 
 Could any thing be more rigorous and 
 unmerciful than their former Treatment of 
 belplefs Innocence? And yet when Jofeph 
 had once ?nade hinifelf known unto his Bre- 
 thre?i, (which he had done much fooner 
 but for the Reftraints of Providence, that 
 oblig'd him to confult its wife Ends firft, 
 and his brotherly zA.fFeftions afterwards) his 
 Procedure towards them was nothing but a 
 contmued A& of Grace and Favour. And 
 
 which 
 
of the Di*vine Tro'vidences. 6t 
 
 which is ftranger yet, he makes the unin- 
 tended Confequences of their Cruelty and 
 Unmercifulnefs the ground of this extraor- 
 dinary Kindnefs. 
 
 At the time of Difcovery, they are forbid 
 to grieve or be angry with themfelves , that Gen. 45. i* 
 they fold him into Egyyt^ becaufe God did 
 fend him thither to preferve a Pojlerity in 
 the Earth. And after the Burial of Jacob^ 
 they are admonifh'd not to fear his Anger , 
 or diftruft hisFfiendftiip, for the fame Rea- 
 fon, viz. Becaufe tho' they thought Evil a- 
 gainfl him, yet God meant it unto Good, to 
 fave much People alive. 
 
 There were two Accounts to be given 
 of the Fad, in refpeft of Them one, in re- 
 fped of Heaven another^ and therefore he 
 takes things by the kindeft Handle, views 
 them in a good Light which he might have 
 beheld in a very bad one. 
 
 Guilt rendered them very fufpicious, fo 
 as to imagine that all the brotherly Regard 
 and Tendernefs hitherto (hewn was purely 
 owing to a filial Awe and Reverence, and 
 that therefore now an old Grudge, like a 
 Fire for fome time fmother'd, would vent 
 it felf in revengeful Anions. But like a 
 Brother born for Adverfity , the Reconcilia- 
 tion he pretended, he made good to the ut- 
 moft, and was fo far from harbouring any 
 vindiaive Intentions , that in the forego- 
 ing Verfe he gives the ftrongeft Reafon in 
 
 the 
 
(5^ Joseph'/ good Vfe 
 
 the World why he ftiould not. And Jofeph 
 faid unto them^ Fear not , for am 1 in the 
 place of God ^ " He has made me Lord in- 
 ^' deed to your Difguft , but has he made 
 *' me a Judge over you too, for your De- 
 " ftrudion ? If I do the Work of him that 
 « fent me, I (hall nurfe up and cherifli 
 " you. Vengeance is no part of my Com- 
 " miffion. 
 
 And can there be a more afFeding Pat- 
 tern of Deportment under Injuries ? Should 
 we not like Him alter their Nature as much 
 as we can , and put a quite different Con- 
 ftrudion on them from what they properly 
 bear? Ought not the Profped of great Be- 
 nefit from them, fpiritual at leaft, to out- 
 weigh in our Account, the Impreffion of a 
 little Smart for the prefent? 
 
 Did he receive thofe churlifh Isfabah lo- 
 vingly into his Embraces, ftiedding Tears of 
 Tendernefs over them, that can hardly be 
 read of without a Tear , and pity ^em m a 
 Father doth his Children^ when he might' 
 have flaov'd 'era from him, fcorfifidlj^ with 
 a Stand yer there at an aweful Diftance , 
 or Sit here under my Footjlool^ And can we 
 have the Heart to vaunt it over our Bre- 
 thren , tho' our Adverfaries withal , upon 
 an Inverfion of the Wheel of Providence., 
 that puUeth down one and fetteth up ano- 
 ther ? Is not a divine Command fufficient 
 to tie up our Hands from rendenng Evil 
 
 for 
 
of the Dwine Pro'vidences. 6}; 
 
 for Evil^ his Command fufficient to tie up 
 our Wills from defiring to retaliate, who 
 by a bleffed kind of Improvement is rea- 
 dy to extrad Good out of that Ev'tl^ Happi- 
 nefs out of Mifery ? 
 
 In a Word, let the Sons of Jacob be ne- 
 ver fo froward and malicious, JofepV^ 
 Condufl: is a pradicable Leflbn , and if we 
 will be wife for our felves, we ftiall quiet- 
 ly put up the Folly and Indignities of o- 
 thers. 
 
 Laftly, I would add a Word of Advice 
 for elder Brothers, fuggefted by this Hifto- 
 ry, that they would not, becaufe a little 
 taller forfooth in Fortune, overlook the youn- 
 ger Branches with too much Scorn and In- 
 dignity. Did the latter take the Courage 
 to addrefs them with an — Have we not 
 all one father .<? there would be weight in 
 the Expoftulation. But that Argument is 
 too fpecitlative for Men born to the Privi- 
 lege of not thinking, and indujlrioujly bred 
 up to a forgetfulnefs oi Relation, I would 
 rather therefore try Another from the To- 
 picks of Intereft and common Prudence. 
 
 They cannot but be acquainted with Re- 
 volutions in Families^ as well as States. 
 There have been fuch in others, and there 
 may be in theirs. And I hope they have 
 Senfe enough to make this Inference for 
 themfelves, that they muft not leave any 
 Impreffions of Unkindnefs on thofe, from 
 
 5 whom 
 
^4 JosEP hV good Vfc 
 
 whom they would be loath to experience it 
 in cafe of a Viciflitude. 
 
 Had JacoFs Children credited Jofeph's 
 Dream , they would, no doubt, have en- 
 tertain'd him with Refped: inftead of Irony, 
 upon his revealing it, and prepar'd him for 
 future Pities by prefent Obligations. They 
 little thought trovidence would ever lay 
 them at the Mercy of his Vertue, and fo 
 they made the moft of their Elderlhip and 
 Power to his Sorrow. And let me tell you, 
 ye proud Heirs, you have but little Reafon 
 to vaunt with David, I fiall never he mo- 
 ved^ the Lord of his Goodnefs has made 7ip 
 Hill fojlrong. Ye are not firm to any thing 
 your felves, and how then can ye expeft 
 any thing fhould be fo to you ? For all 
 your feemingly eftablifli'd Grandeur, you 
 may tumble into Littlenefs ^ and this Event 
 would be the greateft Inftance of Divine 
 Goodnefs as well to you as others, if ye can 
 make no better ufe of your Profperity. It 
 concerns you to walk humbly with God and 
 Man on Ground that is fo flippery. Other- 
 wife, fhould ye fall, ye will fcarce find a 
 Jofeph in a Brother to help you up again. 
 Even that generous Heavens Favourite 
 could deal out fome Severities at firfl to 
 his Oppreffors, and make them fioop before 
 he raifed them. But there is no Reckon- 
 ing upon a like m.oderate Procedure in a like 
 Cafe. 
 
 The 
 
of the Di*vine Proz^idences. 6^ 
 
 The common Meafure of Mankind fal- 
 leth much heavier. However good Ufage, 
 certainly , is as cheap as Infolence, and a 
 great deal fafer ^ and the way to be the bet- 
 ter for Relation , is to be beforehand with 
 others in anfwering the kind Intendment 
 of iu 
 
 Moses 
 
 Hi illti 
 
Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 Hebr. XL 24. 
 
 By Faith Mofes^ when he rvas come to 
 Tears ^ refused to be caWd the Son of 
 Pharaoh's Daughter. 
 
 THE chief Scope and Intendment of 
 this Chapter is to let forth the Na- 
 ture and the Power of Faith -^ and this it 
 does with fuch a SubUmity of Style, fuch 
 a mi(jQ^ of Expreflion , that it is hard 
 to determine which foar higheft , and af- 
 fect moft , the JVorcls or the Things repre- 
 fented by them. 
 
 With the Former it begins, defcribing it 
 to be the Siibftancs or u^ell-grounded Expe- 
 ctation of things hoped fo}\ the Evidence or 
 ConvidUon of thwgs not feen *, fuch as the 
 framiyig of this World by the Word of God ^ 
 and the Exiitence of a better. 
 
 With the Latter it goes on , exemplify- 
 ing it, by a noble Catalogue of Patriarchs 
 and other Old Tefiament Worthies, that in 
 the Strength of this Grace atchiev'd the 
 moft heroick Actions, and underwent the 
 
 moft 
 
Moses His Self-DemaL 6y 
 
 nioft exalted SujfFerings , overcame the 
 World , fubdued Kingdoms and wroughc 
 Right eoufnefs^ maugre the greateft Oppofi- 
 tion and mott difcouraging Difficulties. 
 
 Here Enterprizes and Triumphs of Faith 
 make up the Charafters oi Enoch ^ of AW/:?, 
 of Abraham, of Ifaac, of Jacob, and of Jo^ 
 feph. And here too, the great Teacher of 
 Ifrael bears as illuftrious a Figure as any of 
 his Predeceffors. 
 
 His Story indeed confifts of Hiimiliations^ 
 butThofe, becaufe voluntary, are glorious. 
 By Faith Mofes, when he was come to Tears^ 
 refused to be call'd the Son of Pharaoh'*s 
 Da lighter, chufmg rather to fnffer AffiiBion 
 with the People of God, than to enjoy the 
 Pleafures of Sin for a Seafon *, e/leeming the 
 Reproach of Chrift greater Riches than the 
 Treafures in Egypt '^ for he had RefpeS to 
 the Recompence of Reward, 
 
 In my following Difcourfe I (hall confi-- 
 der three Things: 
 
 i/?. The hiconfiftency of that Character 
 of theS<?« of Pharaoh's Daughter, with his 
 Duty,' odly. The recommending Circum- 
 ftances that attended the Refifal of it. And 
 laftly , The Pri?2ciple upon which he refu- 
 led it, Faith, From all which Particulars 
 there will be fomething worth the remarking 
 for the Diredion of our Pradice. 
 
 And i//, Tho' a Man may commence 
 Great and yet continue Innocent, Mofis 
 
 F 2 could 
 
6S Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 could not have retain'd his Grandeur without 
 parting with his hitegrity. For by doing 
 this, he would have fhut out others of bet- 
 ter Pretenfions, and near Claims from fove- 
 reign Dignity , and fo done the greateft of 
 Wrongs to his Neighbour. By doing this 
 he would have excommunicated himfelf 
 from the vifible Churchy and fo forfeited 
 his Intereft in the Covenant which his An- 
 ceftors made with God. Upon this Account 
 he mufl have walk'd in a Vizard, and lived 
 in a Difguife. To conceal his Extraftion, 
 a Courfe of Artifice andDiflimulation muft 
 have been taken up. To fence off" Jealou- 
 fy, many ExtemporeShihs and Evafions u- 
 fed. And how could he be a true Ifraelite 
 in whom there was no Guile , and yet pre- 
 tend to be no7ie at all ? Upon this Account 
 he muft have took part with the Egyptians 
 in the ill Treatment of his Brethren^ or 
 connived at it. To fecure himfelf in their 
 Efteem and Favour, their Inclinations and 
 Averfions muft have been ftudied, and their 
 Meafures taken. Now Ferfecution of the 
 Hebrews was their Pradice, and the Inte- 
 reft of Popularity and Reafon of State 
 would have made it his. At leaft, when 
 they were for laying heavy Burthens upon 
 their Shoulders, fuch as themfelves would 
 not touch with one of their Fingers, he 
 muft not have interpos'd with a foftning 
 Sentence, nor ofFer'd to take them off again. 
 
 And 
 
Moses His Self-Deniat. 6^ 
 
 And what had been more barbarous and 
 unnatural, than thus to overlook his own 
 Flefli? What more brutifti and inhuman 
 than not to redrefs the Grievances of the 
 Miferable? 
 
 In (hort, the paffing for the Son of Pha- 
 raoHs Daughter had been a complicated E- 
 vii, nothing but Impofition and Cheat, 
 Mifchief and Inconvenience. Mofes there- 
 fore , refolving that his Heart (hould not 
 reproach him fo long as he lived, nor his 
 God abandon him at the Hour of Death, 
 chearfuUy refus'd the dignifying Charaften 
 And that we may enter a little into the 
 Merits of that Refufal, let us examine 
 2^/y, the Circumftances of it. 
 
 Firft there was the moft encouraging 
 Profpeft of a Succeflion to the Crown of 
 Bgypt, at leafl, of the greateft Preferments 
 in it. Had his Intereft been declining at 
 Court, and the Spring-tide of Royal Fa- 
 vour followed with as low an Ebb \ had 
 he had any gloomy Apprehenfions of an 
 approaching Storm , it had been but Pru- 
 dence to make to Port , to withdraw in- 
 to Obfcurity for a Shelter. For a volun- 
 tary Stoop is better than a forced one, and 
 *tis a much eafier Defcent to ftep than be 
 thrown down the Hill. But as we read 
 not of the leaft Repulfe, Difappointment, 
 or Negled, fo neither that he dreaded x^ny. 
 As fome write, He was aftually defign'd for 
 
 F 3 the 
 
Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 the Throne upon the next Vacancy. And 
 we know, fuch things providentially fell 
 out as promis'd an Advancement to it.i 
 Tho* he came not into the World by the 
 beautiful Gate of a princely Parentage, yet 
 a lucky hit of Fortune fupply'd that De- 
 fed: with an equivalent xA^dvantage. The 
 King's Daughter having never been blefs'd 
 with Children, according to Philo^ tho' 
 long married, adopted him for her Son^ to 
 make Amends for Nature's Unkindnefs ; 
 and truly afted a Mother's Part towards 
 him. To take away her Reproach among 
 Men, in Refpect of Barennefs, he was ho- 
 noured greatly, and all the Marks and En- 
 (igns of Quality were allotted him. His 
 I^ame was diftinguifliing, and his Educati-- 
 on Royal. The ableft Tutors and Governors 
 paid Attendance a§ if he was to be Lord 
 of All '^ and fuch Studies were pitch'd upon, 
 as might enable hmi to perform all the De- 
 voirs of a Prince, and fway the Scepter 
 with JJiiderfianding, The whole Circle of 
 genteel Accompiiihments was to be gone 
 through, and inHnite Care taken that he 
 might be learned in all the Wifdom of the 
 Egyptians , and mii'bty in Words and in 
 Deeds, 
 
 " AH this gave him an Air of MajeJIy^ and 
 the People an Expeciation of great things 
 from him. The under- v/orld beheld him 
 with Av/e and Reverence , and Pharaoh 
 
Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 took him into Intimacy and Endearment. 
 And growing up in fuch Pomp and Cere- 
 mony, what could he look for but Rule and 
 Empire ? And yet when he was grown to 
 Years, he quitted the high Station. His 
 firm footing could not prevail with him to 
 keep it , while his Cojifcience told him he 
 fliould not. 
 
 Again, the Importance of worldly Great- 
 nefs could be no Secret to Mofes. Had he 
 been bred as he was born in an homely 
 Cottage, he could not eafily have avoided 
 the narrow Notions that fpring up there, 
 and might be fuppos'd to defpife Dignities 
 and Honours, for want of knowing the re- 
 lifh of them. For total Ignorance is no lefs 
 apt to breed Contertipt^ than an overgrown 
 Familiarity. But the Court it felf was the 
 Air he breath'd in from his Infancy ^ and 
 'tis a wonder the Impreffions he received 
 were not anfwerable to its Temper. For 
 many Years he was an Eye-witnefs of a 
 world of Deference and Refped , of Ho- 
 mage and Obeifance. He faw the State 
 and Magnificence of Pharaoh^ how he was 
 admired by forae, and feard by others ; 
 how he could crz///; his Enemies, and oblige 
 his Friends ^ how Nature pour'd in its Ra- 
 rities upon him, ^ni Art refin'd 'em for his 
 Service •, how his Palate was regal'd, and 
 his Will accomplifh'd to a tittle '^ and could 
 forefee too that himfelf might herea/ier be 
 
 F 4 the 
 
7'^ 
 
 Moses Hk Self-Denial. 
 
 the Subjeft of what he was mm only a 
 Speflator, and have as many Eyes , Ears, 
 and Feet at his Devotion. Neverthelefs 
 he abdicated himfelf, and would not ftand 
 upon rifing Ground. The Sweets of Do- 
 ?m?iion did not affed his Fancy, whilft he 
 confider'd they would prove but the Plea- 
 fur es of Sin. 
 
 Again the Time of this Self-denial was 
 not an Age of Stupidity and Indifference. 
 Had his Soul been retiring from a crazy 
 Manfion, and fo become uninterefted in 
 carnal Satisfadions, it would not feem fo 
 very ftrange that he bid adieu to the great 
 Scene of Solace and Diverfion. But tho^ 
 'tis probable from the 7*^^ of the J3s he 
 had foinevyhat outrun Touth^ yet 'tis cer- 
 tain he was not then got beyond the middle 
 Period of human Life. When God had by 
 imperceptible Suggeftion put him upon re- 
 iinquifhing the Court in order to vifit his 
 Brethren the Children of Ifrael, we hear no 
 fuch Complaint as BarzMlai made to Da- 
 vid to excufe his farther Attendance on it. 
 Can I tafle what I eat or dri?ik^ or can I hear 
 any more the Voice of Singers ^ The Grin- 
 ders did not ceafe^ nor defire fail. On the 
 contrary^ the vital Flame was in full Per- 
 feclion, and his fenfitive Faculties in the 
 uamoft Vigour : And' no doubt Flejh and 
 Blood prefs'd hard for a longer (lay amidft 
 Affluence and Pientyo Notwithftanding, 
 
 ' ' ' he 
 
Moses His Self-Venial. 75 
 
 he obeyed the higher Call, and to the fore 
 Rebuke of Appetite, followed his Maker 
 not knowing whither he went. Vature 
 could not flop him, when Grace founded a 
 Retreat from Earthly Vamties, 
 
 Again, his Defertion of Court-Dignities 
 and Splendors had no Eye to the Ends of 
 Eafe and Self-enjoyment. 
 
 Princes and Grandees as much as they 
 are gaz d at for their Pageantry and Show, 
 are really to be pitied for their Hardfnips 
 and Infelicities. The moft opppfite Satis- 
 fadions are as diftant from them as from 
 themfelves, and (which is wonderful) 'tis 
 Height of Condition that places Happinefs 
 out of reach. They can be neither fami- 
 liar nor retired. State will not fufter the 
 one, nor Bufinefs admit of the other. One 
 while a Vtfit is offered, another an Audience 
 is expeded. And as this brings with it 
 Impertinence^ fo that Thonghtfidrisfs^ and 
 both a deal of Formality and Pundilio. In 
 the difengag'd Intervals Attendants, as fo 
 many Spies of their Aftions, hang about 
 them •, and when they have no Cringers by 
 their fides, they have ytt Clogs at their 
 Heels. In (hort, they can neither fit down 
 without Care, nor walk abroad without Ce- 
 remony •, and no Slave is lefs Mafler of his 
 Time , or more conhn'd in his Defires. 
 Upon which account fome have parted with 
 their Grandeur as chearfully as the tired 
 
 Labourer, 
 
%A Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 Labourer doth with his Burden, and fled 
 to a Village as to a Seat of Reft. Diode- 
 Jian^ for Inftance , exchang d an Imperial 
 Crown for a private Life 5 and Tiberim^ 
 tho' he had no mind to quit his hold in 
 Power, withdrew from the Groud to Ca- 
 prea for Air and Breathing. We read too 
 lacrt de oi Her acUtiis ^ that when the f/^^^T^/j'wj- pref- 
 vira Phiiof. ^^^ Y{vcn to accept the Government of their 
 City, he convey'd himfelf away from their 
 Importunities to play with Children , inti- 
 mating thereby, that any Engagement, tho' 
 it looked never fo little, was a good Excufe 
 for turning his back upon fplendid Trou- 
 bles. 
 
 And had Mofes receded from his elevated 
 Station. with the fame felfifli View, that is, 
 in order to get clear of Noife and Buftle, 
 we might have applauded his Wifdom^ but 
 could fay nothing of his Verttte. But fo far 
 was he from propofing Eafe and Content by 
 the remove, that he knew all his fufferhig 
 Capacities would now be filled up. The 
 Change took not in the Blellings of Privacy 
 and Retirement^ much lefs of Freedom and 
 Security. An ambulatory Life came in the 
 room oiFleafitre^ and Reproach of Honour. 
 And all this, the Text fays, was his Choice^ 
 becaufe it was iirft his Duty. 
 
 Once again, his quitting of Court4nte- 
 reft and honourable Reverfions was not the 
 Effed of Timeroi'ffnefs or Diffidence, There 
 
 have 
 
Moses His Self-Demal. 7^ 
 
 have been Inftances of Perfons that had 
 Hearts as well as Heads too weak for Rule 
 and Dominion, and which would have ra- 
 ther chofe to wield a Flail than a Scepter, 
 Thus when the People of Ifrael were aflem- 
 bled for a fight of the King whom the Lord 
 chofe for them, Saul the Perfon nominated i Sam. 10. 
 Ud himfelf from the Prefer ment. If Merit ^^v 
 had went by Stature, being higher in that . 
 refped already than any of the People ^ hechap. 9. 2. 
 had naturally the beft Pretenfions to the 
 Grown ^ but he either did, or had a mind 
 to feem diftruftful of himfelf and. his 
 Qualifications for it, and that the Pur- 
 ple Robe would never fit one that was 
 a Benjamite^ whofe Tribe was the fmaUesiv, 21. 
 of the Tribes of Ifrael^ and his Family the 
 leasi of all the Families of the Tribe of 
 Benjamip. 
 
 And Otho when elefted Emperor by theEchardv 
 Spanifh Legions, inftead of refolving not tOy^j^'^^p^* 
 bear the Sword in vain, difpatch'd himfelf i5g,3kc/ 
 with it, out of a fence, 'tis like, of his Ina- 
 bility to bear it. Tendernefs of Blood was 
 his pretended Reafon for doing fo*, but a 
 fruitlefs fnedding it in his Service againlt a 
 profperous Competitor was the true one. 
 He funk under the Toils of Empire, and 
 fo Death was call'd to his Relief , to 
 help him off with a Burden , by the 
 Imprefiion whereof Life it lelf was made 
 me. 
 
 But 
 
7^ Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 But did any fuch cowardly Apprehenfions 
 ftart up in the mind of Mofes ^ No, his 
 Courage was equal to his Meeknefs ^ and as 
 he was far from over-rating his Sufficiency^ 
 fo hkewife from taking too fcanty a mea- 
 fure of it. Indeed upon God's inverting 
 him with the high Commiflion of delive- 
 Exod. g. ring his People, he faid. Who am /, that I 
 *^' jhould go unto Pharaoh, and bring forth the 
 Children of Ifrael out of Egypt ! But it is 
 not written, that at the inftant of renoun- 
 cing that Royal Relation, he faid, who am 
 I that I fhould go for the Son of Fharaoh\ 
 Daughter, and fo ftand entitled to thegrea- 
 teft Kingdom in the World ! When that ex- 
 poftulating Speech dropp'd from him, he 
 Aas7»2|. was at the Age of Eighty, that is, of De- 
 5°* clenfion, and fo might be apt at firft glance 
 
 to judge himfelf not vigorous enough for 
 bufinefs and fatiguing. Befides he remem- 
 bred his Brethren had rejeded him former- 
 ly when a Courtier, or juft upon his Retreat 
 from a full Tide of Profperity and Power , 
 and he did not know but they would renew 
 the fcornful Queftion, Who made thee a 
 Judge and a Ruler over us ? Now that he 
 had been for fome time a Shepherd^ in a 
 ftate of Litrlenefs and Infignificancy. 
 
 But there were no fuch Bars and Qbftru- 
 ftions in the former Cafe. His Blood was 
 then warm and his Pulfe high, both in a 
 condition to admit of Induftry and Appli- 
 cation 1 
 
Moses His Self-Denial. jj 
 
 cation-, and his Experience of Trouble not 
 fo great, but that he might look the Diffi- 
 culties of Empire in the Face. Indeed a 
 forwardnefs to encounter them might have 
 been expefted from him, confidering the 
 Advantages of his Education, anc^ how he 
 was train'd up in the Arts of Government* 
 And yet he turn'd away from the richeft 
 Expeftations, and would not be mounted 
 aloft in Glory. The Neceflity of renoun- 
 cing either God or Mammon^ his Religion, 
 or his Preferments, arrefted his Thoughts, 
 and thereupon he could not be eafy, till 
 he had delivered up his Intereft in the 
 latter, in Fidelity and Honour to the for- 
 mer. 
 
 5. The Self-denying Condud then was 
 owing to nothing elfe but the Energy of 
 Faith ^ as the Text witneiTeth. And no- 
 thing doubtlefs could more fpeak or pro- 
 claim its Energy. For it is not every body 
 that can be perfuaded to ad: the Philofopher, 
 or that will fet up for a Mendicant^ when 
 fecular Enjoyments are ready to thruft 
 themfelves upon him. No, mofl of us, I 
 believe, are in a pofture of readinefs to meet 
 'em half way, or rather to go in queft of 
 them, and that thro' Briars and Thorns, 
 thro' all forts of Difficulties and Hardfhips, 
 fo there be but the lead glimpfe of Hope 
 and Encouragement. Thofe Few th^iX. have 
 been obferv'd to draw back upon the Ap- 
 proaches 
 
y8 Moses His Self-Denial 
 
 preaches of worldly Grandeur had not been 
 fo much taken notice of, had they not been 
 very few indeed. Tho' Charles the Fifth of 
 Spam ftep'd out of a Throne into a Cloy- 
 fter, yet it was the hard Chapter of Difap- 
 pointment that made that go down with 
 CoiHefi him. And as for Sigebert , King of the 
 EccUi.Hijl. East' Angles, that did the fame, his with- 
 P* ^'^' drawing was upon Reafons of Religion, to 
 crive hmrfelf more leifure for Contemplation 
 and pious Exercifes. The human Paffions, 
 without Art and Force us'd upon them, do 
 own a quick tafte for the World , with 
 which they have been fo long acquainted, 
 and fometimes under the beft Management. 
 An Appetite of Superiority difcovers it felf 
 even before there is ground for diftinftion. 
 It n)ay be defcried budding forth in the 
 Cradle, and it feems to bear proportion 
 with ftrength and ftature. The little An- 
 gers of Children among themfelves, what 
 are they but Competitions as it were about 
 prerogative and Honour ? And what are 
 all the bufy Ploddings and Applications of 
 Men^ but a conftant Scramble for Intereft 
 and Figure? Difciples themfelves wmII be 
 afking the proud Queftion, who ftiould be 
 the greateH amongft them, have the prin- 
 cipal Place next to the Canopy of State ^ 
 and nothing lefs would ferve the Sons of 
 Zebedee^ than to Jit the one on the Right 
 hand and the other on the Left in the Mef- 
 
 flah's 
 
Moses His Self-DeniaL j^ 
 
 fiaVs Kingdom. Nay the afpiring Conceit 
 was fo deeply rivetted, that the moft hum- 
 bling Difcourfes of a lowly Mafter were 
 not able to difpolfefs it. They were fo 
 drunk and light-headed with the feaverifh 
 Imagination of being Jgrippds and Mcece- 
 nafe\ that *twas out of the Power of Con- 
 tradiftion and Argument to bring them to 
 their Senfes. 
 
 It is furprizing therefore that Mofes 
 fhould on the contrary forego the charming 
 Profpeds that were fet before him of Dig- 
 nity and Pre-eminence, whenas the reft of 
 Mankind cannot bear to be without them, 
 tVas he not a Man of like Paffions with us ? 
 Yes certainly •, but of greater Faith withal, 
 which ferv'd to keep them under i\we and 
 Difcipline. By Faith he refusal to he caWd 
 the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter. The Name, 
 as being above every Name among Egyptian 
 Subjeds, could nor, abfolutely taken, ifound 
 harfh or grating in his Ears. But Faith by 
 minding him of another, written in Hea- 
 ven^ begot in him an Indifference to that, 
 and the glaring Things imported by it. 
 
 The mighty Difad vantages which the 
 Objefts of Faith lay under , were without 
 Impreflion. A light prefent Intereft often 
 carries it in human Choice againft a very 
 weighty Reverfion , which being to conre 
 feems doubtful whether it will come or no. 
 It more powerfully commands our Notice, 
 
 and 
 
8o Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 and more warmly ftrikes our AfFeftions. 
 Juft as the Heat of a neighbouring Larap 
 out-does that of the diftant Sun. 
 
 Now Mofes flood actually polTefs'd of this 
 World's Glitter, and but one Remove from 
 its Top-felicity. The Acco?nmodatio?is of a 
 Royal Palace were perfeftly at his Service , 
 and the Palace itfelf expefted his Advance- 
 ment over it. But none of thefe things 
 movJ him^ or ftagger'd his Integrity. It 
 was requifite he Ihould take his Farewel 
 of them, and the mod diftant Retribution 
 (upon his refleding that what was diftant 
 would be prefent when the Work was done 
 that challeng'd it) reconcil'd him to a Par- 
 
 Farther, nothing is fo influencial and af- 
 feding as an Application to Se7ice. Hence 
 it was that when the Woman faw the Tree 
 was good for Food, and pie af ant to the Eye^ 
 Jhe took thereof and did eat^ altho^ ftie knew 
 that God had faid, in the Day that thou 
 eateft thereof thou fialt fnrely die. 
 
 The fpecious Fruit being befriended by 
 the kind Reports of Sence, foon calTd out 
 the AfFeclions after it, and the Hand to 
 reach it. The Prohibition was exprefs, 
 and the Penalty terrible, but yet the Im- 
 preflion prov'd too hard for both. 
 
 And hence it was, that when the Devil 
 had a Defign on the Son of God , he 
 took hi?n up into an high Mountain , to 
 
 fierp 
 
Mos^s His Self Denial. 8i 
 
 fjew him all the Kingdoms oftheWorldy mid 
 the Glory of them. The other Efforts which 
 he made upon our Saviour's Conftancy were 
 not at all depended on by him •, but this 
 vifwnary Landlkip of fovereign Crowns and 
 Dominions was a Referve in which he pla- 
 ced his laft, his ftrongeft Confidence. Ha- 
 ving fet them in fo good a Light, he made 
 a Tender of them, and fcrupled not to clog 
 the Gift with the moft frightful Condition " 
 of fallijig down and worfloipping him. As if 
 he thought the Temptation fo baited was 
 irrefiftible , and Homage would follow of 
 Courfe. 
 
 Now Mofe*s had all the Enjoyments with- 
 in view that attacked his Vertue. He con- 
 vers'd with, he felt, he tafted them. And 
 yet the coeleftial Glory which ftood behind 
 the Veil, and fo wanted a fenfihle Luftre 
 and Endearment, found a Preference with 
 him. The Circumftances of Remotenefs 
 and Obfcurity render'd his Faith more va* 
 luable and glorious, not lefs operative and 
 pradical. 
 
 He and the other Fathers of the Old Te- 
 ftament had an infight into Futurity, but it 
 was thro^ a Glafs exceeding darkly. The 
 other World was wrap d up in a Cloud be- 
 fore the Appearance of the Gofpel-Sunlhine. 
 The natural Notions indeed of an impar- 
 . tial Juftice reprefented God as a kind Re- 
 warder of thofe that diligently fought him:, 
 
 G and 
 
82 Moses His Self -Denial. 
 
 and the (hort Glimmerings of divine Reve- 
 latian improv'd probable Reafonings about 
 eternal Happinefs into a certain Expeftation 
 of it. But the Manner and Nature thereof 
 were ftill a Myftery -^ nay, it doth not yet 
 appear what we jhall he^ when we ceafe to 
 be what we are at prefent. But as he trou- 
 bled not himfelf with fuch nice Enquiries, 
 fo being well affur'd that there was fuch a 
 thing as a Reward for the Fjghteom in A- 
 nother Life, he caft afide the Satisfadions 
 of This, in Obedience to Him who is the 
 Author of Both. 
 
 Nor was this the whole of the (hifted 
 Scene. The Dereliclion of the Court of 
 Egypt W2is fSUow'd with an uncomfortable- 
 Durance in the Defert of Midian, and the 
 throv/ing up his prefent Enjoymaents, toge- 
 ther with his future Hopes , drew on him 
 heavy Lallies from the Scourge of Tongues, 
 He became outwardly as miferable as the 
 World could m.ake him *, and what is the 
 Perfedion of Sorrow, no body pityed him 
 in his Mifery which himfelf had chofen. 
 His old Feliow-Courtiers made themfelves 
 merry, we may be fure, with the feem- 
 ingly wild Adventure-, and the wonder- 
 ing Vulgar were for taking Advantage of 
 his wilful Fall , to trample him under 
 Foot. 
 
 But ?io?je even of thefe thirigs rnoved hm^ 
 
 or made his Patience give way. Faith fet 
 
 f his 
 
Moses His Self-DemaL 83 
 
 his Notions right, and enabled him to find 
 Riches in AffliSiion^ and Treafure in theif^- 
 proach of Chriji, He was carrying on a 
 different Intereft from that of others , and 
 fo was not at all troubled to find that they 
 entertained different Sentiments from him.. 
 He apply'd his Ambition to its proper Ufe-^ 
 from which thofe had wrefted that enter- 
 prizing Pafiion, that is, to the purfuit of 
 Heaven and Immortality, and fo was pre- 
 pared for their Railleries and Cenfures. The 
 World faid of him and to him, Thou Fool, 
 as accounting his Life Madnefs^ but like a 
 wife Man he regarded them not, as knowing 
 that his End would not be without Honour^ 
 
 His Unconcernednefs was great, be- 
 caufe his Refolution was deliberate. It 
 is plain from the Context , He compar'd 
 things together as to their Worth and Va- 
 lue, and then came to a ConcluGon. He 
 confidered the Pleafitres of Sin were hut for 
 a Seafon^ and the Fruits of Religion for E- 
 ternity -^ aud from the Difference of Dura- 
 tion arofe a Difference of Regard. One 
 Verfe therefore makes that an Ad of £/?<?<?;// Heb. 11.2 <. 
 which another mentions as an i.\d 0? Choice ^ — .2$. 
 intimating thereby that where the Will 
 was engaged, the Underftanding led. Ha- 
 ving fatisfied himfelf as to the Reafonable- 
 nefs of his Courfe, he purfued it towards 
 the better Country^ with a Pilgrims Earnefl- 
 neftnefs, and with a Pilgri?n^ Negligence 
 
 G 2 too' 
 
84 Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 too overlook'd the Derifions of thofe he 
 paffed by. The Smoothnefs of a flourifh- 
 ^ ing Condition could not flatter him out of 
 more fubftantial Joys, nor the wearifom 
 Stages of temporal Infelicity bring him back 
 in Wifli to the glorious Trifles he left be- 
 hind. 
 
 And now having done with the Particu- 
 lars of the Hiftory, let us enquire what 
 pradical Improvement may be made of 
 them. 
 
 And. fir ft ^ If an Acquiefcence under the 
 Charader of the Son of ?haraoh\ Daugh- 
 ter had carried a Repugnancy to Religion , 
 it follows that Pofts of Figure and Advan- 
 tage are the Trials^ as well as the Gifts 
 of Providence. 
 
 No indired Meafures, but a ftrange E- 
 mergency made Mofes Honourable. The 
 great Princefs upon an unaccountable li- 
 king took him as it were into her Veins, 
 and rendered him by Adoption what he was 
 not by Nature, Heir apparent of an Impe- 
 rial Diadem. But as innocently as he came 
 by that Title, he could not innocently have 
 held it. His real Relation to the Church 
 c{ Ifrael oblig'd him to drop his fi4ppofed 
 one to the Crown of Egypt •, and he had 
 not been the Son of G^^ had he continued 
 the Grandfon of Pharaoh. 
 
 Now tho' his Cafe was particular , and 
 out of the way, yet ftill 'tis an Inftance of 
 
 what 
 
Moses His Self-DeniaL 85 
 
 what is commonly afferted concerning the 
 Ends and Drift of a flowing Fortune. The 
 Ahnighty fends it as well as Calamities up- 
 on the Errand of founding and putting our 
 Fidelity to the Proof. And truly there 
 cannot be a more violent Tempter than a 
 State of Affluence. Even Mofes^ who fo 
 bravely weathered it out himfelf , was in 
 Pain for the Ifraelites that were to grapple 
 with it in the Land of Promife^ and there- ^^"^•^•^"'^ 
 fore heap'd pathetical Exhortations , and 
 folemn Cautions upon them, as fo many 
 Shelters and Prefervatives. And according- 
 ly wary Jgtir would not be trufted with 
 Riches , left being fitll he fliould deny the 
 Giver, and fay who is the Lord^ 
 
 We had need learn how to abound^ as well 
 as how to be abafed'^ and have never more 
 Reafon to dread a Forgetfulnefs of God, 
 than when there is the moft Reafon for 
 rernembring him. 
 
 But 2^/v, As dangerous a Snare as Pro- 
 fperity appears to be, the Succefs of the 
 generous Hero before us undeniably demon- 
 ftrates that it is not invincible. For is it 
 poflible it fliould ever take any one at grea- 
 ter Advantage than it did him ? Notwith- 
 (landing he was of Strength fufficient for 
 the Confiid. A mighty Torrent of it came 
 rolling towards him, and fet his Head in a 
 foaring Pofture. Yet a little while and he 
 had touch'd the Stars, and (hone with the 
 
 G 3 higheft 
 
86 Moses :H/> Self-Denial. 
 
 higheft Splendqurs df Wealth and Gran- 
 deur, if he had but brought himfelf ofF 
 from the Sway of Confcience. On the o- 
 ther fide, a pundlual Obfervance of the Di- 
 vine Pleafure promised nothing in Hand , 
 but the fmarting Circumftances of Poverty 
 3nd DilTettlement, of Reproach and Infa- 
 my. Befides, he was of a fuitable Age for 
 the foft Indulgences of Defire, for the in- 
 viting Chafe of carnal Pleafures. But yet, 
 we fee, he could tread firmly in fpight of 
 jflumbhng Block, nor were his Feet nigh 
 ilipping, even when he was commanded to 
 defcend the illuflrious Precipice of Honour 
 into a Vale of Tears. And the very fame 
 Courage and Steadinefs we may have to 
 boaft of, if we pleafe. It is our Love of 
 Sin that reprefents Vertue as impracfticable. 
 It is our w^LVitoi }FiU to refill Temptations 
 that fuggefl:s a want oi Power to overcome 
 them. 
 
 .^^,,3. The Se^fon of this Abdication be- 
 fpeaks the intrinfick Vaniiy^ the compara- 
 .tive Littlenefs oi fecuhir Felicities, If a 
 -Child throws away a Jewel, he is faid to 
 .do as a Child, and Men infer from his In- 
 difference, not that the Price thereof is in- 
 confiderabie, but only that he has not Sence 
 enough to underfl:and it. But. if Mtdtitude 
 of Days pafleth Verdids upon things, At- 
 •tention is given to them as to the Words of 
 JVifdom. And where a maturer Judgment 
 
 charges 
 
Moses His Self-Denial. 87 
 
 charges a Flaw, it is prefumed to have real- 
 ly found one. The Condiid of Mofis 
 then, in Reference to Temporals, may be 
 a proper Standard whereby to meafure the 
 Worth and Value of the in. For 'twas when 
 he came to Tears^ that he refits' d to be cdl'd 
 what the World accounts Great and Hap- 
 py. He had beftow'd many Days at Court, 
 but thofe were Days of Nonage and Incon- 
 fideration, Isoxo his Mind is more Difcern- 
 ing and Difpaflionate. The more violent 
 Heats of Youth are over, and fedate Think- 
 ing cometh in their room, and he makes a 
 pradical Ufe of it. He reviews the No- 
 tions taken upon Truft before, and corrects 
 the Errors of Education. And had not this 
 been one of thofe Errors, that the greateH 
 Good lay in Wealth and Honour^ he would 
 not now have efteemd^ the Reproach of Chrift^ 
 that is, on the Score of Faith in the pro- wj^jtbfs 
 mifed Seed, greater Riches than the Trea- ^^^ot. [a 
 fur es of Egypt, Riches, no doubt, are emp-^^'^""^' 
 ty Nothings at the bottom , and if Men 
 do not think them fo, this mult be put to 
 the Account of Levity and Ignorance. And 
 the Reproach we fuffer for defpifing them, 
 is an ineftimable Treafure in the* Balance 
 of the Sanctuary. Whatever Comforts the 
 former may be at prefent, they will be none 
 to us hereafter, when wc ihall have the 
 greateft need of Comfort , at the Hour of 
 Death and the Day of Judgment, The ex- 
 
 G 4 piring 
 
Moses His Self- Denial. 
 
 piring Mifer leaves them all behind in 
 this World ^ and it would be well for 
 him, if he could the Remembrance too 
 of the guilty Ways of getting them. But 
 the latter accompanies us into the o- 
 ther, and will be our Badge of Honour, 
 when we ftand before the Throne of 
 God. 
 
 4. His noble Ends in thex\brenunciation 
 of Earthly Glories recommend Publick-fpi- 
 ritednefs and general Benevolence. Such 
 a Narrownefs of Soul prevails in the World, 
 that ?na?ij cannot fpare one friendly Aftion, 
 hardly a kind Wiih, from themfelves. The 
 Views they go upon in confulting and en- 
 terprizing Abroad always point Homewards ; 
 and whenev^er there happens an interfering 
 betwixt the Advantage of Society and 
 their own, the latter taketh place without 
 fcruple. 
 
 But what have they to fay for their fcan- 
 ty Principled, and appropriating Endeavours? 
 God being himfelf moft foliicitous for the 
 publick Good, no doubt expeds that we 
 Ihould be fo too. At leaft his beft Servants 
 have always interpreted his Nature and his 
 Word to this fence. The Heart of Mo- 
 fes fure, to wave other Inftances, was far 
 from being peevifhly feltifli, or pent up in 
 it fclf, when h came into it to vtfit bin Bre- 
 thren^ and take part in their Afflictions ! 
 His Grandeur in the Court of Pharaoh^ hu- 
 manly 
 
Moses His Self-Denial. 8p 
 
 inanly fpeaking, was fufficiently guarded, 
 and no Materials could be wanting There 
 towards perfonal Satisfadion. And were 
 not thefe very engaging Circumftances ? 
 Not fo engaging as to hinder him from fet- 
 ting out upon Charity! His Country-men 
 were pinch'd with ftraits, whilft he aboun- 
 ded ;, and the Sence of that, and of the 
 Deliverance afterwards to be wrought out 
 by him, ftruck his Soul too forcibly to leave 
 any relifli for foft Delights and folttary 
 Fruitions. He therefore went about doing 
 good, like Chrisi the Antitype -^ and when 
 the Fulnefs of Time was come, hazarded 
 himfelf to ferve and to fave them from their 
 Enemies. And now can our feparate Inte- 
 refts and grafping Fancies ftand before an 
 Example of fo great Generofity ? Does it 
 not befpeak a like generous Expanfion or 
 Enlargement of our Spirits towards Fellow- 
 Chriftians ? Great Men indeed may be fo 
 ftill , notwithftanding this Incitement to 
 Companions ;> but they cannot be excused 
 from a Concern for their Country's Welfare. 
 They may keep their honourable Ports with 
 his good leave that quitted his , but they 
 are expeded to make a kind ufe of them to 
 the maintenance of Truth, and the relief 
 of IndigCxnce. I may add too that whene- 
 ver it feemeth good to their Pnnce to re- 
 move them from him, they fhould quietly 
 retire, and reckon the Advantage he means 
 
 the 
 
p6 Moses His Self-Denial. 
 
 the Publick by fheir private Lofs, a fuffi- 
 cient Compenfation for it. , This is to come 
 up to the Zeal of Mofes^ as far as difference 
 of Circumftances will admit ^^ This is to 
 ad hke Men that do not think the World 
 was made only for them to take their Pa- 
 llime therein. 
 
 5. The Efficacy of Mofes his Faith , 
 Ihould be a ftrong Inducement with us to 
 deliver our felves up to the Influence and 
 Conduct of that Prmdple. 
 
 The World, of which he had fo plenti- 
 ful a (hare, in regard of Senfe had a gay 
 and winning Afpecl. But Faith fetting 
 Impartiality to draw its Pidure, the Paint 
 and Varnilh prefently difappeared, and the 
 Courtier grew cold and negledful of it, 
 upon a fi2;ht of its falfe Colours and under- 
 neath Deformities. Faith prefenting him 
 with nobler Objeds, he was all on fire to 
 get at them, neither did he grudge to pafs 
 thro' the moft rugged Paths of Obedience 
 that tended to the Fruition of them. His 
 Parade was flung off, and his Magnificence 
 abandon'd, in complement to the adored 
 Felicities of Paradife. 
 
 In (hort, there was no difiiculty in tur- 
 ning Sin by, notwithftanding the common 
 Boait of Pleafure in the Commiiiiion, whilfl 
 he recoUeded that much greater was pre^ 
 par'd for him if he did not commit it, more 
 folid and more lading. And who then 
 
 would 
 
Moses H/V Self-Denial. ^i 
 
 would not learn to walk by Faith during 
 the Pilgrimage of Mortality ? Being Stran- 
 gers and Foreigners upon Earth we intinite- 
 ly need a Guide -^ and where can-: we find a 
 better than that which Jed Patriarchs^ PrO" 
 fhets and ApojUes^ Martyrs^ ConfeJJors and 
 Saints in the way Everlafiing, All Things 
 are pojjihle to him that believeth , our Fore- 
 fathers have (hewn by their incredible At- 
 chievements. And it is worth our while 
 furely to try the promifing Experiment. 
 AH things valuable may be quitted with 
 Chearfulnefs , even the Kingdoms of the 
 Worlds and the Glory of them: All things 
 bitter may be fubmitted to with Patience, 
 the fevered Affliclions of God^s People^ and 
 the Reproach of ChriH^ by fuch as believe 
 verily to fee the Goodnefs of the Lord i7i the 
 Land of the Living. Such a Belief doth 
 Wonders in Religion, when reduc'd out of 
 Habit into the aftual Contemplation of the 
 Joys above. We niuft fee that it abide up- 
 on our Minds, and then we need not doubt 
 but it will regulate our'Praftice. 
 
 6. Was it an Hope full of Immortality 
 that wrought in Mofes the Self-denying 
 Choice , how grofsly miftaken then are 
 thofe who would exclude This from being 
 a Motive of Obedience ? 
 
 It is ufual with fome Enthufiaps to fix 
 upon it the name of Mercenary. God and 
 Goodnefs , fay they , are Objeds amiable 
 
 enough 
 
Moses H^ Self-Dental. 
 
 enough of themfelves to draw and engage 
 our Hearts •, and he that makes Heaven his 
 Reafon for embracing them, (hall never be 
 admitted a Partaker of it. But where has 
 this Conceit any Countenance from Scri- 
 pture? Doctrine and Example lye againft it. 
 Celeftial Glories are propounded every 
 where as Encouragements ^ and muft we 
 then turn our backs upon them, when they 
 becken to us, as \i beneath our notice. The 
 (lri3eft of Saints fcrupled not to give more 
 than a glance at them as they pafs'd along 
 the heavy Road of Life, and were greatly 
 refrelh'd by them. And can a weaker Piety 
 fpare the Support that they would give 
 it? 
 
 It is faid indeed a lower Difpenfation 
 was in being, when Mof€s had refpeS unto 
 the RecojHpence of Reward'^ and that the 
 Adoption of Sons calleth for a more flial^ 
 difinterefted AfFedion. But if fo , how 
 came the onlji begotten of the Father^ full of 
 Grace and Love, to endure the Crofs, and 
 defptfe the Shanw for the Joy that was fet 
 before him^ Sure the Author of the Second 
 Cove7ia7it ferved God purely enough, if the 
 Mediator of the Firsl did not , and yet, it 
 feems, the Confideration of God's Promifes 
 went along with the performance of God's 
 Cofnmands. The Myftkal Divinity then is 
 one thing, and ChriHianity another. The 
 loving God for his own Sake and Excellen- 
 
 'cy, 
 
Moses His Self-DeniaL 93 
 
 cy, confidered feparately from the Love of 
 his Rewards, if there be any fuch Attain- 
 ment in Religion, is no common one, and 
 what is fuppos'd a PerfeBmi in fome muft 
 not be exaflied as a Law from all.. The 
 Ahnighty is pleas'd to work upon our Spi- 
 rits by our Paflions *, and let us not quarrel 
 with a Method that is fo natural. No fpur 
 to Duty fhould be held fuperfluous. The 
 Pleafitres of Sin being prefent and certain, 
 have a great advantage in point of Impreffion 
 above diftant Glories. Thofe we lye naked and 
 open to when they would afFeft us, but it re- 
 quires fome labour to bring us and thefe to- 
 gether even m Contemplation •, and therefore 
 if we can readily give up the former in 
 zeal to the latter, and contentedly undergo 
 the Hardfhips of Vertue, we are no fuch 
 Mercejiary Votaries •, our Obedience is fin- 
 cere, and our Self-denial great. How mean- 
 ly foever the over-nghteons may think of 
 him, Fm fure the Holy Ghost takes notice of 
 it as an extraordinary thing in Mofes^ that 
 he could fo rightly calculate his Intereft as 
 to poftpone an Earthly Inheritance to an 
 Heavenly. And when vv^e have made as 
 great advances in Vertue as he did, it will 
 be time enough for us to think of greater. 
 
 Laftly, I would add a word or two on 
 the wife Ends of Providence in his Educa- 
 tion. Some have been glanc'd upon alrea- 
 dy, fuch as the Trial of his Faith, and Con- 
 
 Itancy^ 
 
Moses His Self-DemaL 
 
 ftancy, and otlier Vertues *, but the chief is 
 yet to be mentioned, the training him up 
 for the Coudaft and .GoverniPaent of IfraeL 
 At firfl: blulh, the Procedure of Heaven 
 towards him is furprizing, and his Promo- 
 tion confidered with the humbhng Confe- 
 quences carries this untoward Afpeft, as if 
 he had been Ufted up on high on purpofe to 
 be made miferable by a Fall. At leaft the 
 Advantages of good Breeding feem to have 
 drop'd with his Ihifting Fortunes. But a 
 more perfed View of his Cafe will oblige us 
 to think quite otherwife. He was fingled 
 out by the Divine Decree to be a Leader 
 and a Deliverer of God's People, and fo 
 momentous a Capacity afk'd more than or- 
 dinary^ Abilities and Qi]ahfications. But 
 how fhould he come by them in the perfe- 
 ciited Condition of a poor Ifraelite ^ It 
 is therefore fo order'd from Above ^ that he 
 fhould be taken in Son of the Crown , 
 and fo inftruded in all the Learning of 
 Egypt, And when he had hved long e- 
 nough in Pharaoh's Court for that pur- 
 pofe, and Experience given a iiniihing to 
 his Accomplithments , God calls him a- 
 way by a Train of iVccidents into better 
 Company, and a feverer Life, to prepare' 
 him ftill more for the mighty Underta- 
 king. Being thus form'd to VVifdom, he 
 fets out afterwards upon it w^ith great 
 
 Advantage^- 
 
Moses His Self-DeniaL p^ 
 
 Advantage. BMiefs in Danger , Addrefs 
 in Bufinefs, Prudmce in Council, and a 
 peculiar Jh in knowing Men : All thefe 
 Primely Vertues are his;> and how does 
 God ferve himfelf of them, in refcuing a 
 Captive Nation, out of the Houfe of Bon- 
 dage ? 
 
 Thus his Inftitiition was a well-laid 
 Scene, and every, the moft minute, Cir- 
 cumftance, fets out the Beauty of the Di- 
 vine Vrovidefice, His Prefer vation from 
 the Waters, and after-Protedion , would 
 have been Mercies great enough for him 
 as a private Perfon •, but fomething more 
 was due to him as the Redeemer of If- 
 T/ieL He muft be nurs'd up by his own 
 Mother^ that he might know the God of 
 his Fathers : He muft be nurs'd up for 
 the Royal Frincefs , that he might know 
 all the Egyptian Policies, and he muft 
 fly from Egypt as a Criminal , that he 
 might return thither a God unto P/:;^-Exod.4. 
 
 7 1 5. 
 
 raob. 
 
 AH thefe different Stages had a Con- 
 nexion and Dependence , and whilf!: Hea- 
 ven winded about in fo large a Circuit, 
 it acled with as much Wifdom as Ohfcu-^ 
 rity. 
 
 Let us then learn hence not to prejudge 
 God's Intentions tov/ards us in Scmlar Oc- 
 currences. 
 
 If 
 
^6 Moses Hk Self-Denial. 
 
 If he fets one Affair backward , he 
 thereby does but fet another forward of 
 greater Confequence *, and tho' a Talent 
 may feem loft for the prefent to our felves 
 thro' a perfonal Difappointment, yet for 
 ought we know a Time may come, when 
 it (hail be call'd out with Honour to the 
 Service both of our Selves and Brethren. 
 
 Balaam^ 
 
P7 
 
 Balaam'-? Ejaculation. 
 
 Numb, xxiii. lo. the latter parr of 
 the Verfe. 
 
 — — Let me die the Death of the 
 Righteous^ and lei my lajl End be 
 lihfi his. 
 
 THefe Words are the pious Refult of a 
 wicked Man's Refledion on God s 
 Dealings with the Jews in their Travels 
 from Egypt unto Canaan. 
 
 Confidered by themfelves, they look like 
 a Sinner's Penitential Recantation ^ and ta- 
 ken with the Context:, they fpeak perhaps 
 the devoutefl Sence of a Divi?ie Providence 
 guarding and (landing by his People in all 
 emergent Difficulties and Trials. 
 
 And truly his whole Story ^ tho* of a 
 mix*d kind, and for the moft part infamous 
 enough, is inftrudive to the fame purpofe, 
 I mean, a (landing Memorial. oi Heaven's 
 Care and Tendernefs over Religion and its 
 faithful Votaries. 
 
 H Balaam 
 
98 Balaam'/ Ejaculation. 
 
 Balaam feems to have been a Sorcerer by 
 Profeflion, and accordingly was applied to 
 as fuch a one by the Khig of Moab. The 
 Ifraelites had an efpecial Caution, not ta 
 meddle with that Prince in their March to 
 the Land which God had given them^ be- 
 Deut. 2. ^caufe he was the Seed of righteous Lot. 
 Yet this Man, feeing how it went with his 
 Neighbours, Siho^i and Og-, that refas'd 
 them paffage through their Territories, ap- 
 Numb. 22. prehended that he might likewife become a 
 Prey unto them. However , amidft his 
 Agony of Jealoufy and Mifgiving, he cafts 
 about for Methods of Prevention -^ and the 
 moft promiiing he could think of, was, the 
 Ver. $. fending to a Magician of Reputation in 
 thofe Parts for a Curfe upon this numerous 
 People ^ as if he took it for granted, that 
 if he could be got to curfe them, the Dae- 
 mon or Divinity that infpired him, would 
 forthwith efpoufe his Caufe to their De- 
 ftrudion. We are fure ^ this idolizing 
 Addrefs went along with the Rewards of 
 Divination. I wot that thofe whom thou 
 bleffeH are blejfed^ and thofe whom thou cur- 
 fesf are citrfed, ' And the Meffage was as 
 heartily receivM by him as depended on by 
 th^" other. For Balaa?n dearly loved the 
 Wages of Uimghteoufnefs y and he ftiow'd 
 he did fo, by endeavouring to anfwer that 
 wicked Motion which he fhould have at 
 firft rejeded. 'Tis like, fome Attempts of 
 
Balaam'/ Ejacdatioth 99 
 
 this kind had prov'd fuccefsful, that by his 
 Curfes and Imprecations he had formerly 
 afflided fome Perfon or People judicially 
 delivered up by God for their Iniquities^ 
 otherwife he would never have expefted a 
 Revelation upon the Point from his Oracle. 
 But there was no Commiffion to be had 
 for curfing IfraeL We find he cannot ob- 
 tain leave at firft to go after Balak-^ and 
 afterwards when he did, that was not his 
 Errand. No, his Thoughts and his Words 
 have fuch a wonderful Turn given them, 
 that, inftead of bewitcliing the hated Peo- 
 ple, he magnifies 'em. The golden Over- 
 tures, and the Profped o^ great Honour^ 
 when they becken'd to him, were fuch in- 
 viting things in his Eyes as could not be 
 refifted. He follows readily , where the 
 pleafing Bait was held out 5 but yet, in a 
 manner quite contrary to his own covetous 
 and mahcious Bias, and to the Defign that 
 Balak had in fending for him. The De- 
 vil's Prophet becometh Gods, and pro- 
 nounces the Succefs, which he was hired 
 to bJaft, in all the Beauties of heavenly Elo- 
 quence ! x\ lofty Prefage indeed is made of 
 IfraeVs Glory. Their Settlement in Canaan^ 
 their great Increafe in Numbers, their Sta- 
 bility and Happinefs, he firft harangues up- 
 on 5 and then, to (how this was not a ii]ere 
 fally of Paffion , or giddy flight of Fancy, 
 he wiihes himfelf upon the fame Terms of 
 
 H 2 Advantage 
 
lOO BalaamV Ejaatlation. 
 
 Advantage with them as to both Worlds: 
 Let me die the Death of the Righteous^ and 
 let my latter end be like his. But as if all 
 this' was mere Rant and em.pty Flourifti, 
 the Efted of an over-kind Prepoffeflion, or 
 a delufive Melancholy, Balak {till looks 
 upon the Decree of Blefling as reverfible. 
 
 The Heathens us'd to lay a mighty ftrefs 
 on the multitude of Oblations, and the 
 luckinefs of Times and Places ; Balak there- 
 fore gives him three different Profpeds of 
 tht Ifraelites, and at each of them, makes 
 a mighty adoe with the Sacrifices of Rams 
 and Btillocks , hoping that fuch Solemni- 
 ties, and the (hifting the Scene often, would 
 prevail to the working a Change in their 
 Eftate and Defliny. But ftill nothing comes 
 of all his ftadie<i Projeds but reiterated 
 Blefiings. The God, that ftruck a trem- 
 bling into Balaky had a Hook for Balaam, 
 Numb. 24. The Spirits of the one fail, and the Tongue 
 of the other is over-rul'd again in favour 
 of the Jewifh Nation *, of their Succefles, 
 and their Intereft in the Mejjfiah that was 
 to come. 
 
 Notwithftanding the hitrigue of Mifchief 
 goes on, and frelh Expedients are devis'd 
 to keep it u,p. The latter indeed ads the 
 Wizard no longer*, but he does a part e- 
 qually Satanical, and endeavours that now 
 by corrupt Advice which he could not ef- 
 fed with Charms» He teaches Balak to 
 
 caH 
 
BalaamV Ejaculation. loi 
 
 caB a Stumhlii^g-block before the 'People of 
 Ifrael, that is, a Temptation to commit For- 
 nication with the Driighters of Moab^ and 
 to eat things offered to Idols. The debau- 
 ching them firfl in their Morals, and then 
 in their Religion, might prove, he thought, 
 a Forfeiture of the Divine Favour, which 
 was Conditional^ and it really did fo. But 
 (till not fo far as to bring about their Ruin 
 and Excifion. A Plague indeed was fent 
 among them to deftroy fome, and the Hand Nunib. 2s. 
 of Civil Juftice lifted up againft others, by'*' 
 way of exemplary Terror. But yet God 
 would not deliver 'em up unto their Enemies. 
 Nay the Plague it felf was ftay'd by the 
 Zeal of Phineas, as the Progrefs of that De- 
 feftion had been by that^ and the Courfe 
 of God's Wrath turn'd upon their Enemies, 
 particularly on Balaam^ the bafe Contriver Numb, gi 
 of that Defeftion. ^* 
 
 The Text then and the adjoining Hijiory 
 
 furnirti out feveral important Hints or Iti- 
 
 jlntBions^ that may be worthy of our notice, 
 
 and perhaps too influential not a little on 
 
 our Pradice. 
 
 And i/?. this Remark offers, that the 
 Divine Favour is the beft and mofi: infalli- 
 ble Security. An Intereft in That many 
 flio^ht, none fufficientiv value. Carnal Wea- 
 pons and Defenfatives are the ufual Refort 
 of giddy Mortals. They are Creatures of 
 Sence, and fo will not look beyond it, 
 
 H 3 If 
 
102 BalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 If a Foreign Eneiriy is to be engag'd, the 
 People muft be nimtbred'^ the Hod and the 
 Steel have the main flrefs of their Thoughts 
 and Confidence. If a bodily Diforder threa- 
 tens, the Sons of Art are abfolutely depen- 
 i chron. ded on for a Remedy, as in the Cafe of Jfa 
 ^^'^^' King of Jiidah. If an Evil be feared. 
 Charms or Spells, or Amulets muft avert 
 it for them. If the Inftrument of fome paft 
 Lofs, the Event of fome important Affair, 
 the Duration of fome prefent Trouble, are 
 Secrets we would be ler into, diligent En- 
 quiry is prefently made, efpecially by the 
 inferiour Croud, of the next (Ammng'man 
 
 1 Sara. 28. about them. As Saul confulted the Witch 
 
 ofEnclo)\ touching the Fortune of a Battel: 
 
 2 Kings i.Qj. as Ahaz^tah did the Devil o(Ekron^ con- 
 
 cerning his Kecovery of a Diieafe. In fliort, 
 where Kundreds make the Bdlaams of the 
 Age their Refuge, ' their Aiinighties, hard- 
 ly one goeth 27ito the SanBuary of Gody ta- 
 king /\ffiance along with him. But can a 
 more wretched xlccount be given of Chrifti- 
 ans than this, that they mimick the very 
 woril of Jews and Heathens, and adv^ife 
 with Heil about the Counfels of Heaven 
 and Secrets of Futurity? To fay the beft of 
 this Conduft, is to own it bad, that is, to 
 lay it at the door of Ignorance and Stupi- 
 dity. They do err doubtlefs for want of 
 knowing or confidering the Script^tres ayid 
 theVov:eY of God -^ the Scriptures which not 
 
 only 
 
Balaam^ Ejaculation. 103 
 
 only brand with a Curfe tlie Praftice of 
 tru fling in Man^ and making FlejJo our Arm J^^- 'T* 5* 
 and efpecially of timiing after fuch as deal^^^* 20. 5. 
 with familiar Spirits , but here alfo fet 
 out the Folly of that Pradice in a fhining 
 Inftance : and the Power of God which as 
 far exceeds that of Flefli, as the ftrong Cur- 
 rent of the Ocean does the Stream of a gli- 
 ding Rivulet. 
 
 Alas ! what is Man that we (hould be fo 
 mindful of him, or the Son of Man that we 
 fliould fo regard him in Straits and Exigen- 
 cies ? His Breath is in his Noftrils ^ but no 
 longer than God pleafes that at firft infpir'd 
 it. And if he falleth, fo mull they that 
 reft upon him. 
 
 Nor will the Magick Circle do fuch Won- 
 ders as are expeded from it. The Prince of 
 the Air indeed, to ferve his vile Turns upon 
 human Weaknefs, will ever keep up great 
 Expedations •, but he has but little Power 
 whereby to anfwer them. Some ftrange 
 Difcoveries he may help his Correfpon- 
 dents to ; fome furprizing Feats he may 
 enable them for. Hitherto he can go, but 
 no farther. The determining Men's For- 
 tunes, and the giving a lift to a finking 
 Caufe, thefe things, if ever, might have 
 been look'd for in the Days of old, when 
 he was left more at large and unreftrain'd. 
 But even then as to human Deftiny or Al- 
 lotments, the turning of the Balance v/as 
 
 H 4 not 
 
I04 EalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 not from him. Balak bid high enough for 
 all the rich EfFeds of Divination ^ and. Ba- 
 laam in his Heart agreed to the goodly Price 
 fet upon them. Indeed the Terms ftruck 
 him fo very fenfibly, that he hoped God 
 himfelf would confider his Intereft, to the 
 dropping of his own Word or Order-, and 
 Numb. 22. therefore, negleding that, he tries again 
 '^* for an Anfwer more indulgent to it. Nay 
 
 his Feet, tho' tied up by a fecond, at leaft 
 prefumptive Prohibition, were impatient to 
 go on Mifchief. The bare allowance of 
 his Journey he interprets a Patent to that 
 purpofe, and accordingly he fets out for 
 the Ends of Ruin and Excifion. But yet 
 Deftriiciton and Unhappinefs ijuere not in hk 
 ways. An Angel, of the Lord came forth to 
 flop him in his wild Carier ^ and the ftu- 
 pidu4/}, that never before offered other than 
 dumb Praifes to its Maker, and mechanick 
 Service to its earthly P4aiter, had articulate 
 Words given it whereby i\^ rebuke the Mad- 
 nefs of the Prophet. Afterwards, being 
 fufFer'd to proceed^ he carries with hip as 
 ftrong an Inclination to undo Israel with 
 his Enchantments^ as he had by and by to 
 corrupt them with his Cotmfels. But his 
 Malice is ftill hamper'd, that it cannot pro- 
 ceed to Execution, 
 
 . Thus the Devil and his Votary together 
 were but Impotence and Vanity. And this 
 very Mifcarriage fpeaks the Importance of 
 
 the 
 
Bala AM V Ejaculation. 105 
 
 the Divine Bleffing-, but we may alfo hear 
 the fame in Terms full and emphatical, 
 even from unwilling Witneiles. The 
 Wretch himfelf confeifeth it. The Lord 
 will not fuffer me to go^ fays he, at one^""'^' 
 time^ and at another, I have receivd Com- ^'^^' 
 mandmefit to blefs^ and he has blejjed^ a?id 1 2^, 20. 
 cannot reverfe it. The King, that fet him 
 on Work, upbraideth him with it : / thought 
 indeed to promote thee to great Honour^ but ^4* ' '- 
 lo^ the Lord hath kept thee back from Ho- 
 noiir. But Mofes improves upon the Te- 
 ftimony, pointing to the Ground thereof 
 as a thing worth ffraeFs Notice. The Lord ^^^^^ 22.$, 
 thy God would not hearken imto Balaam, but 
 the Lord thy God tur?ied the Curfe into a 
 BleJJing , becaufe the Lord thy God loved 
 thee. 
 
 And to be fure , where his Love is the 
 fame, his Proteftion is fo too. He fruftra- 
 teth the Tokens of the Liars, and maketh Di- 
 viners mad'^ he turneth wife Men backward, 
 and maketh their Knowledge foolijh. His 
 perfeft Knowledge of the Natures and Pow- 
 ers of his Creatures forbids a Miftake in 
 the yfe and xApplication of them to any 
 of his Purpofes. His AU-fufficiency fences 
 off the Bars and Obftrudions that often lie 
 in the way of human EfForts and Endea- 
 vours. Therefore his Counfel jhall fiand^ 
 and he will do all his Pleafure. So that 
 if he takes us under his Wing, and the 
 
 Light 
 
io6 BalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 Light of his Countenance, our Dwelling 
 is made a Gojhen-^ all Conditions, all Cir- 
 cumftances, Profperity and Adverfity, the 
 Light and the Darknefs, to us are both a- 
 like, equally fafe and comfortable. 
 
 And we may obferve, 
 
 2. That nothing fo much entitles to 
 this Light of his Count ejianc e ^ as the Rela- 
 tion of Chifrch-memberflnp^ attended with an 
 holy Praftice. The whole Tenour of Scri- 
 pture makes the Church the Darling of 
 Providence and the Care of Heaven. Par- 
 ticularly the 46^^ Pfalm, where His Pre- 
 fence and Her Security are fweetly celebra- 
 ted in a Song of Triumph and Defiance, 
 and this is the Burthen of the lofty Boaft, 
 The Lord ofHoJls is with us, the God ofja- 
 cob is our Refuge. As alfo the 54^^ ofEfaj, 
 where 'tis promised that no Weapon form d 
 againft her fl)aU pro/per , and every Tongue 
 that jh all rife againji her^ in Judgment , jJjall 
 be ccndemiid to utter Silence. Elfewhere 
 fhe pleads her Relation to God. as an Argu- 
 ment for Mercy , and a Diftinftion from 
 her Enemies. We are thine , thou never 
 bearefi- Rule over them , they are not called 
 hy thy iJame. 
 
 „ Not but that any particular Church , 
 much more, any particular Member there- 
 of, may forfeit the Divine Grace by co- 
 ming fiiort in the Conditions of Purity and 
 Holinefs which God requires. For fo he 
 
 threa- 
 
BalaamV Ejaculation. loj 
 
 threatens the favourite and efpoufed Nation, 
 you only have I known of all the Families of 
 the Earthy therefore I wtU punijhyou for all 
 your Iniquities, But where a peculiar Peo- 
 ple is zealous of good Works, neither the 
 Gates of Hell, nor the Powers of the 
 World, {hall ever prevail againft them. 
 King of Saints is the Charader wherein he 
 glories , and the Profperity of his Servants 
 the Difpenfation in which his Soul delight" 
 eth. He has labouring Bowels for them, 
 and will not let 'em be Lofers by their Al- 
 legiance. 
 
 We have FaB for the Proof of this, as 
 well as Prophecy. Bleffing kept Pace with 
 Obedience in the feveral Stages of the If 
 raelites Condition. Nay, it could not tell 
 how to leave them even upon a Sufpenfion 
 of the other. It was Balak's great Defire, 
 and Bahamas godly Endeavour, they might 
 be fwallow'd up of Ruin , and like the wife 
 Agents of Darknefs, they fet their own 
 Tranfgrellions upon them. But ftill the 
 former had this angry Remark to make, He 
 hath not beheld Iniquity in Jacobs neither 
 hath he feen Perverfenefs in Ifrael. The 
 Lord his God is with him , and the Jljont of 
 a King is among them. He fpeaks grudg- 
 ingly of their Happinefs, and with envious 
 Wonder. God brought them oat of Egypt^ 
 he hath as it were the Strength of an Xlni-- 
 corn. He talks in a ftrain of Dejeftion, 
 
 in 
 
o8 Balaam^ Ejaculation. 
 
 in a fad Note like that of a baffled World 
 weeping over their deftruftive Projefts and 
 broken Meafures. Surely there is no En- 
 chant7ne7tt againft Jacobs neither any Divi- 
 nation againfl ifrael. According to or from 
 this time, it Jball be faid of Jacobs and of 
 Ifrael , what hath God wrought. So im- 
 pregnable is the Hedge of Security, that 
 Omnipotence fets about the Sheep of his 
 Pafture. = So jealous is kind Heaven of the 
 leaft Touch , the lead Breath that comes 
 near to hurt 'em. Stratagems do not their 
 part on them*, Strength is but Weaknefs in 
 Oppofition to them. 
 
 5. *Tis v/orth obferving how Religion, 
 one time or other, extorts a Refpeft and 
 Homage^ even from its very word Enemies. • 
 It is their ufuai v/ay to draw her Pifture 
 to Difadvantage , and clap Features on her 
 in the Reprefentation, that do not belong to 
 her in the Life. Ax. the Inftant of Lewd- 
 nefs and Debauchery, Paffion pofleffes even 
 Judgment it felf againft her , and after the 
 linful Commiffion, Point of Honour obli- 
 ges them to hold up a Conformity between 
 Tongue and Condud , and condenm with 
 their Mouths what they have already by 
 their Adions. Neverthelefs Wifdorn is, oc- 
 cafionally, unawares, jujlified not only of 
 her Children , but of them too. Their 
 Thoughts ^iVQTnoJIly, their Difcourfes/?w^- 
 tpnes, as our Thoughts and Difcourfes, the' 
 
 their 
 
BalaamV Ejaculation. icp 
 
 their Ways may be never^ as our Ways ^ 
 which muft be refolved into fecret Impref- 
 fions of Nature in behalf of Vertue, and 
 imperceptible Influences of Providence. Who 
 was ever more unlikely than Balaam to 
 fpeak worthy , honourable things of the 
 true God, x\\Qgxt2Lt Jehovah^ His profefs'd 
 Bufinefs, his (landing Difpofition, his out- 
 ward Circumftances, all looked the other 
 way. As a Sorcerer^ he was lifted into the 
 Service of a very different Mafter, that is, 
 the Devil, and the falling down to worfhip 
 him promised no future Adorations of the 
 Deity. As he was a fond Lover of filthy 
 Lticre^ he lay exposed to all manner of E- 
 vil , and to the vileft Impreffions. And if 
 we confider his Proceedings^ when he was 
 tempted by the high a?id mighty Ones of the 
 Earth, to reproach Heaven, and bid Defi- 
 ance to the Name and to the Church of 
 God, how he relifh'd the Promife of being 
 promoted to great Honour^ and of having 
 done for him whatfoever he fliould defire , 
 how forward to clofe with the Demands of 
 the King and Princes of Midian, how ear- 
 neft to fulfil them *, there feem'd to be no 
 Earneft given of After-Speeches in behalf 
 of the God and the People of Ifrael. i^md 
 yet fiich were uttered by the very Lips 
 which were bribed to blafpheme ! They ex- 
 pected a Curfe, and behold a Blefiing. As 
 if the Man had took his Leave of Magick, 
 
 (hook 
 
1 10 Balaam'/ Ejaculation. 
 
 fliook Hands with Avarice^ and defpis'd as 
 well the Refentments of the King and Prin- 
 ces as the Riches which they had offered 
 and he coveted, in the Prefence and to the 
 Confufion of them all, he takes up his bold 
 Parable^ a?id fays^ Balak hath brought me 
 from Aram^ out of the Mountain of the Eaft^ 
 faying^ Curfe me Jacobs and come defy IfraeL 
 How fhall 1 curfe whom God hath not curfed^ 
 or how Jhall I defy whom God hath not defy- 
 ed? for from the top of the Rocks I fee him^ 
 who can count the Duji of Jacob , and the 
 l^umber of the fourth part of IfraeL Let me 
 die the 'Death of the RJighteous^ &Cc. That 
 is, " Thefe Men have the true Religion, 
 " and the true God on their Side, and 'tis 
 " beyond the Power of Men or Devils to 
 " harm them , whilft they are Followers 
 " of that which is good. As much as his 
 Heart was fet upon the Wages of Ufirighte- 
 oufnefs^ we fee, before^ hedurft not gowith 
 thofe that brought 'em, 'till the Lord faid. 
 Go, no, not for an Houfe full of Gold and 
 Silver. And as perverfe as his ways were 
 before the Lord^ when he did go , his Ex- 
 preflions were honeft. To wifh himfelf in 
 the Circumftances of the Rich and Noble, 
 thathe might live and die hke them, would 
 have been a complimental Strain before 
 thofe that were fo , but Balaam did not 
 drop it upon the inviting Occaficn , being 
 too much a Divine at that time to be a 
 
 Courtier. 
 
Balaam^ Ejaculation. 
 
 Courtier, The Righteous^ the Righteous^ they 
 are the only Happy, both living and dying, 
 in his Account, upon fecond Thoughts, and 
 a true eftimate of Things and Perfons. 
 
 And the fame have been the ConfeJJions 
 of the moft Extravagant, when Solitude has 
 compos'd them into Serioufnefs and Refle- 
 ction-, when AffliBzon has redifyed their 
 Sight which before was dazled by earthly 
 Splendours ^ when Suknefs by its cold 
 Damps has allay d and appal'd the fiufli of 
 Spirits , the Gayety of their Tempers ^ 
 when approaching Deaths by its gloomy 
 Shadows, has drawn an humbling Veil o- 
 ver the Kingdoms of the World , and the 
 Glory of them. In thefe undeceiving Cir- 
 cumftances Reafon appears like it felf, open 
 to Conviftion , > no longer clog'd with Pre- 
 judice and Unfincerity ^ and the Comforts 
 of Religion, v;hen wanted, are acknow- 
 ledged. They can feel the Finger of God 
 in thzM Wounds, and fee his Strength in 
 their Weaknefs. They can whine for their 
 Follies, whenfummon'dto give an Account 
 of them , and admonilh their furviving 
 Friends of taking wifer Meafures, of making 
 it the main Study of their Lives, how to 
 live and how to die. 
 
 Thus Vice it felf, if we wait a while, 
 fl^^jM^jyjeard loud enough on the fide of 
 Venue j and there is a Seafon, when we 
 
 may 
 
 III 
 
1 1 a BALAAM^i" Ejaculation. 
 
 may meet with Self-denials out of Religioti 
 as well as in it. 
 
 4. Another Obfervation we may gather 
 immediately from the Text is , that there 
 is a State of Rewards after Death referv'd 
 for all righteous and blamelefs Souls, This 
 is a familiar Dodrine of the I\^<?ir Teftament, 
 and, I think, an exprefs one of the OW, at 
 leaft deducible from it. According to the 
 Articles of our Churchy They are not td be 
 heard^ who feign that the Antient Fathers 
 looked ofilv for temporary Prontifes. It is 
 evident, they look'd farther, even to a bet- 
 ter Country than Canaan it felf, from that 
 (ingle Argument of our Saviour wherewith 
 he encountred the Sadduces^ and on which 
 the Author to the Hebrews fo largely infi- 
 fted after him, namely, God^s riot imparting 
 any extraordinary Benefits to the Patriarchs 
 in this Life^ after repeated Affiirancesof the 
 greateft Favour towards them. For fince 
 he is faithful who promifed, and yet did 
 not perform Here what he had promised, it 
 follows, he adjourn'd the Performance of it 
 to Hereafter: And this, no doubt, their 
 Faith had for its Objeft, which is defcrib*d 
 the Subftafice of Things hoped for^ the Evi- 
 dence of things not feen. 
 
 For Confirmation hereof I might- reftr 
 
 you to Abraham's Conference with mSmffm', 
 
 \^ 25. ^^d to St. Paid's Apology 5 of whom the 
 
 latter 
 
BALAA^i s Ejaculation. 113 
 
 latter grounds his Hope of the Profjufe upon 
 the Antient Scriptures, and the former, the Luk. i5.' 
 no-neceffity of farther Advertifement tou- 
 ching the Place of Torment. And let ine 
 add, that had not the SanSions of God's 
 Covenant with his People took in the Re- 
 compences of the Future World , there 
 would be no accounting for a Pharifee'sA(^s2^^S, 
 Creed, wherein thofe made an Article. Their 
 Eyes had no larger Proportions of Grace to 
 enlighten them than other Men s , and yet 
 they were ftrong enough to fee into Eter- 
 nhy. And what enabled them for this, but 
 the Lav^ it felf, the legible Characters of 
 Eternity in its Promifes and Threatnings ? 
 
 Balaam feems to have been preaching the 
 fame Doftrine to the Heathen^ that Mofes 
 and the other Prophets did to the Jews. 
 Some learned Men indeed on the one hand Gror. ia 
 fuppofe, he referr'd to the temporal Blef-L^^- 
 lings of the Jewifh Difpenfation , imagi- 
 ning that 'twas their obfervd Deliverance 
 from violent and untimely Deaths that prom- 
 pted him to fuch a Rapture, fuch a Defire 
 of partaking with them in their appointed 
 Portion. Others on the contrary would 
 make out of the Text an early Authority 
 for the Point of a RefurreBion-^ prefumingNumb. 24, 
 that while he prophefied of Cbri/l and his'^' 
 Dominion^ he could not here mention the 
 lasi End of the Righteous, without ha vino- 
 his Eye upon the Glories of the rifingBody, 
 
 I which 
 
BalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 which the firft Exercife of his Dominion 
 made way for , by triumphing over Hell 
 and the Grave. But both forts of hiterpre- 
 ters allow the Words to carry in them the 
 Profped of eternal Bleflednefs. To be fure, 
 in their higher Drift and Intendment, they 
 mean not any thing fhort of hnmortality. 
 To die the death of the Righteous muft by 
 natural Conftrudion fignify to die in the 
 fameCircumftances of Advantage with him ^ 
 and one of thofe Circumftances is an Hope 
 full of Immortalitj. The other Expreflion 
 of having our laH End like his^ is equiva- 
 lent to and exegetical of the former, and 
 refpecis the fame Lot or Portion hereafter. 
 However nothing makes this laB End^ con- 
 fidered in the fir si Senfe, truly defirahle but 
 the attending Convidion of being for ever 
 happy. 
 
 How he came by the Perfuafion, as to a 
 future State, n*eed not be long a Queftion. 
 The irregular State of this World, a little 
 refleded on in conjundion with the Divine 
 Juftice, would have help'd him to conclude 
 for the Being of another^ wherein thefe Ir- 
 regularities (hall be made up. But the good 
 Thought may well be put to the x\ccount 
 of the Divine Infpiration he was then under. 
 Fifthly and laftly, we may obferve in 
 Balaam an early inftance of himian Frailty, 
 confiftiilg in lazy Refledions on the better 
 part, and a verl^al Piety. 
 
 S Let 
 
Balaam^ Ejaculation. 1 1 5 
 
 Let me be embark'd in-Jfraers bottom, 
 was his Wifii, but hardly to be call'd a 
 good one, becaufe if it came from the Heart, 
 it made no Impreflion on it. What ap- 
 pear'd fo delirable, he could not but defire; 
 but then it was after fuch a manner, as if 
 he expeded the thing defired Ihould ob- 
 trude it felf upon him. For at the very 
 time that he was for dying like the Ri^h- 
 teoWy he was a(3'ually living as the Wicked 
 do. Ma?nmon had his Affeftions, and Ba- 
 lak his Confcience •, and tho' on every re- 
 newal of Temptation he had recourfe to 
 God, yet he did fo more out of hopes of 
 bringing the Divine Will over to his own^ 
 than out of a Propofal to confult it and aft 
 accordingly. 
 
 This was the Error and Folly of Ba^ 
 laam-^ and alas how many rim after it with 
 greedinefs! How often do Men entertain a 
 faint breathing after Vertue and Happinefs^ 
 and perliaps draw it out to a cold Prayer 
 that God would make 'em better now, in 
 order to be happy hereafter, without ad- 
 vancing one ftep themfelves toward the 
 means of Grace that would make them 
 both ? But what an abfurdity is this, to 
 commit Sin with a Wilh in our Mouths 
 that we did not commit it -^ to neglecl: our 
 Duty, and at the fame time wiQi we were 
 a performing of it ! Such ftrange Conduft I 
 can compare to nothing fo properly -as to 
 
 I 0. the 
 
iS BalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 the humour of a Man that wants to be a! 
 fuch or fuch a place, and yet never moves 
 after 'it but in hiaginatio/i. The naked Efli- 
 ;nation of e'jerjial Life is mere Neceffity. 
 Nature withcmt Grace carries out the Soul 
 thus far. 11k -ertuous Choice lies in the 
 aitive part, m aiking what {hall I do to be 
 faved. 'Tis faid of the Ifraelite^^ they de- 
 Jpis'cl the pie af ant Land of Canaan^ and 
 why, but becaufe they were contented with 
 it in Idea^ For abfolutely fpeaking, they 
 could not defpife what was the Glory of all 
 Lands^ or the World's Paradife : They on- 
 ly afted as if they did, whilft they hung 
 back in Sufpence and Scruple, complaining 
 of the diftance, of the Wildernefs that was 
 to be pafs'd thro', of 'the Enemies that were 
 to be encounter'd, before they could enter 
 into God's Re si and their own. And accor- 
 dingly our AfFeftion for Heaven muft be 
 meafur'd by our driving for adraiflion into 
 it. If valued and refpefted as it ©ught, it 
 will ezcite and dired our Endeavours in 
 \\\ii order, and that meafure which is pro- 
 pcrtionable to its Excellency, and the diffi- 
 culties of obtaining it. 
 
 Thefe are the Refleftions that naturally 
 arife from this inftruftive Hiftory. It is 
 now time to apply them for the Improve- 
 ' ment of Life and Manners. 
 
 And firft, is the greateft Salfety to be had 
 under the 'Divine Protedion ? Let us then 
 
 take 
 
Balaam'/ Ejaculation. ifj 
 
 take Sanduary there, upon all Occafions. 
 Such is the Infiifficiency andDeceitfulnefs of 
 all human Supports, that if we lean too ' 
 much upon them, inflead of a Staff in the 
 Hand, they will prove a Splinter in the El- 
 bow, Falfe Hearts and broken Vows are 
 every Day's Complaint ^ and where Preten- 
 fions are anfwer'd, Vicillitude and Morta-' 
 lity come in to our Difappointment. But 
 if God be made our Friend, he approves 
 •himfelf fuch to all the Intents and Purpofes 
 of thaf Relation. He is 7iot a Man that he. 
 fiouU lie, QV raife Hopes which he never 
 means to fatisfy. He is a prefent Help in. 
 Trouble. He can arreft the giddy Wheel 
 of Fortune by the ftrong Hand of his Om-. 
 nipotence, and 'he will, make Perfons, Sea^ 
 fons, CircumftanceSj every thing, fmile u['» 
 on all our Labours, 
 
 And now where there is a iiatural De- 
 pendence, there ought to be a inoral one , 
 a Dependence of Mind fure fhouid follow 
 that of CirczifnJIances, 
 
 2. Is the ProfeJJion of the true Religion 
 feconded with an anfwerable FjaElice^ the 
 bed Title to the Divine Froteciion^ Let us 
 then biefs Providence for calling us to the 
 one, and fee that we abound in the other.^ 
 The Church of God is as much Heaven's 
 Beloved now as it was ever. The holy An- 
 gels^ thofe Tutelar Minifters of Salvation, 
 with much Concern pitch their Tents round 
 
 1 3 about 
 
ii8 BalaamV Ejacnlarion. 
 
 about it 5 and the Lord ChrlH^ the Author, 
 and FimfJjer of our Faith^ is with it always 
 even to the end of the World. The Ba- , 
 laanh and Balah therefore of the Times 
 n^ay club their wicked Devices, and put in 
 Practice all the Methods of undermining a- 
 gainft the Children of Sion -^ nay they may 
 interefl Hell in their vile Caufe, and call 
 upon the Powers of Darknefs for Afliftance. 
 But they fhall have no great Comfort in 
 their Projefts. None of their ftrain'd In- • 
 ventions can be eflFedual againft y^c^^, none 
 of their x^rts of Ruin influential upon If- 
 rael^ as long as thefe hold faft their Inter 
 grity and the Divine Favour with it. Sin 
 alone will provoke the Almighty from his 
 fafe-guarding Port , and caufe him to fay, 
 Amos ^.8./ abhor the ExceUenty of Jacob ^ and hate . 
 ^ his Palaces, 
 
 And how fhould thefe Confiderations at 
 once work upon our Gratitude, and alarm 
 up our Circumfpeftion ? What a Bleiling 
 is it to be born and bred withm the Pale of 
 Chriflimihy^ whereon the Light of God's 
 Countenance refts ? And how can we e- 
 nough love and magnify, and adore, who 
 are happy Partakers of it? If- our Iniqui- 
 ties are the only dangerous things amongft 
 us, who would not caft them from him, and 
 rid his bofom of v/hat might otherwife 
 Iting him to death ? 
 
 :?, I S 
 
BalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 5. Is Religion fooner or later the Objed 
 of every Man's Efleem and Praife ? How 
 fliould this be matter of rejoicing to fuch 
 as have embrac'd it early^ and often met 
 with flighting and difparagement for doing 
 fo ? No one that has lived abroad in the 
 World, can need to be told of the Con- 
 tempt and Indignities that the Vertuous or- 
 dinarily receive from it. Whatever other 
 Portion of their Matter's Crofs they may 
 boaft an Exemption from, that part of it 
 they muft bear and carry after him. But 
 then they have a Cordial to take along 
 with them, and to make the Road of Life 
 tolerable, notwithftanding all the Dirt that 
 Scorn throws in the face of Piety, namely 
 this Con,(ideration, that they go thro' good 
 Report as well as bad^ Honour as well as 
 Dijhonotir^ and that the bad Report comes 
 only from the Bad, from fuch as do not 
 think, from fuch as will afford a good one, 
 ■ whenever they fhall come to themfelves, 
 and to a fober- fence of things. Even the 
 wicked Varlet Balaam was not without his 
 relenting mood, his interval of wife Refle- 
 ftion '^ and then the Righteous was with him 
 7nore excellent than his Neighbour *, then no- 
 thing would content him but the Righte- 
 ous Man's Death, the Righteous Man's Re- 
 ward. Then who was fo great a God as 
 the God of Jacob .<? What Key of Adora- 
 tion too high for the Holy One of Ifrael.^ 
 
 I 4 And 
 
120 BalaamV Ejaculation. 
 
 And could the Ifraelnes, the true Ifraelites^ 
 if} whom there was no Guile, hear of this 
 without a Rapture ? Muft it not give them 
 Joy unfpeakable to find themfelves applau- 
 ded by a very Stranger to the Covenaiit of 
 frotmfe , for performing the Terms and 
 Conditions of it •, toffee Idolatry bending 
 to Kel'igwn^ and an EmifTary of Darknefs 
 feiz'd with a Pang of Devotion for the 
 Lord of Glory ? And, fure, like Inftances 
 of Religion's Triumphs will be ever at- 
 tended with Impreflions of this kind. 
 
 The good Expreflions, occafionally drop- 
 ping from the Mouth of Libertines, and 
 
 the {landing Declarations of Penitents in 
 »_? 
 
 favour of that Failh which once they re- 
 vil'd, cannot but be confolatory to all the 
 Faithful, fome amends for the bitter Cup 
 that is fo often filled for them. 
 
 When Atheifm fhrinks and gives back , 
 it bids every thing be fmooth and fmihng 
 about the7n. And every time an awaken d 
 Sinner has the Juftice to fcorn himfelf for 
 the Fol/j; of his own Choice, he invites them 
 to blefs God and themfelves for the Wifdom 
 of Theirs. 
 
 In.fliort, there is a deal of Mufick in 
 this Refiedion to pious Hearts, that how 
 unwilling foever Men may be to Jive by the 
 ftria Rules of the Gofpel, they are much 
 more fo to die in Arms againft it. 
 
 And 
 
Bal A amV Ejaculation. i q i 
 
 And yet thefe Refrefliments in Hand are 
 nothing to the comfortable-Profpeft of the 
 the kft Day, that Daj^ of the Revelation of 
 the righteous Judgment of God^ when the 
 Right eoifs Jljall ft and in great boldnefs before > 
 the Face of fuch as have ajfiBed them^ and . 
 made no Account of them or their L^*bours ^ 
 when the Wicked repenting and groaning 
 for Anguifi, fliail faj^ within themjelves^ 
 Thefe are they whom we had fo??ietifne inDe- 
 rijion^ and a Proverb of Reproach ^ 7ve Fools ' 
 accounted their Life Mad?jefsj and their End 
 to be without Honour, How are they itum- 
 ber'*d with the Children of God , and their 
 Lot is among the Saints ! 
 
 4. Was a fupernatural Illumination vouch- 
 faf'd to a Per Ion mod unworthy of it? Let 
 us not then value our felveS too much up- 
 oii a more than ordinary Reach of Know- 
 ledge 2Lndi\]nditxQ.2i\\diir\g, Did a Superio- 
 rity in Gifts indeed fuppofe a Preeminence 
 likewife in Graces^ Self-complacency would 
 be too much a thing of Courfe to be a Sin, 
 too much a piece of Juftice to be Pride. 
 But alas ! there is no fuch necelTary Con- 
 nexion betwixt Perfections intelledual and 
 moral. So unregenerate a Man as Balaam 
 had his Ecftafies and his Vifions , and 
 breath'd forth a f rophecy , and that of as 
 large aCompafs as any we find in Scripture. 
 Thofe high Admirations of Ifrael were not Numb. 24. 
 the mere Impreffions of Sence, but refped- 6. 
 
 ed 
 
132 Balaam'/ Ejaculation. 
 
 ed rather their fpiritual Eftate as they were 
 a Churchy thaa their mihtaty Order and 
 Difcipline as a Camp, So unholy and vile 
 a Wretch too as Catdphas^ fpake as he was 
 mov'd by the Holy Ghoft. And as \h.t prophe- 
 tical Impulfes were given with an undiftin- 
 guifliingHand, fo are natural Endowments. 
 
 "If the Spirit comes upon Saul^ he muft 
 prophefy. If a Ttuth opens and difplays it 
 felf, the Mind cannot but entertain it. There 
 
 * are Flaflies of Light , even as to heavenly 
 Things, often darted into the Mind, when 
 the Heart is frozen and benumm'd in its 
 ifVffedions towards them. And where then 
 is boafting? The Wife and Knowing, if 
 thus difpos'd, have not half fo much Rea- 
 fon to glory in their Wifdom as to figh 
 over the Ipjirmties that attend it in them. 
 But if better inclin'd, they have fomething 
 much more valuable to take Delight in, 
 becaufe their Knowledge fets em but up- 
 on a Level -wixh fallen Angels^ their Ver- 
 tue ranks them with Heaven's Favourites, 
 here, with Heaven's Inhabitants hereafter. . 
 Notions, whether Philofophical or Di- 
 vine, are good in themfelves^ as Notions, 
 and fo not to be defpis'd ^ but they 
 are no farther good to us, thain as they 
 make us better Men or Qiriftian?, and fo 
 our reafonable Satisfadion in Them bears 
 Pr-oportion to their pradlical Influence upon 
 Us. In fhort, he that holds the Truth in 
 
 .Un- 
 
BalaamV Ejaculation. 12^ 
 
 Unrighteoitfnefs is no more to be admir'd 
 for his bright Speculations, or deep Infight 
 into Gofpel-Myfteries, than Jet^ which re- 
 tains its Hue and Blacknefs ftill, is for Jhi* 
 ning^ when the Light falls upon it, . 
 
 5. Were there ill Men among the Pro- 
 phets of God .<? How fhould this abate our 
 Wonder, whenever we find one among the 
 Mmijlers of Chrift^ and our Scruples too, 
 as to Edification from him ? The Difcove- 
 ry, J confefs , is fad enough •, for every 
 Weed looketh worfl: in hallowed Ground. 
 But then the Impreflion it ought to make 
 is only that of Pity. His Impieties cannot 
 hurt us, who are not to anfwer for them, 
 our Complaints may. 
 
 Did the DoBrine neceffarily receive a 
 Tindure from the PraElice^ or the Vertue 
 of the minifterial Powers depend upon the 
 Holijiefs of the Perfon miniflring , the li- 
 ving under fuch a Teacher would be the 
 moft terrible of Judgments. But what fays 
 St. AiignfitJie in Oppofition to the Donatijis ^ 
 A foul Hand may fow good Seed. What 
 our Saviour^ by way of Precept to his Dif- 
 ciples } The Pharifees fit in Mofes^s Chair , 
 all therefore they hid you obferve^ that oh- 
 ferve and do. And if any thing can en- 
 force fuch Authorities, 'tis a Remark on 
 the Perfon in the Text, who would not or 
 could not falfify the Divine Dictates impi^il 
 upon the Mind^, how inconfiftent foevci 
 
 with 
 
124 Balaam^ Ejaculation, 
 
 with his Interelt , his Reputation and his 
 Condud. He facrific'd indeed from one 
 Place to another , to try whether Heaven 
 might not by thofe religious Performances 
 be brib'd into a Compliance-, but ftill this 
 was his Language, and he kept to it inva- 
 riably at the very Altars of Baal^ The word 
 that God putt eth into jny Mouthy that will I 
 fpeak. And when the Beaji he rode upon 
 rebuked him, we know it was for his Pra-^ 
 3}ce, not his Dodrine. Verfofial Defefls 
 then do not prejudice an Kd: of Office^ nor 
 does a Corrupt Behaviour bring after it of 
 Courfe Inftrudions like it felf. If the 
 Commiffion be good^ the Execution of it is 
 fo too, to the life of edifying^ fo as to ad- 
 mhu/Ier Grace unto the Hearers. 
 
 6. Is the Death of the Righteous an in- 
 let into eternal Bleffednefs? Let it then be- 
 come our conftant Meditation, as it was Ba- 
 laam's upon Occafwn, I know no Subjed 
 more impreflive and affefting, if made fa- 
 miliar and habitual. He no fooner took it 
 up but laid it down, it was too ferious and 
 devout a Theme for his worldly Spirit to 
 dwell on;, otherwife it might have won 
 him over a Convert to the true Religion, 
 ;and put him into a Capacity of dying like 
 the Righteous, and living with them for e- 
 ver. If we would but bend and oblige our 
 . Thoughts to the Contemplation of it, the 
 Rehfli of earthly Things would foon grow 
 
 dull 
 
BALAAM'i' Ejacuiation. 12^ 
 
 dull upon our Hands, and our AfFeftions 
 mount above groveling Mortality, to the 
 Place where God dwelleth in Glory. For 
 Heaven is our Treafure, and we want only 
 to confider that it is fo, in Order to an 
 haftening after it. For where our true 
 Treafure is known to be, there- will our 
 Hearts be aifo. 
 
 7. And laftly, Is there no Account to-be 
 found in a lazy wijhing for the death and 
 latter End^ the Lot and Portion of the Righ- 
 teoiis^ Let us then proceed from Defires to 
 Endeavours, and work out our Salvation 
 with Fear ahd Trembling. Balaam himfelf, 
 tho' not as a Vevotionifl^ yet as a Worldlings 
 has fet us a Precedent of Induftry and Ap- 
 plication. He laid himfelf out on his bafe 
 Defigns , and tried all Ways and Means, 
 that had the lead feeming Tendency to 
 accomplilh them. And fhall not we do as 
 much or more for the eternal Riches ^ Shall 
 the Children of this World ever have it in 
 their Power to upbraid our dull Delays and 
 cold IndifFerency, by their warm Purfuits 
 after finful Pleafures that are hut for a 
 Seafon^ and the Meat that perifieth in the it- 
 fmg .<? O let us draw out all our aftive 
 Powers for the Chriftian Warfare, fight a 
 good Fight ^ and keep the Faith ^ fo Ihall we 
 dye indeed the Death of the Righteous^ and 
 cur latter En(i be like his. 
 
 Elijah^ 
 
26 
 
 Elijahs Supplication. 
 
 I Kings xIx. 4. 
 
 Arid he requejied for himfelf that he 
 might diCy and faid^ It is enough - 
 Notp^ Lardy ta\e ajvay my Life^ 
 for I am not better than my Fa- 
 thers. 
 
 A Melancholy Requefl indeed, and fuch 
 as it is not every body that would put 
 up at the Throne of Grace ! For Light is 
 fweet , by the Confeflion of one that pro- 
 nounc'd All befides Vanity and Vexation - 
 and a pleafant thing it is to behold the SuUy 
 even to the mortifyed Eye that is not de- 
 lighted with beholding any thing elfe. 
 Toiith triumphs becaufe of its probable Di- 
 ftance from, and Age hates it felf upon the 
 Account of its certain Neighbourhood to, 
 the Grave. They that are at rejl in their 
 VoJfeJJions have ?iothi?Jg to trouble them but 
 the Remembrafice of Death^ and the Daugh- 
 ters of.AffiiSion find nothing fo troubleforae, 
 at leaft fo natural, as the Fe.^r of it. 
 
 Not 
 
Elijah^ Supplication. t^y 
 
 Not but that fome have in a great Mea- 
 fure overcome this Averfion and Fear, and 
 fain would die, but then it is not for dy- 
 ing fake •, and that which enabled *em for 
 the Conqueft muft be either their Afflifti- 
 on, or the fame Principle whereby they o- 
 vercometheWorld^ to wit, thtiv Faith. And 
 hence we might have accounted for Elijahs 
 Prayer , tho' we knew nothing of his Hi- 
 flory, concluding that he found but wretch- 
 ed Quarter in this World , or elfe he had 
 never folicited a Remove into another. 
 
 This in truth was his Cafe. Being a 
 faithful Champion oithe true Religion, he 
 met with all the Menaces and Struggle*, 
 Difficulties and Oppofition that powerful 
 Impiety could offer. Four hundred and 
 fifty Prophets of Baal encounter'd him with 
 their wicked Superftitions, the Court went 
 into the corrupt Intereft , and the People 
 followed. Jhah by his Idolatry had trou- 
 bled Ifraely drawing a fore Famine and o- 
 thervindiftive Judgments upon that Nation, 
 yet had he the Heart and the Face to ftiift 
 off the blame of thofe Events from guiltj^ 
 Self, and charge them on the great Affer- 
 tor of Piety : Art thou he that troiibleth If- 1 Kings 8. 
 rael! The foul Slur Elijah endeavour'd to'''* 
 wipe ofF by interefting Omnipotence in his 
 Vindication. The Tefliraony ofFhe from 
 Heaven ferv'd at once to confound the Pro- 
 phets and convince the People, that the 
 
 Lord 
 
1^8 JElijahV Supplication. 
 
 Lord he was God^ the Lord he was God. 
 The fudden Deftrudion of them was an 
 exemplary Terror to awe Men out of their 
 Idolatry -^ and the mighty Rain he fetch'd 
 from the Clouds for their Refrefhment, a 
 Paternal Bleffing to win them into the Wor- ' 
 fliip of the Great Jehovah. But none of 
 thefe aftonilhing Things , when the Sur- 
 prize went off, left any religious Impref- 
 fion, where the Influence fhould have be- 
 gun in order to a general Reformation. As 
 Ahab had before reproach'd, fo Jezabel 
 now threatned. Miracle was anfwer'd with 
 Bravado's, and all his Divine Errands of 
 Vengeance and of Mercy drew back no o- 
 iKing. ip.ther Meflage than this. So let the Gods do 
 ^' to me and more alfo^ if I make not thj; Life 
 
 as the Life of one of the?n hy to morrow at 
 this time. So true it is, the moft timerous 
 are generally the moft favage •, and that 
 nothing is fo- forward to apply to Rigour 
 and Severity in a Cafe of Danger as Female 
 Weaknefs, Hereupon taking it for gran- 
 ted his living any longer would be of no 
 Service to Religion, he reqiiefted for him" 
 felf that he ?mght die, and faid. It is e- 
 nough, now^ Lord, take away my Life, for 
 I am not better than ?ny Fathers. 
 
 This Conduft in the Text, the' of a 
 mix'd Nature , and not imitable in the 
 whole, yet is very inftrudive, and Matter 
 for Caution, where it is not a Rule for 
 Praiiice, > Hiq 
 
Elijah'/ Supplication. i2p 
 
 His Cal/s for Death doubtlefs were too 
 eager and importunate. The Occafion, tho* 
 fad enough of all Confcience, could not 
 excufe, nor his former Righteoufnefs cover 
 the Guilt of them. There was not fuffi- 
 cient Confideration had of the awefulnefs 
 of Death on the one Hand, nor of the va- 
 lue of Life on the other. The Former, as 
 it is an Evil not to be anxioufly dreaded , 
 fo neither is it an Objeft to be paffionately 
 fought for. Tho' made nothing of in ordi- 
 nary Difcourfe, yet, believe me, 'tisa folemn 
 thing under everyAfped, and deferves a feri- 
 ous Thought, as it is often a Stage of tedious 
 Pain and Agony, as it is always the Penalty 
 of Sin, as it is a PalTagc into that my fieri- 
 0116 Quarter, Eternity *, as it denotes a tem- 
 porary Divorce of Soul and Body , which 
 are fo intimately united , and as it implies 
 a lading Change of Companies, Conditions, 
 Worlds. Where there is fo much Signifi- 
 cance included , there cannot be too much 
 Regard paid. And what are the Laws of 
 Self-prefervation , and Inftinds of Nature, 
 but fecret Warnings not to fall in love with 
 Mortality ? What is the untryed Condition 
 of Separation, but an Argument to keep us 
 off from courting it? And as for Life^ 
 what can be more precious and defirable ? 
 Doth not Providence make it ks Care, and 
 the Scripture Its Reward ? Is not a long 
 one promis'd to Godlinefs, and a fhort one ' 
 
 K threatnecl 
 

 
 1:50 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 threatned to Difobedience? Is it not the 
 Foundation of all the temporal Comforts we 
 enjoy , and ufed as an Emblem of all the 
 e?idlefs Blefllngs we hope for? Is it hot a 
 bleffed Opportunity for Vertue, and an ex- 
 cellent Preparative to Glory? Hence it was 
 that the Pfalmift made this, take me not a- 
 way in the midji of mine Age^ the Subjed- 
 Matter of his Petition-, and our Saviour 
 this, that the Cup of his Vajfion^ if it were 
 pojjible^ might pafs from him. Hence it was 
 that Hezekiah could not bear the Sound of 
 Set thy Houfe in orJer^ &(,c. And Jefus 
 would not pray his Father to take the D'lfci- 
 pies out of the World^ altho' perfecuted and 
 hated in it. Hence it was that St. Paul 
 made it but his Defire, not his Prayer , to 
 he diffplvd^ tho' it was in Order to be with 
 Chrifl '^ and when Simeon breathed out Lord 
 'iww letteft thou thy Servant depart in Peace^for 
 mine Eyes have feen thy Salvation^ he took 
 Care to add, according to thy Word^ groun- 
 ding all his Confidence upon the Divine 
 Revelation touching the time of his Depar- 
 ture hence. 
 
 This fupplicating for Death was a Sin- 
 gularity in Elijah^ and by no means a Ver- 
 tue. He (hould have went ho farther than 
 a Wifh, nor troubled Heaven with his Im- 
 portunities. But ftill he is to be commend- 
 ed for that he went no farther than he did, 
 ^nd becaufe he only requefied for himfelf 
 
 that 
 
ElijahV Supplication. 151 
 
 that he might die. With the antient Ro- 
 mans^ Self-Murder look'd a little plaufible 
 in the Theory, and was fomewhat fami- 
 liar too in the Praftick. The Stoicks, a 
 wife Sed: , but yet over-run with SuUen- 
 nefs, reafon'd for't ^ declaring it to be an u- 
 niverfal Remedy that Nature had put into 
 their Hands, whereby to fpight and be even 
 with a froward Deftiny. And 'twas not a 
 few that had recourfe to the Prefcription, 
 upon great, or even flight Occafions: To 
 fay nothing of the unhappy Litcretia of old, 
 that with a kind of modeft hafte run upon 
 this defperate Expedient for the clearing up 
 the Credit of her injur'd Innocence ^ Zeno, 
 the Founder of that Seft, exemplify'd hisUerc. 1.7. 
 own Dodrine, and that upon a mofl un- 
 manly Score , to pacify the Pain of a bro- 
 ken Fingero With more Deliberation Cato 
 afted up to his Philofophy ; and 5^7/^^;^ had 
 done fo too, he tells us in one of his Epi- 
 files ^ but for the Regard he bore to his a- 
 ged Father and other Relations, that might 
 not have fo well digefted the untimely 
 Farewel. Eyqii Brutus^ that had been once ^^^^ .- 
 as loud in his Cenfures of Cato, a$ the hu of Bmuf. 
 ter was in his Commendations, yet faUing in- 
 to the fame Circumftances he ventured on 
 the fame Liberty in order to get clear of 
 them. 
 
 Nay ScripWreStovy has Inftances , as 
 well as Ptigan. Saul and his Armour-bea- 
 
 K 3 xtx 
 
T O ^ 
 
 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 iSam.$i.5rer flew into the Embraces of Death, that 
 they might not fall into the Hands of the 
 ^^'^%^^^'Philiflines. The Rebel Ztjnri made the 
 ^^' Flames his Refort from the Vengeance of 
 
 vidorious Loyalty -^ and holy Sawpfon the 
 Ruin of an Houfe his Sanftuary from the 
 Sport of wanton Cruelty. 
 
 But Elijah was of another Spirit, and 
 could not be induc'd by the mod tragical 
 Profpecls to (hu: up the Scene of Life with 
 his own Hands. He had as lively an Idea 
 of idolatrous Bigotry and hoflile Malice as 
 other Men, and was as loath to fall under 
 the Power of either. But both together 
 feem'd more tolerable than the Shame and 
 Guilt of an hafty Efcape from them by 
 ftealing out of Being. Even the little 
 Worm, that does but crawl over the Stage 
 of Life, has a bufy part to ad on it, and 
 (he muft not offer to depart, leaving it un- 
 linilli'd. Much lefs may Man, the fome- 
 what bigger Worm of the two , force his 
 Exit in an Humour. No, v/e are lifted, 
 as Pythagoras long (ince obferv'd, under the 
 great General God , and fo all Difcharges 
 nmft come from the Court of his Provi- 
 dence. And 'till they do, it is our Poft to 
 meet and fuftain the awful Looks of a co- 
 ming Danger, like Men of Battle, not to 
 ftart and fly from them like Cowards. 
 
 This Servant of God therefore, as glad 
 as he would have been if he had foimd the 
 
 Grave ^ 
 
ElijahV Supplicatiom 123 
 
 Grave^ would not feek a refting Place there 
 without a Warrant. 
 
 The Heathen might well bid the World 
 good night abruptly, whenever it had of- 
 fended them , having but fmall Grounds, 
 the Uncertainty of a Vet adventure^ to ex- 
 ped another, where they fhould meet with 
 a cold Reception in requital. But with o- 
 ther Jewifl) Worthies he forefaw, tho' afar 
 off, a Judgment to come^ and a State of Im- 
 mortality 5 and this Belief kept him to his 
 good Behaviour, making him wait Nature's 
 Call and the Almighty's Leifure for his 
 Difmiflion out of This. He had no 
 Thoughts of deferting his Colours, or flin- 
 ching from his Duty ^ but only tried the 
 Force of Pr^^r to the utmoft, and like a ^ 
 difabled Soldier beg d a Releafe with Tears 
 in his Eyes eloquent and moving beyond 
 Expreflion. 
 
 Indeed I cannot find any Colour for an 
 Argument in behalf of Self-fnurder^ either 
 from Scripture or Nature, v/hatever Lip/iusV^f, 
 might do that blullies not to favour it. Ti^ip^^j* ^3. 
 perfuaded he better conn'd St oki fm th^ini ^!^^^^ 
 Revelation -^ and when a Do8or of our own 
 beftow'd his Pains in reconrnnending a more 
 hopeful Judgment than is ufuaily pafs'd on 
 thofe who lay violent Hands upon them- 
 felves, his Charity was only too ftrong for 
 his Reafon. The Examples thereof in 
 Scripture^ we are fure, are of fuch Perfons 
 
 K 3 as 
 
134 Elijah'/ Supplication. 
 
 as either had been before abandon'd by the 
 Spirit of God, or afted by virtue of an im- 
 ^^^^'^^' mediate Commiffion from him. Saul and 
 Joh.12.27. y^^^ f^^^ under the firft Charafter. And 
 Aug.deci-as for Sampfo?iy moft Writers, with St. Au- 
 vie. Dei, gtijlin at the head of them, afcribe what 
 c. 21.^^ did to a particular Divine Impulfe , a 
 thing fotnetimes vouchfafed under the Jew- 
 ish Difpenfation, and no doubt at that time, 
 becaufe otherwife a miraculous Power had 
 hardly feconded him in it. And therefore 
 Cbriflians muft beware of building too much 
 oti Fad^ Till they can plead a Divine Im- 
 preflion for repeating it, or promife them- 
 felves a quiet Annihilation after it, I would 
 beg them for the fake of their poor Souls 
 to let Providence have its courfe, and not 
 hurry them out of thbfe Bodies they are fo 
 unfit to leave. Seneca is for driving out 
 that troublefom Inhabitant within us, when 
 it makes us too fenfible of our Unhappi- 
 nefs i but he had ufed it more courteoufly, 
 had he known how much more troublefom 
 it would be after its remove. But to 
 proceed. 
 
 Again, his Requeft, if allowable in it felf, 
 was yet too abfolute and unreferved. It 
 feem'd not to carry with it Deference enough 
 and Reli^nation to the Divine Pleafure. 
 Nothing would ferve him but he muft die 
 by the Hand of him that form'd him into 
 Life. He fpoke not in the Stile of Mo» 
 u ^ defty 
 
Elijah*/ Supplication. 135 
 
 defty i If it feemeth good unto thee ] but 
 with the AfTurance of common Beggars that 
 cry with an unceremonious Roughnefs, give 
 nie this or that. He alk'd God's Leave in- 
 deed, but took him not into his Counfels. 
 In our Saviour we have a moft perfeft Pat- 
 tern of Submiffion under the harfheft and 
 moft difficult Circumftances, Father^ if 
 thou be willing^ remove this Cup from me : 
 neverthelefs not my Will but thine be done. 
 The Words do not more fpeak him a Man 
 of like Paflions with us than an obedient 
 Servant of Providence. Hatitre recoiling 
 at the Apprehenfion of the approaching A- 
 gony would fain have been excus'd, and fo 
 put him upon a Deprecation ^ but then 
 Grace diftated it, ^nd he fupplicated upon 
 his bended Knees that his Father would 
 not liften to the innocent Language of his 
 natural Fears and Defires, to the Difap- 
 pointment of the Divine Intentions. Eli- 
 jah on the contrary addreffes with a kind of 
 rude and familiar Peremptorinefs, faying, 
 O Lordy take away my Life *, as if Heaven 
 had no Negative in the Cafe. He affeded 
 to be Mailer of his own Perfon, and would 
 not refer himfelf to the Wifdom of God, 
 whether or no he faw his Choice conveni- 
 ent for him and the Ends of Governmenfo 
 But his Application, altho' unmannerly in 
 itsCircumftances, was generous in its Prin- 
 ciple, It proceeded from a Zeal for God s 
 
 K 4 Glory 
 
1^6 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 Glory rather than from a Concern for Per- 
 fqnal Eafe. 
 
 'When a Man turns his back upon Life, 
 Pride, Difcontent and Cowardil'e, one or 
 all of thefe, are generally the Reafons. If 
 he be ^ Statefman, 'tis becaufe he has not 
 been fuffered to fwagger in the Head of 
 Men and of Affairs, has not been gratified 
 to the utmoft Lengths of his towring Am- 
 bition, has felt invidious Competitions and 
 mortal Difappointments. He can't away 
 with a dependent Ading, nor truckle under 
 the Directions of others, and therefore quits 
 the Stage out of Pet and Difguft. If he be 
 ^n inferiour Perfon, *tis upon the account 
 of fome ftrangeRub in point of Fortune, or 
 fenfible Blow upon Reputation. Either he 
 could never get above Obfcurity, or he has 
 been remarkable both in his Rife and in his 
 Falls from Greatnefs •, or he has been irre- 
 parably wounded in the mod tender Inte- 
 reft, that of his good Name and Honour. 
 And fo refleding upon his own fad and mi- 
 ferable Cafe in all its real and imaginary 
 Horror, he can bear up no longer, but 
 finks with Anguift, and in the Bitternefs of 
 his Soul puts an end to his Days that he 
 may to Refledion too. Such fpiritlefs 
 Wretches were the Self-murderers above- 
 mention*d. The Stream of the Times run 
 againft them, and for fear p( being over- 
 whelmed, they haftily got on Shore into the 
 
 Land 
 
El I J AH V Supplication. 157 
 
 Land ofForgetfalnefs. And whatcaft Jo- 
 nah into dying Refolutions but the Lofs of ^ 
 his dearly beloved Gomd^ What Job into 
 bitter Execrations upon the Day of his 
 Birrh, but the Pungency of thofe Miferies 
 that befel him afterwards. What provok'd 
 AchJtophel to throw up his Exiftence in fo 
 fooUjlj and ridiculous a manner , but the 
 publick Difparagement of his Wifdofn^ He 
 that had been once allov/ed to fpeak as the 
 Orach of God^ could not out-live the Dif- 
 grace of being out-top'd at the Cabinet. 
 When he faw the deftrudive Flattery of a 
 7iew Courtier had got Abfaloms Ear, fo as 
 to defeat the fafe Advice of an old Counfel- 
 lor. Home was his firft Refuge, and an Hal- ^ sam. 17, 
 ter the next from Shame and Infamy. 23. 
 
 But fo far was Elijah from offering to 
 fence ofF Trouble and Uneafinefs by any 
 Adt of Violence committed on himfelf, that 
 he requefted to die only out of Defpair of 
 doing good in his Life. Self may juftly 
 be an under-mo'dve in any Cafe, and Chari- 
 ty muft conclude, it had no more than a 
 remote Intereft in the prefent Ejaculation. 
 It is e?w74gh^ was the Enforcement of it, and 
 the Import of that Phrafe can be no other 
 than this : " I have exerted my felf to the 
 " full in the dear Caufe of Religion, and 
 " would exert my felf ftill, but that I am 
 ^^ fatisfied my Preaching would be vain and 
 *^ my Labour loft upon fuch a Nation as 
 
 '' this 
 
138 ELijAH'i* Supplication. 
 
 ^' this, fo wicked and incorrigible. I have 
 " been a long while ftriking at Idolatry, 
 " and yet the flubborn Root of Bitternefs 
 " thrives and flouri(hes, and it cannot but 
 " do fo, fo long as it has the Smiles and 
 " Sun-fhine of the Court to nurfe and che- 
 " rifh it. What then can I do more for my 
 " God or the Honour of his Name ? I can 
 " fay, I have fought a good Fight-, and 
 " fince the Battel is not to the Aftive, nor 
 " Succefs to the Diligent, I wifli I might 
 *' fay, I have finifiied my Courfe. It is e- 
 *' nough, it is high time to lay down my 
 '' Arms and give over, when I bear 'em 
 " but in vain. 
 
 Such Reafoning feems to be couch'd un- 
 der the Speech in Little^ and other Paffages 
 in the Hiftory make it prefumable it was 
 
 iKing, i8.^^. Tht jhewing hhnfelf uiito Ahab^ as the 
 
 i5» Lord commanded him, argued his Jealoufy 
 for the Lord cf Hofls^ and that he could 
 confront Power and look Perils in the Face. 
 
 ch. ip.p. The withdrawing into a Cave^ when he 
 fhould have proceeded in his Journey for 
 the Converfion of Ifrael ^ implied his De- 
 fpondency, and that he look'd upon it as 
 unfeafible. His Defence too of that 
 
 V. 10. Retreat, in thefe Words, The CbiUren 
 of Ifrad have forfaken thy Covenant , 
 thrown down thy Altars , and fain thy 
 Prophets with the Sword , and I even I 
 only a?n left, and they feek my Life to 
 
 take 
 
ElijahV Supplication. 13P 
 
 take it away^ looketh the fame way, and 
 contains a ftrong Prefumption of future 
 Mifcarriage and Difappointment. Wheiice 
 it follows undeniably, 'twas his Trouble, 
 to fee the true Worfhip under Frown and 
 Difcountenance that begot in him this ve- 
 hement Defire of (hutting his Eyes for ever, 
 not any want of Courage and Bravery to 
 efpoufe and appear for it. Whereas too 
 many ftand more in awe of the World than 
 of their own Confciences, and prefer the 
 Charge of Sin to the Cenfure of Singulari- 
 ty : He as folitary as he thought himfelf in 
 the Warfare againft Baal and his potent 
 Votaries, manfully flood his Ground, and 
 would not yield to Menaces and Terrors. 
 But yet the filthy Conversation of the Wicked 
 vexing his righteous Soul from day to day^ 
 He could not forbear crying out with Ear- 
 neftnefs, that it had Wings like a Dove, 
 that it Plight fly away and be at reH ! O 
 that it might return to God that gave it ! 
 
 The fame Mind was even in the great A- 
 poftle : He had a doubt upon him which to Pl^ii. j- 
 chufe. Life or Death j but his Defire was ^^' 
 rather fix'd upon the Laft. After fome 
 Contention withm himfelf, indeed he did 
 chufe the Former in Duty to God whofe 
 Glory would be promoted, and in Kindnefs 
 to the Philippiaiis whofe Faith would be 
 furthered by his Abode in the Flefh. And 
 had Elijah had the fame encouraging Pro- 
 
 fped 
 
lAO Elijah'/ Supplication. 
 
 fpecl before him in reference to the Ifrae- 
 lites^ there is no doubt but for the Good of 
 Souls he would have been a willing Prifo- 
 ner much longer in the fame incommodious 
 Earthly Tabernacle. When St. Paul ac- 
 knowledges that Defire, he does not men- 
 tion the uneafy Confinement of his Bonds, 
 and the continual Hard(hips of his Condi- 
 tion, as the Ground of it, but the expeded 
 Fruition of Chrift's Frefence. And we may 
 be allur'd that tho' Elijah could not be o- 
 ver-fond of his Diiirefl'es, yet he had nobler 
 Ends in view, when he prefs'd for a Diffo- 
 lution, than a Deliverance from them ^ e- 
 ven the blefled Eiige of IVel! done good and 
 faithfid Servant^ and an immediate Admif- 
 lion into the Joy of his Lord, 
 
 Again, the Requeft Vv^as too ftrid and con- 
 fining in point of Time. The very next 
 Minute is greedily feiz d on as proper for. 
 its Accompiilhment. Vow^ Lord^ take 
 away my Life^ fays the forward SuppHcant, 
 as if the Times and the Seafons were abfo- 
 lutely in his own Power, What ! Did he 
 not know that this was a Right which be- 
 longed unto God, who fird fet the Wheels 
 of Time a-going, by a kind of facred In- 
 clofure, and that he will not give to ano- 
 ther ? Was it not enough to alk a Favour, 
 but he muft point our, when it (hould be 
 done ? When we make our Court to Men 
 like our felves, we are more refigning. 
 
 We 
 
Eli J AH V Supplication, i^ji 
 
 We fliOLild be glad of a prefent Obligation, 
 and are prepar'd to give it a thoufand Wel- 
 comes *, but we do not infift upon it. And 
 yet here Delays are dangerous, and often 
 fruftrate a kind Intention. Whereas the 
 Divine Purpofes muft and will ftand, are 
 liable to no Uncertainty, nor capable of a 
 Defeat. Noxp and Hereafter to God are 
 both alike, and no Defign can flip through 
 the Hands of Omnipotence. It ill became 
 Elijah thus to limit his Maker, and ftraiten 
 him up in fulfilling a Petition. 
 
 But however there is room for Pleas and 
 Extenuations to come in. Great would 
 have been the ill Confequences of dying by 
 the Sword of Jezabel^ and thefe, 'tis like, 
 were then under Refledion. Had this dire 
 Event happen'd^ How would the Adver- 
 faries have triumphed *, how would they a- 
 mong the Heathen have flurted at Elijah's 
 God, and made a Jeft of his Divinity ? What 
 infulting Speeches and ridiculous Taunts 
 would have been vented every where? " With 
 '' all his loud Pretenfions to a Spirit of Pro- 
 " phecy, this Enthufiaftick Fellow could 
 ^' notforefeehis own Deftruftion, much lefs 
 " guard againft it. With all his proud Boafts 
 " of Miracles, this pitiful Wonder-worker 
 " could not five himfelf, that would have 
 *' been thought to fave others. The God 
 '' whom he ferved , was not able to deli- 
 " ver him out of our Hands, or not at lei- 
 
 " lure 
 
14^ Eli J AH V Supplication. 
 
 " fure to look to his own Votary. The 
 " Zealot fliould have crjed aloud, for per- 
 " adventure he Jleeped, and fhould be wa- 
 *^ ked out of his dull Repofe, or made 
 ** nearer Approaches, for perad venture he 
 " was talki?tg , purfuhig or travelliiig , and 
 " fhould have been whifper'd in the Ear, 
 " in order to draw off his Attention from 
 ^^ Affairs of lefTer Moment. And how 
 would fuch fatyrical Inveftives, in Conjun- 
 fCtion with the furprizing Accident, have 
 llrengthen'd the Intereft of Eaal^ and help d 
 to eftablilh it by a Law? No one, after 
 this, would have opend his Mouth in a 
 Scoff, or fet at nought his Priefls , but in 
 a little time, his Magnificence had been as 
 facred as that of the Great Goddess Diana, 
 whom all Afia and the World worjhipped. 
 All this , to be fure, run a-crofs the Pro- 
 phet's Thoughts, and difquieted him above 
 Meafure, when he fpake fo unadvifedly 
 with his Lips. His Heart was hot with- 
 in him, and the Fervour of his Zeal broke 
 out into an intemperate Fit of Devotion. 
 *' Now do thou, O Lord, ta]ce av/ay my 
 *' Life, left if thou be, as tho* thou hea- 
 '^ reft not, I be fuddenly cut off by thy E- 
 " nemies and mine , and fo commence in 
 " CharaSer as well as Per/on, a Subjed of 
 " Reproach and Laughter to all that are 
 " round about me. 
 
 Npi 
 
Elijah'^ Supplication. 143 
 
 Nor was Piet:y only at the bottom , but 
 Humility too : Otherwife he had not made 
 fo Self-difparaging a Comparifon, and urg'd 
 it as an Argument in the Cafe. For I am 
 7iot better than my Fathers. The Meaning 
 is, " The other Prophets that flood up for 
 " thy Great Name with Gallantry and Re- 
 ** folution, fell a Sacrifice notwithftanding 
 *' to Rage and Fury *, and what am I that 
 " I Ihould have the Credit of furviving in 
 " fpight of them? They were worthier to 
 *^ live, and as capable of ferving thee, no 
 ^' doubt, and yet thofe chofen Veflels were 
 " broken to pieces by the Hands of Vio- 
 " lence. To what purpofe then fliould I 
 " be referved ? Can I fupply the Room of 
 " fuch glorious Sages and heroick Cham- 
 ** pions ? Can my fingle Example ftem the 
 " Tide of fpreading Iniquity •, my un-fe- 
 conded Difcourfe bring that way of Wor- 
 fhip which is every where fpoken againfl: 
 into vogue and fafhion? Thy Religion lietli 
 gafping in the Land, and it is next to im- 
 *' poflible, my moft vigorous Efforts (hould 
 " give it a Revival. O that I could over- 
 " come Evil with Good, and let on Foot 
 " a general Reformation ! But fince I can- 
 *^ not. Lord, now let thy Servant depart 
 ^' in Peace, and be gathered to his Fathers, 
 
 This Difpute, as fuch, Iconfefs, is faulty, 
 but yet humble withal. Indeed it was not 
 at all his Bufinefs to argue, but to obey. 
 
 Being 
 
 
144 Elijah'j' Supplication. 
 
 Being fent on a Divine Errand, he {hould 
 not have pronounc'd it inefFeftual, becaufe 
 humanly unpromifing. The fuccefslefs Atr 
 tempts of others fhould have been no 
 damping to his Endeavours. God who 
 for wife Reafons, known only to himfelf, 
 denied Efficacy to the former, might, for 
 ought he knew to the contrar}^ , have as 
 good for granting it to the latter. And there- 
 fore he was to blame for giving way to fear- 
 ful xApprehenfions , and inferring a future 
 Mifcarriage from former ones. Notwith- 
 ftanding, fomething may be faid that will 
 a little relieve his Credit in this Particu- 
 lar. His Apprehenfions fprang from a poor 
 Opinion of himfelf, his Eye was fixt upon « 
 perfonal Defects, and he could not mean to 
 fet Bounds to the Power of God. 
 
 Thus I have illuftrated Elijah's Car- 
 riage in the Text, and the Confideration of 
 it will fuggeil to us feveral ufeful Infe- 
 rences. 
 
 As firft. It teacheth us that abfolure Per- 
 feftion in Holinefs and Vertue is not, never 
 was, an hitman x\ttainment. For as in other 
 parts of Scripture we find Hatred joined with 
 Devotion in DaviJ, Haflinefs with Meek- 
 nefs in Mofis, Peevi(hnefs with Patience in 
 Joh^ Diffidence with Sincerity in the Dif- 
 ciples, and a great Alloy of Infirmities with 
 excellent Graces in St. Paid, So here we 
 fee that tho' Elijah was an Inflance of ex- 
 traordinary 
 
Elijah'/ Supplication. 1^5 
 
 tedrdinary Vertues , he was a Man too 
 of like Paflions with other Mortals. 
 
 Could any thing be more generous and 
 noble, I had almoft faid, meritorious, than 
 his faithful ildherence to God's Service, in 
 a time of barefac'd Idolatry and prevailing 
 Wickednefs ? Princes did fit and fpeak a- 
 gainft him, the Multitude laiJ wait for the 
 Righteous 5 becaufe he was not for their 
 Titrn^ and clean contrary to their Doings* 
 His Prefence and Example offended the Vi- 
 cious, as the Noon-day-Sun does diftem- 
 per'd Eyes, and fain would they have put out 
 the Light which troubled them. But foi? 
 all this, he viras bluff and refolute, and 
 would not bend or warp at all from his In- 
 tegrity, to meet or ftrike in with popular 
 Humour and Pradice. He ftill objeEied to 
 their Infamy the tranfgrejjings of their Educa- 
 tion^ and their Spight to his Life could not 
 take him off from leading it unfuitably to 
 theirs. And now is it poflible any Weak- 
 nefjes fhould find a Place in him that was 
 the Strength of Ifrael, and Bulwark of Re- 
 ligion > Alas! Even this mighty Hero had 
 his Errors and his Frailties He rafhly 
 pronounces himfelf Angular in the Worlhip 
 of the Lord Jehovah , whenas there were 
 left feven thoufand that had not bowed 
 their Knees unto Baal in Ifrael it felf ^ be- 
 fides the whole Church of Jiidah^ which 
 ferved God according to the Prefcript of 
 
 L his 
 
a6 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 his holv Law, under the Government of 
 ?yood Jehofaphat, And in Confequence of 
 that, uncharitable Conceit infifted upon't, 
 that Heaven (hould inftantly take him, Its 
 fuppos'd only Votary, from ofF the Earth ! 
 
 The Suppoiition was bad^ and the Ufe 
 he made of it worfe. For had the Un- 
 godly been fo exceedingly numerous , a 
 good Man could the lefs be fpared, who a- 
 lone had it in his Power to feafon human 
 Converfe, and refrefli the languid Notions 
 of Good and Evil. And could it become 
 fuch a one, w^hen the World fo much need- 
 ed him, by way of Antidote againft the 
 Poifon , to get out of it if he could. A 
 Retreat at fuch a 'time might be Nature's 
 Choice, but not a great Soul's^ which de- 
 lights in hard Services for a finking Church, 
 and will either bear it up or fall with it. 
 
 Precedents then are never to be trufted • 
 and before we make them our Riile^ we 
 mujfl compare them with another^ the Word 
 of God , or elfe we fhall walk neither up- 
 rightly nor furely. 
 
 2. Hence we learn the great Neceflity 
 of a coiijlant Guard and Watchfulnefs over 
 our frail Natures. Many are Man's hifir- 
 mities, and this is one of them, that he is 
 apt to trail: too much to a prefent good Difpo- 
 lition, and to conclude himfelf in no Danger 
 of afting againft his Duty, becaufe he is 
 now refolv'd to ftand by it under all Cir- 
 ^ eumftance 
 
Elijah'/ Supplication. 147 
 
 cumftances of Temptation. Alas! flich 
 SeJf-Confidence is very unpromifing and 
 fufpicious, and if Vertue has no better 
 Armour about it than this , fhe is in 
 a moft pitiable Cafe. Were general good 
 Purpofes to be relyed upon, as fufficient to 
 bear us up againft all Temptations, there 
 would be no accounting for the many Fai- 
 lures and Imperfeftions that ftick to the 
 Charaders of the greatefl Saints that ever 
 lived. Elijah^ no doubt, when he fet out 
 on the Prophetjck Charge, carried with him 
 a fincere Intention of performing it with- ' 
 out demur or fcruple. Indeed his firft Ad- 
 drelfes look*d like an Earned of this, and 
 feem'd to befpeak an Heart equal to the 
 Undertaking. For how did he confront the 
 wicked Jhab upon his own Ground, and 
 anfwer Falfioods with Truths as bold as 
 thofe were impudent, that is, being up- 
 braided with IfraeVs Troubles^ attribute them 
 to him and his Father"* s Tloufe that were the j^in^. rg. 
 guilty Caufe of them? And yet when Dan- ^7, i3. 
 ger came more in view, he was almofl ftag- 
 ger'd by it. He falls to queflioning his 
 Strength and Abilities for his Poft, tho' 
 fure to be feconded by Power infinite. He 
 lets Fancy bring in an unproportionate Ac- 
 count of impending Difficulties, and then 
 Flefh and Biood prefs for an Exemption 
 from the Conflift. 
 
 L 2 We 
 
48 Elijah'/ Supplication. 
 
 We have a like Inftance of human Fickle-' 
 nefs in no lefs a Perfon than St. Peter, but 
 with this Difference, that whereas the for- 
 mer only {tumbled, he fell. How ready 
 was the x^poftle in promifing , protefting , 
 and refolving that he would adhere to C/::?ri/?, 
 even to the Death ? And to do him right, 
 his Honefty equal Td his Prefumption. He 
 had a Zeal for Jefus , and he (how'd it by 
 drawing his Sword in his Matter's Quarrel. 
 Notwithftanding this Man of Forwardnefs 
 gave back , and he that had declared fo 
 •lloutly, Tho' I die^ yet will I not deny thee^ 
 did cowardly deny him, without any fuch 
 imminent Peril as that of dying. Nay, he 
 did more than deny , he forfwore his 
 Lord , and Vows were followed with Im« 
 precations, ^ 
 
 And now if the very Pillars of Religion 
 were fhaken , what a LelTon of Humility 
 and Caution is this to a conmion Vertue? 
 How jealous fhould we be of our felves 
 and our befl: Refol utions, how diligent in the 
 ufe of all holy means to confirm and ftreng- 
 then them ? The greateft Care will be lit- 
 tle enough in a religious Courfe. Our 
 Feet are feeble, and the Ways flippery, 
 and therefore it concerns us to look to the 
 cnt:, aijd to befeech God that he would fol- 
 low us with his Grace throughout the o- 
 ther. iJnder fuch Proteftion only, can 
 we travel on with Comfort, and when the 
 
 Stage 
 
ElijahV Supplication. j^p 
 
 Stage is at an end , arrive joyfully at the 
 Land of Bleflednefs. 
 
 5. The Unfuitablenefs of ElijaJfs Prayer 
 ferves to enfore the Advice of Solomon^ that 
 our Hearts be ?iot hafty to utter any thing 
 before God. The Bufinefs of Devotion is 
 too ferious a Matter to be fudden upon, 
 and no lefs requires Thought to precede 
 than Affeftion to accompany it. 
 
 Had the Prophet took up as much time 
 in weighing the Subjeft-Matter of his Ad- 
 drefs, as he did in bewaihng the Occafion, 
 I am perfuaded he had let it drop, and laid 
 his Hand upon his Mouth. And there is 
 as much Reafon to fuppofe, that had the 
 two afpiring Sons of Zebedee given way to 
 Refledion, before they a(k*d to fit the one 
 on ChrifPs Right Hand^ and the other on the 
 heft^ in His Kingdom , they had never in- 
 curr'd the Imputation and the Guilt of know- 
 27ig not what they ajked. 
 
 £!rf^/w/?^r^-Ejaculations are very obnoxi- 
 ous toDiforder and Miflake, and it is well 
 if he that throweth 'em out does not get a 
 Stone inftead of Bread , and Scorpions ia- 
 ftead of Fiflj. 
 
 4. Elijah's Error in faying It is enough^ 
 in judging the Work or Bufinefs cut out for 
 him was at an end, ought to check and 
 moderate the Defires of Death, His Viev/s 
 were too narrow and contrafted. So far 
 was he from having finjfh'd the Work which 
 
 L 3 God 
 
i^o ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 God gave him to do, and made a Riddance 
 great enough to clear the way for a Diffoluti- 
 on, that when he defifted a little, and retired 
 from it , there inmiediately came a Voice 
 unto him, full of Anger and Rebuke, What 
 Jofl thou her e^ Elijah! And unlefs our Pride 
 be very great, we cant pretend our fhort- 
 iightednefs is lefs. We know 'tis our Part 
 to take Pains in the Vineyard, but our Ma- 
 iler only knows the Extent and Duration of 
 our Talk. After many Years fpent in his 
 Service, it is Prefumption to fay it is e- 
 nough, it is high time to reft from our La- 
 bours. We cannot have accomplifli'd, as 
 Hirelings, our Day, fo long as the Lord 
 delay eth his coming. And therefore we muft 
 never offer at the importunate Speech of 
 '-fonahy Take noiv^ I hefeech thee^ my Life 
 from me. David's Petition was much wi- 
 kr^ /pare ?*ve a little^ who v/as fenfible 
 he h^d not done God fo much Service but 
 he might do him yet more. Job's Soli- 
 loquy far more becoming , All the Days of 
 my u-ipointed Time will I wait Hill my Change 
 come. 
 
 5. Elijah's Miftake, as to the Efficacy of 
 a fteady Oppofition to Blafphemy and Vice, 
 and the Cenfure it met withal at the Hands 
 of God, are {landing Argum.ents againft an 
 heartiefs Inaftivity and a timerous Vertue. 
 In profligate and troublous times, a true 
 Cliriftianj that takes to Heart the Concerns of 
 
 Reli- 
 
Elijah'/ Supplicatmi. 15 1 
 
 Religion, may more eafily put the Quefti- 
 on than get it anfwered in the Affirmative^ 
 JFho will rife up with me againft the wic^ 
 ked^ and take God^s Van againjl the Evil- 
 Doers .<? Every body will be ready with an 
 *' I pray thee, have me excufed , I am but 
 *' a fingle Perfon, and one or two are as 
 " good as none againft the World of the Ua- 
 " godlj. I befeech you then fit down in 
 " Quietnefs, and do not play the Fmj^ in 
 '* Religion *, but if your over-hat Comple- 
 " xion will not hear Reafon, as for me 
 
 and my Houfe, we fhall praftife it^ and 
 
 content our felves with praying for the . 
 
 Profperity of Jerrfalern. 
 
 But fuch lazy Laodicean Objeclions as 
 thefe may find a "Reply in the Hiftory be- 
 fore us. For did the folemn Plea for 
 Backwardnefs and Silence^ which feem*d 
 fo fubftantial in the falfe Scales of Fiefli 
 and Blood, weigh much in the Balance of 
 the Sanduary, viz,> The Children of Ifrael 
 have forfaken thjCoveriant^ — and /, even I 
 only am left to grapple with the many for- 
 midable Advocates of Idolatry and Superfti- 
 tion ? Yea did it not grate the Ears of the 
 Almighty, and protraci: the Vouchfafement 
 of his fpecial Prefence ? And v/hen he did 
 difcover himfelf in the Jiill Voice^ was not 
 that Voice, tho* a Whifper, a Reprimand ? 
 Notwithftanding the grave Pretence, the 
 former Challenge is repeated, '^ Wjat do:i 
 
 L 4 '* thou 
 
1^2 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 " thou here^ Elijah^ Here in the defolate 
 " Wildernefs where are none of the loft 
 " Sheep of the Houfe of 7/r^^/ whom thou 
 " art to feek and to bring back to the Fold 
 of God. Thou haft been very jealous 
 for me, as thou fayeft •, but do not trou- 
 ble thy felf or me with a fruitlefs Con- 
 ^' cernment about my Glory -, leave that to 
 " me, and go thou on thy way, difcharge 
 *' the Commands I give thee. Doft thoti 
 " think thy Prophetick Commiffion is no 
 " longer of force than thy Fears would 
 " have it to be ? As folitary and helplefs 
 " as you make your felf in my Service, / 
 you are as a Preacher of Righteoufnefs, 
 and Inftrument of Vengeance to bring 
 about a great Revolution in Religion • 
 nor are there wanting a competent num- 
 ber of true Ifraelites to back and fecond 
 you. I have fecured my Truth , my 
 " Wcrfhip, my Glory at a better rate than 
 " thou canft imagine. 
 
 And now may not God's condefcenfive ' 
 Reafoning about the Events of his Provi- 
 dence ferve to lift up the Hands which hang 
 down, and ftrengthen the feeble Knees that 
 are apt to fipk under the weight of a gene- 
 ral Corruption in Principle and Pradice? 
 When whole Floods of Ungodlinefs run 
 down our Streets as a mighty Stream, it 
 feems, a Private Piety muft not give w^y 
 Wpon cowardly Apprehenfions, If it does 
 
 its 
 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 iC 
 i,C 
 
 cc 
 
 cc 
 
Elijah'j* Supplication. 152 
 
 its beft, it may probably raife a Bank a- 
 gainft the polluted Torrent of the Age, and 
 check the Spreading Contagion, by inviting 
 the Powers of Heaven, and the Forces of 
 other Men's Zeal to its Afliftance. Howe- 
 ver the Poffibility of the contrary cannot 
 juftify Remiffnefs. For the doing our Du- 
 ty is what belongs to us, and the Succefs of 
 that is what belongeth unto God. 
 
 6. Let it be remember'd that the honou- 
 rable Springs and Motives of Elijah*^ Re- 
 queft for himfelf that he might die, ought 
 to have the chief Sway and Influence in all 
 our Adions. 
 
 When we refled at once upon his Apo- 
 logetick AfTertion, that he had been jealous 
 for the Lord of Hofts^ and his ingenuous 
 Confeffion, that he was not better than his 
 Fathers^ we cannot but think he loved his 
 Maker exceedingly, and therefore long'd to 
 be upon the wing becaufe he lov'd him. 
 Warmth of AfFedion made the Man of God 
 impatient at Blalpheray and Profanefs , and 
 the Thought of utter Infufficiency for the 
 Extirpation of them, impatient with Life 
 it felf. The Difhonours done to Religion 
 were a Burden greater than he could bear , 
 he was ready to burft with Refentment, 
 and nothing promis'd relief but the filent 
 Grave , where all difquieting Thoughts 
 perifli. 
 
 Now 
 
154 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 < Now the fame Love of God ftiould be 
 
 our governing Principle, the fame Glory of 
 God our ultimate Aim. Only there lies 
 
 ' an Exception againft the inanner of expref- 
 fing the one, and providing for the other. 
 We muft add to Vertue Knowledge^ and 
 take all our Rules and Meafures of ading 
 from the Word of Life •, and then there is 
 DO doubt but Elijah's God will give us his 
 Blefling. 
 
 Laftly, I would add a pradical Remark 
 on the wife and juH Condud of God in re- 
 ference to his Prophet. The foregoing Dif- 
 courfe fets him out as a well-meaning, but 
 miftaken Perfon, as one who was true to 
 his God, and fteady to his Principles 3 but 
 yet received undue Irapreffions by the gloo- 
 my flate of Things, and thereupon fell in- 
 to fome Undecencies in his Intercourfe with 
 Heaven. The dark Scejie fiU'd him with 
 Melancholy and Diforder j and while God 
 meant it unto good, he was always prophe- 
 fying Evil to himfelf and his Caufe from 
 it. Here then v/as an unhappy mixture of 
 Zeal and Solicitude , and how fhould it 
 have been treated? If filly Man had been 
 here concerned, he had overlooked one part 
 of the Charader in regard or in refentment 
 of the other , and it had been an even lay, 
 whether the TijlMte would have went off 
 with Invedive or Commendation. For this 
 is the common meafure of judging. If the 
 
 Party 
 
ElijahV Supplication. 15^ 
 
 Party fpoken of, or under Verdift, be a 
 Child or Friend, he has Vertues without 
 number, but no Faults ! The ill Qualities 
 are fwallow'd up in the Relation. If ant 
 Enemy or Rival, he has as many Faults, 
 but not a dalh of Vertue ! At leaft, his De- 
 feds are blazon'd, but his Excellencies mull 
 not appear. 
 
 But fuch Partiality as this is no Copy 
 from the Divine Procedure. The fupreme 
 Judge of all, we are fure, afted otherwife 
 in Elijah's Cafe. His Servant had ftarts of 
 Mifbehaviour, and he correfls him for them. 
 His Servant hung back in the Work appoin- ' 
 ted him thro' an over-thoughtfulnefs about 
 Confequences, and he fpurs him on with 
 Rebukes. And yet Approbation, if it at- 
 tended not Cenfure, followed it. His Me- 
 rit was not loft in his Infirmities. He was 
 tranflated alive into a better World, to pro- 
 claim how eminently he had ferved God 
 in this 5 and he appear'd again with Mofes 
 at the Transfiguration^ as the Chief or Re- 
 prefentative of the Prophets, to fignify that 
 Mo^es and the Prophets had in their feveral 
 Seafons given Teftimony oijefus. 
 
 Thus the Almighty proportions Favour to 
 Defert, and has regard in recompencing 
 not to fingle Aftions, but to the general 
 Tenour of Converfation. And fo ought 
 we, moft certainly, in our dealings with 
 one another. Affection and Averfion have 
 
 nothing 
 
11^6 ElijahV Supplication. 
 
 nothing to do in CharaBers. The main 
 Courfe of a Man's Life is the thing to be 
 confidered j and if that be regular or difor- 
 derly, it is not here and there a little va- 
 riation from it that fliould turn the Scale 
 for Reproach or Honour, The Frailties of 
 the Good may juftly crave a covering -, the 
 devout Fits of the Wicked do hardly defer ve 
 a mention. 
 
 HamanV 
 
157 
 
 Ha MAN J Difcontent. 
 
 Esther v. 13. 
 
 Yet all this a^vaileth me nothing ^ fo 
 long as I fee Mordecai the Jew jit"* 
 ting at the Kings Gate. 
 
 AS nothing is more natural to the mind 
 of Man than to look back upon paft 
 Tranfaftions, and trace the Footfteps o£ 
 former Times, fo nothing is more impro- 
 ving than the Knowledge of them. Hijio- 
 ry is indeed the Mirror of Life and Con- 
 duft, and has the kindeft Afped both upon 
 our Sentiments and our Morals. It fupplies 
 the room of perfonal Experience, and fur- 
 nifheth us with Prudence at the eafy rate 
 of reading for it. By acquainting us with 
 the Opinions and Sayings of the Men af 
 Bufinefs and Converfe, it opens the World 
 to our view, and helpeth to frame a true 
 Idea of Things and Perfons. By giving us 
 an x\ccouut of Events and Confequences, it 
 directs what is fit to be done in a parallel 
 
 Cafe, 
 
158 HamanV Difcontent.^ 
 
 Cafe, and pointeth out the unhappy Rocks 
 againft which others have dafli'd. 
 
 Hence it is that facred Writ, which was 
 defign'd to make us wife for this World , 
 and wife tmto Salvation^ aboundeth fo much 
 with Charaders and Memoirs. The Lives 
 here recorded are very numerous, and hi- 
 ftoricai Paifages almoft infinite. Befides 
 the Chronicles of the Kings in the Old Te- 
 ftament, and the ABs of the Apojlles in the 
 New, there are large Accounts and Defcri- 
 ptions even of privater Perfons, And all 
 are written for our Learning and Admoni- 
 tion, upon whom the Ends of the World 
 are come. And therefore all are proper to 
 be illuftrated in their Turn. But none is 
 more inftrudive perhaps than the Story of 
 wicked Haman^ none affords a greater Plen- 
 ty of profitable Speculations and Remarks. 
 And this v/as the reafon why I chofe this 
 Speech of his, or folemn ConcluGon, for 
 the Groundwork or rather Snbflance of my 
 following Difcourfe. Tet all this availetb 
 me nothings 6Cc. 
 
 In handling which Words, I fliall 
 L Enquire what AH that was, which he 
 fays, availed him nothing as to Happinefs or 
 Satisfaftion. 
 
 II. Confider the Reafon here affign'd of 
 its Infufficiency to make him happy. 
 
 III. and Laftly, deduce fome ufeful In- 
 ferences by way of Application, 
 
 And 
 
HamanV Discontent. 135^ 
 
 And I. What that was v/hich Hainan 
 fays was infignificant as to .the Purpofe of 
 Happinefs and Satisfaftion, the foregoing 
 Verfes exprefly inform us. 
 
 But then the Subjed-matter of them is 
 fuch, that it is not every one that will care 
 for the Information. For he is there mu- 
 fteringup the Darlings of human Affedion, 
 in order to their difparagement, and to fet 
 them out as things that little deferve to be 
 fo. Every thing that the Earth can boaft 
 of or Man defire, hath a Place in his pgh- 
 ted Inventory. 
 
 Is a plentiful Fortune the general Idol 
 of greedy Mortals ? There he telletb us of 
 the Glory of his Riches. Is a numerous If- 
 fue one Ingredient of temporal Fehcity > 
 There he telleth us of the inukitziJe of his 
 Children, Is Civil Grandeur another Ob- 
 jeft of Admiration ? There he telleth us of 
 all the things wherein the King had promo- 
 ted him, and how he had advanced him a- 
 bove the Princes and Servants of the King. 
 
 Are Royal Notice and Court-diPcindions 
 marks of common Enw ? There he alfo 
 telleth lis of Queen EJlher^s fingular Obfer- 
 vanceand Partiality in his Favour, that fie 
 let no Man come in with the King unto the 
 Banquet that fie had prepared hut himfelf^ 
 and chat o?i the morrow he was i?witeJ unto 
 her alfj zvith the King. 
 
 Such 
 
j6o Ham an'/ Dijcontent. 
 
 Such were the bright and glittering Cir- 
 cumftances of Haman , and according to 
 vulgar Notion, he could not fail of Solace 
 and fweet Contentment under them. But 
 if we will take his own word for*t, who 
 beft knew his own Cafe, All this^ that is. 
 All that was in the World, the Luft of the 
 Flefli, the Luft of the Eye, and the Pride 
 of Life, even this mighty All was an empty 
 Vothing^ far from laying any folid Founda- 
 tion for Eafe and Happinefs. A ftrange and 
 Ihocking Sentence this, in Air and Appea- 
 rance full of Abfurdity and Contradidion ! 
 But we cannot help believing it, when re- 
 gard is had to the weight and folemnity of 
 its Circumftances. 
 
 Firft, The Quality of the Man that 
 pafs'd it, is no inconfiderable Evidence* 
 
 Had he ftood related to the Schools^ his 
 Shicerky might juftly have been call'd in 
 queftion. For we know the Heathen Sages 
 had not much of this to boaft of. They led 
 their Days as in a Scene, and only perfo- 
 nated a Contempt of all things. Whatever 
 they pleaded in behalf of Vertue was but 
 Flourifli^ whatever they faid againft Earth- 
 ly Glories was but Declamation. Their 
 Thoughts and their Tongues look'd quite 
 different ways *, and whilft the World was 
 feemingly thruft ofr, it was their dear Mi- 
 ftrefs ftill, and they lov'd it to their very 
 Hearts, As much as they run it dorvn^ 
 
 5 th^y 
 
HamanV Dij content i6i 
 
 they did not live above it ^ they only aff^e- 
 fted the being thought to do fo ; and this 
 AfFeflation fet their Satyr o' work, and bid 
 'em cry out. All is Vanity, 
 
 Nor is this the whole or worft of their 
 Story y that they were given to Rhodomon-- 
 tade and Boafting. Ignorance or Envy of- 
 ten lay at the bottom. For they v/ere, moft 
 of them, private Perfons *, and being fo, 
 had too much Temptation to undervalue 
 Greatnefs out of ill Manners, too lictle Ex- 
 perience to defpife it out of Magnanimity. 
 'Tis neceffary to converfe with it in all its 
 Degrees for one that would condemn it a- 
 right. At leaft a Verdift upon Fad v/ill 
 not be heard, that has no Support but from 
 Speculation and Conjedure. 
 
 But Hamafi^ inftead of a FhtlofoDher^ was 
 a Courtier^ and therefore his Allertion looks 
 rather like an Opinion, than a Rant or the? 
 Language of his Profeflion. For as" Meu 
 of that CbaraBer feldom let fuch a levelling* 
 Speech drop from them ^ fo whenever ihey 
 do, it is presumable they fpeak with Thought, 
 with too much Thought , as" conf^rain'd 
 thereto by the uneafinefs it gives them : 
 Such Talk being ordinarily too mortified 
 for King^s Palaces^ too unfafi-uonable to fuit 
 foft Cloa thing. 
 
 Or had he been born and'^bred up under 
 theilf^y///c^CEconomy, his Difcourfe might 
 have been imputed to his Educ'atiofi, For, 
 
 M we 
 
HamanV Difcontenu 
 
 wt know, the Old Tejiamefit-Wovthics be- 
 came in Difpofition , what they were in 
 Condition, Strangers itpon Earthy and look- 
 tug for a Better Country^ flighted and dif- 
 regarded This as a very bad one. And it 
 v/as but natural for their Children to take 
 after them, both in point of Sehtmient and 
 Dialed :, and confequently to have but a 
 low and mean Appreheniion of all Tempo- 
 ralities, and the meaneil Phrafes too, to 
 exprefs it by. 
 
 But inftead of a Jeiv^ Ha?nan was an 
 Heathen^ and therefore his Aflertion could 
 not be the refult of Prejudice, but of Ex- 
 periejice. For the Gentiles enjoying but 
 iliallow Notions of an Hereafter^ if one of 
 them could fay. It is not good for us to be 
 here, we may be fure nothing but Convi- 
 ction drew out the ConfefTion, and that he 
 had too much ground for making it. 
 
 But farther, this ConfeJJion mull needs 
 be rational, bccaufe deliberate. 
 
 Every hard Expreffion that is beftowed 
 either on Men or Thmgs, is not prefently 
 depended on 5 but we examme Circumftan- 
 ces before we allow it a faithful Account 
 either of the Mind or Cafe. And there is 
 occafion enough for that Enquiry •, for ma- 
 ny times that which is feenmigly told for ^ 
 Truth, is only an invedive, and the Spea- 
 ker really means no more by it. And of 
 this the common Refkdions upon Marmnojii 
 
 are 
 
HamanV Difcoutenf. t5; 
 
 are an Inftance. An Indifpofition, a Dif- 
 after, an undervaluing Reprefentation, fliall 
 of a fudden ftrike him out of our good 
 Graces ^ and during the tranfpoft of the 
 Impreffion, our Looks, our Difcourfes , e- 
 very thing is loud againft him. BUt yet 
 the whole Scene niufl: go for nothing. For 
 it may be faid, a Man that is fick has fel- 
 dofu his tafle true* *Tis plain we are not 
 theji mov'd by the Reafon of the Cafe, hwi 
 hurried on by a Difguft, the rife whereof i^ 
 fudden, and the continuance fhort. Such 
 haflji Characters are no more to be heeded^ 
 than the Opinion of the Feverifli touching 
 Liquors. If either anfwers to FacT: and 
 Nature, 'tis pure Accident^ and the wife 
 Man will appeal from both to a cool Head^ 
 ^nd a healthful Body for Satisfadion. 
 
 But tho' other Men's profefs'd Indiffe- 
 rence to the World may appear fufpicious^ 
 'Hajnan^ Cafe bears a different Compleciiono 
 We do not read he had any Complaint a- 
 gainfl: his Conftitution* His Diforder laid 
 liot in the Body but the Mind. We do not 
 read he was advanced in Years, or got with- 
 in view of the Days of Darknefs. This 
 was no Sick-bed Qualm , no melancholy 
 Meditation of old Age. Nothing eife could 
 iiave beencxpeded from decrepit Barzilldi-^ 
 but it came, no doubt, from vigorous Ha- 
 man v/ith furprize. We do not read he 
 had any grave Lefture made him upon the 
 
 M2 World's 
 
1^4 HamanV Discontent, 
 
 World's Emptinefs,and his own Frailty by an 
 unhappy Re cluf e^ssihom Retirement had kept 
 in Ignorance, or a fpiteful Dtoge?ies^ whom 
 Pride had made rude towards his Betters. 
 As for his Domejlich and Dependents, they 
 were better vers'd in the Stile of Courts 
 and Methods of ingratiating, than to draw 
 his Pifture to difadvantage. They adore 
 his pompous Eftate, and recommend a lof- 
 ty and chearful Air as what would befl: 
 fuit it. 
 
 We read indeed of a certain Difappoint- 
 ment that put him upon thus expreffing 
 himfelf , but yet we find he did not 
 . thus exprefs himfelf till after long Penfive- 
 nefs and ferious Debate. The Scripture 
 fays , He was full of hidignation againfi 
 Mordecai ^ neverthelefs he refraified hi?nfelf 
 Refentment, efpecially in its firft Fervours, 
 was ever a bad Difputant , and had he gi- 
 ven it an immediate vent in fuch Refledions, 
 they would have, feemingly at leaf!:, fmelt 
 too ftrongly of Paflion to go for Oracles or 
 clear Reafoning. But he arrefted it, that 
 the Mud might have fonxe time to fettle a- 
 gain, and Reafon to rally all its Forces, be- 
 fore he delivered his Thoughts on the fo- 
 lemn Occafion. He makes for home •, and 
 when became there, inftead of receiving a 
 damp from others, he calleth them toge- 
 ther, to communicate that Impreflion to 
 them. Inftead of breaking out prefently 
 ^ isita 
 
HamanV Difcontent. 
 
 into an hot Fit or Agony upon the Subjed: 
 of Grievances, with great Coolnefs and 
 Temper he harangues in a full Audience 
 upon his Affluence and Profperity ^ and 
 when he had fet them off with the Var- 
 niflies and Amplifications of Rhetorick, 
 then the Cenfure of Vanity follows. As if 
 he meant to let 'em fee he underftood his 
 Text, and could maintain ir, notwithftan- 
 ding the utmoft Glofs that could be fet on 
 the gay Objeftions that appeared againft 
 it. 
 
 Thus, we fee, he could not be made 
 happy by wcrldlyGreatiiefs:^ let us con fid er 
 the reafon here affign'd of its Infufficiency 
 to make him fo. All this availeth me no-^ 
 things fo long as I fee Mordecai the Jew 
 fitting at the Kings Gate. 
 
 How! The fight of Mordecai turn the 
 Stomach of liaman^ and convert all his 
 Sweets into Bitternefs ! This is as hard me- 
 thinks as it is wonderful, that one Man 
 cannot enjoy himfelf upon beholding ano- 
 ther ! What was the fecret Spring of this 
 Difquietude, wha't the hidden meaning of 
 the Speech ? Was it a Sence of his Bro- 
 ther's Mifery that barr'dperfonal Fruition > 
 Was it a Concern for Mordecai^s fitting un- 
 relieved at the Kings Gate^ that made his 
 Seat at the King's TaMe pricking and unea- 
 fy tobim? Were there an}- melanchollyLan- 
 guilhings in the other's Ejes^ any filent 
 
 M 3 iDif- 
 
6iS HamanV Difcontent. 
 
 Pifcoveries of want to beget tender Relen- 
 tings, inward ftirrings of Humanity in his 
 Heart. ^ Miferable Objeds certainly are ve- 
 ry troublefome and affefting. Nature will 
 not let us be at reft, fo long as there is Di- 
 ftrefs within view. 
 
 But it does not appear there was here 
 fuchEmptinefs of Bowels on the one Hand, 
 or IniprefTions of Sympathy on the other. 
 Mordecai^ tho' a Captive, was hardly fo 
 neceffitous as Laz>arus -^ but if he were, 'tis 
 like Kaman was full as hard-hearted as T>i' 
 ves^ and fcorn'd the WeaknefTes of Pity and 
 Compaffion. 
 
 Was the fight of lAcnlecai offenfive to 
 him, as bringing to mind his former Mean- 
 pefs andObfcurity? Time was, it inay be, 
 when he had more Familiarity with the 
 Xings Gate than his Table, At leaft his 
 Advancement to the Top-pinnacle of Ho- 
 nour bore Date but ycfterday^ and how 
 could the Mufhroom Upftart bear the leaft 
 Remen^brance of his humbler State? Why 
 did the Jew becomue an Eye-fore to the A- 
 malekhe ^ and by his ftooping Poftures at 
 once declare what himfelf now was, and 
 hint to the other u^hat he had been? Tru- 
 ly Mordecai was not fo ready at his Devo- 
 tion, nor Haman fo quick of Apprehenfion 
 in that refpect to his own Didurbance, 
 Had he been otherwife well difpos'd, his 
 p.jiflection upon former things would have 
 
 fee 
 
HamanV Difcorjtent. 
 
 fet a better Relifh upon the prefent *, or if it 
 did give them an ill tafte, he could foon 
 have remedied the Matter, either by a Di- 
 verfion of his Thoughts, or a Promotion of 
 his hiferiour. 
 
 Was the fight of Mordecai irkfome and 
 afBiftive, as calling to Mind his wicked 
 Plots and Contrivances againfl him and his 
 Countrymen? Did Confcience hence take 
 Occafion to upbraid him with the Barbari- 
 ty of his Temper, and the Abufe of his 
 Court-Intereft ? No, had' his Defign fat 
 uneafy on his Mind, he would immediate- 
 ly have dropped it, and fo got rid of the 
 Burthen. But fo far was he from letting 
 fall his firft Intentions, that he profecuted 
 them to the utmoft *, and the Prefence of 
 the Object did but render him the m.ore ea- 
 ger for their Accomplifliment. The Scri- 
 pture fays, when his Wife and his Friends^ 
 thofe Bofom-Councellors of Mifchief , put 
 him upon foliciting the Execution of Mor- 
 decai^ the thing pleased HamaJi^ and he 
 caiifed a Gallows to be made. 
 
 Lajil}\ Was he jealous of Mordecai^ ap-- 
 preheniive of a future Competition from 
 him } Did he think the poor Man was lay- 
 ing Trains to blow him up, or watching an 
 Opportunity to worm him out, and Ikrew 
 himfelf into Royal Favour ? If he entertain'd 
 fuch gloomy Conceits as thefe, they were 
 enough to diftraft his Mind, and throw it 
 
 M 4 off 
 
1 68 Haman'/ Vif content. 
 
 off the Hinges. For RivakieSjeven when they 
 are not pov/erfal, are vexatious. But *tis 
 ver V iix^probable he Ihould. 'Tis true, Mor- 
 decai haa Claims and Pretenfions very con- 
 liderable. For to him the King ow'd his 
 JLife 5 and confequently the Kingdom its 
 Quietnefs, But there was no vifible Step 
 inade towards fatisfying them. His Servi- 
 ces n^ere quite overlook'd, and his Hopes at 
 an end. His fitting at the Gate did by no 
 means look hke an Intereft in the Palace , 
 and his Diftance from the Miniftry pro- 
 mis'd nothing lefs than a fupplanting of the 
 prime Minifter of State. Could he have 
 forefecn the Inverfion of the Wheel of 
 Providence, and what was to be done to 
 the Man whcfn the King delighted to Ho- 
 nour^ And that he himfelf fhould be made 
 the Inftrurcent in doing it, his Anticipati- 
 ons of the forrowful Tragedy would have 
 bore Proportion with his x'\fter-iefentments. 
 
 But there was no room for Prefage and 
 Sufpicion. The Sunfhine at Court conti- 
 nued, no Clouds of Diflike were obferv'd tp 
 g'lther. The Queen interceded for his 
 /idmiffion < o one Banquet that llie had pre- 
 pared, mc then to another ^ and the King 
 readily ccifented to that Aft of Grace and 
 Condefcenfion. And tho* there was fome- 
 thing more at the bottom of the Requeft 
 than Courtefy, yet Hajnan with all his Sa- 
 gacity could fmell out nothing eh'e. By 
 
 (hewing 
 
HamanV Vifcontent. i6p 
 
 fhewing Refped to the King s great Favourite, 
 (he meant, no doubt, to infinuate her felf 
 into his Favour, in Order to get a Reverfe 
 of that heavy Edift which he had fign'd 
 for the Deftrudion of her People. But the 
 Thoughts of her felf-admiring Gueft were 
 terminated on the Credit of the Entertain- 
 ment;, and good Reafon for't, fince Aha- 
 fueriis had but lately faid. The Silver which 
 thoit offerefi as the Price of Blood is given 
 to thee for thy own Ufe , the People alfo 
 which thou wouldft have at thy Mercy, to 
 do with them as it feemeth good unto thee. 
 Nay, EJlher her felf, as much as fhe ten- 
 der'd Mordecai's Welfare, dreamt not of his 
 Promotion, and the King as little intended 
 it A Divine Suggeftion brought his Me- 
 rit into Confideration, and a Chance-Smile Eflh; 4. 
 rais'd him up to Dignity and Honour. In 
 fhort , he was forgotten 'till it was almoil 
 too late to remember him. 
 
 How came Mordecai then to be fo fright- 
 ful a Spectacle , fo grievous to behold > 
 Haman had the Royal Ear at will, and 
 feem'd fecure in his Prince's AfFedion. All 
 the Subjeds of Verfia made their Court at 
 his Levee^ and it was thought a Preferment 
 but to pleafe him. But all this was as 
 good as nothing to him, fo long as ht Janf 
 the contemptible Captive 77r^:??g- a( the Kings 
 GatCo 
 
 If 
 
J 7^ 
 
 HamanV Difcontent. 
 
 If we carry our Eye back to the ninth 
 Verfe, the Myftery will be out. For 
 thence we learn, 'twas not the Man's abi- 
 ding at the Gate, but his fitting at it, 
 when the ftately Sir made his Approaches, 
 that gall'd and fretted him. He fhould 
 have flood up to him who fhew'd the Great 
 Man in every ftep, and made Obeifance 5 
 but he did not, and for this grand unpar- 
 donable Omiffion Haman was full of Indi- 
 gnation againfl MorJecai^ and perfedly out 
 of Conceit with all his Glory. 
 
 Alas poor Wretch ! to be thus difpirit- 
 ed upon fo cheap and homely an Occafion! 
 His Grandeur, he thought, availed him Jio- 
 things becaufe it could not protect him from 
 Rudenefs and Incivility. And truly I think 
 it did avail him nothing , whom it could 
 not raife above the Notice and Refentment 
 of them. For was it not enough to be carefs'd 
 by a Royal Mafter, but he muft be fain- 
 ted too by the very Slave? And when the 
 latter happened to betray his want of Breed- 
 ing, fhould he have difcover'd his want of 
 Temper ? Was not the fatal Decree more 
 bitter than the neglectful Carriage? And 
 could not the Danger of the Neck excufe 
 afterwards the Adoration of the Knee ? 
 Befides, what is a lowly Pofture but a forc'd 
 Submiilion-, or if voluntary, but the Ho- 
 mage of Defira? And muft it not therefore 
 
 be 
 
^ HamanV Dif content. 171 
 
 be a little Spirit indeed^ that is enamour'd 
 of a little Ceremony? 
 
 Tis plain, by his referv'd way of Ex- 
 preffion, our Grandee was felf-condemn'd, 
 and to his very Friends car'd not to enlarge 
 upon the Grounds of his inward Trouble. 
 It is refolv'd by him and them , Mordecai 
 muft be facrific d , but 'tis not expr'efly faid 
 he was to fall a Viftim to Revenge. No, 
 as great a Fool of Qriality as he appear'd 
 to be, his Folly came not up to the ridi- 
 culous Madnefs of fome modern Gentlemen, 
 who when they meet with an ill-plac'd 
 Word, or an untoward Action , presently 
 demand the Blood of the offending Party 
 under the whirafical fanraftick Notion of 
 SatisfaBion, The proud thing in the Text 
 could not caft a willing Eye upon the unman- 
 nerly Jew 5 but ftill the flifFnefs of the De- 
 meanour which begot that Horror in his Per- 
 fon, makes not a Syllable in the mournful 
 Speech, nor even in the heavy Accufation. 
 For fo the Indictment runs, There is a cer- 
 tain People fcattered abroad in all the Pro- 
 vinces of thy Kingdom , who keep not the 
 King's Laws^ therefore it is not for the Kings 
 Profit to fuffer them. Mordecai s Neglect £^j^ g^ 
 was the Grievance which gave Birth to this 
 Complaint, but yet we find it wascomplain'd 
 of, not as a perfonal Affront to Harnan^ but 
 as a Breach of that general Reverence which 
 the King had commanded concermng him. 
 
 And 
 
1^2 HamanV Discontent. 
 
 And 'tis worth obferving, that thofe who 
 ftarted the Projea of deftroying Morde^ 
 cai^ were unwilling there Ihould be any 
 the leaft Appearance of a vindictive Tem- 
 per in it. For 'twas thought advifeable 
 that having obtain'd an Order for his Exe- 
 cution, he fhould go in inerrily with the 
 Mh. $^^\'Ki7ig unto the Banquet'^ and v/hy ^ but to 
 difguife his Paffion , and to avoid the Re- 
 proach of harbouring it. 
 
 They had, it feems, a right Notion of 
 Revenge, and conceiv'd it would make the 
 great Mortal look but little : For the World 
 therefore he mu^ not own it, but play the 
 part of an eafy happy Man in his Counte- 
 nance, even v/ith a Tempeft in his Bofom. 
 
 But our miftaken Hero's are open and 
 bare-fac'd in their Malice. When an Af- 
 front is given, the Life of him who gave 
 it is chalierf.'d, and they efteem it but a 
 jtif} Debt to their Honour^ but a fieceffary 
 Vmdication of their Chara8er^ to infift up- 
 on it. Whereas, fare, it would be infi- 
 nitely more honourable, to appear uncon- 
 cern'd and regardlefs of petty Provocations, 
 fuch at leaft as are too petty to come under 
 the Notice of Civil Juftice ! For what can 
 be a greater Credit than to keep our Happi- 
 ncfs in our Power , and fcorn to be turn'd 
 out of it by the Unworthinefs and Mifcar- 
 riages of others ? What a more defpicable 
 Meaneft than to lye open to Difcoippofure, 
 
 and 
 
Haman'/ Difcontent. 17 j 
 
 and fufFer our Thoughts to be ruffled, and 
 our Paflions raised at the Plealure of forry 
 Wretches ? A refentful Difpofition is a 
 mighty Leveller, yea giveth the Enemy, 
 how much foever othervvife our Inferiour^ 
 a kind of Superiority over us. In the midft 
 of pompous Parade and glittering Accom- 
 modations, to fay as it were with Finger 
 in Eye, All this availeth me notMng^ fo 
 long as fuch a one that difoblig'd ii^e is 
 out of the reach of my Vengeance, is like 
 the Cry of humour fome C/^i/^r^f?/, who fall 
 out with all their pretty Vlay-Things upon 
 the le?fl: Rub or Difappointment in their 
 Sports, walk off, and ftand fullen in a Cor- 
 ner. And it cannot be denied but that an- 
 gry Hainan in the Palace made a much lea- 
 ner Figure than Mordecai in the Gate. 
 
 Having fufficiently, I hope, illuftrated 
 the Particulars of the Text, I proceed to 
 the laft Thing propos'd, which was to (hew 
 what practical Inferences may be drawn from 
 the Conlideration of them. 
 
 And fir (I , The melancholy Words of 
 Haman^ back'd with the Authority of S^- 
 loman^ ftiould teach us to lay afide all Ex- 
 peftation of true and perfeft Felicity upon 
 Earth. 
 
 The one was the higheft of Subjeds, and 
 the other the moft glorious of Princes, and 
 fo could not but have Art and Nature en- 
 tirely at their Service. They made the 
 
 moft 
 
174 Ham AN V Difcontent. 
 
 niofl of their Senfes, and laid their Hands 
 f upon all fublunary Enjoyments , and fo 
 I could not but be competent Judges of the 
 worth and value of them. And yet hear 
 what an humbling Motto is infcrib'd upon 
 All things under the Sim! This pronounces 
 them Vanity, That with Emphafis upon 
 Emphafis, Vmiity of Vanities, and Vexation 
 of Spirit, And therefore if there ht2L grea^ 
 ter Vanity, it muft be that of looking for 
 Complacency and Satisfaction from them. 
 For whofe Judgment (hall we be conclu- 
 ded by, if not by his who fpeaks from Ex^ 
 periment ? And what is more likely to pro- 
 ceed from the Judgment, than that which 
 a Man utters to the difadvantage of his 
 own Condition? 
 
 xA.las ! thefe adored Pageantries have need 
 of much colouring and favour. By a kind 
 over-flouriihing Fancy, they may be made 
 to look gay and fparkle^ but they will not 
 bear the Tefl: of a thorough Infpeclion. If 
 examin'd to the bottom, they fall ftrangely 
 fliort, and inftead of a Subflance^ prove no- 
 thing but a Shadoiv, 
 
 2, If Men of exalted Stations are not 
 plac'd beyond the reach of Trouble and 
 Vexation, it is very unfair to grudge or re- 
 pine at their Profperitji 
 
 When we look up to thofe aI:?ove us, out 
 Eye is apt to fix upon the outfide of their 
 Condition, which is bright and glaring;* 
 
HamanV Difcontent. 175 
 
 We obferve pompous Titles and honourable 
 Commiflions, (lately Portico's and gawdy 
 Equipage;, and hence we are tempted to 
 cenfure Providence as blind or partial in its 
 Diftributions. But were our ways more 
 equaly thofe of God would foon appear fo. 
 Did we take a perfeft view of them and 
 their Circumftances, they would be no Ion- 
 ger fuch happy Creatures in our Opinion, 
 and confequently we (hould fee no more ' 
 reafon to envy them, than they have to 
 defpife us. For what? Tho' they are at- 
 tended with the ftrain'd Obfeqinoufnefs of 
 fome, they experience the ftubborn Incom- 
 pliances of others. And if they are flat- 
 ter'd at one time, they are affronted at ano- 
 ther. And each kind of Treatment muft 
 be offenfive, upon confidering that the hum- 
 ble ftoops are not made to them, but to 
 their Fortunes. What? tho' the Ground 
 they ftand on is advantageous, their {lan- 
 ding is flippery , and how fearlefs foever 
 they may be of danger, they are not fafe. 
 A Captive can withhold the formality of a 
 Cap or Knee ^ and a Servant can fometimes 
 juftle out his Mafter. There are Ziha's 
 enough in every Court to undermine a good 
 Mephibojhetb •, and on the other hand, 'tis 
 no rare thing under the Sun, that Gibbets 
 provided for a Mordecai^ fnatch up a wic- 
 ked Hamauy 
 
 Let 
 
I -76 HamanV Difcontent. 
 
 Let us therefore, if we muft be grieving 
 for the Promotion of others, do it out of 
 pity and not ill will, fince tho' they may 
 fee?n at prefent the Objeds of Admiratmi, 
 it cannot be long e'er they are real/y fo of 
 CompaJJion. Let us fweeten gilded Cares 
 and Solicitudes with a demeanour full of 
 refped and notice*, and tho' an Haman fit- 
 teth at the Helm, rife up before him in token 
 of reverence, notwithftanding the contrary 
 Precedent of Mordecai. For we muft re- 
 member, one of them was a Jew^ and the 
 other an Amalektte^ that is, of a Nation 
 that lay under a Divine Anathema , but we 
 are Chrijlians, that is. Brethren. 
 
 Nay Mordecai himfelf, if we may credit 
 his own words as delivered by Apocryphal 
 Hiftory, meant not any Contempt of the 
 Royal Favourite by his Omiflion that was 
 interpreted fuch ^ but did this , that he 
 might not prefer the Glory of Man above the 
 Glory of God, The Refped exaded from 
 him was religions^ we may be fure, or it 
 had never been exaded by a formal Injun- 
 dion, becaufe Civil Honour is, always fup- 
 pos'd to follow the Preferred of courfe j 
 and therefore he that could have been con- 
 tent with good will for the Salvation of If 
 rael to kip the Soles of^ his Enemies Feet^ 
 would rather hazard his own Safety and 
 theirs, than affiror r Heaven by falling down 
 and worihipping him. Accordingly we muft 
 
 honour 
 
HamanV Difcontento 
 
 honour our Superiours, but not adore them. 
 Whilft Flattery complements Earthly Great- 
 nefs with Epithets more than Human, and 
 ill 'Bature loves to teaze it by negleftful u- 
 fage 5 it is our part, and if we are aded by 
 the fweet Genius of our Religion, it will 
 be our Inclination too, to do all we can, 
 within the meafures of Decency, to make: 
 it eafy and farislied with it felf. For it is 
 pity, a burden that is fo heavy fhould not 
 be a little confidered, and have all the re- 
 lief that fo cheap a thing as the Civility of 
 outward Geflure can give it. 
 
 5. The forrowful Cafe of Human mofi 
 fenfibly inftrufts us where to lay the Charge 
 of all the Miferjf we endure, even upon our 
 inordmate Affedions. , 
 
 The PaJJions^ like well-manag'd Servants, 
 work together for good to thofe that hold 
 *em in with a ftrid Rein , but if they can 
 get full fcope and carier, they hurr)' us 
 into a v/orld of Mifchief and Difquietude* 
 Self-love^ for inftance, duly moderated, is 
 a Friend to Nature and a Support of Be- 
 ing. And Deftre^ rightly applied, carries 
 out the Soul to ufeful and honourable Pur- 
 fuits. But what are the ExcefTes of them, 
 tride and Covetoiifnefs^ but Diforder, Con-» 
 fufion and Ruin > 
 
 /i/^^^'s Avarice was very remarkable; for, 
 it feems, he could not delight himfelf with 
 the moll magnificent Seat in Ifraely becaufe of 
 
 N a little 
 
ijS HamanV DifcontenU 
 
 a little Vineyard that bounded it. But his 
 reftleffnefs was no lefs fo, when he found 
 he muft lofe his longing, and that the Pro- 
 priety was not to be purchas'd upon any 
 iRing.2i.Terii 3. He came i?ito his Honfe, fays the 
 Text, heavji and difpleasd upon the for- 
 bidding Anfwer -^ he laid himfelf down upon 
 his Bed^ fuUen and fick at heart , he turn' J 
 away his face from the Light and Compa- 
 ny, mopifti, and as one that would not be 
 comforted ^ he refus'd to eat Bread, like 
 a Perfon abandon'd to Grief and Sorrow* 
 The fplendid Pomps of Royalty forfooth 
 were difguftful, the lovely Gardens of Plea- 
 fure vile, the ordinary Refrefhments of Na- 
 ture loathfom in this Day of his JffliBiotiy 
 and fince he might not have that tiny Plot 
 to furnifli him with Sallads, he, kind Man, 
 water'd it with his Tears. At length Je-^ 
 %ahel, feeing his blubber'd Eyes continu- 
 ally melting over it, was conftrain'd to kill 
 and to take pojfeffion, in mere pity to the 
 Difconfolate ! To fuch an unmanly pitch 
 was his VaJJion wound up fir ft, and his Me- 
 lancholy afterwards , whereas had his De- 
 iires been lefs eager antecedenly to the Re^ 
 quefi^ his Spirit had not been fo fad after 
 the Denial. 
 
 But as woful a Story as this is, Harnans 
 Pride afforded Materials for a worfe. Be- 
 ing fo exorbitantly fond of Bows and Crin- 
 ges he was all in a flame, when he found 
 
 he 
 
Haman'/ Difcoment, xj^ 
 
 he was not valued half fo highly as he Va- 
 lued himfelf. The poor Man's Indifference 
 feen thro' the magnifying Glafs of his cho- 
 lerick Complexion, threw him into a Fever 
 and Tranfports of Uneafinefs. For fuch a 
 one to come in view^ and not bring his De- 
 votion along with him, was fuch a piece of 
 Prefumption and Profanefs, as he, fanfy- 
 ing himfelf a God on Earth, could not a- 
 way with or digeft. His Countenance was 
 chang'd by the {hocking Ufage, and his 
 Thoughts troubled above meafure. Becaufe 
 negled'ed himfelf, he neglefted every thing 
 elfe, and grew weary even of the Senfuali- 
 ties of a Court, before he had well tailed 
 them. 
 
 Such a racking Influence a Forgetfulnefs 
 of Diftance had upon him ! He fwagger'd 
 away his own Tranquilhty^ and, to folem- 
 nize the lofs of a Punftilio, bid adieu to e-^ 
 very Delight. 
 
 But when the rife of Mordecai put a pe- 
 riod to that diftance, the cutting Sorrow 
 went deeper in proportion. To fee him^ 
 whom he had deftin'd to the Ignominies of 
 a Gallows, fingled out for Glory ! To fee 
 thofe very marks of Diftindion which he 
 reckon'd upon himfelf, allotted for his Ene-* 
 my, the Royal Apparel, to wit, iiuhich the 
 King ufed to w^)\ the Horfe he rode upon, 
 and the Crow?i which was fet upon his Head! 
 To fee himfelf appointed for the bufinefs of 
 
 N 2 Invefiiturej 
 
i8o HamanV Difcontent. 
 
 Inveftiture, and to arraj the Man whom 
 the King delighted thus to honour I Thefe 
 were very terrible Paffages and Trials, and 
 an overgrown Haughtinefs gave them a 
 double Sting and Impreffion. 
 
 After the humbling Work V7as over, de- 
 \ed:ti Haffian hafiedto his Houfeiox a (hel- 
 ter from Infamy, mourning and having his 
 Head covered. And what farther Penance 
 he did for his Vanity, in the retired Hours, 
 no Tongue can exprefs or Heart conceive, 
 when his bufy Imagination reviv'd the dif- 
 mal Scene, and afted all over again with 
 the piercing Circumftances. 
 
 How happy then had it been for him if 
 he had ftudied the Lellon of Humility, in- 
 ftead of carrying his Pretenfions to regard 
 lb high! This V70\x\^h^Mt availed him fome- 
 things altho* his Riches did not, and very 
 much foften'd the blow of Fortune. 
 
 Now the Folly we have feen with its In- 
 conveniencies, 'tis to be hop^d, will help 
 us to a little Wifdorn. For who would not 
 keep a fevere hand over Sence and Appetite, 
 rather than be ridden by them to his grea- 
 teft prejudice ? it is an odd Scene, when a 
 mighty Storm cometh of a little Cloud, 
 when Trifles give Diflurbance, or the Spi- 
 rit finks with the outward Fortunes. And 
 yet it will be a familiar one too, in fuch a 
 variable World as this, fo long as Fancy is 
 predominant, and has the liberty to ftrain 
 
 and 
 
HamanV Difcontenf. i8i 
 
 and magnify. 'Tis that then we muft get 
 the better of, if we would preferve Peace 
 within and Credit without ^ and methinks 
 Men (hould not need to be argued into 
 fuch a due Government of themfelves as 
 would prevent their hanging down the 
 Head, and looking fiUily upon every dif- 
 obliging Accident or Change in Circum- 
 fiances. 
 
 4. The ridiculous deportment of the Per- 
 fon we have been fpeaking of, during his 
 Vrofperity^ is , or ought to be a mighty 
 check to our Ambitmi. 
 
 No fooner was he lifted up to fecular 
 Grandeur, but he made it a kind of Patent 
 or Prerogative to do mifchief. A menacing 
 Brow is prefently put on, and an awful 
 State fet up. And becaufe his Expedations 
 of Obfervance were not univerfally anfwe* 
 red, he condemns the Guiltlefs, and for the 
 fault of one would deftroy thoufands. Nor 
 were Ten thoufand Talents (near Two mil-Efih, §. 9> 
 lions of^jT Money) thought too much for 
 the Price of Blood. And yet no doubt, 
 whilft yet in an humbler Condition, he 
 had an Opinion of his SufRciency for great 
 Matters *, and concluded that if he were 
 but prefented upon a more publick Theater, 
 he fhould manage his part well and wifely, 
 with credit to himfelf and benefit to others. 
 Nor, it may be, was there any ground for _ 
 concluding the contrary. For then his ill 
 
 N ^ Qiialitits 
 
82 HamanV Difcontent. 
 
 Qualities lay dormant and in the dark, for 
 want of matter to work upon and bring 
 them to light. And his wicked Defires 
 could not have a Being, while the Objefts 
 were at a diftance that ftarted them. 
 
 And hence we fee the Neceflity both of 
 the moft general Applications at the Throne 
 of Grace, and a chearful Acquiefcence un- 
 der our appointed Portion. A random- 
 guefs and a worfe choice are the Properties 
 of a purblind Creature. 
 
 Honours and Riches we would have for- 
 footh, as judging them proper and conve- 
 nient for us •, but 'tis like if we were grati- 
 fied and had them, we fliould fink fatally 
 under the weight of our own VVifhes. We 
 are Fools perhaps at prefent without much 
 remark and pointing ^ but thefe things 
 might render us, as they did him, but the 
 more publick Spectacles of Folly, and add 
 Solemnity to our Shame. 
 
 For which Reafon God (hould be advis'd 
 withal, who underftands us and them bet- 
 ter. He is too wife to miftake Evil for 
 Good, too gracious to beftow a Serpent in- 
 ftead of a Fijlj. And being affur'd of this, 
 what can we do better than refign up our 
 Wills entirely to his^ and beg earneftly it 
 may be done on Earth as it is done in 
 Heaven. 
 
 5. The Inflance we have here of a Pnh-^ 
 lick Mijiijler's fhameful Impofition on his 
 
 Prhice^ 
 
HamanV Difcontenf, 183 
 
 prince, inay ferve as a Caution to us not 
 to think or /peak evil of the Ruler of God's 
 Veople. Whenever there are^ or are fup- 
 pos'd to be Mismanagements in the State^ 
 the Supreme Magiftrate fhall have his (hare 
 to be fure in the Charge or hnputation of 
 them. As if there was an Ambition in po- 
 pular Cenfure, and the higher it climb'd, 
 the lefs it would be liable to Errors ! 
 
 But hard indeed is the Fate of Crowned 
 Heads, if they muft be upbraided with the 
 Faults of others-, and they certainly are fo, 
 if every flaw in Condud is laid at their 
 door. For we know they don't ufe to give 
 themfelves Counfel, when bufinefs comes 
 before them-, it is offered from other Hands, 
 and they take it ; nay 'tis expefted they 
 fhould: And can they then be blam'd for 
 haying taken it, or for the Confequences 
 thereof, fuch as they did not forefee, much 
 lefs intend, but the defigning Givers only? 
 
 When the King of Verfta pafs'd the De- 
 cree for malTacring the Jews^ he meant it 
 as an exemplary piece of Juftice on fup- 
 pos'd CrimJnals. They were reprefented 
 as fuch to him, and he verily thought that 
 in killing them he fhould do his Country 
 Service. The Information was fpecious, 
 and fo it mif-led him :, but when he found 
 it to be falfe, he readily revok'd the Sen- 
 tence it drew from him, or rather tranf- 
 ferr'd it by way of Vengeance on their E- 
 
 N 4 nemies. 
 
HamanV Discontent. 
 
 nemies. Aftd would not the Jews then 
 have done him as great a wrong (of ano- 
 ther kind) as was intended them, if inftead 
 of endeavouring to fet him right in his ap- 
 prehenfions of their Cafe, they had revil'd 
 him for his miftake about it and the confe- 
 quent Severities ? Hainan only had their 
 Invedives all the while, and juftly too. 
 The Barbarity was wholly his \ and 'twas 
 merely a private Qiiarrel to ons of them 
 that begun the Plot againft all. 
 
 Now it is eafy to transfer the Scene in 
 our Thoughts to other Kingdoms. The 
 Servants about a Prince (we will make a 
 Suppofitlon of that which is often VaB) in- 
 duftrioufly difguife the Truth, and influence 
 him to approve or rejed Perfons or Things 
 according to the different Afpefls given by 
 them. He would fain inform himfelf a- 
 right of Charaders, Fads and Circumftan- 
 ccs, but cannot-, and for want of an infight 
 into the true ftate of Things does fome- 
 times make a falfe ftep -^ but muft he there- 
 fore be refleded upon as unfit to govern ? 
 If he fuffers in his Affairs, muft he in his 
 Reputation too? Is it his Crime, as well as 
 his Misfortune, that his greateft Enemies 
 are thofe of his own Houftiold ? ZV^^, he has 
 trouble enough to fee his Adminiftratiori 
 clog'd by their Folly or Perverfenefs. We 
 had not need add to it by our Jealoufies and 
 Cenfures. All that is due from him, is to 
 
 endeavour 
 
HamanV D if content. 185 
 
 endeavour the fpelling out dark DeGgnsand 
 difappoint them, and to throw the Creatures 
 out of his Bofom that abufe the kindly 
 warmth of in 
 
 Laftly^ Iwouldaddonething more, con- 
 cerning the ungenerous Spite of this info- 
 lent Courtier, that it was as impotent as 
 inveterate, and, when at the very brink of 
 accomplifliment, became only the fport of 
 a baffling Providence. It is entertaining to 
 imagine how one day the State-Comet vaun- 
 ted in the Firmament of Power, threatning 
 Confufion and Death to the Inhabitants of 
 the Vale round about, and how the next, 
 falling from Heaven like Lucifer^ it became 
 it felf the Dung of the Earth to the Joy of 
 IfraeL When Haman was paving the way 
 for a general Perfecution , Mordecai took 
 care to inform EJiher that (he and her Peo- 
 ple were in Perils among the Heathen, ad- 
 drefling himfelf in this awakening manner. 
 If thou altogether holdesi thy peace at this 
 timdy then jball there E?ilargement a?iJ Deli' 
 verafice arife to the Jews from another place^ 
 but thou and thy Father^ s Hoitfe fial/ be de- 
 firoyed : and who knoweth whether thou art 
 come to the Kmgdom for fuch a time as this? 
 But what could have been expeded from 
 his Advice and her compliance with it, 
 without a Divine Interpofal, (confidering 
 the prefent ftate of Things) but that very 
 Deftruftion which they ftudied to prevent. 
 
 For 
 
%%S HamanV D if content. 
 
 For he urges her to go and beg oi Ahafiie- 
 rus the Lives of all the Jews , who v/ere 
 deftin'd to the Slaughter , and the very pre- 
 fenting her felf before him was no lefs a 
 E(lh,4.ii.breach of one Law, than her Suit was a 
 Gontradidion to another. But lo an happy 
 Reverfe of 'Accidents ! The Kiyig receives 
 her gracioudy, the Queen prefers her Pe- 
 tition feafonably. The fecret ?lotter is di- 
 ftinguifti'd with Reproach and Infamy, the 
 honeft Monitor with Glory and Acclamations. 
 Which calls to mind the Refleftions of ho- 
 ly Bavid^ which others may take up. / 
 my felf have feeii the Ungodly in great Pow- 
 er , and flouriflnng like a green Bay-tree. I 
 ivent by^ and lo they were gone '^ I fought 
 ^em^ tut their place could no where be found! 
 Verily therefore there is a prefent Reward 
 for blamelefs Souls ♦, doubtlefs there is a God 
 that looketh down from Heaven, and jud- 
 geth the Earthy a God truly loving imto If- 
 rael\ and the ?nultitude of the IJler may be 
 glad thereof To which God, Great and 
 Glorious, doing Wonders, be afcrib*d as is 
 moft due, by This and all the Churches of 
 the Saints, all Honour, &c. 
 
 The 
 
187 
 
 The Private Life of Chrift. 
 
 S. Lu K E ii. 5 1. 
 
 And he went dorvn with them^ and 
 came to Na%areth^ and was fubjeSt 
 unto them. 
 
 THE Perfon here fpoken of, is the 
 Bleffed Jefiis ^ and the Subjedion 
 here mention'd, a JFi/f^/ Obedience. 
 
 This great Law-giver^ it feems, was of a 
 very different Mind and Temper from the 
 demure Pharifees, who faid kit did not 5 
 that were for impofing heavy Burdens upon 
 others^ but not for touching the lighteft 
 the?nfelves. He fet out earHer in fulfilling 
 than in teaching Right eon fnefs^ and copied 
 forth an univerfal Pattern of holy Living. 
 His pitblick Part was nothing elfe but hi- 
 ftrudion, and his retired one furniflieth out 
 a Leflbn. The triennial Miniftry extends 
 to the whole compafs of CzW Conduct, and 
 the Years of Nonage afford a very goodly 
 Scheme of domejlick Management. And 
 
 truly 
 
i88 The Tri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 truly, confidering the great Negleft almoft 
 every where vifible of JP^wi/y-Obligations 
 as well as Politicky the former were no lefs 
 proper to be exemplified than the latter. 
 
 In my following Difcourfe therefore I 
 fiiall confider, 
 
 I. Our Saviour's dutiful Regards of Jo- 
 feph and the Virgin Mary^ in oppofition to 
 the conanion Pradice of Children. 
 
 IL The peculiar Fitnefs of his Example 
 to enforce a Filial Obedience. But foraf- 
 much as no Caufe can be too much ftreng- 
 then'd, I fhall, 
 
 III. Urge fome other Arguments and 
 Motives that may be of ufe to the fame 
 purpofe: and then conclude with a word 
 of Exhortation to fuch as are Gracelefs and 
 Bifobedient. 
 
 In the firsi place I'm to confider our Sa- 
 viour's youthfid Piety, and to fet it againft 
 the comnion Pradices of Children^ that I 
 may put them to Ihame and blufhing. 
 
 The Evangelifs^ it muft be own'd, are 
 not particular and circumftantial in their 
 Accounts of it , and the Reafons of this 
 Referve are fome of thofe fecret Things 
 which belong to God, that becaufe not 
 matter of Revelation^ are by no means a 
 proper Subjed for Enquiry. But ftill we 
 are not left wholly in the dark about it. 
 
 The Text tells us. He went dow?i with 
 Jofeph and Mary from Jerufaletn^ and wa^ 
 
 fiibjetl 
 
Jhe Pri*z/ate Life of Christ. i S^ 
 
 fiibjeBimto them. Now SubjeSion is a corn- 
 prehenfive thing, and includes under it all 
 the Honour Parents can expeft, or Children 
 pay. Subjedion in general implies a com- 
 pliance with Authority and accon^pliftiment 
 of Pleafure : In a Servant ^ it denotes a rea- 
 dy, tho' foYc'd Obfequioufnefs, built on a 
 dread of Anger : In a Son^ a willing Obfer- 
 vance, confequent on a defire of Favour. 
 And therefore this Expreflion fingly (were 
 we to feek for other Arguments) would 
 help us to infer, that a moft ingenuous 
 Duty and Service was perform'd by the holy 
 Child Jefus. 
 
 The adjoining Paflage, v/hich mentions 
 his Growth in Grace^ Proficiency in Wifdom^^ 
 and Advance in Favour with God and Man^ 
 is to the fame effecl, and fpeaks out plainly, 
 that the good Spirit of God inhabiting him 
 carried him on to the State of Manhood in 
 an even and conftant courfe of Piety as 
 well towards Man as God. 
 
 Too many make a Jeft no lefs of Paterfial 
 than of Regal Government, and cry out 
 with an imperious Air, Who is Lord over 
 i^s ^ Inftead of bowing the Knee to their 
 Father for his BkJJing^ they lift up their 
 Heels againft him, and by Word, Deed and 
 Gefture witnefs their readinefs to' curfe him. 
 If he queftions them about Matters of near 
 Concernment, they will not anfvver. If he 
 offers to advife them for their good, they 
 
 fluft 
 
ipo The Tri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 flurt at the Admonition as if it were the 
 worft of Evils , feeming refolv'd to fulfil 
 no Will of his but the lafi^ v/hereiii they 
 hope he will fulfil theirs. Venerable Age 
 cannot command Attention, nor intimate 
 Relation win it. In fpite of Multitude of 
 DajSy his Wifdom is overlook'd by thofe of 
 Tejierday that kiiow nothifig^ and in fpite of 
 natural Dominion, his Authority is defpi- 
 fed. The one palTes for Dotage, the other 
 for Ufurpation. But whence have they 
 learn'd thefe pretty Notions and this fine 
 Behaviour ? In the School of Chrifl ? No, 
 Children^ obey your Parents^ was his Do-* 
 ftrine. Obedience his Praftice. He was 
 entirely at the beck of his Earthly Parents, 
 and fulfill'd all their Pleafure. They did 
 but fay, go down with us to Nazareth, and 
 he went to it, tho' a Place remarkable only 
 for its Obfcurity, and by the Jews held ig- 
 noble to a Proverb. Do this , and he did 
 it, tho' never fo toilfom and laborious. 
 ^Tis true, before^ without their exprefs 
 Leave and Knowledge, he flay'd behind at 
 JeriifaleTji. But then the weight of the 
 Occafion was enough to bear him out in it. 
 He had an Heavenly Father to attend and 
 wait upon in his Temple, and that fuperi- 
 our Obligation fuperfeded the Difcharge of 
 / a lefs. He was not taken up with vain A- 
 / mufements and impertinent DIverfions, when 
 / xhty fought him forrowing. Nor did he aft 
 
 a fui' 
 
The Prhate Life of Christ • 191 
 
 a fallen part, when they found him. His 
 Abfence was upon Reafons of Religion, and 
 his Apology for it, fuch as tended to make 
 tliem fenfible that he refpefted them high- 
 ly, notwithftanding it. 
 
 Others are of a giddy defultory Humour, 
 and can fet a tender Mother's Eye a wee- 
 ping, by rambhng out of its reach upon the 
 leaft Summons of Vanity or Recreation. 
 They deliver themfelves over from one Ex- 
 travagance to another, and trifle away their 
 Time and their Innocence together. And 
 as their frolickfom Jants hardly admit of 
 an Excufe, fo they think it not worth their 
 while to offer at any. They will not ac- 
 count for their mifpent Hours, nor be taken 
 to talk fox their wanton Chaces. They 
 muft be ti'eated as Adomjah was by Davidy 
 and never hear any fuch upbraiding Lan- 
 guage as Why hafi thou done fo ^ Even the 
 cold Reproof of £//, which he io folemnly ad- 
 drefs'd to Hophni and Phmeas^ if repeated 
 upon them, prefently raifes a Flame, and 
 Mildfiefs is requited with Fwy, 
 
 Our Saviour's Carriage was the Reverfe 
 of this. The Days which he took from 
 Mary's Prefence, were laid out to advan- 
 tage , and accounted for with readinefs. 
 He affefted not an Independence, but came 
 to a reckoning about them, as to a Work no 
 iefs necelTary than that they were employed 
 on. The Expoftulation, Son, why ha?i 
 
 5 thou 
 
The Fri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 thou fo dealt with m, was hardly quicker 
 than the Satisfaftion he gave to the Scru- 
 ples which occafion d it. , It troubled him 
 that (he Ihould entertain Jealoufies of him 5 
 and therefore he haftens to affure her, that 
 while he might feem guilty of a Negleft 
 towards his Mother, he was realfy execu- 
 ting a Duty 5 even his Father's Bujinefs. 
 And that fhe might be fet perfedly to rights 
 in her Apprehenfions, the firft Propofal of 
 a Retreat homewards is chearfully clofed 
 with. They go hand in hand , like two 
 wedded Lovers, to the place of Habitation ^ 
 and upon their arrival there, the Rules of 
 Living that are fet him, are obferv d to the 
 utmoft. He was not only a Carpenters 
 Son y but commenc'd one himfelf, as we 
 may guefs from the 6^^ of S. Mark^ and o- 
 ther Records of Antiquity. Nay the Tra- 
 dition is of early Date, that as he wrought 
 at the Manual Occupation during the Life 
 of Jofeph^ fo he followed it alone after his 
 Death for the Support ofMarj and himfelf. 
 
 Some are of that unnatural Temper, fo 
 egregioufly vers'd in the inhuman Dodrine 
 of the Scribes and Pharifees^ that how much 
 foever they are able, they are not at all 
 willing to adminifter to the Neceflities of 
 the Loins that begat and the Womb that 
 bore them. What have they that they did 
 not receive •, and yet as if they did not re- 
 ceive, they take no care to pay off the In- 
 a tereft- 
 
The Vrwate Life df CHRisf. 193 
 
 tereft-debt, let Indigence call for it never 
 fo preffingly. They can fee the Decays of 
 Fortune, without affording Relief, and the 
 Ruins of Conftitution, without looking out 
 for a Repair. The Life, which gave 'em 
 theirs, is thought not worth the hufban-* 
 ding, yea fit for nothing but to be extin-^ 
 guifh'd as foon as poffible. Yea, it may be, 
 they are the fad occafion of Want and Beg^ 
 gary, by with-holding a legal Due (where 
 the Legs have been thrown away to ftand 
 upon Crutches) or by giving a fecret Blow 
 to Intereft and Reputation ! And others that 
 have not the Succours of the Purfe within 
 their Power, are altogether as backward to 
 Labours of Love. They will not wage 
 War with Briars and Thiftles, to fence off 
 the AlTaults of Hunger from another's Bow- 
 els, which ftiould be reckon'd their own j 
 they will not delve in the Heart of the 
 Earth to fetch up a comfortable Subfiftence 
 for an aged Father. The Fruits of perfo- 
 nal Drudgery are beftow'd upon their own 
 dear Perfons, and beloved Self mult en- 
 grofs the Refreftiment of whatever can be 
 got by Wearinefs and Fatigue, Alas ! this 
 is a common EvH under the Sun, How of- 
 ten may we behold, what we cannot with- 
 out a Paflion, a poor decrepit Couple, that 
 ftrip'd themfelves before they lay down to 
 their long Sleep for the aggrandizing a fon- 
 dled Youth, made Strangers to their own 
 
 O Eftates 
 
/ 
 
 The Private Life of Chkist. 
 
 Eftates and Houfes, dn infulted in them by 
 the new Proprietor ! How often do we hear, 
 what we cannot without Horror, unkind 
 Pofterity enquiring into the old -Man's 
 Years, and complaining of an unhappy ob- 
 ftruftion to the finiftiing of their Fortunes, 
 As if every Hour added to his Days bor- 
 rowed Years from the Thread of their ex- 
 pefted Greatnefs ! 
 
 But fo far was our Saviour from leaning 
 towards the Pharifaical Conceit, that his 
 Actions were deiign'd to baffle and difcoun- 
 tenance it. It feems, tho* Silver and Gold 
 he had none, he took his Mother's ftate of 
 Weaknefs and Inability into Confideration -^ 
 and when one Staff of Age and Infirmity 
 faird, made himfelf another. Jofeph, tho* 
 dead, was yet alive in the Carpenters So7i, 
 He kept up the mean Employ, and with hi* 
 Hands work'd out her Accommodation. 
 . This was his domeftick Subjedion, this 
 fiis filial Concern. And I cannot forbear 
 mentioning a very recommending Circum- 
 ftance, the duration of it. Twenty Years 
 (for ought appears to the contrary) were 
 expended in her immediate Service ^ nor 
 did he quit the inglorious Trade, till the 
 Fulnefs of Time was come^ when he was to 
 exchange one fort of Labour for another. 
 
 Many look upon lioine as a bigger fort 
 of Bird-cage, and often figh out the melan- 
 choly Defire, that I had Wings like a 
 a Dove^ 
 
The Pri'z/ate Life of Cekist. 195 
 
 Dove^ that I might fly away and be at resi ! 
 They wifli out the Years of Minority, and 
 long to be emancipated with the utmoft Im- 
 patience. A Fatl^er's Prefence is an Eye- 
 fore, a Mother's Controul an Abomination. 
 Give me the Portion of Goods that falleth to 
 me^ and leave me to my own Condud, is a 
 Suit the Heart, if not the Tongue, putsup, 
 and to get out of fight, upon fuch an In- 
 dulgence,* and wast the Sub fiance wi:h rio- 
 tons livings a matter of Fad as frequent as 
 it is deplorable. In fhort, the JVorld an- 
 fwers to the Parable^ in this refped, and 
 exceeds it in another : For w^here there is 
 one that can fay with the Elder Son, Lo ! 
 thefe many Tears do I ferve thee ^ neither 
 tranfgrefs'd I at any time thy Commandment^ 
 there are thoufands that track the Footfteps 
 of the Prodigal. 
 
 Our Saviour on the contrary dealt tender- 
 ly by Mary and ftudied her Satisfadion as 
 much as his own. The Age of Difcretion 
 did not deal him away from her dear Com- 
 pany, and nothing but an higher Call, a 
 Voice out of the excellent Glory, could 
 have feparated him at that of Thirty, 
 Till his facred Inveftiture into the Media- 
 torial Fundion, he held out in the m.echa- 
 nick Drudgery, and ceas'd not to be the 
 Carpenter^ but upon his becoming an Evan- 
 
 O 2 Even 
 
1^6 The Pri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 Even after the folernn Change, his Cares 
 of her continued, and hardly ended with 
 Life it fel£ 
 
 Hov\^ and what Provifion was made for 
 her daring the Triennial Miniliry, is not 
 written -^ but we know what Legacy was 
 appointed her in his last Will and Tefta- 
 fnmt. hi the Bitternefs of his Anguifli he 
 compaflionated her Condition, as well as 
 Grief , and when he could no loiter think 
 of her in Perfon, he found out a Proxy to 
 fupply his room and his Affedions. Firft 
 addreffinghimfeif to her under the Stile of 
 JVornan (which, 'tis like, was to prevent 
 the Affronts of a boarifh Rabble, to which 
 her near Relation to him, . if difcover'd, 
 had render'd her liable) he recommends the 
 Beloved Difciple to her Love and Endear- 
 ment, as one that thenceforward would per- 
 form, the Duty of a Son ^ and then turning 
 to John^ he recommends her to his Care 
 and Protection as one that might deferve 
 the Title of a Mother, And accordingly 
 S. John took his Charge to himfelf, and 
 ferv'd her as if his own Mother with all ima- 
 ginable Fidehty. 
 
 Some that even bear the name of Dituful^ 
 no fooner take their leave of the native Fa- 
 mily, but they forget it too in fome mea- 
 fure, and wifh others would forget it like- 
 wife, that is, their Relation to it, becaufc 
 of its Meannef? and Obfcurity, which th^m- 
 
 felvcs 
 
The Frwate Life of Christ. ip^ 
 
 felves are got above. The Stream of their 
 Affeftions runs now another way , they 
 find a new Chanel for them, and give em 
 the hberty of ranging ;, they grow foreign 
 in their Thoughts and Cares. Their Fa- 
 ther's Houfe is eftrang'd by x^bfence •, and 
 tho' the Qiieftions of Health and Welfare 
 are famihar ftill and of courfe, natural 
 Kindnefs finks at length into a cold Indif- 
 ferency. 
 
 But our Saviour is an Exception tp this 
 unhappy Remark. 
 
 He never out-grew his youthful Tender- 
 nefs, nor Ihut the Door againft Endear- 
 ment. When he went about doing good, 
 the remembrance of a defolate Mother at- 
 tended him •, and when he was finifliing 
 his Courfe, Love was Wronger than Death, 
 and would do its friendly Offices amidlt the 
 Agonies of a Crucifixion. 
 
 I muft confefs, the Deferences of our Sa- 
 viour to Family-Authority carry no dired 
 Advice with them concerning the moft im- 
 portant Cafe of all, 1 mean, what is re- 
 quired of a Child in reference to a Change 
 of Condition and Circumftances ^ and the 
 reafon is, becaufe he neither did nor thought 
 it proper to enter upon a ?2eTP Relation him- 
 felf ; but however they are an implicit, in- 
 terpretative Direftion not to difpofe of our 
 felves without a concurrent Choice. For 
 if he v/^s fuhjeB in every inftance, but 
 
 O ^ where 
 
1^8 The Fri<vate Life of Christ* 
 
 where Obedience had in Scripture a Claufe 
 of Exception , 'tis prefumable he would 
 have been, upon Trial, in that alfo which 
 is commanded by God in the Book of 
 Numb. 30. '^wnhers. 
 
 This is an hard Chapter to the forward 
 Young *, and tho' they muft allow it a 
 place in their Bibles, they will not in tHeir 
 Memories, No, Ro?nance is their Study, 
 and Vajjion their Law ;> and perhaps no 
 fooner are they let out of the l^iirfery^ but 
 they rufh into the Wcrld^ not confidering 
 that an Attempt to go alone fo foon, will 
 fooner or later be unto them an occafion of 
 falling. Being Love- ridden, they ftay not for 
 their Parents BenediBion^ and how then can 
 they expecl God's ? A negative Voice fure 
 in the point of Matching, is a mutual Right 5 
 and he that difputes it on the fide of his 
 natural Superiours under the Evangelical 
 CSlconomy, in effed: fays, and will not be 
 thank'd for faying fo , that Chrisi came 
 liOt to fulfil the Lam but to deftroy it. 
 
 Now that I have defcrib'd the Filial Ob^ 
 fervance of the BlefiTed Jefus, before I pro^ 
 cced to recommend it to your Imitation, it 
 may be proper for prevention of Miftakes 
 to fhew where it flopped. 
 
 That had its Bounds, and fo rauft ours. 
 His Honour for God was abfolute and unre- 
 ferved, but his Regard for Man limited and 
 fubordinateo Whenever thefe Duties inter- 
 fered. 
 
The Frizfate Life of Christ. ipp 
 
 fered, the former had the Preference. Ac^ 
 cordingly knowing it to be the Will of Hea- 
 ven , an holy Conference fhould be held 
 with the DoSors of the Temple^ he on a 
 fudden withdrew himfelf from his Parents 
 here on Earth, without giving them any 
 notice of his Purpofe •, which made known 
 to them, might to their weak Reafon have 
 look'd like an extravagant Adventure, and 
 fo have receiv'd fome Obftrudion from 
 their over-folicitude for his Safety. And at 
 the next meeting, when they lovingly ex- 
 prefs'd their part Sorrows for the lofs of 
 him, he devoutly reprimands their immo- 
 derate or ill-tim'dCare, minding them with- 
 al of the higher Relation and Capacities he 
 flood under. How is it that ye fought me^ 
 Wijlye not that I muH be about my Father s 
 hiifinefs '^ Or, as the Words may be render'd, 
 in my Father's Jioufe^ whither the Solem- 
 nities of Religion fummon'd me ? The Se- 
 crecy of his Aftings is not excus'd by him, ^ 
 becaufe fubfervient to God's Glory and the 
 Ends of Providence. The Complaint of his 
 Mother ftands condemn'd, becaufe implying 
 fuch Expedations of Deference as were in- 
 confiftent with them. 
 
 Nor was this the only time in which he 
 made fuch Diftinc1:ion in favour of God's 
 Service, When (he call'd for the MiracIe]oh.2. 
 of Wine, upon the Stock of Motherly Au- 
 thority which reached not fo far , he gavq 
 
 O 4 her 
 
20O The Frwate Life of Christ. 
 
 her more than an Hint of the Prefumption, 
 by faying freely, Woman^ what have I to 
 do with thee / When a certain Woman of 
 ik. II, the company took occafion from what (he 
 had feen and heard, to blefs not only him 
 but the very Taps which he had fuck'd^ he 
 fuffers not her Devotion to reft there, but 
 prefently diredeth it to the proper Objeft ^ 
 averring, yea rather hlejjed are all they that 
 hear the Word of God and keep it. 
 
 And once when he was difturb'd in his 
 popular Inftruftions by one that faid. Be- 
 hold thy Mother and thy Brethren Jland 
 without defiring to fpeak with thee^ht could 
 not forbear anfwering in refentraent of the 
 Interruption, Who is my Mother^ and who 
 are my Brethren ? He could not forbear 
 owning, in Zeal to his high Commiflion, 
 that every true Believer was as dear to him 
 as his Brother and Sijler, and Mother. For 
 this Caufe came he into the World to bear 
 Witnefs to the Truth , and nothing he was 
 refolv'd, no, not natural Alliances, fliould 
 hinder him from teftifying it to the utmoft. 
 
 Some Children are as apt to err in the 
 height of their Obedience, as others are on 
 the defeftive fide. They miftake Adora- 
 tion for Dut} 3 and inftead o{ honouring their 
 Parents , they worflnp them. For their 
 Company, they can forego God\ and in 
 complement to their Wickednefs remove 
 their own Integrity from themfeivcs. E- 
 
 ^ very 
 
The Trwate Life of Christ. qoi 
 
 very thing they can pronounce lawful that 
 they know to be delightful to thofe, and 
 at every turn Courtefy gets the better of 
 Morality. 
 
 But in this they have not our Saviour 
 for their Precedent, As he fcorn'd to come 
 fliort of indifpenfible Duty , fo he never 
 would furpafs the Line of natural Obliga- 
 tion. The Concernments of Heaven were 
 always uppermoft in his Mind , and mod 
 influential on his Carriage. And where 
 there was no fear of a Competition, relative 
 Interefts took Place. But as he requires 
 us to hate our Relations comparatively when 
 they would prove Lets of Piety and Vertue, 
 fo he demeaned himfelf in fuch a manner 
 as if he hated his, whenever fuch a Demea- 
 nour was but neceffary to demonftrate his 
 Love to God. 
 
 It would not then make much for Ja- 
 cob"*?, Excufe, as to the Fad of gaining the . 
 Blejjing by Surprize , to fay, that he was 
 over-rurd in Obedience to his Mother. Her 
 Propofal, we find, could fhock him at the 
 firfl-, and he concluded he could not ad up 
 to it without drawing a Curfe upon him- 
 felf. And no doubt that fudden Impreffi- 
 on upon his Mind , afterwards relifted , 
 ibould have determined him to the contra- 
 ry. All Engagements to hitman Duty, as 
 they ftand upon a Bafis of Confcience , fo 
 are to be conftrued wi^h a ^nlvo ibr that 
 
 Duty 
 
202 The Private Life (?/ Christ. 
 
 Duty which is properly Divine. A greater 
 Right in God fwallows up all inferior Pre- 
 tenfions. 
 
 But tho' we may not difobey our Ma- 
 ker to obey his Creatures, yet Care would 
 be taken that there be nothing elfe bdt a 
 Zeal to a paramount Authority in our Re* 
 fufaL Nay, our Non-compliance with their 
 Expectations, muft not only bs but appear 
 to be the pure Refult of Piety and Confcience^ 
 And we (hould drefs it up in the fofteft Terms, 
 that it may be difcern'd we retain our for- 
 mer Regards for them, >tho' with a Referve 
 of aSing nothing that may intrench upon 
 God's Laws. This was the Care of Jefm^ 
 when he was tax'd with a Negled of pater- 
 nal Love. He reprefents the IVIatter in its 
 true Light, and convinces the holy Virgin, 
 that what he did fo much to her Sor- 
 row, he could not but do, or he had never 
 done ir. 
 
 It may not be amifs to add here , that 
 where the Commands laid upon us feem 
 irrational, fo long as we know they are 
 not finful, we muft refign up our Judgment 
 ito their Pleafure, becaufe the prefcribing 
 Power lodg'd in our Parents properly re- 
 fpeds things iiidifferent ^ and the Imprelfes 
 of Nature are fome Check upon them, tp 
 fecure againft the Prefcription of things 
 tinre^ifonable. But if they are really arbi- 
 trary and froward, tliey are our Parents 
 
The Trivate Life of Christ. 205 
 
 flill, and we are their Children -^ that is, 
 the Relation is indilTolvible, and fo are the 
 Obligations too that follow it. The Sub- 
 miffions of Chrift, we are fure, had been 
 the fame, fuppofing^i^y^/?/?, who was ^^^^^^ 
 Maii^ had been a bad one-, and he that was 
 fo ready to pay a Tribute that was not due 
 for fear of offending^ flood prepar'd for all 
 lawful Exercifes of Authority whatfoe ver. 
 
 And now let us confider ■ 
 
 2. The peculiar Fitnefs of his Example to 
 enforce a filial Obedience. This is fug- 
 gefted to us by the very Conduft of the in- 
 fpired Writers, who altho' they pafs over in 
 Silence the greatefl: part of his retired Life^ 
 yet forget not to tell us, that he came down 
 with Jofeph and Mary to the City 'Naz^areth, 
 and was fubjeB unto them. Which plainly 
 intimates, the Account of his dutiful Ob- 
 fervance was a thing too material to be 0- 
 mitted, and that the Impreffion of it, if du- 
 ly reflected on , muft needs be irrefiftibie. 
 Indeed , if we are unafFefted by it , we 
 are got beyond the reach of Argument and 
 Influence. For was not he Father and Son 
 to one and the fame Perfon, the Root and 
 Offspring of David^ in refped of different 
 Natures, did not he create the holy Virgin 
 as well as fuffer himfelf to be conceived 
 in her,^ And if a Divine Subfiftence could 
 not exempt his human Nature from tempo- 
 ral Obligations, who can think to ftand 
 
 clear 
 
:204 T/;^ Tri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 dear of inferior Dependencies? Did he, tho* 
 infinitely above her in Point of Original, 
 ftoop beneath her, becaufe of that Concep- 
 tion ? How then can any comparative Dif- 
 advantages on the Parents fide fuperfede 
 the Refpeds of Children^ Did he, tho* 
 King of Ifrael and Lord of the Creation , 
 wield Hatchets and Hammers for her Re- 
 lief, and tho' able to turn Stones into Bready 
 by the Word of his Power , voudifafe to 
 earn hers with the Sweat of his Brow ^ And 
 what does this Preference of the ordinary 
 Means of Help to fupernatural imply, but 
 an Intention of making his Compaflions £\r- 
 emplary^ Did he, upon the Death of Jo- 
 feph^ fucceed into his Cares , and fupply 
 his part towards the Virgin in all the In- 
 ftances of Love and Duty and Affiftance ? 
 Even fo muft the young Children be like the 
 Arrows in the Hand of the Giant , to fuc- 
 cour and defend the defolate Widow. In- 
 deed what are they but the Referves of 
 Providence , defign'd to fill up the vacant 
 Place , and renew the Careffes of the loft 
 Confort in a different Capacity \ that fo fhe 
 may want her old Friend, without miffing 
 him. The Meannefs of her Abilities, the 
 Poverty of her Condition, the low Ebb of 
 her Intereft, are fo many Calls to their 
 Zeal, fo many Incitements to their Service. 
 Again, was he tradable and fubmiffive to- 
 wards not only his real but alfo his reputed 
 
 Parent, 
 
Ihe Fri<vate Life of Christ. 205 
 
 Parent, and fhall we then be ftubborn and/ 
 obftinate in our Fathers Houfe? If the bare 
 i^ame or CHarafter of Father^ given by Mi- 
 flake, with him had a facred and venerable 
 Accent, furely with us the adhering Rela- 
 tion fhould command Dreaid and Reverence, 
 fiave off a Fellow-like Familiarity, and awe 
 us into good Manners. Was he tender of 
 his dear Mother, and folicitous for her fu- 
 ture Welfare , at a time when he was the 
 greateft Objefl: of Compaflion himfelf ? And 
 can we that are at eafe in our Poffeffions, fleep 
 over a weeping Mother's Misfortunes, yea 
 drop the Regards of Decency , and fet up 
 for Humour and Oppofition to Blood and 
 Nature? 
 
 Lajlly^ Did his earthly Kindred never ex- 
 perience the leaft Negleft, but in Cafes of 
 abfolute Neceflity, when the Bufinefs of 
 his Father that is in Heaven exafted his 
 Attendance? And fhall we appear unmind- 
 ful of ours, without any fuch juflifiable 
 Caufe ? He hath left us a Pattern that we 
 fhould do as he hath done ? And fhall we, 
 in Contradidion to it, run all the lengths 
 of Impiety , difregard the Counfel of grey 
 Hairs , and at laft bring them down with 
 forrow to the Grave ? 
 
 This will be but a fad Story for them 
 to tell, and for us to hear, when he whom 
 ive believe j\2 all come to be our JuJge^ actu- 
 ally comes to demand an Account of our 
 
 Behaviour 
 
^o6 The Private Life of Christ. 
 
 Behaviour tov/ards them. And what mufi: 
 the Procedure be of filch a Perfon confe- 
 quent on fuch a Charge? Full of Shame, 
 you may be fure , and full of Vengeance ! 
 Guilt can look for no Favour from Inno- 
 cence, Undittifulnefs no Mercy from Obedi- 
 ence. The Example which could not re- 
 form in time, (hall upbraid for ever. 
 
 There are not wanting other Motives to 
 this Duty of honourhig our Parents, tho' it 
 is impoffible to urge a better. 
 
 For firH^ What Inftanceof Morality wa^ 
 kept up in greater Repute than this, whe- 
 ther among Jetvs or Heathens ^ How aftive 
 was the great ^neas in the Prefervation of 
 aged Anchifes^ how induftrious to carry on 
 the vital Thread, which was nigh breaking, 
 to the utmoft Extent of Nature? The 
 • Flames of his Zeal certainly were as ve- 
 hement as thofe of burning Troy that gave 
 it vent. How careful is Virgil to make 
 Piety the MafterAugxtAitTit in his lovely 
 Charafler, how frequent in repeating the 
 amiable Title of the ditufiil £neas? How 
 celebrated was Alexander of Greece for his 
 Obeifance to Oly?npias^ How noted the Vto- 
 lofnies of Egvpt^ for borrov/ing their Style, 
 in Token of Refpeft, from thefe worthy 
 Relations of Father and Mother? Yea in- 
 deed the Monarchs of all Countries have 
 accounted a Title thence an Addition to 
 their Greatnefs. 
 
 And 
 
f . 
 
 The Prizfate Life of Christ. ^oj 
 
 And how does Pagan Hiftory abound e- 
 ven with private Inflances of filial AfFeftion 
 and Reverence ? Pompo?m(s Aniens not only 
 made a FimeraUOration on his Mother, but 
 gloried in it, that he never had any occafwn Core Nep; 
 to he reconciVd unto her ^ and yet he buried 
 her at Ninety Years of Age, himfelf being 
 Sixty feven. No wonder then the Account 
 of his Life is fo much fet by, when it con- 
 tains an Incident fo remarkable ! And now 
 may I not fitly enough put the Queftion, 
 Shall Chriftianity fall beneath the Attain- 
 ments, and the Decencies of Heathenifm. 
 
 To pafs to Sm/T wr^-Examples ^ With 
 what a pious hafte did Shem and Japheth 
 caft a Veil over FoaFs Nakednefs, as if the Gen- ^. 
 Profped of it had been as criminal as the 
 Drunkennefs that occafion*d it ? With what 
 wonderful Patience did Ifaac fubmit to the Geo. 22,' 
 deftruftive Intentions of Abraham , as if 
 Duty was dearer than Life ? With what 
 i^ice Punftuahty did Jacob follow Ifaac*SGtxi. 2?. 
 Advice in the matter of Marriage .<? In 
 what an awful manner did Jojeph^ as high- 
 ly exalted as he was in the Court of Pha- 
 raohy bow himfelf with his Face to the Earthy Gen. 4S. 
 when he brought his Sons to receive the 
 Blefling of Jacob .<? His Bream touching the 
 Sun and Moons Obeifance ^ and his prefent 
 difference from other Stars in Glory, could 
 not pofTefs him with towring Imaginations, 
 could not tempt him to turn his back upon 
 
 the 
 
2o8 The Tri'vate Life of CmrisT. 
 
 the Pit of Obfcurity out of which he wa!i 
 digd. With what humble Modefty did 
 
 I Sim. 19' Jonathan plead before Saul for the Life of 
 David ^ With what remarkable Tendernefs 
 did DaviJy in his Exile and Flight before 
 the Strong, deliver his Father and Mother 
 into the fafe-guarding Hands of the King of 
 
 f Sim. 22. Moahy to be with and proteded by him, 
 till fuch time as he fhodtd have a Kingdom 
 of his own for their Accommodation? With 
 what pious Regards did Solomon, when on 
 
 X King. 2. the Throne oi Ifrael^ rife up and mttx. Bath- 
 P^eba in her Advances towards him, as if 
 in fome fence a Subjed ftill? With what 
 
 Jer. 2$. rigorous Exadnefs did the Rechabites obey 
 the Voice of Jonadab in the forbearance e- 
 ven of innocent Liberties and Convenien- 
 cies? With what devout Attention, laftly, 
 did Timothy receive the pious Inftrudions of 
 Lois and Unice in the holy Scriptures ? 
 
 And now if Obedience be not a reafona- 
 ble Tribute, why was it fo readily paid by 
 our Forefathers ^ They had no Defign, to 
 be fure, to fuper-erogate ^ they did only 
 what they thought their Duty to do, and 
 we muft go and do likewife. 
 
 xAgain, the Benefits of ProduBion and 
 Education are undeniable Titles to Love 
 and Hofionr. For is it not a receiv'd Ma- 
 xim, that he who beftows a Being, has a 
 Right to all the Homage that faid Being 
 can render ? Are not the Fruits of our Bo- 
 dy, 
 
The Private Life of Christ. §o^ 
 
 dy, as properly, as much, our own, asthofc 
 of oar Field? Is not Life an invaluable Blef* 
 fing ? And is not Refpeft then to the Do- 
 nors of it a neceifary Piece of Gratitude^ 
 If the Libertine will objed that the Chil- 
 dren are not to thank their Parents for it ^ 
 but their flefhly Inclinations , inay we not 
 anfwer that to fuppofe the carnal Intereft 
 the only End of Matrimony ^ is too fevere 
 a Refledion on that State, which is fo ho- 
 nourable in the Senfe both of Scripture and 
 of Reafon. May we not urge that allow- 
 ing Truth in the Suppofition , the Obhga-' 
 tion ftands good, if there be fuch a thing 
 as a Debt of Gratitude'^ becaafe no Kind- 
 nefles are wholly diiinterefted , wholly 
 grounded upon GeneroQty and good Na-^ 
 tare ? 
 
 But what Comparifoii is there betw*ixt 
 the Kindnefs of bringing 'era into the World 
 and the Care of nurturing 'em in it ? If 
 we regard the Incapacities of the Cradle, 
 the Helplefsnefs of Inl^uicv, the Inadver- 
 tency of Childhood, and the Giddinefs of 
 Youth, what confiant Fatigue and occafwnal 
 Hardiliips muft it co{i our Parents to rear us 
 up into Maturity and Vigour? How niany 
 wearifome Days and lleeplefs Nights da 
 they fpend in watching the tender BloiToni 
 which is eafily blafted? How do they ena* 
 ble us to crawl over the firft Scages of Life^ 
 Jind as it were make their Strength ours in 
 
 P th^ 
 
Q lo The frwate Life of Christ. 
 
 the feeble Eflays of Nature , anfwer the 
 Calls of Appetite with a ready Suftenance, 
 and guard againft the Aflaults of pinching 
 Cold ? How do they ftoop from their Seri- 
 oufnefs and Gravity to pleafe and gratify 
 us. in our little Fancies, to beguile us for our 
 Good, and divert away our Frowardnefs? 
 When we flip out of fight, how do they 
 feck us forrowing, and when we run into 
 Danger , how do they hazard themfelves 
 for our Recovery from it ? 
 
 Nor is the rational part of our Education 
 lefs painful than the inferior. What infi- 
 nite i\pplication and Conduft does it require 
 to train us up into Reafon and Religion ? 
 How do they drudge in inftrufting us firfl 
 to fpeak, and then to form Words into co- 
 herent Language? What a Work of Toil 
 and Tedioufnefs do they find it to keep 
 Sence under, and render the Paffions ma- 
 nageable, to fet Choice right, and infufe 
 good Principles ? With how fixt an Eye 
 are they forc'd to infped: our Behaviour, 
 and with how troubled an Heart do they 
 fpy out our Mifcarriages? When we tread 
 awry, what a doleful Sigh is fetch'd from 
 it, to fpeak out the inward Refentraent ^ 
 and when we walk uprightly, what difquie- 
 ting Fears of a future Backfliding call: a 
 fudden Damp upon all their Happinefs, as 
 oft as this Thought returns, that the Young 
 hang at beft but in an even Ballance be- 
 
 5 twi%t 
 
The Pri'vate Life ofCuKisr. l r i 
 
 twixt Good and Evil , and it is impoflible 
 to forefee which way the Scale will at laft 
 turn. 
 
 x'\t length , when a riper Age calls for 
 the Difpofal of our Verfons or our Vortunes^ 
 how is one fort of Solicitude exchang'd for 
 another? How difturb'd aiuft they be to 
 think of parting with their dear Pledges 
 from their Wing and Bofom , that they 
 have enjoyed our Company but for a little 
 while, and perhaps (hall enjoy it no more, 
 that a long Interval at leaft of Time and 
 Place ftiall feparate 'em from every thing 
 but a cold Intercourfe of MeiTages and Let- 
 ters^ which convey the Mind but by halves, 
 and the x\ffedions but faintly. If w^e are 
 to enter upon Bufinefs^ how are their Brains 
 upon the rack, in fuiting Employment and 
 Genius, Profeffion and Talent, and how 
 jealous are they of a Miftake herein, and 
 of its Confequences, as knowing that with- 
 out fuch exaft Correfpondence our Skill 
 will be httle, and our Succefs lefs. If up- 
 on a State of Marriage^ with what Fear 
 and Trembling do they come to the Vreli- 
 minaries^ what Tears of Kindnefg and Hor- 
 ror are they feen to fhed at the confimma- 
 ting Solemnity, as knowing that That is 
 the moft important Caft, next to the great 
 Throw for Eternity, becaufe a State for 
 Life, which is omi for ever here, 
 
 P 3 In 
 
2 {2 ifJe Fri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 In ibort, no body can tell the Anxieties 
 
 and Mifgivings that go to Bed with P^- 
 
 rents. Some of them are exceilently ex- 
 
 prefs'd in the Book of Ecdus, The Father 
 
 Ecd«?,42.y^^^^^^ j-QP ^y^ Daughter ^ when no Man 
 
 * '^* hwwetb, and the Care for her taketh away 
 Sleei) : W]j£?i fie is youngs lesi fie pafs away 
 the Fhwer of her Age *, and being married^ 
 leH fie fiould ke hated : In her Virghilty^ 
 left fie fiould he defiled and gotten with 
 Child in her Father'' s Floifie •, ajid having an 
 IIn[l?/ind^ lest fhe jhould mifiehave her felf'^ 
 and whe/i fie is married , lesi fie fiould be 
 harren. 
 
 Such are a Parents Burthens *, and that 
 they may not fink under the Preffure of 
 theai, can we do lefs than ;^dminifter the 
 refrefhing Cordial of dutiful Subjection ? 
 Can we do lefs than requite their Love, 
 by reverencing their Perfons ? 
 
 It v/as one Argument the Mother of the 
 Maccabees us*d to recommend her laft bit- 
 ter Admonitions unto Martyrdom, that 
 fhe had enduid for them the Troubles of E- 
 ducation. And has not that Refiedion the 
 fame, or rather greater Force, in pleading 
 for a Submiffion to the much eaiier Rules 
 of Houfliold-Difcipline, which have no o- 
 ther De(ign than that of the Aiigels^ to keep 
 us in all our Ways? 
 
 Once more, Obedience is the wifeft courfe 
 that can be taken, as fmoothing the way 
 
 3 ^^ 
 
The IPrwate Life of Christ. -213 
 
 to a comfortable and happy Life. For who 
 fo fit to direft as the Experienced, and who 
 fo fafely to be depended on as the Friend- 
 ly ? And where can we look for Experi- 
 ence and Friendfhip, if not from thofe that 
 were born before us, and help'd us to our 
 Being ? They have had Opportunity to ob- 
 ferve the Events and Confequences of 
 Things, the Humours and Interefts of Per- . 
 fons 5 and thro' fuch Remarks are beft qua- 
 lified to draw the Model of Frafticea Their 
 Sincerity too is as unqueftionable rss their 
 Skill 5 they are not defigning in their Ad- 
 vice ^ they will be fure to fpeak as they 
 think, and no more mifguide than miftake 
 the Cafe before them. And therefore what 
 could be more advifable than to deliver our 
 felves and our Affairs into fuch good Hands ^ 
 and where they lead, to follow them with 
 Chearfulnefs ? Who too live more under 
 the Influence of the Divine Blefling, and 
 the Lidit of his Countenance than theD?/- 
 tifiil } How are they encompafs'd with en- 
 couraging Profpefts in refp^ both of the 
 World that now is, and of that which is 
 to come ? Obedience you know is the firsi 
 Commandment with Pro?mfc\ What Satisfa- 
 dion may they reckon upon during Life, 
 in confideration of their Gratitude to thofe 
 from whom they receiv'd it ^ and what Fru- 
 ition will they be admitted to, at the cJofe 
 of it 3 when their honoured Parents, that 
 
 P 5 went 
 
2 14 "^^^ Tri'vate Life of Christ. 
 
 went before them to the Grave, fhall wel- 
 come 'em into Glory. It is an old Maxim 
 and a good one, If thou wonldfi be obeyed^ 
 being a Father^ obey^ being a Son. Thofe 
 that revere their Parents, Ihew their Chil- 
 . dren that they fhould do fo too. Much 
 Good then comes by the very Example of 
 the Thing, but more by the Favour of Di- 
 vine Providence. 
 :ciuf. 5. The wife Son ofSirach giveth us the Par- 
 ticulars both of their Piety and of their 
 Bleffednefs in the Senfe, tho* not wholly 
 in the Words or Order of the following Sen- 
 tences. They do Service to their Father as 
 to their Mafter^ and glory in every thing 
 that will refleft an Honour upon his Perfon, 
 Name or Memory. They help him in his 
 decrepit Age , even to the performance of 
 the moft uncomfortable Offices about him, 
 and defpife him 7iot when they are i?t their 
 full frength. If his L'nderflandi?ig fails , 
 the)' have patience with him^ now a Child, 
 as he had with them, when they were fuch ; 
 and grieve him not as long as he liveth. And 
 by thus requiting of good Turns^ they lay up 
 a Treafure for F uturity, and fecure them- 
 felves an Intereft in that whicWfljall come 
 hereafter. For thus clearing xAccannts with 
 their Benefactor, they fball b^ heard, when 
 they make their Prayer c^ and find a ft ay when 
 they falL They Ihall receive a Tribute of 
 Service in their turn, and have joy of their 
 
 OVPfi 
 
The f novate Life of Christ. 2 1 5 
 
 own Children, They fliall -have their Hou- 
 fes eflablijh'd by the righteous Lord that lo- 
 veth Righteoufnefs, and their Sins^ or In- 
 firmities overlooked by him who beholdeth 
 the thing that is juft. But as for the Grace- 
 lefs and Difobedient, all the Terrors of the 
 Lord are drawn out againft them. 'Their 
 Eyes the Ravens of the Valley jJjaU pick out, 
 fays Solomon in one place, and in another, 
 their Lamp fJjall be put out in ohfcure Dark- 
 nefsJ He that forfaketh his Father^ fays the 
 abovemention'd Writer, is as a Blafphemer, 
 and he that a?igreth his Mother^ foa/J be cur^ 
 fed of God. 
 
 Nor are thefe mere Bugbear-threatnings, 
 only tofcare and terrify. Ham^v^z find, was 
 abandon'd of Heaven for his unnatural Free- 
 dom , ciud Abfalo?n^ we read, fell a Sacri- aSam. 18. 
 fice to his Rebel-folly. There was fome- 
 thing very exemplary in the manner of his 
 Deftruclion. He who fo deferv'd an arti- 
 ficial Gallows, was furpriz'd by a growing 
 one *, and ]S!atitre her felf, whofe Laws he 
 had fo fhanpefully violated, became his Ex- 
 ecutioner. 
 
 And to mention no more Inftances of 
 Vengeance, Hophni and Phineas^ that are 
 branded in Scripture for not hearkening to the 
 Voice of their loving Father^ died by the 
 Hands of their infulting Enemies. Provi- 
 dence even in latter Days, tho' it runneth 
 for tfae moft part under ground and out of 
 
 P 4 'fig^^^ 
 
Ql6 The Trwate Life of Christ. 
 
 fight , burfteth out fometimes in vifible 
 Judgments upon the Children of Difobedi- 
 ence. Nor do the Abetters of it that par- 
 take with them in their Sin, go without a 
 ftiare in their Punifhment. Even the Pro- 
 digals themfelves when they bring forth 
 worthy Fruits of Repentance, have this for 
 one, tiie Rejedion of thofe that led them 
 into Folly. Thus an Hiflorian tells us of 
 foil Eccl King Richard I. that he abaudon'd fuch as 
 Hi(i. 599. j^gr) i3een Rebels un'th him againft his Father, 
 and rewarded Loyaltv with a ready ad mifiioh 
 to his Court and SerN ice. 
 
 And this niav fuffice for the Enforcement 
 of FiUd Duty. I have nothing more to 
 add, but a Word of Exhortation to flubbom 
 and refractory Chihlren. 
 
 Confider 1 befeech you, ye Sons of Be- 
 Ttal^ by the Merits of Chrifl: -^ confider the 
 Evil of your doings, what it is to mock at 
 your Father, and forfake the Law of your 
 Mother. Thofe are Names of Authority 
 and Power, as well as of Tendernefs and 
 Endearment ; and yet you vilify and abufe 
 the Perfons that bear them, as if they im- 
 ported neither ! Heaven has inverted them 
 with a kind of natural Sovereignty over 
 you, you are their domeftick Subjects, and 
 yet you domineer and fwagger, as if the 
 whole Earth was your jurifdidioD. How 
 is it that you neither fear God nor regard 
 Man ? Whom do ye make your felves? Are 
 
The Trwate Life of Christ. 217 
 
 ve greater than Solomon^, and innumerable 
 other Worthies, that in their Times per- 
 form'd the Obedience of So?js •, or the Holy 
 Jefw^ that fulhil'd his Mother's Commands 
 as well as his Father^ s Btijinefs ^ If you 
 conceit you are, we mufl fcore you up in 
 our Thoughts as fitter for a Bedlain-Con- 
 finement, than for abfolute Liberty: If you 
 confefs you are not, upon what pretence 
 can ye challenge an Exemption from that 
 Duty, which they regretted not to pay ? 
 Why is Home fo homely a thing with you, 
 fo dull and tedious ? There are Frowns, it 
 may be, that render it foraewhat frightful 
 and difagreeable. But is it not in your 
 Power to convert them into Smiles ? The 
 fame Countenance, no doubt^ is fufceptible 
 of both, and had much rather entertain the 
 one than the other , but the mifchief is, 
 ye will not give it leave to do fo. Ye muft 
 be allowed a Life of Sloth and Inaftivity, 
 ye muft be indulg'd in a full fwing of Plea- 
 fure and Voluptuoufnefs, or the Family 
 wherein ye were born is fure to have a 
 world of Satyr and Inveftive thrown at it 
 by your dirty Tongues ! Many good Works 
 have been done for you by your Father ^ 
 for which of them do ye thus afflid and 
 vex him! Ariftotle obferves of the Sptder*s ^u(i,ii\{\. 
 OflF-fpring, that when with a great deal of ;^"J"^- ^- s* 
 Art and Labour he has fpun a curious Web 
 to catch them Food, and to fecure it, the 
 
 ftrongeft 
 
 C. 2. 
 
a 1 8 The. Private Life of Christ. 
 
 flrongefl: of them, grown ripe for Mifchief, 
 makes thofe Threads fatal to the Parent, 
 which he fpent himfelf in framing for their 
 Maintenance. And when a Man has co- 
 pied one part of the Story in his Pradice, 
 by embittering his whole Life with Cares 
 to leave you Wealth and an higher Place, 
 will ye anfwer the other in your behaviour, 
 by preying upon and confumingthe Bowels 
 which did bear and nourifh you? 
 
 Think, think, wretched Men, what will 
 become of you in the other World, after 
 having aded fo black a part in this. With 
 what Eafe can ye live, and how will ye 
 dare to die! Generation of Vipers! let me 
 warn you to fly from the Wrath to come. 
 Ye have tried fufnciently the Folly of your 
 own Counfels, and felt long enough the bafe 
 Drudgery of feeding Swine ^ the worft fort 
 of them, divers Lufls and Vanities. Re- 
 turn, return then, ye wicked Prodigals, to 
 God, to your felves, and to your Happinefs, 
 and pity the Bowels that yearn after you. 
 Arife each of you, and go to your troubled 
 Father^ and fajy unto him with bended Knees, 
 Father^ I have finned again'si Heaven^ and 
 before thee^ and am no more worthy to he cal- 
 led thy Son-^ make me as one of thy hired Ser^ 
 vants^ rather than fuffer me to continue a 
 Bond-flave oi Hell, Ye will find, 'tis like, 
 a place of Repentance in him, if ye thusy^-^^ 
 it carefully a?id with Tears, His Compaf- 
 
 gons 
 
The Private Life of Christ. 2 19 
 
 fions fail not , they only ftand expeding, 
 till ye coine and humble your felves for 
 your paftDifingenuity. Do but fet out up- 
 pn Subiniffion, and he will run to meet you 
 fall on your Neck, and -kifs you, (loop as 
 J ow in Expreflions of Kindnefs as you can 
 do in Acknowledgments. He will gather 
 you that were dead and are alive aga'in^ as 
 an Hen broodeth her Chickens under her 
 Wing that were" Mt and are found. The 
 best Robe^ and the fatted Calf ^xt ready ^ the 
 Arms are open for an Embrace, and the Hand 
 lifted up to give a Blefling. Make there- 
 fore hafte to be received, and he will make 
 as much to receive you into Grace and Fa- 
 vour. There is Joy on Earth over an un- 
 gracious Child, there is Joy in Heaven over 
 a Sinner that repe?iteth. And if any of us 
 fall under either Imputation, God grant we 
 may by our timely Repentance contribute to 
 that Joy, thro' jefus Chrift our Lord^ to 
 whom with the Father, d^c. 
 
 S. Paars 
 

 S. F^2!///'sChrifl:ian Gallantry. 
 
 •^m- 
 
 Acts xxvL 2p. 
 
 And Paul faid^ I "would to God that 
 not only thou^ but that all that hear 
 me this Day were both almofl and 
 altogether fuch as I am^ except thefe 
 Bonds. 
 
 TH E Words are part of a Speech ad- 
 drefs'd by S. Paul to Agnppa at his 
 Trial before hiin. And truly fuch admira- 
 ble Conduft is legible in them, even taken 
 feparate from the reft of the judicious Apo- 
 logy^ as well became an humble Prifoner 
 and a great Apoftle. The Wi[dom of the 
 Serpent is fweetly coupled with the S'wiplt- 
 city of the Dove ^ and fuch an happy Tem- 
 perature of both may be found here, as was 
 requir'd in them whom our Saviour fcf?it 
 forth a^s Sheep in the nnJft of Wolves^ with 
 a Commifiion no lefs hazardous to them- 
 felves than beneficial to others. 
 
 This 
 
St. Vavls Chrifiian Gallantry. *22i 
 
 This will appear by confidering two 
 Things. 
 
 I. The Moral State of S. Paul, or what 
 he was, when he thus wifh'd the Judge, 
 the Accufers, and the Audience like him- 
 
 II. The Drift or Importance of that affe- 
 dionate Wifh, / would to God that not only 
 thou, 5Cc. 
 
 And firft, the Moral Sme of the Perfon 
 in the Text was at that time doubtlefs very 
 good, or he would never have ofFer'd to 
 make a Refemblance of it the Subjed of his 
 Devotion. Conceitednefs indeed is a common 
 Frailty, a Sin that doth very eafily befet us 
 opiniative Creatures. In our pretending 
 Fancies we readily affume foreign Graces, 
 in our overflourifhing Imaginations we oft 
 niifrate inherent Vertues. We take our 
 felves for Angels, when God will not own 
 us for Saints, and are apt enough to fay to 
 the bejl of our Neighbours, / am holier than 
 thoti, when perhaps the Sadnefs of our fpi- 
 ritual Condition ftrikes us out of all com- 
 parifon with the zv^rjl.\ 
 
 But S. P^7//, we are fure, could not be 
 miftaken here as to the Foundation of his 
 Charity. He wiflies his Auditors were al- 
 together fuch as himfelf,and he had grounds 
 for williing this. For they were moft un- 
 like him, to their great Difadvantage ^ as 
 unlike him as Vice is to Vertue, asDarknefs 
 
 to 
 
5 2 2 St. PaijlV Chriflian Gallantry. 
 
 to Light They were all without Chr'ift^ 
 if not without God in the World ;, fome A- 
 liens even from the Commonwealth of Ifrael, 
 many Strangers to the Covenant of Grace^ 
 more unacquainted with the golden Rule of 
 Equity, that of doing as they would be done 
 by. Fejlits^ one of them, that had his Hea- 
 thenifm (till about him, could beftow no 
 other Character than of Madnefs upon the 
 new Religion -^ and Agrippa^ that had had 
 his Birth and Education among the Jer^^ 
 was but almofl perfitaded to he a Chriflian. ^ 
 
 On the contrary, the Man at the Bar was 
 a thorough Convert, a perfeS Chriflian. 
 The very Occafion of his Appearance there 
 witnefTed his Zeal for Jefus^ and that his 
 Zeal was according to Knowledge^ the Back- 
 wardnefs of his Converfion is an Evidence. 
 He Hood out againfl the Force of Miracles 
 and the Teftimony of Martyrs. Nay, by 
 his own Confeffion, he had been nurtur'd 
 in the IViff way of a Pharifee^ and as keen 
 an Adverfary of the Gofpel, by Profeflion 
 and by Temper, as Any Man whatfoever, 
 not only doing many things, but thinking 
 verily with hi mf elf that he ought to do many 
 things contrary to the Vame of Jefus of Is a- 
 ^areth ! 
 
 Now fimple Ignorance is not half fo dan- 
 gerous as Error. Darknefs holds in Suf- 
 pence , but a falfe Light feduces and hur- 
 ries into Precipices. But yet he did at lad 
 
 get 
 
' St. Vavls Chrifiian Galtatitry. 2^3 
 
 get over Prejudice and PrepoiTeffion, and 
 furrender to Chriftianity •, and that he did 
 fo, this muft be refolv'd into an honed 
 Heart and a well-grounded Refolution. 
 
 The Confcience he had lived in before, 
 th^' erroneous, was a good one. His Un- 
 derftanding only wanted to be fet right , 
 nis will was fo already. The Truths of 
 Religion therefore being prefs'd home upon 
 the former, found an Entertainment, which 
 they owed as well to his De fire of Convi- 
 ftion as to their own Evidence. 
 
 And as he ad:ed with Sincerity in the 
 Matter of his Converfwn^ fo did he with 
 Spirit in the Courfe of his Minijlry. Op- 
 pofition could not flop, nor Ten:iptation di- 
 vert him. When a Voice from Heaven ar- 
 refted him in his guilty Journey to Damaf- 
 CU6 , to inform him wherein he had done 
 amifs, an holy Ingenuity prefently vented 
 
 it felf in an entire Submiffion, — Lord^ 
 
 what woiddjl thou have me to do ^ Which 
 intimated there was nothing fo hard to do, 
 fo dreadful to fufPer, but he would readily 
 do and fuffer for the Truth. And when 
 that Call for Inftructions was anfwered, a 
 vertuous Shame, a devout Warmth urg'd 
 en his Soul in a kind of hnpaticnce to ful- 
 fil them. So far was he from being difo- 
 bedicnt to the heaveidy Vifwn , that it be- 
 came his Meat and Drink to ^fend and he 
 [pent in its Service. What were Hunger and 
 
 Thirft, 
 
2^4 ^^- PaulV Chrijiian Gallantry. 
 
 Thmi^ Cold a?iJ Nakednefs^ but Entertain- 
 ments when undergone for the Benefit of 
 Souls, what Travels and Imprifonments^ Pe- 
 rils among the Heathen^ and Perils amonfr 
 his Countrymen^ but Pleafures, when Intro- 
 dudions to the Triumphs of the Crofs ? 
 How bravely did he contradid the Sanhe- 
 drini to their Faces, whofe vile Inftrument 
 he had once been , and declare that Holy 
 One^ whom they voted a Deceiver, the Son 
 of God, and Judge of them and all Men ? 
 How general was his Apoftolic Solici- 
 tude ? The Care of all the Churches \, the 
 Burthen of all the Chriftian World as it 
 were lay upon his Shoulders. And yet how 
 particular too was his Fatherly Advertence? 
 Who was weak and he was not weak by 
 Sympathy? Who w{is offended and he burnt 
 not with Refentment? In Defiance of rave- 
 nous Wolves, what a painful Shepherd did 
 he commence over the helplef? Flock, here 
 vifiting, and there admoni(hing continual- 
 ly. And how abundantly did he labour to 
 make it greater, by preaching, praying, dif- 
 puting, writing, apologizing? And (which 
 is the higheft Commendation of pafloral 
 Endeavours) how were all His within the 
 Meafures of Difcretion and Regularity ? 
 'Tis true, there was not wanting a wicked- 
 ly artful Tertullm to implead and reprefeilt 
 him 2i^d.peftilent feditious Fellovo^ and a Sprea- 
 der of falfe Dodrine, as a Difturber oF the 
 
 Nation^ 
 
St. Paul'/ Chrijlidn Gallantry. a 2 5 
 
 Nation, atid a Profaiier of the Temple, But 
 tho' Oratory drew up the frightful Charge, 
 Innocence could difprove it. For this was 
 his conftant Exercife^ to have a Confcience 
 void of Offejice^ toivarch Go J and toiPards 
 Men •, and this was the encouraging Mo- 
 tive, even the Hope of a KefnrreBion frotti 
 the Dead, both of the Jufl and cf the Unjitlii 
 The feveral Articles of Impeachment XMn 
 high, but what were they eife but Calum- 
 ny and Mifconftruftion? To fpeak to 'em 
 in the Words of his own Defence, Did they 
 ever find him raifmg tip the People, difputing 
 with any Man in the Tefnple, or profaning 
 it? He was pttrifyed in it, but this could 
 not fure be deem'd a Profanation ^ he was 
 purifyed without either Multitude or Tumuk^ 
 and therefore this could not be held Sediti- 
 on. And as to the way which they caWd 
 Herefe, was it any other, than that whereby 
 he ouo-ht to worJJjip the God of his Fathers^ 
 was it any other than what his Accufers 
 themfelves alfo allowed, in Oppofition to the 
 atheiftical Sadducees ^ 
 
 Arid thus you h^ve the Hiftcry , in 
 (hort, of St. Patd's Behaviour, antecedent 
 to the Addrefs in the Text ♦, which being 
 premis'd, we may proceed, 
 
 2. To our main Bufinefs , viiz, Tb 
 examine into the Drift and Importance 
 of lU 
 
 Q. Now 
 
"1^6 St. Paul'/ Chrijiian Gallantry. 
 
 Now this can be no longer a Secret to 
 us. Tis plain, the great Bleffing he re- 
 commended to that numerous Aflembly was 
 an entire Belief and Intereft in the Son of 
 God, the Saviour of the World j fuch a Be- 
 lief as would render them equally zealous 
 with himfelf for the Furtherance and Pro- 
 pagation of the Gofpel -^ fuch an Intereft as 
 would entitle them to the fame glorious 
 Rewards of Heaven and Immortality. And 
 had they been in a fupplicating Frame, 
 could they have found any thing better to 
 implore for themfelves ? St. Vaiil in this 
 Caie made his own Inclinations the Rule of 
 his Benevolence. For doth he not elfe- 
 where profefs that he deftr'^d to know no^ 
 thing fave Chr'iH^ and him crucified^ And 
 yet this Profeflion could not be imputed to 
 Ignorance or Incapacity. 'Tis a common 
 thing with the illiterate Vulgar, to defpife 
 what is out of their reach, and make the 
 Difparagemenr of Learning a creditable Co- 
 vert for their Dulnefs, But when he de- 
 termind not to know any thi?ig but the Eva?i^ 
 gelical Philofophy, he had a familiar Ac- 
 quaintance witli the Human ^ to be bred at 
 the Feet of Gamaliel^ a learned Rabbt^ was 
 a Scholar-like Education -^ to be vers'd in 
 the chief Authors oi his time, Epime?iideSy 
 Menafider^ Aratus^ whom he cites upon Oc- 
 cafion -^ diftinguilh'd for a powerful and 
 mafculine Oratory, by the Style of Mer- 
 
 3 ^^^7t> 
 
St. Vavls Chrijiian Gallantry^ 22 
 
 ci4rjy and furnifh'd out with Variety of Lan- 
 guages, was an high Attainment, anfwera- 
 ble to fuch a Difcipline. But as much as 
 he had laid himfelf out upon Study, and 
 drudg'd in the Mines of Learning, he de- 
 clares he found not any true Tteafure, nonei 
 worth the owning, tilJ he quitted Specula- 
 tion for Faith. Nay, did he not too count 
 all his outward Privileges, whether of the 
 Law or the World, but Lofs afiJ Dmig for 
 the Excellency cf the Knowledge ofChnfl J e fits 
 his Lord^ And yet, abfolutely fpeaking^ 
 they were of no mean a Charafter. We 
 muft not imagine he flighted the jewifly 
 Prerogatives, becaufe he wanted them« For 
 ff any Man thought that he had whereof he 
 might triiH in the Flefb^ He more : Circimu 
 cifed the eighth Day^ of the Stock of Jfrael^ 
 &c. It feems, when he was contented to 
 forego all things for the Chriftian Religion, 
 he was upon no ill Terms with Mofes '^ he 
 had an advantageous Pedigree and a legal 
 Righteoufnefs to boaft of. Whence we in- 
 fer, the Gofpel-Difpenfation was of infinite 
 Moment in his Account, that he did not 
 go over to it upon little Views, or by way 
 of Pvcfugc from Difgrace, or Infignificancy 
 under the former, but merely for its owri 
 fake, and upon a full Perfuafion of its 
 tranfcendent Dignity •, and confequently the 
 Convention were infinitely beholden to him 
 for his Heart's Defire and Prayer to God, 
 
 Q, 2 that 
 
^2^ St. Paul'j' Chrijiian Gallantry. 
 
 that they might as cordially embrace it as 
 he had done. 
 
 Fejlus and Jgrtppa were Men of Quality 
 and Station , and wanted not Pageantry 
 and Glitter in their refpedive Governments. 
 Notwithftanding the Figure he bore in the 
 Chriftian Church, he was fure, was prefe- 
 rable to theirs out of it, and that it would 
 be happy for them if they could be prevai- 
 led with to enter upon the fame Circum- 
 ftances. 
 
 Nor can we be at a lofs to apprehend the 
 Felicity confequent on fuch a Change, 
 They had commenc'd, as our excellent Gz- 
 techifm exprefles it , Members of Chriji^s 
 Body^ Children of God^ and Inheritors of the 
 Kingdom of Glory, They had obtain'd a 
 complete Syftem of admirable Laws to lead 
 'em in the way everlafting, the refrefhing 
 Influences of the Holy Spirit to fupport 'em 
 under all the Drudgeries of an earthly PiU 
 grimage, and the Reverfion of endlefs Joys 
 to receive 'em upon finiihingof their Courfe, 
 And doubtlefs fuch ineftimable Advantages 
 deferv'd the Strefs of a Wi(h , how Httle 
 foever thofe deferved them, in whofe Be- 
 half it v/as made. 
 
 The Apoftle's Anfwer then, tho' concife 
 in the Expreflion , was fubftantial in the 
 Matter. And it is hard to fay which it 
 difplayed moft, liisCharity^ or his Prude?ice. 
 A Chriftian Meebiefs fliin'd out before with 
 
 3 an 
 
St. Paul'/ Chrijiian Gallantry. j2 2 c? 
 
 an endearing Luftre. When Fejins inter- 
 rupted him in the Narrative he was giving 
 of himfelf, his Life, and of his Doftrine^ 
 with the fcornful Imputation of a melan- 
 cholick Fancy , and a diftemper'd Brain , 
 telling him, he talk'd like a Man that was 
 cras'd •, he took no other Advantage of the 
 Calumny, than to confute it by a modeft 
 Negative, faying, / ajn not mad, moYi noble 
 Fejius^ but fpeak forth the Words of Truth 
 and Sobernefs. This Suppofition, if any 
 thing could , might have juftified cutting 
 Language, as being a Satyr not only on the 
 Speaker, but alfo the Subjeft of his Dif- 
 courfe. Religion •, but the Prifoner would 
 not be put befides himfelf by the rafh Pre- 
 tence that he already was fo ^ and had no 
 more loft his Manners than his Senfes. He 
 firft beftows Terms of Refped on the Revi- 
 ler, and then turns to one he prefum'd 
 more difpos'd for Attention, King Agrippa^ 
 believesi thou the Prophets .<? / know that 
 thou believesi: -^ I will not, cannot think but 
 that you are well read in the ancient Pre- 
 diftions concerning the MeJJiah^ and fatis- 
 fied too as to the full Accomplilhment of 
 them in Jefus, And when Agrippa by his 
 Reply feem'd to give a Look towards Con- 
 verfion, hqw folicitous v/as he to carry him 
 farther, how concern'd to have him fetled 
 within the Pale of Chriftianity > 
 
 a^ VVe 
 
53^ St> Tavls Chriflian Gallantry. 
 
 We read in the feign d Account of the 
 Prodigal Son that upon his Retreat home- 
 wards, while he was yet a great way off, 
 the Father reach'd him with his Compaf- 
 lions ;> and as if the Heart had fet the Feet 
 at liberty in fpite of x\ge, he ran to fall on 
 his Neck and kifs him. And we read in the 
 real Hiftory of the inqmCitivc j/oitng Ruler ^ 
 that upon that Declaration, All the Com- 
 ?nandments have I kept from ?ny Touth tip^ 
 Jefus looking upon him^ loved him^ that is, 
 with a Love of Tendernefs and Pity, and 
 inftrufted him farther hov/ he might make 
 fure of eternal Life. 
 
 And have we not St, faul copying after 
 the Divine Precedent, even to Exadnefs ? 
 No fooner did the King faintly own aKind- 
 nefs for the new Inftitution, but this fet 
 his Affeftions at work to contrive the per- 
 fefting of the good Defires. The remoteft 
 Tendencies to an holy Faith were a wel- 
 come pifcovery , and nothing he defires 
 iVxOXQ than the Improvement of them into a 
 State of Grace and Salvation. 
 
 He congratulates the bare Appearance of 
 Ingenuity, and tells him 'twas a thoufand 
 Pities he had not lifted himfelf by this 
 time in the number of true Believers. Al- 
 moft thou perfuaileft me to be a Chrijlian^ 
 was an Acknowledgment not w^orthier of a 
 Grandee^ than the Rejoinder was of a Di- 
 vine. I would to God that thou wert ?iot on- 
 
St. PaulV Cbrijiian Gallantry. 231 
 
 ly almojl^ hut altogether fnch as I am. Well 
 but, you'll fay, does it not carry with it 
 an Air of Pride and Oftentation > Does it 
 not look like vain Glory and a fifhing for 
 Praife to wifli another fuch as himfelf? 
 No, it cannot do fo in our Apoftle, who, 
 tho* he had been once of that godly Party, 
 was never fo far, as to be tindur'd with 
 this Leaven of the Pharifees. 
 
 Such Sounds we hear not but from empty 
 Vejfeh. On the contrary, the pure Stile of 
 Humility runneth through his Epiftles. What 
 modeft Hyperboles came from him ? 1 am 
 the chief of Sinners^ the leafl of the Apojlles, 
 What decent Remembrances of his unrege- 
 nerate State ? / was a Blafphemer and a Per- 
 fecutor. What grateful Refledions on Di- 
 vine Dependence? By the Grace of God I 
 am what I am. When the fouleft /Vfper- 
 fions call'd for a perfonal Defence, what 
 Struggles were there between the Hatred of 
 Vanity and the Love of Truth ? / am be- 
 come a fool in glorying^ hut ye have compel- 
 led me. When he did upon mere Compui- 
 fion alfert his Apoftolick Authority and 
 Zea], with what Abatements was the Com- 
 mendation clog'd ? Jn nothing am I hehind 
 the very chief eft Apofles^ yet I am 7iothing. 
 I would to God, then , that you were alto- 
 gether fuch as 1 am^ could not be the Lan- 
 guage of Infolence and Boafting , but of 
 Companion and good Nature. It is the or- 
 
 Q^ 4 dinary 
 
53? St> PaxjlV Chriflian Callaatry. 
 
 dinary Pradice of the truly Pious to tell 
 what they ivould be , not what they are. 
 And accordingly it was his. MoH gladly 
 would he have rather gloried in his Infirmjties. 
 But as the Credit of his Apoftle'lhip one 
 while, fo now the Demonilration of his 
 Q^ncern for the hitereft of Souls as well 
 Remanded as occafion'd an handfom men- 
 tion of himfelf. He entertain'd a mighty 
 regard for the ^rofc{{&d half Christian^ and 
 to let hi:Ti fee he did, prays that his own 
 Cafe may be his*, which would render hirn 
 an entire one, wanting nothing. Nay fo 
 intenfe was his good Nature, in recommen- 
 ding his own Cafe, he makes a tender re- 
 ferve of fuch Circumftances as would have 
 ielTen'd the Favour of the Comparifon. I 
 ivoidd you were fuch as I am^ except thefe 
 Bonds. Here is indeed the Rhetorick of the 
 Schools^ the Con)piaifanre of the Courts and 
 what is greater yet, the Sincerity of the 
 Cofpel ! Were it in the Capacity of the 
 Heart to conceive more generous Thoughts, 
 in the Power of Words to fet out greater 
 Benevolence ? The bitter Cup which his 
 Sayiour had given him, he could reUfli well 
 enough himfelf^ but he fcorn'd, knowing 
 the unfuitabknefs of it to other Men's 
 Tails, to let that go in the Inventory of 
 Chriflian Privileges. He had no evil Eye 
 at Agrippas Crown, no other Defign upon 
 his i-^erion, than to add to his Glory. He 
 
 anight 
 
St. ?AVLs ChrijiiaH Gallantry. CJ 3 3 
 
 might continue, for all him,, as great as he 
 pleafed, fo he would but become as good 
 9s he ought to be. This was the Apoftle's 
 aim, find this the Letter of his Addrefs, as 
 well as the meaning. But while he was 
 thus benevolent towards the King^ he did 
 not forget the SubjeBs *, tho' if we confider 
 who they were, he had but little Tempta- 
 tion to remember them with Civility. The 
 Jews that came down from Jemfalem to Ca- 
 farea to lay many grievous Complaints againfi 
 hirn^ Jlood round about in the Place of Hea- 
 ring^ and yet his Ghoftly Blefling is general 
 and unlimited, like the Mercies of God, / 
 would to God that not only thou^ but all that 
 hear me this Day^ were both almoft and alto- 
 gether fuch as I am : Nay too he excepts 
 the Bonds^ with which he flood opprefs'd 
 by their means, from having a place in ths 
 Wifh, and yet excepts none from having a 
 fliare in the Contents of it. 
 
 His Country-men could not have injured 
 him worfe than they did, in a greater de- 
 gree, or in more Inftances. The only In- 
 gredients of mortal Happinefs, Liberty, Re-^ 
 putation, Livelihood, they aftually wrefted 
 from him, and the Foundation both of it 
 and them, they were ftriking at with the 
 utmoft vehemence, Life it felf. But he 
 had the Gift of a forgiving Temper to fuch 
 Perfedion as to deal with 'em, notwith- 
 ilanding, as with Men that had not injur d 
 
 him 
 
a 34^ St. Vavls Chriftian Gallantry. 
 
 him at dll^ intereft 'em in his devouteft Li- 
 tany, and befeech Heaven that they might 
 have the Grace to clofe with Chriflianity, 
 but not the Misfortune to fufFer for it. 
 So that Charity which feeketh not her own 
 exclufively of others Welfare, thi?iketh no 
 Evil by way of vindidive Reprizal, doth 
 not behave it felf imfeemly^ is not eafily pro- 
 voked^ heareth all things , now, if ever, ex- 
 erted thofe lovely and loving Qualities to 
 the Life. 
 
 Nor was the Method of Management lefs 
 prudential than ingenuous. The View he 
 aded upon, was to work good Impreflions, 
 and admifujler Grace unto the Hearers. And 
 what could have been more effedual to 
 that purpofe, what better for the ufe of edi- 
 fying^ than the Communication which procee- 
 ded out of his Mouth ^ 
 
 As elevated Stations are commonly very 
 unfriendly to nice Vertue, fo Agrippa was 
 far from ftanding clear of Immoralities, un- 
 lefs InceH and all the ugly Train of atten- 
 ding Vileneffes deferve a better Name. And 
 therefore perhaps St. Paul may be condemn'd 
 by our firft Thoughts for the Tendernefs of 
 his Application. We filly Things may ima- 
 gine he fhould have fell to work with his 
 Vices, when it was faid, Almosi thou perfua- 
 deH me to be a Chriflian^ and alTured him, 
 that he could not be Ahnosi a Chriftian, till 
 he quite ceas'd to be a Libertine. But our 
 
 Apoftle, 
 
St. Pavls Chrijiian Gallantry. ^[35 
 
 Apoftle, who enjoyM the Divine Tutorage 
 of God's Holy Spirit, knew what he did^ 
 and that he ought as little to tranfcribe the 
 barefac'd Reproaches of an halty Zealot, as 
 the fulfom Flatteries of a glozing TertuUus 
 which he pradis'd upon Felix. It was not 
 for want of Courage but Occafion, that he 
 forbore the Freedom. He could reafoti with 
 Opennefs before an adulterous Felix ^ ofRigh- 
 teoufnefs , Temperance , and Judgment to 
 come^ not flaying to confider whether the 
 plain dealing might not expofe him to Ex- 
 tremities^ and lay the Sins of the Right- 
 worlhipful fo home to him as to make him 
 tremble. But as, generally fpeaking, it is 
 not fit to fay to a King^ Thou art wicked^ 
 or to Princes^ ye are ungodly *, fo a down- 
 right Reproof would have been moft impro- 
 per in the Conference with King Agrtppa^ 
 becaufe unnecefTary. He might be worked 
 upon a more excellent way, that is, with 
 fweet Addrefs and holy Artifice ^ as is evi- 
 dent from the Event. St. Paul made it 
 matter of Prefumption, that a Jew believjed 
 the Prophets 5 and the bare attributing of 
 this Belief to Agrippa produced in him kind 
 and favourable Thoughts of Chriftianity. 
 And when one Complement or ftretch of 
 Courtefy, as we may call it, had wrought 
 fo well, there was Encouragement enough 
 for beftowing another. So he comes upon 
 him with an obliging Rejoinder, / would 
 
 to 
 
2^6 ' St. PaulV Chrifiian Gallantry. 
 
 to God thou wert not only almoH^ but alto- 
 gether fuch a^s I anty except thefe Bonds : 
 where 'twas well the Bonds made an Ex- 
 ception in the courted Likenefs. For had 
 he invited him to Chriftianity and to Chains 
 at the fame time, he would have feem'd by 
 fuch an odd mixture of an Addrefs rather 
 to envy the great Pomp and Parade with 
 which he and Berenice entred.the Tribunal, 
 than to put him in a way of becoming hap- 
 pier ftilL If ye fuffer for Right eoufnefs- 
 fake^ happy are ye, was a Maxim withChri- 
 ftians, but a Paradox to Jews, whofe Reli- 
 gion was endeared to them by temporal Pro- 
 inifes and Bleflings •, and a Crowned Head 
 efpecially would never have bore being told, 
 that it were a Providence to be wifh'd, to 
 be made at once a Difciple and a Prifoner 
 of Jefus Chrift, and turned out of a vo- 
 luptuous Palace into a mortifying Durance : 
 Whereas the foft well-worded Reply to that 
 Confeflion of being half perfuaded to turn 
 Profelyte, might probably have carried the 
 Impreflion deeper, 'Tis mod certain, it 
 touched the Heart ^ which if it be not the 
 Seat of Conviction, is an Avenue that muft 
 be gain'd before Argument can have accefs 
 to it. He thereupon pitied him that was 
 in Bonds as bound with him, and as hear- 
 tily wifti'd it had been in his Power to re- 
 leafe the Apojlk^ as the other did, it had 
 
 been 
 
Sh Paul' J* Chtifiian Galldnfry. ^37 
 
 been in his to inflate the King in the glo- 
 rioiis Liberty of the Sons of God, 
 
 Nor was the Diffhfivenefs of the Charity 
 an impertinent Circumftance in it. Thofe 
 who are well acquainted with the Springs 
 and Methods of human Paffions, are no 
 Strangers to the hifluence of good Lan- 
 guage. Unexpefted CiviHty has often fur- 
 priz'd an Enemy into Friendfhip. ' And 
 St. Paul might hope an affeftionate Bleffing 
 beftowed, where nothing was looked for 
 but Curfes, might melt down the Wrath of 
 his Accufers, and foften 'em into a liking 
 not only of his Perfon but his Doftrine. 
 Truly, how could the moft inveterate Spite 
 be impregnable to fuch enamouring Good- 
 nefs ? When a poor Sufferer thus breath 'd 
 out his Compaflions, — I would to God, all 
 that hear ?ne this day were fuch as I am^ as 
 well Adverfaries as Friends, bating that Se- 
 verity of Fetters which they have impos'd 
 on me, how could they forbear anfwering 
 in the Language of Eli to meek Hannah, 
 Go in Peace ^ and God grant thy Petition, 
 that is, make us fuch as thy felf in point 
 both of Faith and Pradice. Indeed Fad came 
 Ihort of this. He did not overcome Evil 
 with Good, any more than he was over- 
 come of Evil 5 but ftill the Endeavour was 
 commendable, and it had been fuccefsful ' 
 too, had there not been as great Prodigies 
 in Morality as in Nature, 
 
 Thus 
 
238 S^' PatjlV Chriflian Gallantry. 
 
 Thus I have illuftrated the Demeanour 
 of St. Paul as well as I could, but to fet 
 it out in all its amiable Colours, requir'd 
 a Genius of Eloquence like his. 
 
 The praflical Obfervations that by way of 
 Inference may be raifed from it are thefe, 
 
 I. That we mud hlefs them that curfe 
 tiSy and pray for fitch as defpitefuUy nfe and 
 perfecnte iis. 
 
 This is a Doclrine which our Lord had 
 long before exprefly delivered in his Ser- 
 nwn 5 and very lively exemplify 'd in his 
 Vractice , and fuch Authorities are fuffici- 
 ent for the Recommendation of the hardeft 
 Leflbn. But if inferiour Precedents from 
 Men of like Paffions and Infirmities with 
 our felves have any additional force, the 
 Text will help us to a very good one. For 
 was ever Malice wound up to an higher 
 pitch than in his Profecution, or Charity 
 exerted in nobler Strains than in his Con- 
 duft ? The High Prieft and Elders laid at 
 his door the greateft Crimes without the 
 leaft Foundation, even thofe of Sedition in 
 the State, and Innovations in the Church , 
 and yet he could make a Temple of a Tri- 
 bunal, and turn it into a Place of Devotion 
 for them. They confpir'd his Deftrudion, 
 and yet he prayed for their Salvation^ He 
 wifti'd 'em his Graces, but hot his Chains , 
 all the Good that was in him, but none of 
 the Evils that were ttpoii him -y all the Good 
 
 that 
 
St.?AV LS Chrifiian Gallantry. 2 3 9 
 
 that was in him, tho' that was the very 
 Root of all their Bitternefs •, but none of 
 the Evils that were upon him , the* thofe 
 were the Fruits of it. 
 
 And does not this wonderful, this felf-. 
 denying PalTage, call out our Thoughts and 
 our'Wilhes into the Service of God's Ene- 
 mies anil ours? Does it not loudly didate 
 Interceflion to us, and powerfully befpeak 
 a generous overlooking of Trefpaffes and 
 Indignities? In true Conftruclion, our ^- 
 pofile in his Fetters before the enraged 
 Multitude, thus fcattering his Largeffes of 
 Benedidion among them, was a much grea- 
 ter Man than Agrippa in all his Glory, fit- 
 ting on the Judgment-Seat to fentence him. 
 And therefore fuch, to be fure, are loft to 
 all Sence of Honour as well as Morality, 
 that think much to imitate fo venerable a 
 Pattern of Chriftian Bravery. 
 
 2. We obferve, in the Words before us, 
 the Slight and Contempt that a manly fuffe- 
 ring Vertite paffes upon earthly Grandeur^ 
 It has been always held convenient that 
 Magijlracy fliould be diftinguifti'd by out- 
 ward Figure. Furs and Scarlet^ Title and 
 Retinue, go for neceffary Appendages j and 
 they really are fo. But then the Neceflity 
 has but an uncreditable Original, the Ig- 
 norance of the Multitude, who meafure 
 out Duty in Proportion to Appearances, A- 
 las! thefe things are at the bottom defpi-^ 
 
 cable. 
 
2J^o St Paul'j' Chriftian Gallantry. 
 
 cable, as mean as the Minds that value 
 them. Se7ife is affefted by them ^ but fo is 
 not Reafofi , much lefs Grace -^ the former 
 lets us into the fecret of their Appoint- 
 ment, informing us that they are indeed a 
 Guard to Authority by the Favour of vul- 
 gar iVpprehenfions about them, but no Ad^ 
 dition of Worth to the Man that bears it ; 
 the latter tramples on them as mere gilded 
 Trifles that belong only to this World, a 
 Scene of Vanities, and perifli with it. That 
 this is no idle Speculation ^ let St* faurs 
 Behaviour witnefs. When Agrippa appear'd 
 in his Robes, and his Chair of State, with 
 flanting Berenice by his fide , and a Train 
 of Nobles about him, the gazing Populace 
 no doubt were a w'd with the Solemnity^ 
 and it was expeded that the fuppos'd Cri* 
 minal (hould be fo too: Yea he really 
 had been fo , had he brought Guilt along 
 with him to help out the Impreffion. But 
 fo far was he from trembling before that 
 mighty Prefence , fo far from being ftruck 
 dumb with, the Parade , that he fpeaks 
 out boldly as he ought to fpeak. Un* 
 confcioufnefs of Mifdemeanour gave art 
 affured Air, and a graceful Freedom*, and 
 the abiding Conviction on his Mind of 
 better things to come enabled him to de- 
 fpife the things that were fcen. Had he 
 faid to the proud Mortal, with an Accent 
 of AdmiratioUj Would I were a4 thou art^ 
 
5^ PAUL'i' Chrijiian Gallantry. 2/^1 
 
 fet aloft in Power and GJory, he had deli- 
 vered the Wiflies of half the Company in 
 refpedof themfelves^ but tho' he pleafed 
 fill Mm ^ he could flatter none. No, this 
 was the big Language of the Chriftian He- 
 To^ and it well became him, Would to Gad 
 thou wert as I ani^ and then thou wouldft 
 be truly happy. He was not in love with 
 Chains himfelf, and fo did not recommend 
 them-, but he could challenge even Majefty 
 to furnifh out fuch Materials for Felicity, 
 as his Zeal help d him to, that put themon. 
 
 There is no Comparifori then betwixt 
 the Glitter of a Crorm and the Glories of 
 the Crofsj between the Amufements of Ho- 
 nour and the Comforts of Religion. While 
 others place their Merit in their Show, pious 
 Souls find a Worth in themfelves that fets 
 them much above it. Whihl: the fiinple 
 Crowd adore Riches with a ftupid and a- 
 ftonifti'd Reverence, They fmile at the De- 
 lufion , and pity them. While haughty 
 Sinners are undone by Profperity, and led in 
 golden Fetters to Perdition, They hug their 
 guiltlefs and fecure Poverty ,they rather enjoy 
 than fuffer their Afflictions, and knowing 
 themfelves to be far more honourable before 
 God than they can be ignominious before 
 the World , they bear up bravely againft 
 the Horrors of a Prifon, the Infults of ar- 
 to;wj Tribunals, and the Fa ins of Martyr- 
 dom, '^^^n-:,yv 
 
343 St. Paul*/ Chrifiian Gallantry. ' 
 
 3. Another Remark offers, touching the 
 Eflfeds of a true and hearty Converfion^ that 
 tit is generally attended with more than or- 
 dinary Heights of Fiety and Vertiie. For 
 progf hereof I might refer you to Manaf- 
 fes^ Zacbeus^ Mary Magdalen^ and other 
 Penitents*^ but the eminent one in the Text 
 is a fufHcient Evidence 5 and if we went no 
 farther than the Text, we ftiould find him 
 fo. For how does he here forgive becaufe 
 himfelf had been forgiven, and exprefs an 
 earneftnefs to communicate that Good to q- 
 thers which he had received from God ! 
 But we have other flights of Compaflion 
 from him, more wonderful if it be poflible. 
 In his firft Epiftle, he thus befpeaks th$ 
 Theffalonians, We were gentle aniong yoii^ 
 even as a T>Iurfe cherijfjeth her Children. 
 Melting Tendernefs indeed ! And yet he 
 rifes higher in the next Verfe. We were, 
 wiliing to have imparted tint a you not the 
 Gofpel of God onlyy but t^lfo our own Souls 
 pr Liyes, becaufe ye were dear unto us. 
 In his fecond to the Corinthians^ he tells 
 them, th.2it out of ?nuch AffeQion and Anguifh 
 of Heart he wrote unto them with many 
 Tears, 7iot that they (hould be grieved^ but 
 that they might hiorp the Love which be had 
 tnore abundantly uxito them. And did not 
 every Sentence, Woi;d, Syllable of the kin^ 
 Addrefs carry a -sraG©^ \yith it fufficient to 
 fet them all a v/eeping for Joy and Tran- 
 
 fport \ 
 
St. PAUL'i' Chriflian Gallantry. ^43 
 
 fport ? In that to the Philippians we find 
 him contented to abide longer in the Flejh^ 
 wherein he groan d being burthen dy and to 
 be absent from the Lord, in whofe Prefence 
 there is fulnefs of Joy, becaufe it was need- 
 ful for theniy for their Edification and their 
 Comfort. In that to the Romans he wifhes 
 himfelf accurfed from Chriji for his Bre- 
 thren , his Kinfmen according to the Flejb^ 
 meaning this at lead by the Hyperbole, that 
 their Salvation lay next his Heart, and he 
 would have been glad almoft upon any 
 Terms to purchafe it. 
 
 Such were his Expreflions, and he took 
 care to verify them by labouring more a- 
 bundantly than others. Indeed he was al- 
 ways meditating new Labours for his Zeal 
 and new Advantages for the Church. By 
 owning himfelf the chief of Sinners^ he ob- 
 liged himfelf to be the chief of all Chrift's 
 Votaries -^ and at length he died a Martyr 
 for the Faith, who had been himfelf a Per- 
 fecutor of Martyrs. 
 
 And the fame in fome meafure is the 
 Conduft of all fincere Converts to Religion. 
 They think, they more efpecially owe the 
 World the Bleflings of a good Example and 
 an adive Life, by way of Expiation for 
 former Scandals *, they confider they were 
 born 074t of due time, and fet out late upon 
 their Duty, and that therefore they (hould 
 double their pace in order to overtake- the 
 
 R 2 moj-e 
 
44- ^^' Paul'/ Chriftian Gallantry. 
 
 more forward Chriftians, and fliew thek 
 good Will to the Race fet before them. 
 Purfuantly to thefe animating Reflexions, 
 they ftudy to ferye God and their Neigh- 
 bour in the moft eminent way and meafure 
 poffible. Where another's Heart pities, their 
 Bowels yern. Where an ordinary Chri- 
 ftian confines himfelf to fuch a Piety as 
 may juft carry him out of danger, they di- 
 ftinguiih themfelves by the moft generous 
 Efforts of Zeal, as Men not at all afraid of 
 bidding too high for Happinefs. 
 
 It is no wonder therefore there is fo 
 much Jojf 171 Heaven over a Sinner that re- 
 penteth^ but rather that there is fo little on 
 Earth upon that Occafione The Fruits of 
 Repentance doubtlefs which Men on Earth 
 are the only Partakers of, are fuch as may 
 juftly challenge it , and they don't deferve 
 to partake of them, that will not welcome 
 the good Tidings. Reformation, we are 
 fure, is the next beft thing to Innocence, I 
 had almoft faid a great deal better in regard 
 of Confequences. And if he that recovers 
 one Perfonfrom the Error of his way, and 
 fo faveth a Soul from Death, is to be eftee- 
 med very highly for the work-fake, the 
 Perfon recovered will be worthy of double 
 Honour 5 becaufe likely , as w^eli on the 
 fcore of Inclination as Capacity, to turn 
 ^many unto Righteoufnefs. 
 
 4, Hence 
 
St. PaulV Chirifiian Gallamry. 245 
 
 4, Hence we learn that Self-Vindkaitons 
 in fome Circumftances are very donfiftent 
 not only with a modei*ate Vertiie, but £- 
 ijangelical PerfeSion : For otherwife fo big 
 a Comparifon had never drop'd from the 
 greateft of Saints. To run out into Perfo^ 
 nal Praifes is ever an invidious, often ari 
 unwarrantable Freedom •, and it looks as if 
 a Man had as little Merit as Ingenuity,' 
 when he enlarges oh his own Charad:dr/ 
 But as to every Purpofe under Heaven ther 3 
 is a Seafi?!, fo certainly for Apologies. Wh'dr? 
 we lye under the weight of an ill-plac'd^ 
 Cenfure 5 we may, nay w© muft db 5ur 
 utmoft to remove it ; for a burden of *thi# 
 kind is an Oppreflion to Truth as weirk^ 
 Honour ♦, and if that fuffers, Religion wil^ 
 fo too ^ it being undeniable that nothing 
 lenders a Perfon fo uncapable of doing 
 good, as the being reputed bad. St » Paid 
 therefore made bold to glance upon the In- 
 offenfivenefs of his own Behaviour, when; 
 reproach'd for the contrary 5 and knoWing> 
 that a good Name was fuperiour to all Blef- 
 fings but that which made it one, 'a'good; 
 Confcience, would fee that noile (hc>uM; 
 make his glorymg void\ Indeed elfewhere^ 
 he does more thaii glance, he enlarges ofi^ 
 his Endov^ments, Graces ,^ Privileges , but 2 Cor. ir, 
 then not without a mention of Neceflity bn^ 
 one hstnd and Reludaiicy on the other. 
 
 R ^ And 
 
"2^6 St. ?AVLs Chrijiian Gallantry: 
 
 And the Liberty he took may be repea- 
 ted with the Occafion : But fo will the Re- 
 gret too, or we are not Followers of St. Paul 
 as he was of ChriH, 
 
 It is pity the Dirt of Infamy fhould be 
 laid at his door, that keeps himfelf unfpot- 
 ted from the World •, but it is a Iharae to 
 let it lye there, when a modeft Defence 
 may wipe it off. And Refervednefs in this 
 Cafe as necelTarily brings him under the 
 guilt of Careleflhefs, as unprovoked Narra- 
 tives of himfelf would under that of Often- 
 tation. 
 
 5. Hence we learn, prudential ^nd art- 
 ful Management may very well ftand with 
 a Principle of true Religion. Wifdom and 
 Goodnefs are feldom found together in Pra-- 
 8ice 5 but this is not the Effed or Quarrel 
 of their Natures. They are confiftent in 
 Theory j and it is the Endeavour of Scrip- 
 ture as well by Example as Precept, to 
 unite them in a fweet and a loving Har- 
 mony. 
 
 St. Paul certainly was an happy Inftance 
 of both i and every Scene he aded in 
 brought each of them to the Teft. When 
 brought to a Trial by a Council of his own 
 Nation, and perceiving that the one part 
 ivere Sadducees^ and the other PharifeeSy 
 he crieth out^ Men and Brethren^ I a?n a 
 Pharifee^ the Son of a Pharifee: of the Hope 
 and RefurreBion of the De/fd I am caWd in 
 
 qt4e(iion. 
 
SL Pavl^s Chriflian Gallantry. ^47 
 
 ^uejiion. Now the thing he feid was true 5 
 for the Reftirreftion Wa^ an effential Point 
 df the Religion for which he waS call'd in 
 queftion , and it impHed tod an excellerit 
 Argument dd Homines, to Pharifces, in be- 
 half of Chtiftianity and himfelf, viz. that 
 'twas unreafonablc for them who were Af- 
 fertors of the kefurreftioti to perfecute that 
 Religion, and the Abetters of it, which efta- 
 blifh'd their own Doftrine. And it fped 
 accordingly. For the AfTembly unanimous 
 ih confpiring his ruin were divided there- 
 upon. The ikilful Turn broke the mifchic- 
 vous Confederacy, and made one half of 
 them his Friends. Nor did Succefs only 
 attend it, but Approbation too : As appears 
 by the next Night's Vifion, which gave Te-, 
 ftimony to him that he had witnejfed a good ^^^ 2^ 4; 
 Canfejjion, 
 
 The Conduft we have been confideririg 
 comes up to the Smartnefs of that Apology^ 
 Here were Prefence of Mind and Readi- 
 nefs of Wit to nick the Temper of his Ad- 
 verfary, and take Advantage of his Con- 
 ceffions. 
 
 The Defence \\t made before the blood v 
 l^ero is loft among other defirable Pieces of 
 Chriftian Antiquity *^ but from the other 
 Pleadings delivered dov^n to us by Divine 
 Providence, we may well judge, it alfo ob- 
 ferv'd the Accommodations of Addrefs, aiid 
 every befriending Circumftance. Indeed 
 
 R 4 he 
 
148 St. Vavls Chrijiian Gallantry. 
 
 he had a wonderful Talent in approaching 
 the Paffions, and he made a frequent ufe 
 of it. His Writings are full of brifk Sal- 
 lies, furprizing Interrogatories, and notable 
 Allufions: And he muft be a very inadver- 
 tent Reader that does not difcern in all of 
 them a. very artificial way of Infinuation in- 
 to the Minds of Men. 
 
 And wherein fhould we be to blame, if 
 we carefully wrote after fo fair and inge- 
 nious a Copy ? Policy and Inventioji , as 
 oft as they are mifus'd to the worft of 
 Purpofes, are applicable to very good ones ^ 
 and we may, no doubt, guard tlie Conve- 
 niencies of this Life by Warinefs and Pre- 
 caution , provided we do nothing againfl 
 the Interefts of the other. 
 
 6. Hence alfo we learn , that when we 
 would reclaim a Man from his Follies, we 
 ought to exprefs a friendly Concern^ for his 
 Perfon. 
 
 This was not only in the Text, but al- 
 ways the Apoftolical Method. With what 
 affedionate Compellations and humble 
 Stoops does St. feter addrefs the unthinking 
 Jews? Dearly Beloved^ Ibefeechyou, abjiain 
 from flefloh Lufls which war aga'mfi the SouL 
 The Pamon of a Father, and the Deference 
 of a Supplicant, meet together to ulher in 
 his Advice. With what Softnefs of Style, and 
 Prefaces of Refpeft, does St. Paul admonifh 
 the fadious Corinthians^ When he might 
 
 have 
 
St. PAXJL^i' Chriftian Gallantry. a 49 
 
 have come with a judicial Rod^ or a fliarp 
 Rebuke^ he prefers the Spirit of Meek?tefs -, 
 when he might have dealt out abfolute In- 
 jundions and indifputable Authority^ he 
 befeeches them to ^ avoid Divifwns by the^-ame j com, 
 ofoiirLord Jefus, c2i\h them Brethren^ tho* 
 they walk'd diforderly, and labours to win 
 them over to Unity by all the endearing 
 Inftances of pathetick Eloquence. No o- 
 ther Expedients than theRhetorick of Tears 
 and/the Charms of Love were apply'd by thefe 
 primitive Reformers. And no body can fay 
 but, that, they did the Work effedually which 
 God gave them Jo do, by adding to the 
 Chiiifch daily fuch? as fhould be faved. It 
 is a; grofs Miftake!,then to iiiaagine that 
 Zeal and! Gentlenets are. irreconciiiable. 
 There: is no new thing imder the Sim: That 
 which hath been^ is 7iow^ that is, the fameDif- 
 pofition in Sinners, as formerly, the fame Ef- 
 fipcy in. the fame^ Me;ans of Impreffion ^ 
 and therefore God requires thajt which is 
 pasi^ in order to thpir Recovery,^ ,ti^e fame 
 Meafuresof Behaviour towards them. -No- 
 thing , to be fure, doth reafon more right 
 than the Coolnefs of him that offers it. 
 
 Notbutthata more than ordinary Warmth, 
 yea Bluntnefs of Expreilion, may be proper 
 upon an univerfal Slumber , to, jaswaken 
 Men out of a ^carnal Security ^n\ ^immo- 
 derate Zeal for what they call Moderation^) 
 
 but 
 
 I Of 
 
St. Paul'^ Chrijiian Gallantry. 
 
 but m^y Indifference, at a time when the 
 Spirit of the World ovettakes fome, and 
 that of Gal/io befots others. But this Con- 
 duft is the laft Refort of Chriftian Piety , 
 and never put in Praftice by the Wife and 
 Sober , but with an uriwiliing Mind, and 
 in Compliance with Neceflity. They would 
 not have Deputies turn'd aw^y from the 
 Faith, nor Felixes withftand it 5 and there- 
 fore they crj; aloud and [pare not^ being no- 
 thing terrified by their Adverfaries. But 
 ftill they look upon Severity only as an oc^ 
 cafwnal Good, like a rough medicinal Ap- 
 plication in a defperate Cafe, In their Opi- 
 nion , remote fide-wind Reproofs and bare 
 Hints to Duty, ordinarily fpeaking, are fuf-^-^ 
 ficient , and they count themfelves ha^^y, 
 when they find Mens Apprehenfions awake~ 
 for them. 
 
 7. And laftly^ The particular Nature bf 
 that Expreflion in the Text teaches us that 
 to give a Grace and Authority to our Dif- 
 fuafives from Vice, we ftiould (hew in our 
 own Perfons a lively Draught of thofe Ver- 
 tues we recommend to others. 
 
 Even an heathen Critick would allow the 
 Speech to Agrippa to be Oratory j but that 
 which chiefly makes it fuch in the Account 
 of a Chriftian , is St. Pauh fetting forth 
 himfelfin it as an Example of the wifh'd-for 
 Graces and Perfeftions. For nothing is fo 
 
 moving 
 
 4 
 
St. PaulV Chrijiian Gallantry. 1:^1^ t 
 
 moving and Argumentative for Piety, as the 
 ftill Voice of Piety it felf ^ and where reli- 
 gious Difcourfe difputes one Sinner mto 
 Repentance, an holy Converfation backing 
 it, wtnneth thoufands. That which would 
 reach the Heart muft come from it. Men 
 will be fatisfyed of the Sincerity of the Ad- 
 vifer before they can be convinced of the 
 Reafonablenefs of the Advice. And what 
 can give this Satisfaftion but the Correfpon- 
 dency of his Manners ? Sound Dodrine in- 
 deed, yea and found Principles too, 'tis cer- 
 tain, may be attended with a very corrupt 
 Behaviour, becaufe Thought is not always 
 awake , and that is neceffary to make 'em 
 pradical. But there is nothing to fliew 
 that fuch in reality are our Sentiments, or ^ 
 Principles, when the Deportment is contra- 
 diftory 5 yea it is but reafonable to imagine 
 they are- not fo, becaufe the inward Senti- 
 itient naturally draws its own Pifture in 
 the outward Adion, and he that believeth 
 well, to be confident with himfelf , muft 
 walk fo too. The Security then ;is to our 
 being in EanieB^ when we prefs a Duty upon 
 our Brethren, and confequently the Succefs of 
 the Exhortation depends upon a conforniable" 
 Pradice. Let the Difcourfes of the Wicked 
 be never fo feraphical, they are not at all af- 
 feding •, becaufe the heavenly Life, which 
 would make 'era fo, is. wanting. But if it 
 
 appears 
 
a 5 2 St. Pavls Chrijiian Gallantry. 
 
 appears we have preach'd to our own Souls, 
 what we deliver to our Auditory, this be- 
 fpeaks Attention to it, this doubles the Im-' 
 preflion. If we- tan but fay without Vani-, 
 ty, after the great Doftor of the Gentiles^ 
 I would to God all that hear me were fuch 
 as I am^ we may fay fo with EflFeft, and 
 render 'em fuch as we would have them ; 
 ferfuade them at laft to become not only 
 almost but altogether good Chrijiians. ^ Fot 
 let me add , that the Blefling of God goes 
 along with fuch Mens Endeavours, and de- 
 lights to profper them. Becaufe they are 
 not only doing his Work, but crediting 
 it too, he efteems himfelf as it were bound 
 in Honour to fecond it with his Providence, 
 that fo they may be credited in their Turn, 
 and rejoice in the Fruits of their holy Toil. 
 Sometimes indeed it falls out otherwife. 
 The very Hiflory we are upon is an In- 
 Galat4.n.ftance, and the Remonftrances of our Apo- 
 Heb.5. i2.jfl:le in other Places , are the Language of 
 Jealoufy if not Defpair. But then this hap- 
 pens but fometimes^ and when it does, the 
 fuppos'd Reafons of it make Amends for 
 the Difappointment. The confcientious 
 Labourer of God's Vineyard concludes the 
 Misfortune now fent only to try his Pati- 
 ence in the Gofpel ^ exercife his Humility, 
 and diftinguifli his Conduft *, and fo receives 
 it as a kind Severity with Submiflion. He 
 
 imputes 
 
St. P AU Ls Chrtflian Gallantry. 253 
 
 imputes noOmiflion norMifconduft to him- 
 felf ^ he hath done all that was fit for him 
 to do, but it pleas'd the Divine Wifdom to 
 difappoint him. Tho' he cannot therefore 
 look pleafant on the Event, yet he will not- . • 
 withftanding it^ and this is his rejoicings 
 that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity , not 
 with flejhly Wifiom, he has had his Conver- 
 fation in the World. 
 
 GOD 
 
I 
 
 C5 O D made Man : 
 
 O R, 
 
 Z EAL 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 Caufe of Chriftianity 
 
 Recommended. 
 AND OUR 
 
 Saviour's Miraculous Faft 
 
 Enlarg'd upon ; 
 In Two 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 Preach'd before the 
 
 Univerfity ^/OXFORD: 
 
 The one on Sunday^ Dec. ip. 1708, 
 
 the other on the i/? Sunday in Lent^ 1709. 
 
 LOVBONj Printed in the Year 171 2. 
 
■^, .'-T T 
 
 
 X 
 
 %. 
 
'■i'i X 
 
 ?57: 
 
 THE ,1 
 
 PRE FAC Ei- 
 
 nr^HE great Dejire I always had of clecla-^ 
 ■* ring my moH ^MtiixARegards for that ve^' v 
 nerable Seat of Learning, , In which thefe 
 well'tneaning Sermons had the Honour of their 
 firsi Delivery^ will attone^ Ihope^ for my Im' 
 difcretion^ if there he any^ in publtfhingthemi ,«. 
 
 Their great 4^gu?nents ^ the Nature and' 
 Aftions of our blefled Saviour, / am very 
 fenfihle ^ have fuffered by coarfe handling-^ 
 hut this lieth only in f/?^ ornamental part:, f 
 have not to my Knowledge mifreprefented eh^ 
 ther-j and fo the Piflure.^^ true and refemr 
 i?ling^ it is enough ^ thp\^ it ifalieth infinite^ 
 jhort of the OriginaL 
 
 If there he any thing in any of my Papers^ 
 at ali exceptionable y in point either of Doftrine 
 or Application, I mim take the Shame ^ of it' 
 to my felf having no Right to the common Plea^ 
 the Prejudices of Education. For certainly 
 
 r' any part of the Chxi^im World be the 
 illar of Truth, it is the ApoftolicalChurch 
 of England ; If any particular Societies may 
 he look'diipon as tbeStandards of Orthodoxy,, 
 they are our xmo famous Univer'fities. Whate- 
 ver Prejudices^ Calumnies^ orjealoufes^ ynay 
 be rais\l againTt the hatter^ by the [gnorant 
 t)r the Defigning , here /'/// fure the Faith, 
 
 S the 
 
258 The Preface. 
 
 the Difcipline, the Praftice of Chrifliankjl 
 are taught^ vindicated^ efpous'd. Here the 
 Deift a?id the Arian, the Fanatick and the 
 Debauchee dare not appear but in Difgidfe. 
 
 Among fiich'Nitmbers of Yowth indeed, tho* 
 one bad Perfon were too much , it is 7iot to 
 be expeBed there Jhould be none. But allow* 
 ing for the Corruption of hwtuin Mature i?{ 
 general^ and the Frailties of that Age in par- 
 ticular, the Schools of the Prophets doubt-- 
 lefs (land clear of Offence and Scandal. 
 Whilfl the Retimis of Foreign Breeding arc 
 fuperficial, and the Imprejfions ofKivdil-Aca- 
 demies at Home pernicious ^ our ancient 
 Nurferies, by tender Care and wholfome In- 
 JlruQions^ introduBory to a more publick Ap- 
 pear ance on the Stage of ABion^ do conti- 
 nually make glad the City and the Church of 
 God. 
 
 We therefore who have felt the kindly 
 'tVarmth of their Bofoms, camiot help ado- 
 ring the G\}i2x$^2iW''Providence that fent us 
 thither^ aud blejfing too the Vaps which we 
 have fucked. And may the fame good Provz- 
 dence render fo pious and well -principled 
 an Education more and more effeBual to the 
 great Ends for which it was defignd^ the 
 Glory of God^ and the Good of Souls. 
 
 GOD 
 
25P 
 
 -*J \ f 't »f ' \ - 
 
 GOD made Man. 
 
 St. JuDE, the latter f)art of the third 
 
 Verfe. 
 
 ^ — — It was needful for me to write 
 Unto yoH^ and exhort you that yon 
 Jhould earneftly contend for the Faith 
 which was once delinjered to the 
 Saints. 
 
 IT is well knewn that in flie firfl: xAges 
 of the Church, Chriftiamtv expos'd its 
 Profejfors to a great Trial of /\fflidions, 
 their Names to Mockery, their Poffeffion$ 
 to Ruin , and their Bodies to MartyrrJ.om. 
 This was apt to be a Stone of Stumblvig iit 
 the Threfhold •, it overthrew the Faith of 
 fome, and the Feet of others were almoft 
 gone , their Treadings had well-nigh flipt. 
 And that which help'd to draw off ftill 
 ^ore from their holy Profeffion was a fly 
 
 S 2 Infinua-" 
 
5o God made Man. 
 
 Infinuation of a fort of temporizing Here- 
 ticks crept in among them, who confuhing 
 Flefti and Blood rather than Confcience and 
 Duty, confidently gave out, That fo an iw- 
 warJ Belief was retained, it was lawful to 
 diffemble it in times of Perfecation. As if 
 the Head could be found, and the Heart fin- 
 cere, when the Tongue was filent, or the 
 Innocence of theDove -lay in the-Subtilty 
 of the Serpent ! 
 
 . But the Apoflle ^ who had not^fo learnt 
 Chrtii, addreffmg hiitifelf, according to the 
 Duty of his high Station, to the unconfirfnd 
 Chriftians, thus liable to be either frighted 
 into Apoftacy by inveterate Enemies, or in- 
 vited over to it by pretended Friertds, tea- 
 ches them an otherguefs Lelfon of Mora- 
 lity , and prelTes it .upon them with great 
 Vehemence. Beloved^ when I gave all Di- 
 lige?ice to write wit o you of the common Sal- 
 vation^ it w^ needfid for me to write unto 
 you and exhort you ^ that you ppuld earneflly 
 contend for the Faith which Ma^ once deli- 
 veid to the Saints. ; v^^^- . 
 
 .;,- An Exhortation then not ,more neceflary 
 in it felf than encouraging on the Account 
 of that common Salvation^ which he minds 
 them of as nigh at Hand to reward their 
 Conftancy. The Deftrudion of Jenifakm 
 had been plainly foretold by the prophetick 
 Spirit, and was ihortiy to be accomphfh'd 
 by Divine Vengeance, Even that Genera- 
 tion 
 
God made Man. 0.61 
 
 tion which then lived was not to p/ifs away 
 'till all fiotdd be notorioufly fulfilled. 
 
 But the Days of Wrath to the incredulous 
 Jews were to be a time of Redemption to 
 per fevering Chrijiimis . A difiivgui^nng G ua r- 
 dian Providence awaited them, and he that 
 endured to the End Jljoidd be faved. The 
 Roman Eagles had no Commiffion to devour 
 fuch: Whilft thefe were to be bufy about 
 the Carcaffes, a way to efcape was prepar'd 
 for them, and not an Hair of their Heads, 
 fliould Perifti. And what might have been 
 expefted from fo comfortable a Profped , 
 but a refoUite Stedfaftnefs in well doing, an 
 earneH Contention for the Faiths Who 
 would not have hazarded their Lives in the 
 Defence and Propagation of it, when fo 
 glorious an Adventure would be the Means 
 of faving them^ in the IfTue? Who would 
 have offered to preferve themfelves by an 
 ungodly Diflimulation, when by a little 
 prefent Security they were but referv'd for 
 much forer Calamities, for Tribulation^ fuch 
 as was not from the Beginning of the World 
 to that V>ay^ no, nor ever (hould be af- 
 terwards. 
 
 Such was the Cafe of the Infant-Church 
 of Chrift, and not wholly unlike is Ours. 
 The Evangelical Dodrine is flill (hamefuUy 
 attackt, and as to one Branch or another al« 
 moft every where fpoken againft. And tho' 
 the particular Enforcement of it (as above 
 
 S :^ exphin'd, 
 
5a Cod made Mam 
 
 explained, agreeably to the Senfe of Dr. Ham- 
 mond) is foreign to us, the Precept is not 
 out of Date , nor without its Motives. I 
 (hall therefore infift upon it at prefent, and 
 fince the SubjeB of the approaching Feftival 
 not only bears the greateft Figure in re- 
 veai'd Religion, but was alfo principally 
 regarded in this Advice *, Jude immediately 
 fubjoining as the Occafion of it, his Appre- 
 henfions of Danger from ungodly Men^ that 
 blufti'd not to deny the only Lord God , and 
 pur Lord Jefm ChriH. I fhall with Re- 
 ference to that handle thefe three Parti- 
 culars. 
 
 I. Enquire what was the Faith once for 
 all delivered to the Saints concerning the 
 Perfon of Chrisi, about this Seafon manife- 
 lied in the Flefh. 
 
 II. Urge the NeceJ^ity and Reafonablenefs 
 of contending earneftly for this fundamental 
 Article of the Chriftian Faith. 
 
 III. Examine how, and in what way we 
 are bound to exprefs this Earnejlnefs and 
 Zealo 
 
 And firft , Fm to enquire what was the 
 Faith once for all delivered to the Church , 
 concerning the Perfon of our Saviour ChriH. 
 Now the Scriptures^ as they were giveii by 
 the hfpiraticn ofGod^ fo were they written 
 forthelnftruftionofMan, as well in Points 
 to be believed, as in things that are to be pra- 
 dis'dc And They are they which tejiify ofjefus;^ 
 
 which 
 
Cod made Man. 262 
 
 ^ttrhich lead us to contemplate in Him a ' 
 Divine, an Human Nature, and the Union 
 of them both. 
 
 Socmtts indeed, in the Abundance of his 
 Generofity, allow'd him no other Subfiftence 
 than that of yefterday in the Land of Ju^ 
 dah! And altho' Artm^ as a more hberal 
 Chronologer, went farther back in the Date 
 of his Being, yet he ftop'd at the Birth of 
 Time! The one fuppos'd him to be no more 
 than a Ma7i^ the other to be but a Creature, 
 tho' yet a Creature of the greateft Digni- 
 ty and Perfection. But both greatly err'd 
 for want of determining themfelves by the 
 Standard of Truth. His Bzv'mzty would 
 have been no Secret to them, had they con- 
 vers'd more ingenuoufly with Revelation. 
 
 If he began to be at his Nativity, why is 
 he faid, tho* born feveral Months after him, 
 to have been before .the BaptisT-^ tho' the ]oh. 1. 1^. 
 Seed of Abraham , and much lefs than Jiftj ]oh, g. 
 Tears old^ before Abraham-^ tho* but lately 57> 53. 
 come into the World, before the World was, joh, , 
 Thefe Phrafes, as is obvious to the meaneft 
 Capacity, were defign'd to let out a Diliin- 
 aion, a Pre-eminence ;> and yet had nothing 
 more been meant by them than a Pre-exi- 
 ftence in the Decree and Council of God , 
 nothing more was meant, than what might 
 have been equally afRrm'd of the Baptift, of 
 Abraham^ or any of his Pofterity^ it being 
 jertain that all Men exifted in that Meta- 
 
 S 4 phoricat 
 
C264 God made Man. 
 
 taphorical Sence , before any Man exiHed 
 ]oh.i6,2^.really. Why is he faid to come forth from 
 the Father^ when he came into the World ^ 
 Toh. 2. 12.^^ defend from Heaven^ when he appeared 
 on Earth? Or if it be pretended that thii 
 Defcent was long after his firft Appearance, 
 in Confequence of his having been taken 
 up into Heaven to receive his high Com- 
 miffion, where are the ftrong Reafons that 
 fupport the Pr<?r<?;2i;d', or the plain Paffages 
 of Sacred Hiftory that relate the TaB ? 
 Such a/^r;/?^/ AfTumption furely would have 
 deferv'd a Place in the Holy Records^ as 
 well as other Tranfadions of his Life that 
 found one-, and had %t been but neceSary 
 to add Weight and Authority ta the Divine 
 Embaflage, it was as necelfary to be known 
 by all that Ihould be interefted in the 
 latter. ,i 
 
 Jf he was created in Time , fo as that 
 once he was not the Word^ but only an I- 
 dea ii? the Mind of God, why is he faid to 
 Joh. 1. 1, have been in the Eeginning with God, which 
 . implies that he had not any fiich himfelf j 
 to have a perfefl: aBual Being , when all 
 Things elfe did but hgin to be , that i§, 
 "before any time conceivable } Why are aH 
 thijigs (and fo implicitly Time it felf as well 
 as Vature) faid to have had their Begin- 
 ning from him. All things that are in Heoc 
 
 €oI I 1 5 "^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ Earthy vijible and invi- 
 ' Jible^ whether they be Thrones or Dominions^ 
 
 Princi- 
 
God made Man. 26^ 
 
 principalities or Towersy to hzvt been all 
 created by him and for him ^ ■ The Maker , 
 jdoubtlefs, muft be excepted out of theNum- 
 Jber of what were made, and the firfl Prin- 
 ciple of Life look'd upon as having Life in 
 himfdf without any Dependence on a for- 
 jmer one. This Place the Soci?iians would 
 underftand in a moral Sence, as if it fig- 
 nifyed only a renewing of the World to 
 Righteoufneft. And what is this, but to 
 expofe themfejves ;and difparage Chrift > 
 The Creation here mention'd is afcribed to . 
 him as an appropriate Enterprize -^ but the 
 Credit of making //^r? Creatures is not all ^<^^ 
 jiijs owny his Minifters affift in begetting iOQt.^.i^. 
 Men thro\ the'Gofpel Befides, the Effed of 
 {lis creating Power is declar'd to\be of uni- 
 verfal Latitude -^ but if Refqi-mation were 
 the only Exercife of it, all things in gencr 
 ral were not, could not be created by him, 
 to wit, not the Thrones and Dominions^ the 
 principalities and Pov:>ers^ on the on^ Hand, 
 Animals and Vegetables on the other: Holy 
 Seraphins having no need of fiach a Thing, 
 evil Spirits no Titl^ to it, and the feveral 
 Hpfts of the lower World no Capacity for 
 it. The Arians, on the contrary, keep to 
 the Letter^ but then they allot him no other 
 Interefl: in the Operation than that of an 
 Inftrument or Servant. A Suppofition as 
 groundlefs as the former ! For if he were 
 but an Underworker in the Bufinefs of the 
 
 Creation^ 
 
^^6 God made Man. 
 
 Creation, how could it poflibly be true thait 
 
 ^U things were created for him^ as well as 
 
 by him, for his Honour and Glory ? And 
 
 where was the Objed that as an Inftrument 
 
 he aded upon. Materials being as necefTary 
 
 to fuch a Caufe, as they are inconfiftent 
 
 with fuch a Performance? 'Tis manifeft 
 
 therefore, tho' entitled the FirH-born of eve- 
 
 ?rov.8.23.^ Creature^ he was not ^^6* himfelf, buty^f 
 
 tip or begotten from everlajliiig. That Cha- 
 
 rader denotes only a Priority of Duration, 
 
 Col 1.15,^^^ ^ Similitude of Nature •, for elfe why is 
 
 16. /the World's Produdipn, that immediately 
 
 ^^?^'^']Jj^*" follows it in the Text, affignd there as its 
 
 i^tbepiace. Ground and Reafon , why is it attended 
 
 with fo lofty a Periphrafis of him, the Image 
 
 of the Invifible God ^ 
 
 Farther, if he be not truly and properly 
 God, why is he called fo in holy Scripture, 
 the l^ame being but an Abfurdity confider'd 
 without the Import .<? The Almighty him- 
 felf indeed hath faid^ in the plural num- 
 ber, even of Princes and Rulers, Te are 
 Gods •, but at the fame time, left their Spi- 
 rits fhould be exalted above meafure, adds 
 an humbling Antithefis, and prefently minds 
 'em that they are but mortal ones, of the 
 fame frail Mould with thofe poor VafTals 
 that adore their Power. Ye flmU die like 
 Men^ tho' you look above them, and then 
 your Grandeur^ and confequently your God- 
 Jhip Ihall ,be no inorCo Whereas the Stile 
 
 pf 
 
Cod made Man. zSy 
 
 of Chrifi is all of a piece , and Majeftick 
 without allay— — - My Lord and ;;r^'Toh.2o.28. 
 God^ the true God, the only true God, the^^^l^ l"^'^^' 
 great God, the mighty God, God hie [fed foridl p. 6, 
 ever. And could fuch iVugufl ;and Empha-^°"^' ^' ^* 
 tical Epithets befit one who was a God only 
 by Adoption and not by Birthright, by Of- 
 fife and not by 'Nature ^ 
 
 Laftly, were he at befl but a bright Son 
 of the Morning, the eldeft Offspring of that 
 prolifick Fiat, which brought forth the U- 
 niverfe, how (hall we account for his ahfo- 
 lute Reiniflion of Sins, and authoritative mu. 2. . 
 Interceffion for thofe whon; God had givenl^^-^'^'l^* 
 him, his Miffion of the Holy GhoFf, and Pr^- joh'/i4?2'- 
 paration of hesLvenly Manfions, his raifingJoii-5-2i, 
 of the Dead, and judging of them when^^" 
 raifed ? How could our Saviour think it ;z<?Phil. 2. 6, 
 Robbery to be equal iznth God^ and the Apo- 
 ftle no Blafphemy to deliver his Thoughts 
 with Approbation ? With what Face could 
 he alledge, / and the Father are one, oneJ^^-?^' 
 not in AffeEiion only (which is an Unity ^" 
 common to Saints and Angels, that love 
 and are loved by him, that will exaftly as 
 he wills, and aft altogether as he would 
 have them) but in Effence too , which is 
 an Unity none partake of befides the Three 
 that are in Heaven, the Father, the Word, 
 and the Spirit ^ And when reproach 'd by 
 the Jews for challenging Divine Perfeftions, 
 how could he forbear exercifing an Human 
 .'^' ' ■ onq. 
 
a 6 8 God made Man. 
 
 one, that of Honejly in undeceiving them ? 
 Joh. $-23'Why muft alJ Men honour the Son even as. 
 they honour the Father^ and the Heayenly 
 Re?. 5- 8. Hoft fings Hallelujahs to the Lamb that was 
 flain, as well as to him thatjitteth upon the . 
 ^ Cor. 12. Throne.^ Why did St. PWaddrefs him in 
 the Hour of Temptation, as one whofe Grace 
 A^sy. <p,wa6 fiifficient for him ^ and St. Stephen in 
 the inftant of Martyrdom, as one to whom 
 his Spirit was returning, and from whom 
 it came? Why are all thofe excellent Things 
 which are fpoken of Jehovah in the Old. 
 John 12. Xeftament applied to Jefm in the New y 
 whenas 'tis the j)lain Purport of both^ that 
 God cannot impart his Prerogatives, and the 
 Glory of them he will not give to another ? 
 Why does our Bible which fets all Crea- 
 tures, even the higheft, at the greateft di- 
 ftance from infinite Majefty, fet him upon 
 the fame Terms of Advantage with the 
 Creator himfelf ? 
 
 Such pompous and fublime Expreflions 
 as we meet with every where concerning 
 him, are no rhetorical ftrain'd Flourifhes^ 
 but, allowing That to be a Divine Compo- 
 fition, irrefragable Evidences of his Divi- 
 nity. Reafon cannot call for better, nor 
 Heaven beftow. If therefore we will judge 
 like Men, we cannot but conclude that he 
 is God, very God of very God ^ and (hould 
 we be deceiv'd in fo concluding, there's Je- 
 remy s Sanftuary to fly to, It is the Lord 
 that hath deceived w, Jii§ 
 
God made Man. a6p 
 
 His Humanity or Incarnation comes next 
 to be confidered; and this, tho' almoft as 
 early difputed as preach'd unto the World, 
 is a Fad as unqueftionable^ as plain Scrip- 
 ture can make it. SimQ?i Magiis advanc d 
 the Notion of an aerial imaginary Body, 
 and we know whence he borrowed it , from 
 Fancy. A likely thing indeed, that a mere 
 Phantom or Spedre fhould occafion fo much 
 talk and buftle in the World, and go thro' 
 fo marty different Stages of Adion and Mi- 
 fery! Herod fuppos'd he bore fomething 
 more fubftantial about him, when he en- 
 deavour'd his Deftrudion , and the Jews 
 perceiv'd he did, when they effeded it. 
 The Virgin^ no doubt, expeded to be a 
 Mother, when her Soul did magnify the 
 Lord for regarding the low Eftate of his 
 Handmaid:^ and the Devil verily took him 
 for her Son, when he made bold to tempt 
 him hi the Wildernefs : Satan feeing him 
 fo like unto his Brethren^ could not believe 
 a difference^ tho' juft before attefted by a 
 Voice out of the excellent Glory ^ but hop'd 
 to find that Sin it felf made no Exception 
 in the likenefs. 
 
 But as Chrift hath taken our Hejh^ mufl: 
 he take our Soul too ? May not his Divini- 
 ty , as ApoUinarius conceiv'd, fupply the 
 Place and Offices of it ? Shall we not fup- 
 pofe him void of thofe AffeBions , which 
 feem to be the l)ijle?npers of cur Conftitu- 
 A tion? 
 
Sjo God made Man. 
 
 tion? No, as he is perfeB God, (6 is he 
 perfeB Man, of a reafonable Soitl and human 
 Flejb fiibjipng. , Twas his Soul^ which' fw- 
 tredsd in Wifdom^ as his Body did in Sta- 
 ture, as his Petfon did in Favour with God 
 and Man-^ which was a Stranger to Futu- 
 rity, and had no Knowledge of the laft 
 Pay or Hour when the Heavens and tb^ 
 Earth fliall pafs away. The fame Pajfions 
 which we complain of as poifonous Plants 
 fit to be rooted out of our Nature, were 
 fet in his, but to better pur pofe -^ and 'twas 
 iiis Soul that entertain'di and cultivated them- 
 In his Fathers Houfe^ he knew how to be 
 angry at the Abufes of it : At the Grave of 
 Ijaz>ariis^ whom he loved, he could weep 
 bitterly as one that mourneth for his Friend. 
 Arid when his Eye was fix'd on perifhing 
 Jerufalefn, commiferating Tears drop'd froni 
 it. And 'twas his Soul that was fubjeft to 
 thefe different Impreflions of Zeal, Trouble 
 and Pity. When the bitter Cup was ready 
 to be put into his Hand, he that as God 
 could have had more than twelve Legions of 
 Angels to deliver him from it, as Man had 
 need of one to flrengthen him under the Ap- 
 prehenfions of it. And 'twas his Soul that 
 began to be fore ama^d^ to be exceeding 
 forrowful even iinto Death, Ag^in, 'twas 
 his Soul which defir'd that Cup might, if it 
 were pqffible, pafs from him '^ and that upon 
 finding the avoidance of it inconfiftent with 
 
 the 
 
God made Man. <^jf 
 
 the Decrees of Heaven, fubmitted its Will 
 to God's.' 
 
 Farther, when he was crucified^ dead 
 and buried ^ he descended into Hell -^ and 
 'twas his Soul alone that did this upon its 
 Separation from the Body , as the Ancients 
 argued •, it being blafphemous to attribute 
 the Defcent thither to his Divinity which 
 was there before, becaufe every where: ri- 
 diculous to afcribe that Motion to his Body 
 that was now become uncapable of any, be-^ 
 teufe crucified dead and buried. Laftly, 
 if he took not on him the rational Soul, 
 how did he redeem it ? If that was not the 
 Seat of all his innocent Infirmities, what 
 cou'd be fo in him whofe other Nature was 
 all Blelfednefs, all Perfeftion > Such Que- 
 ftions as thefe can never be anfwered upon 
 iht ApoUinarian Suppofition, nor that defen- 
 ded without anfwering them. So it'appearj 
 that the Son of God (Co-eternal and Co- 
 eflential with the Father) in the fukefs of 
 Time '3iKViVCidi the entire Nature of Man. 
 
 And 'tis as evident he alTum'd it into the 
 Unity of his own Perfon. This is an hard 
 Saying, if you'll htVitYt l<[eJlorim\, w^ho can 
 bear it ? Utterly unworthy of the Deitv^ 
 which could not, fays he, be properly uni- 
 ted to the Mafibood without fufFering with 
 it. But not fo hard a one, if rightly under- 
 ftood. It is not the Perfonal Union, which 
 could be a lellening, but only his miftake 
 4 about 
 
©7^ 
 
 God made Man. 
 
 about the'Confequences of it. It infers im 
 deed a Comnmnication of 7V/?w<?j, but not % 
 Feliowfhip of Infirmities, Did it fuppofe 
 that what was endur'd by one of the uni- 
 ted Natures was endur'd by the other too,- 
 it might be fhocking enough. Bur there's 
 no fuch thing iii the Cafe. The only Re- 
 fult is^ that the Adions which were per- 
 form'd only in 6??;^ of them, are attributedl 
 to the other y or rather to the "^ ^^^fon who 
 confifts of Both, And he that is offended 
 with fuch Attributions, takes Offence where 
 none is given. The Earthe?i Veffel was the 
 immediate Subjed of Humiliation, and no-^ 
 thing fell to pieces but that 5 and yet be- 
 caufe the heavenly Effence was join'd there- 
 with , the Go/pel as well as the Church af- 
 ierts that God bled and dyed, but Neither 
 that the Godhead did. In like manner no- 
 thing is more natural or common than to 
 afcribe to the fame Man all the Operations 
 of the feveral Parts of his Frame, as cen- 
 tring in him, tho' abfolutely irr.econcilea- 
 ble as to the fame Part, whether Flefh or 
 Spirit. And can that way of fpeaking feem 
 ftrange in regard of a DiviJie Perfon, which 
 is fo familiar with reference to human ones? 
 
 rnciTo iBQ- outu ^oWAKtf ^' "^ '^ •^ioTifjG'y <!!yoKKci}itf 
 
 c. 3. V. 1 3. 
 
 Ah 
 
God made Man. 
 
 As to the ftianner of this Perfonal Uliiott, 
 that without Controvert is a great Myftery^ 
 as the Apoftle tells us concerning it, and 
 fo we mud exped it will ever be oil this 
 fide Vifio7u God has left an Obfcurity up- 
 on it (which nothing but the Illuminations 
 of a brighter World can remove) to admi-^ 
 nifter an Advantage and Commendation to 
 our Faith ^ not an Opportunity and Argu- 
 7ne?it to our doubting. But however we may 
 fafely afiirm, having the holy Fathers fot 
 our Guides, and eminent ^ Cotmcils for our 
 Precedent, that it was effefted without ei- 
 ther ^ Confufwn or ^ Converfwn^ and is fo 
 intimate as to be "^ infeparable. Without 
 Confufion^ becaufe had both Siihjlances been 
 blended together, both had been deftroy'd 
 or alter'd to give Exiftence to a third § 
 whereas the Deity is liable to no variahle- 
 nefs^ no fijadom of turjiing. Without Con- 
 verfion, becaufe as it is no where written , 
 the Flefi became the Word^ or the Word 
 
 27 
 
 » The great Council of Chalcedon «iV thefe Negatives to 
 exprefs the Vnion of the two Natures by, viz. dffvfy^vTuf^ 
 
 ^ Chriftus eft Deus & Homo fecundum utfamque fubftan* 
 tiam in fua propricratediftantem. Tert. adv. Frox, 
 
 *= Divinicas in Crcaturam non eft murata ut defiftere; clTe 
 Divinitas, nee creatura in Divinicatem ut defifteret ciTe Crca* 
 tura. 5". Augufl. de Trin. 
 
 ^ Quid fecit Paffio, quid Mors, nifi Corpus ab Anim3 fc 
 paravit ? Animam vcro a Verbo non feparavit. Augufl. TraU» 
 In 7oam _^ ^ ^ 
 
274 ' ^^^ made Man. 
 
 ceasM to be what it was by becoming Flejh ^ 
 fo 'tis not to be imagined, finite Flefh in the 
 very Moment of pafling out of nothing 
 ftiould pafs into fomething elfe, even into 
 an infinite Spirit, or, that the Word, that 
 is. Life it feif, fliould be wholly fwallow'd 
 up of Mortality, And as thefe 'Natures 
 were prefer v*d diftinS in the great Day of 
 Efpoufal, fo tho' wedded in T/;;/^, they 
 were wedded for Eternity. Death it felf, 
 which divorc'd the Soul from the Body, 
 could not fever them -^ for Chrift raifed 
 Joh.2.ip.j^jj^^fgj£ from it, and this he muft do by 
 
 the Influence of one over the Infirmities of 
 the other. Their Harmony is fweet beyond 
 comparifon, and their Endearments lading 
 without meafure. The Divine Effence knew 
 no Begi?mi7ig, and the Divine Ufiion fliali 
 know no End, 
 
 This is the Faith once bequeathed to Man- 
 kind concerning the Perfon of our BleiTed 
 Lord, and this we are faithfully to retain 
 as a facred Depofitum, and earnefily to con- 
 tend for as a moft valuable Legacy. Which 
 therefore brings me in the fecond place to 
 fhew the Necejjhy and Reafonablenefs of 
 fuch a Contention, 
 
 And firft, the Importance of the Doftrine 
 
 indifpenfibly exads it at our Hands. So 
 
 ' important it is, that our Redemption and 
 
 that ftand or fall together. Had not Chrift 
 
 been Emanuel^ he could never have been 
 
 4 Jeft^sj 
 
God made Man. 275 
 
 Jefus •, and were there not ineffable Perfe- 
 dions in him that undertook to fave, we 
 fhould be yet in our Sins, and without a 
 Saviour. For great Burdens require the 
 greateft Strength to bear them , arid a grea- 
 ter one could not be impos'd, than the def- 
 perate Service of reftoring a loft and fallen 
 World to Life and Happinefs. When Adam 
 had offended his Maker, who was fit to 
 plead for the Creature ? The Offender coiild 
 not well appear as his own Advocate before 
 fo holy and incens'd a Judge: Nor had a 
 full Submiflion been a fufficient Attdnemettt. 
 Jujike muft have Satisfaftion, before there 
 is room for Mercy •, and that was not to be 
 fatisfied by a mofl pundual Obedience paid 
 afterwards^ becaufe due ^<?/^r<?. AxidiSacri^ 
 jiges promised no more Succefs than Repen- 
 tance. Alas! it was not poflible, the grofs 
 Blood of Bulls or Goats^ tho' innocent things, 
 fhould take away Sin^ or expunge Guilt 5 
 fhould have Virtue enough to cleanfe the 
 Heart of polluted Man, ot Eloquence e- 
 nough to difpute away the Wrath of an an- 
 gry Deity. 
 
 There was Impotence at home to morti- 
 fy, no powerful Sollicitors from abroad to 
 relieve him in the prefling Exigency, The 
 befl of his Pofterity were bad enough, thro* 
 aftual and imputed Depravity, to need an 
 Interceflion ^ and what they wanted them- 
 felves, they could not fupply to him. — ^— * 
 
 T 2 And 
 
:n6 God made Man^ 
 
 And none of the Celeflial Hierarchy made 
 a motion to fly to his Succour. If they had 
 Wi?jgs^ they had no k^alwg under them^ 
 In his Saints God forefavv Unrighteoufnefs^ 
 and in his Angels he found Tally. Butfup- 
 pofing they had been pure in his fight, 
 which of them would have heard guilty 
 Man , if he call'd out for help, or been 
 heard himfelf , if he had befought it fot 
 him, charm'd he never fo fweetly, never 
 fo importunately ? No finite Being would 
 have been able to refcue forfeited Souls 
 from the Place of Hell, which infinite Guilt 
 had made their Portion, It would have coji 
 fmre to make an Agreement mnto God for 
 them, than any mere Creature had to lay 
 down : So that he muft have let that ch^L" 
 n\v!o\tOSiQQalo7ie for ever. 
 
 But as foon as the Son of God, in whoin 
 he is always well pleafed^ mov^d by his own 
 Mercy and our Neceflity, interpos'd, 'tis 
 eafy to imagine, the Gates of Paradife flew 
 ©pen, and the flaming Cherubhis withdrew 
 from their invidious Charge, to make way 
 for all Believers. 
 
 And what the Excellency of one Nature 
 made available^ the Weaknefs of the other 
 render'd pojjible ^ Pain, Crucifixion ^ and 
 Death. It was requifite our Mediator fhould 
 be a Creature , that he might fuflfer for our 
 Sins \ a Man^ that he might fuffer in that 
 Nature, which had finned, and fo give it 
 
 a Titk' 
 
Cod made Man. 
 
 a Title to the Compenfation that was made 
 by fuflering. And it was as requifite he 
 fliould be God-tnan in on€ Perfon ^ other- 
 wife the (bedding of his Blood could not 
 wafh off the Corruption of ours ^ otherwife 
 the r^w/?^r/7ry Sufferings of the Human could 
 not have been rendred by the Divine Na- 
 ture an Equivalent of eternal Torments. 
 
 Surely then the Dodrine of the Hypo- 
 fiatick Union is worth the contending for^ 
 if we have any Value for our Salvation 
 which depends upon it. Tho' we look up- 
 on it barely as an infallible Verity^ not only 
 the Homage of our Underftandings but the 
 Service of our Zeal is due to it. Tmtb in 
 general, as being the natural and genuine 
 Object of the nobleft Faculty in the noblefl 
 Creature, has a Right to be carefs'd, pro- 
 moted, honoured ^ and we are falfe to the 
 Obligations of Reafon as well as Rehgion, 
 jif we ftand not by it. 
 
 But fo concerning a Truth as this, fo mucl^i 
 for the Glory of God and Comfort of Man, 
 ought more particularly to be regarded. 
 Double Honour is its meritorious Claim, a 
 labour'd Defence its rightful Tribute. Efpe- 
 cially if we confider, 
 
 2. What rude Oppofition and reproach- 
 ful Ufage it meets with in the World. One 
 would have thought, the Plainefs and Fre- 
 quency of its Delivery in holy Scripture^ 
 the Weight and Authority of Decrees in 
 
 T 3 Prmitive 
 
 77 
 
God made Man. 
 
 Primitive Councils, the conjlant Profeflion 
 of the CathoJick Church, and the daily Re- 
 cital of the Apojlolical Greedy fliould have 
 made a deep Impreffion in its Favour upon 
 ajl Minds, and rendred it a darhng Princi- 
 ple , but that we know from Experience^ 
 'ds poflible for an unwilling Eye to fhut out 
 the cleared Light, and from Revdation^ 'tis 
 neceffary for Hereftes to fpring up. No- 
 thing lefs than irrefiftible Grace could pre- 
 ferve fome innocent; nothing lefs than z>- 
 refijlihle Illumination could preferve others 
 Orthodox. There is in many Perfons fuch 
 an haughty Geniiis and Pride of Underftan- 
 ding, that they fcorn to take up with old- 
 fafliion'd Tenets, and find a wondrous Plea- 
 fure in ftartingnew Notions 2indH}'pothefes. 
 Should they keep to the beaten Road, they 
 might probably not be taken notice of in the 
 Croud, nor reputed a jot wifer than their 
 Neighbours , and therefore to gain a Singu- 
 larity in Credit, they affeft a Singularity in 
 Opinion. And this wanton AfFedation is 
 not contented to quarrel only with Phih" 
 fophy. Religion alfo muft be brought into 
 the Combat, and Chrijlianity it felf fall a 
 Sacrifice to human Vanity ! A God hear- 
 nate is the Th^me of both Teftaments, and 
 has been the common Belief of palt Ages 5 
 and yet as if that very Confideration, which 
 (hould have induc'd them to believe in him, 
 had been the Caufe of their Infidelity \ from 
 
 our 
 
God made Man. 
 
 our felves do Men arife fpeaking perverfe 
 difparaging, traiterous Things of the Lord 
 that bought them. Dit;w<? Teftimony and 
 general Aflent muft go for nothing, and it 
 amazes them to reflect" upon the Eafinefs 
 and Credulity of thofe that will be born 
 down by them. Left they fhould feem to 
 betray a fuperftitious Reverence for the 
 Word of God and Verdid of Antiquity 
 they take the Freedom to run counter to 
 both in their Aflertions , pitying xhtiv Fore- 
 fathers as deluded Enthufiafts, and applau- 
 ding themfelves for the happy Difcovery of 
 the grand Miftake under which the blind 
 Dotards of old Time unfortunately lived 
 and died. Purfuant to this-, the Socman 
 DialeS is brought up in fome Places, and 
 Socmian Pamphlets lye uppermoft in all - 
 and Angularly happy they whofe Ears and 
 Eyes are exempted from taking their turn 
 in the difmal Entertainment ! 
 
 Nor do our modem Hereticks confine 
 themfelves to oblique Strokes and covert 
 Reflexions. Such a bafliful ftulking and 
 modeft Referve would have fomewhat fof- 
 ten d the Scepticifm, and given it a lefs of- 
 fenfive Air. But inftead thereof, thefe Men 
 of Forehead venture upon fiat Denials and 
 barefac d Abrenunciations ! The}' have heard 
 it hath been fatd of Chrift, This is the true 
 God and eternal Life ;, yet thele magifteriaj 
 Diftators dare in exprefs Terms to aver 
 
 T 4 the 
 
 79 
 
o 
 
 Cod made Man* 
 
 the contrary— But I fay untoyou^ as there 
 is but one God, fo is there but one Perfon 
 in the Godhead ! His eternal Generation 
 they make a Jeft of, and would put him off 
 with a fantaftick Poetical Apotheofis. A 
 Trirnty in Unity ^ and Unity in Trinity^ are 
 fiurted at and exploded for cramping Words 
 and inconfiftent Notions , and the pertQue- 
 ftion — • How can thefe things be .<? is again 
 and again renew'd upon us, notwithftan- 
 ding that he who cannot lye afcertains us of 
 their Being. Nay the Gofpel is fo far from 
 fetting their Underftandings to rights, that 
 tho' the Letter is fo much againft them, 
 they ftrive with elaborate Artifice and tor- 
 turing Criticifms, to bring even that ove|: 
 to their fide as to its 7neani7ig, Out of ma* 
 nlfesl Proofs they raife the mod Jiaring Ob- 
 jedions, and fhuffle off the force of plain 
 conclufwe Paffages, by running them into 
 impertinent Tropes and out of the way Fi- 
 gures. So one Sacred Perfon fuffers with 
 miother upon more accounts than one ; and 
 to get rid of the Divinity of Jefus^ they 
 father Nonfence, x^bfurdity, and Contradi- 
 dioa upon the Holy Ghoft ! Mere Falla- 
 cies are feqt abroad for ynanfwerable De- 
 monftrations| and what is v/anting in Ar^ 
 gument, is made up iq Copfidence,^ 
 
 Whence it comes to pafs that many fiHy 
 Men and Wgrnm are led captivg by them, 
 ;^nc| fQlkr^. their fenncious zmjs \ ' baying 
 ' " '' ■ '^^ ^ ^ ' ■ " earj" 
 
 ■ ' ■, » ».^ 
 
God made Man, a8 1^ 
 
 Ears to hear their fair Speeches^ fwellin^ 
 Words^ and plaufible Applications, but not 
 Eyes good enough to look through them , 
 and difcover the Poifon that is in them. 
 
 Whence the Athejji, taking Advantage of 
 the Difpute, picks up fomething to colour 
 over his Doubts about Religion, and the 
 Heathen is tempted to think there is nothing 
 infallible or certain in it. 
 
 Whence the Jevp is confirm'd in his un- 
 jufl: Prejudice againft the true MeJJiah'^ and 
 the Turk in his kind Opinion of Mahomet 
 the falfe Prophet. 
 
 And now, fince the Mifts of Error are 
 fo likely to be general and difFufive, in this 
 their Hour^ and of the tower of Varknefs^ 
 it is high time for all fincere Lovers of 
 Truth to take the Alarm , and to contend 
 farneftly fir the Faith which was once deli- 
 vered to the Saints. The fecret Abettors 
 of the Sceptical will be always canting in 
 Scripttire-Phrafe^ tho* in a Sence contrary 
 to Scripture, let jour Moderation be known 
 unto all Mejh They would have us, whe- 
 ther in a publick or private Station, fit 
 flill and unconcern d, and regard our Savi- 
 pur no more than Joaffj did Baal: If he be 
 a God, let him plead for himfelf ! Jadg^^-S^ 
 
 But we muft beware of fuch treacherous 
 Advifers, and rejed t\\Q\x fanBifjed Coun- 
 fel, as that which would lead us into an 
 E?ror in Pra£iice\ as deflrudive as any in 
 
 Point 
 
2^2 God made Man. 
 
 Point of Judgment, Moderation is call'd 
 for out of Seafon, and tho' to make it known 
 may in fome times be Pocket-Policy, 'tis no 
 part of that Wifdom which cometh from 
 Above. We may be as moderate as we 
 pleafe, yea we ought to be fo, in the No- 
 tice and Redrefs ol perfonal Injuries. Here 
 Meeknefs is a Vertue^ and Forbearance a 
 Commendation. But where our dear Chrift 
 is a Sufferer^ the Chriftian muft be a Com- 
 plainajit. His Quarrel is properly ours, and 
 the Reproaches which are fo liberally caft at 
 him, can't be too liberally refented by us. 
 When others are loud againft him, (hall 
 not we be loud for him, and endeavour to 
 filence the peevifli Cavils of wicked and 
 unreafonable Men ? At the pronouncing of 
 Blafphemy tht Jervs us^d to rend their Cloaths'^ 
 the outward Ceremony ferv'd as a fignificant 
 Expreffion of their inward Horror. And 
 can it be grown innocent of late, becaufe 
 familiar! Can its Nature befo far foften'd, 
 that what was once heard with Indignation, 
 Ihould now be read with Patience! E|fforts 
 of Difpleafure would become us better : 
 Such an Evil is to be refijied^ and where 
 Heaven meets with Rebels, it ought to find 
 • its Champions. When our very beft of 
 Friends is abus'd , 'tis but Gratitude to in- 
 terpofe. When the Faith is in Diftrefs, 'tis 
 but Charjty to lend it an helping Hand. 
 Were it much more in Diftrefs than it is, 
 
 and 
 
Cod made Man. aSj 
 
 and expos'd us to Perils of all kinds, gene- 
 rons Hazards were to be run for its fake, 
 and if we might not live to fupport, we 
 fiiould die to glorify it. The Apofiles did 
 fo , and their Blood is exemplary as well as 
 their Cojwerfation, 
 
 But Thanks to a tender Providence and a 
 gracious Sovereign^ the Enemies of the Crofs 
 have us not at their Mercy, and I truft ne-; 
 ver will. With what Pretence then can we 
 be afham'd of the Gofpei of Chrift, wlien 
 our Confciences are not like to do us a Mif- 
 chief, and there is no fuch Danger in own- 
 ing the Truth as it is in Jefii^, 
 
 Befides, I qiieftign not but the BoUnefs 
 
 of the Heretical is chiefly owing to the 
 
 Remifrefs of the Orthodox. Seeing them 
 
 flack in difcountenancing Error , they are 
 
 the more embolden'd to fpread it. We find 
 
 in the Parable^ that the Devil fteps in and 
 
 jows his 'Tares among the Wheat, while Men 
 
 Jleep^ and lullaby themfelves into a fond Se« 
 
 curity. So that tho' we are not Partakers 
 
 of other Mens Herefies, we maybe of their 
 
 Sin in publifhing them. And fliiall not this 
 
 awaken and caution us againft Lukewarm- 
 
 nefs and Indifference? 
 
 ^ Enough has been faid (I hope an honeft 
 
 Zeal will excufe my faying fo much) to 
 
 (hew how needful it is to exhort Men, that 
 
 they fhould keep a jealous and vigilant Ey^ 
 
 over 
 
- God made Man. 
 
 over tlie Dodrine which they have re-, 
 ceived. 
 
 It remains only that we enquire a little 
 freely^ how and in what manner this Duty is 
 to be perform'd. 
 
 Now the fearching o£the Scriptures ^ and 
 Study of Chriftianity, every one cannot 
 but be fenfible, are very fuitable Prelimhm^ 
 ri€s. We muft be able^ before we can be 
 ready J to give a reafonable Account of the 
 Faith that is in us ^ and the Truth muft be 
 throughly underftood, before we can be 
 qualify'd to encounter FalJhooJ, Well, but, 
 when the Foundations are caji dowji^ or vio- 
 lently ftruck at, what JI:al/ the Righteous 
 do^ The Anfwer is eafy. They muft let no 
 Opportunity flip through their Fingers, no 
 Capacity lie idle or unemployed, whereby 
 they may counter-mine the bufy Setters- 
 forth of new and ftrange DoBrines, I don't 
 mean they fliould take Phineas for an abfo- 
 lute Pattern of Management in this Matter, 
 and rather than infedious Error ftiould go 
 unchaftiz'd, proceed even to the fnatching 
 of the Sword of Jujlice to execute it upon 
 an Heretich That Forwardnefs indeed was 
 impuifed unto him for Righteoufnefs ; but 
 if it (hould now be copyed, it v/ould fall un- 
 der a quite different Imputation. No, pro- 
 phetical Impreffions having long ago ceas'd, 
 they are to imitate not the FaB^ the thing 
 
 dons 
 
' God made Man. 
 
 5one, but only the Z^/?/, the AfFeflion with 
 which it was done. There is 710 'Name 2/«- 
 der Heaven or in Heaven whereby we can be 
 faved^ but that of Jefm •, and therefore he 
 expeds it fhould be hallowed on Earth in 
 requital. But ftill he requires no other 
 Vindication of it, than what lies within the 
 Verge of their refpedive Places, and Sta- 
 tions. 
 
 To be more particular: 
 
 If they are indeed Men of Influence and 
 Terror, they muft apply that Awe and 
 Terror they are Mafters of, to the Mainte- 
 nance of his eternal tower and Godhead ^ 
 and in a vindiftive way overthrow the Seat 
 ef the Scorfiful as he formerly did, that of 
 the Money-Changers, when the Temple of 
 God was made a Den of Thieves. The 
 good Conflantine no fooner underftood the 
 execrable Drift of Arim, but he fet himfelf 
 to decree Juftice for him by whom Kings do 
 reign. Tis true, knowing what Spirit he 
 was ofy and that there was ftill room for 
 the other*s Repentance, if fought carefully 
 and with Tears, he would not like the over- 
 warm Difciples cali for Fire from Heaven^ 
 or kindle it upon Earth, forhisP^rpw^ but 
 however, like a pious Emperor, he calls a 
 Council againft him, and condemns his £^^ij 
 to the Flames , as knowing that nothing 
 could purify them but what deftroyed 'em 
 JQO. Tho' but a ISoviee in Chriftianity, he 
 
 could 
 
^86 God made Man. 
 
 could not bear the Author of it fliould lie 
 under a Difparagement that he could reme- 
 dy, nor be fo ungrateful as to let facrilegi- 
 ous Tongues rob him of the Glory which he 
 had with the Father before the World was - 
 when he had been fo gracious as to empty 
 himfelf of it for a while, purely upon In- 
 tuition of qualifying us to be with him , 
 and fee his Glory. And a noble Precedent 
 This , for Chriftian Princes to follow , 
 whom our Saviour has appointed Defenders 
 of the Faith, and Nurfe^ to the Church ! 
 
 If they fit in Mofe^'s Chair ^ as fpiritual 
 Watchmen over tlie Houfe of Ifrael^ they 
 muft rebuke out of it with all Authority, 
 being nothing terrifyed by their Adverfa- 
 ties. They muft fupprefs falfe Teachers 
 by fevere Inhibitions , left they make the 
 Lord's People to run aftray, and in Cafe of 
 Contumacy deliver them over to Satan^ that 
 they may learn not to blafpheme (it being but 
 reafonable that he who would juftle onehx^ 
 tide out of the Creed ftiould be depriv'd of 
 his Intereft in another^ and for difcarding 
 the Deity of C6r/i?, cut off from the Com- 
 munion of Saints.) This we know is what 
 the great Apoftle gave in Charge to Timo- 
 thy arid his Succelfors*, and this, he tells 
 us, is what himfelf pradis'd upon the Per- 
 fons of Hymenals ard Alexander, that erred 
 ftom the Truth. Sure I am too, Athana- 
 fius did his part againft the Innovations of 
 
 th€ 
 
Cod made Man. :^%y 
 
 the Arian World, by not giving Place by 
 Subjeftion, no not for an Hour , and Cy^ 
 Yil His, againft the Herefy of Vejiorhts^ by 
 getting an (Ecumenial Synod for its Con- " 
 demnation. And 'tis a comfortable Refle- 
 flion in evil Days, when fuch venerable 
 Examples of Bravery and Spirit vifibly 
 raife an Emulation in thofe that come after 
 them. 
 
 If they conftitute a fcholajiic Body, they 
 have the Povi^er of Cenfure delegated to 
 them in regard of imfoimd Members^ and 
 the Privilege of faftning cautionary Marks 
 of Infamy upon {uch P erf ons as are proud 
 of doubting, and fuch Writings as handle 
 the Word of God deceitfully. And as there 
 is great Neceffity for fuch a Power, where 
 the Principles of the next Generation are at 
 Stake, fo there have not been wanting wor- 
 thy Injiances of its Application. The una- 
 nimous Sentence formerly pad upon the 7ia- 
 ked Gofpeh, . and other folemn Decrees upon 
 like Occafions, make this Place^ no doubt, 
 the Praife of all the Churches^ and her Faith 
 fpoken of throughout the World. 
 
 If they be hx'd by Divine Providence as 
 private Perfons in a narrower Sphere of 
 Aftion, they are notwithftanding in a con- 
 dition to promote the Honour of their great 
 Mafler^ and do him acceptable Service a- 
 mongft Men. They can take up the Pen 
 of the Learned •, and as Workmen that need 
 
 not 
 
Cod made Man. 
 
 not he aftoanCd^ deliver the /acre J Text from 
 the miferable Abufe of profane Comments 
 and unjuft Inferences* (And but for the 
 Antidotes and Prefervatives^ which fome of 
 them have charitably adminiftred, the Pa- 
 /^d-r-Peftilence which walketh at Noon-day, 
 and has deftroy'd its Thoufands, muft ine- 
 vitably have deftroy'd its Ten thoufands.) 
 At leaft by opening unto them the Scrip- 
 tures, they can build up the Ignorant and 
 Unlearned in our 7noH holy Faith , and 
 by a Word in Seafon difappoint the cun- 
 ning Craftinefs of fuch as ^e in wait to de- 
 teive. 
 
 They can have CompaJJion^ as St* Jude 
 advifes, en thofe who are out of the way 5 
 and if they were beguil'd thro' Simplicity, 
 recover them into it by rational Perfuafion. 
 Others that met Objeftions half way, and 
 VJith ci good will were argued into Infide- 
 lity, if not reprobate concerning the Faith, 
 they canfave with fear plucking them out of 
 the Fir e*^ that is, byfharper Reprehenfions, 
 by fearful Reprefentations of the Judgment 
 of the great Day, extort from them an ac- 
 knowledgment of the Truth, and make 'em 
 believe and tremble. 
 
 As to Perverters themfelves, they have a 
 Remedy for them too, the Difcipline of 
 Frowns and Negle(fl:, tho' not of Penalties 
 and Reftraints. They can withdraw them-^ 
 felves as St. Paul requires^ from every Bro- 
 3 , thes 
 
God made Man. a 80 
 
 ther that fetteth his Mouth againfl the Hea- 
 vens, have no company with him that he may 
 be ajham'd^ and by avoiding the Man^ con- 
 demn the HereticL 
 
 And, whicii is the crowning Inflance of 
 holy Zeal, they can befiege Heaven with 
 their ardent and pathetick Importunities for 
 the Prefence and Afiiftance of the Spirit^ 
 which God has promis'd to his beloved 
 Church, and by a devout and pleafing Vio- 
 lence engage him to provide that the Pow- 
 ers of Hell , falfi DoBrine , Herefy a?id 
 Schifm^ may never prevail againfl: it, par- 
 ticularly that part of it whereunto they 
 belong, * 
 
 Thus the Soldier's of Jefus Chrift are to 
 tontendfor hh [acred Truths, and to check the 
 Devil's Partizans in their Sallies and hifults 
 upon Religion. Every one has his Pofl of 
 Adivity allotted him -^ and he that acquits 
 himfelf bravely in it, a Crown of Right eonp 
 nefs. The God whom we ferve u not un- 
 righteous to forget our Labours of Love^ and 
 Patience in the Gofpel'^ but to him that over- 
 Cometh, that does all he can within the Line 
 of his particular Station for the Interefts of 
 common Chridianity, he will give to ft 
 with him on his Throne, even as he over- 
 came, and fat down with his Father on hii 
 Thronei 
 
 U Let 
 
God made Man. 
 
 Let ug then fight a good Fight ^ and keep 
 the Faith: Let us recognize the Captain of 
 our Salvation in his holy Temple, by bow- 
 ing reverently at the l^ame of Jefits, and 
 upon all Occafions confront audacious De- 
 ifis with a bold Profeffion of our Belief in 
 the eternal Trinity, Three Perfons and one 
 God, 
 
 If there muft be Herefies among us, let 
 thofe that are approvd he made manifesi 
 by oppofing them. If Apoftates will zvreH 
 the Scriptures to their own DeJlriiSion^ let 
 Believers fee that they don't to that of 
 others. 
 
 • Let us all pray heartily for their 
 Converfion^ in the Ufe of our excellent 
 Litany , and as earneftly for their Far- 
 don^ in the Language of our meek 'Re- 
 deemer ^ • Father forgive them^ for they 
 know not what they do. That fo there 
 may be Peace in the Church Militant^ and 
 Joy in the Church Triumphant among the 
 Angels of God. And fince he that Jian- 
 deth may //?/?, let us not be over-confi- 
 dent of our own Stedfaftnefs , but in a 
 deep Sence of Human Inconftancy, throw 
 our felves into the Arms of the Divine 
 Proteftion. 
 
 And now , to Ihut up my Difcourfe 
 with the Clofe of this Epiftky Unto him 
 that is able to keep you from fallings and 
 
 5 to 
 
God 'made Man. 2p i 
 
 io prefent you blamelefs before the Vre- 
 fence of his Glory with exceediiig Joy ^ to 
 the only wife God , our Saviour , he af- 
 fcrib'd all Glory and Majefly , 'Dominion 
 and Power , both now and for evermore* 
 
 It 2 Our 
 
a^2- 
 
 M^ 
 
 ■ ]':\'^ \\V ' > 
 
 vr 
 
 Our Saviours Miraculous 
 
 Fast, 
 
 mxtaaam^tm 
 
 S. Matth. iv. 2. 
 
 And when he had fajied forty Days 
 and forty lights ^ he was afterward 
 an hungred. 
 
 AS it was the peculiar Excellency of 
 our Saviour Chr'isl to do all things 
 ivell^ fo is it the bounden Duty of all Chri- 
 ftiajis to lay out their Time and Thoughts 
 m the Contemplation of what he did. Such 
 a complete Preacher of Righteoufnefs l^a^ 
 tare and Grace never furnifh*d out before. 
 Every Seafon of his Age was a kind of Le- 
 (Sure to Mankind, every Paffage of his Life 
 had a Moral in it. His Freedoms in pub- 
 lick direft as to the moderate ufe of 171710- 
 cent Liberties and Feftival Entertainments*- 
 And his Referves in private recommend to 
 J: our^ 
 
Our Saviours miraculom Fajl. 
 
 our Praftice in their turn the feverer Du- 
 ties of Fafimg^ Meditation, atid Prayer. 
 The Ci^ was the Witnefs of his mighty 
 Works, the Defart, the Scene of what was 
 equally wonderful, his devout Aitfterities. 
 There ht f aft ed forty Day^ and forty Nights, 
 and was afterward an hi^gred. And this 
 variety oi Abodes, anfwering to a variety of 
 Concernments , not only warrants, but re- 
 gulates an interchange of Solitude and Con-^ 
 verfation, tRCitly inftrufting us to turn our 
 hacks upon the World, when we would 
 take a nearer view of the better Country, 
 and to look it again in the Face, when we 
 have btifinefe with it. 
 
 In difcourfing upon the Words before us, 
 i Ihall follow the Method which thty fug-^ 
 gejt, and fo remark upon, ' - ' 
 
 I. His Jbflinence. 
 • {-^11. Yht Co7itifiuance of it. 
 '^^' III. The Cojifeqiient herein fpecified, his 
 after-fubmiflion to the painful Throws and 
 Ttnpteflions of jE/fm^<?r. 
 ^^'' And firll for the Abjlinence of oux Savi- 
 our ^ that is obvious enough, but the Mo- 
 tives to it are not fo vifible. The ordi?iary 
 Ends of Fading we have ali often heard of, 
 and no doubt j^w^ of us have happily exem- 
 plify 'd. But thefe are of too mean and 
 difparaging a Nature to find a Place or Inte- 
 reft in his Self-denials. 
 
 •^•^ U 5 One 
 
5^4 ^^^ Saviovrs miramlom Fap., 
 
 One Eiid'is the crucifymg oi vi\c'Afe8Mns 
 and Rebel-lufts. Asunfufpiciousof Incon- 
 veniencies as we commonly are, where the 
 falate-interefts' are concerned f there is no 
 greater S/z^r^ of Innocence than a full and 
 delicate Tabk , no fuch Incentive to Wan^ 
 tonnefs as the l^ious Spoils of the lifted 
 Elements continually fet before us. They 
 give Birth to impure Heats within, feed and 
 blow up the dormant Sparks of Original 
 Concupifcence. They let om? anions loofe 
 upon us*, and while they gratify, increafe 
 irregular Defires. 'Hence yii'//i?i(f;/^^ becomes 
 neceflary to prevent or help off with the; 
 ill EfFeds of conHafit Pleafure, to withr 
 draw the Fuel, that the Flame may gradu- 
 ally die away and cool us into ferious Re* 
 fledions. - -.- ; ,,-. 
 
 \ But if v/e regard omt Savlour'^s Cafe, this 
 Neceffity was fuperfeded by ahfolute Purity. 
 The Flejh in him never warred again}} the 
 Spirit y 2ind fo wanted not fuch- rigorous 
 Methods to bring it under. It was always 
 Jcept a mighty Stranger to the things of this 
 World, and fo could not be capable of ahur 
 fwg them. It receiv'd a right Bias at firftj 
 apd ever afterwards difcover'd nothing but ' 
 > forwardnefs to e^i'^?^', what fober Reafon 
 had a right to require. Why then Ihould 
 itht.roughlj handled like a Criminal^ tied 
 ■ up, in a lolemn manner, even from com^non. 
 Neceifaries, and put to imdeferved Pemnct} 
 
 Again, 
 
Onr Sazfiours miraculous Fafl. 
 
 Again, Fafting is prefcrib'd as a proper 
 help and furtherance to Devotion. The cor- 
 ruptible Body is continually groveling upon 
 the ground,, as if it long'd to be buried in 
 it 5 and the mifchief is, the Soul^ which 
 would fain be mounting upwards, is forfe 
 let and hindred, through its fpiteful Influ- 
 ence. As it is dull and heavy in all its pro- 
 per Motions, fo doth it render the other 
 dull and fupine in all her noble Operations. 
 Inftead of a dutiful Compliance, there is a 
 ftubborn Reludancy. She is forc'd as it 
 were to drag and hale along the cumber- 
 fom Lump, and confequently having but 
 little ufe of her natural Adivity , cannot 
 but be foon tired with the beft Performan- 
 ces. But jfhe is never more hamper'd and 
 opprefs'd by the fleflily Fetters, never finds 
 a greater heavinefs and deadnefs upon her 
 in her Approaches to God, than after the 
 grand Work of waiting upon Appetite, 
 Then -a Huggifh Drowzinefs feizes upon the 
 Senfes and the Mind at once. The Springs 
 of Thought go flow , and the necejjary 
 Length of Divine Service is an over-match 
 for our Attention, An empty Stomach on 
 the contrary is a fovereign Antidote againft 
 a cloudy Head and a liftlefs Heart. It kn^ 
 ces off fpiritual Languors, abates the un- 
 wieldinefs of the corporeal Organs, and fo 
 very much facilitates oui* Flights towards 
 Heaven. 
 
 U4 It 
 
OmlSa'vioHrs miraculom Fafl. 
 
 It is plain, the Jews were of this Opi- 
 nion, who never begun their, daily Repaft^ 
 till they had finidi'd their JW^raw^-Sacrifice. 
 And theCuftom of good Christians is groun- 
 ded upon it, who have always been wont 
 IP put by their ordinary Suftenance, when 
 they were going to commemorate the Sacri- 
 fice of the Crofs. 
 
 But how could this preparative Difcipline 
 refped the aH-fzifficient Jt{ns} Being himfelf 
 the Giver " of every good and perfed Gift, 
 he could have no per final Occafion for Pray- 
 er upon which they are entail'd , being 
 the very Masier-piece of Nature could feel 
 TiO Impediments in it. The two Principles 
 of his Humanity were peculiarly fram'd for 
 an happy Pair^ and like loving Friends, 
 went hand in hand. Inflead of Clogs and 
 Incumbrances, there was a mutual Servicea- 
 blenefs, a conftant Harmony -^ fo that he 
 could foar with Eafe to the Place from 
 whence he came, and without the leaft di- 
 straction maintain a famJliar Intercourfe 
 with the eternal World. 
 
 Failing hkewife is a Fruit meet for Re^ 
 * ^entance. 
 
 Even worlJI); Grief k generally attended 
 v/ith it, and therefore Godly Sorrow^ to be 
 fure , would look but with an ill Grace 
 without it. The AffliEled during their iirft 
 Tranfports are indifferent, yea averfe to the; 
 nfuaj Solaces and Refrefhments of Life i 
 
Our Saviours miraadous Fafi. ^gf 
 
 and tb^ Venztent neglect 'em, not out of ah- 
 foliite Choice, but out of an holy Indigna- 
 r/Wagainft themfelves. They judge they 
 have forfeited their Title to them, by diftio- 
 nouring the bountiful Founder, and they 
 jchufe to exprefs that their Judgnient by re- 
 fraining from the invaluable BMing. And 
 truly the Expreflion feems to be very natu- 
 ral. When we grudge our felves our daily 
 Bread, what do we but acknowledge our 
 daily Unworthinefs of it, and the Demerit 
 of thofe Offences which have rendred us 
 thus unworthy ; that Heaven has been too 
 indidgent to us poor contemptible Creatures, 
 and we moft ungrateful towards ^^^ High 
 (Z7id lofty one that inhabiteth it ? When we 
 forego a lawful Satisfadion, that we natu- 
 rally much defire, and might alfo vtry tniior 
 centlj partake of, what do we but declare 
 our abhorrence of unlawful ones, that 'tis 
 pur Wifh we had never enjoyed them in 
 times paft, that 'tis our Refolution never to 
 enjoy them more. 
 
 And now could the inmaculate Lamb of 
 God be concerned in fuch a religious Pur- 
 pofe ? No, queflionlefs as he kriew 7io Sin^ 
 fo he needed no Repentance, His Enemies 
 indeed charg'd him Vv^ith the one, but hi$ 
 Confcience flood his Friend fo much as to 
 excufe him the Evidences of the othen 
 'Twas their bufinefs only to hold a Truce 
 y/ith their Mouths, to keep pleafant Mor^ 
 
 fels 
 
Our Sa*vionrs miraculom Fafl. 
 
 fels from entring hiy that had fufFcr'd evil 
 Thoughts to proceed out of them. 
 
 What then were tht Reafons and Ufes of 
 our Saviour's Abfiinence ^ Some of the Chief, 
 I prefume, might be thefe that follow. 
 
 I. The Recovery of human Nature from 
 that Reproach which it fuffer'd by the In- 
 temperance of our fir si Parents. No fooner 
 were they fettled in a State of Happinefs , 
 but they made a fhift to furfeit themfelves 
 out of it. Tho' Heaven was liberal of its 
 fweeteft Influences, and the Earth of its 
 beft Treafures , tho' Eden entertain d them 
 with Rivers of Pleafure, and the Ufe of all 
 the Garden, was allowed to them , only a 
 Tree excepted, as a Mark of God's Sove- 
 retgnty^ as a Trial of Man's Obedience^ yet 
 all this availed them nothing , becaufe of 
 that Exception. In the midft of fuch agreea- 
 ble Variety , they regretted the Jingle Re^ 
 ftraint, and could not be eafy, without 
 trying the taft of the forbidden Fruit. And 
 when they had done fo, the Crown fell 
 from their guilty Heads, and the Glory de- 
 parted from them. The reft of the rational 
 Creation flood now amaz'd to fee the Un- 
 rulinefs of their hifant Appetite, as they 
 did before to behold Nature's Stdre-Houfe 
 of Provifion for it^ and from admiring their 
 wonderful Felicity, began to upbraid their 
 unaccountable Bafenefs. The Celejlial Hoft 
 veil'd themfelves to cover their Blufhes , 
 
 and 
 
Our Saviours miraculous Fajh %^,^ 
 
 and the Infernal Tribe hifs'd to celebrate 
 their Triumph. We commenc'd Spectacles 
 of Horror to All , nay to our very felves. 
 With Complacency we humourd our liquo^, 
 rifti Sence, but with Confuiion refleded on 
 the voluptuous Ad, and thenceforward paid 
 infinitely dear for the wild Frolick in Shame 
 and Infamy. 
 
 Now to retrieve, 'tislik , our Cr^^if with 
 Heaven, the fecond Adavi afted the Reverfc 
 of the fir si ^ and wheieas the other made 
 bold with that which was facred^ he denied 
 himfelf even that which was lawful This 
 is certain , his generous Forbearance has 
 'done Mankind a world of Honour, and 
 wip'd out the Stain of that prefumptuous ' 
 Curiofity. Now we can look up to our 
 Maker without our wonted Confternation , 
 BOW we can fhow our Heads with Confi- 
 dence among reafonable Beings. 
 
 Another excellent End for which ht fa fl- 
 ed was that he might teach us by his Ex- 
 ^ample how to prepare our felves for high or 
 difficult Employments, It was an appro v'd 
 VraSice before 5 all Ages and Countries 
 made it a Preliminary to Important Enterprifes. 
 This uftier'd in all Attempts in Religion 
 that were confiderable. Witnefs what Jo- 
 nah fays of the Isinevites , our Saviour of 
 Tyre and Sidon^ and others of the Pharifees 
 and John's Followers. Nay, this led the 
 way too in fecular Undertakings. Witnefs 
 
 what 
 
o Our Sa'viours miraculous Fafi. 
 
 what the Apoflle obferves of the Olympic 
 Competitors, Every Man thas Jlriveth for 
 the Maftery is temperate in all things. They 
 that run in a Race^ to obtain a corritptibU 
 Crown ^ fubmit to almofl: unnatural Strid- 
 neffes upon that View. And the common 
 Wrefller, before he can hope to fignalize 
 himfelf by egregious fleights of Bodily 
 Strength and Activity, muft be feverely die- 
 ted for the Combat. 
 
 The High Prieji of our VrofeJJion a6led 
 accordingly , when he commenced fuch 
 But the reafon why he aded thus was wide- 
 ly different from theirs. Having been late- 
 ly confecrated to his Office by a Defcent of 
 the Holy GhoH upon him, and confirmed by 
 a recommendatory Voice out of the excellent 
 Glory ^ he prefaced the Execution of it with 
 Fafting, but not to fit himfelf for difchar- 
 ging it. For doth not David tell us prophe- 
 tically that he was anointed ivith the Oil of 
 Gladnefs above his Fellows^ x^nd the BaptiH 
 afTure us upon the Event that God gave 
 pot the Spirit by Meafure unto him^ by fuch 
 . ' minute and ftinted Proportions as fell to 
 the Share of other Mortals ? Yea, did not 
 the ftdnefs of the Godhead dwell hi him bo- 
 ddy^ It had therefore been no Intrufion , 
 had he entred upon his great Work extem- 
 pore ^ no abrupt or irregular Proceeding, 
 had iie preach'd as foon as he was fent. 
 But yet' he did not. A formal Retreat from 
 
 outv/ard 
 
Our Samoury^ iniraculom Faji. 201 
 
 outward Accomniodations; muft intervene, 
 and why but upon Intuition > of leaving a 
 Precedent to his Churchy which they were 
 to follow, in calling Labourers into the 
 Vineyard, and the Labourers themfelves in 
 encountring the emergent Difficulties of 
 their Mimjiry .<? At lead , That was looked 
 upon by the Wife and Prudent as a fair 
 Hiiit^ an implicit Direftion, to fasi upon 
 fuch Occafions. For we find it pradis'd at 
 the Ordinations^ not only of Paul and Bar- 
 nabas ^ when invefted with the peculiar a^s 1% 
 Charge of opening a Door of Faith to the 
 Gentiles f> but alfo of other Prefbyters, when 
 appointed by them for a much eafier Ser- 
 vice, namely to confirm the Souls of their Afts i^ 
 Converts, and eftabliih them in the Faith. 
 And the early Days of Chriftianity inftitu- 
 ted four folemn times of piibllck Fafting , 
 commonly call'd Ember Weeks^ to implore 
 the Divine Grace and Heavenly Benedidi- 
 on upon the Holy Orders conferred at thofe 
 Seafons. Which Ufage^ to Her Glory be 
 it fpoken, is ftill retained by Her that is irt 
 all Refpeds truly primitive, the Church of 
 Ejigland ^ aftd tho' the People fadly forget 
 their Part, ihe carefully performs hers, by 
 putting a fuitable Form of Prayer into the 
 Hands of all her Pa/lors^ to be recited then^ 
 with a profound Gravity and the devoutefl 
 Affedions,. inail the JJJemblies of the Saints. 
 
 Nor 
 
joi Our Sd'vioms mracnlous Fafi. 
 
 Nor would it be at all amifs, if a pri* 
 vate Application of this Nature attended' 
 the Receipt or Conveyance of any momen- 
 tous Truft, v/hether facred or fecular^ fd 
 the Parties concern'd appeared not unto Men 
 to fast ^ as the manner of fome is. We can't 
 too much intereft God in our AfiFairs, who 
 is the Father of Lights , the everlafling 
 Coimfelior by Style and by Inclination. And 
 therefore whoever is fo wife as to own the 
 lack of Wifdom^ let him afk it of God •, let 
 him wrellle inPrayer, and take tip the ftout 
 Refolve of Jacob ^ I will not let thee go ex- 
 cept thou blefs me ^ but that he may like J^- 
 €vb too, have Fower with Gody and prevail^ 
 he muft call in Abftinence to his Aid. So 
 fitted out and accomplifh'd , he will not 
 fight uncertainly f or as one that beateth the 
 Air, 
 
 Thus having examin'd upon what Ac- 
 count our Saviour begun his Faft , proceed 
 we fecondly to enquire , Why he eontifiued 
 it to the Number oi forty Days and forty 
 ISiights. 
 
 Several, and it may be plaiifible, Conje- 
 dures have been advanced by the Learned-^ 
 but there is one above the reft that feems 
 to deferve our Notice, and 'tis this^ that by 
 his long Intermiflion of thofe lower Offices 
 of eating and drinking, he meant to. difpofe 
 the Minds of Men for the Reception of his' 
 DoBrine. In the 1 8^^^ of Deiaer. Mofes thus 
 
 pre^ 
 
Ouir Sa^vioHTS niiraculoHs Fuji. 303 
 
 predideth to 7/r^^/ concerning the MeJJiah. 
 A Prophet will the Lord thy God raife up from 
 among thee^ of thy Brethren like unto me^ un- • 
 to him ye fhall hearken. Now Mofes^ du- 
 ring his forty Days Communion with God 
 on the Mount of Sinai, when he was to re-^^^^' ^*^ 
 ceive the Law^ yea, and Elias too, during 
 his forty Days Travel toward the Mount q^, Kings 10. 
 Horeb^ when he was to reftore it, did nei-^i. 
 ther eat Bread nor drink Water, And there- 
 fore it concern'd our Lawgiver Jikewife, 
 when he addrefs'd himfelf to perfeB it, to 
 live out the fame tedious Proportion of 
 Time by the fame extraordinary way of 
 Subfiftence. Otherwife the Predidion 
 would not have had its full Accomplifh- 
 ment in him^ otherwife he would not 
 have fliown himfelf a Pr^/?^^r like unto them^ 
 and fo the Jerps could be under no Obli- 
 gation to hearken to him^ as a Teacher fent 
 from God. If this Charader of Refem- 
 blance had been wanting, they might mo- 
 deftly have queftion'd , Who gave thee the 
 Authority thou pretendeft to? Might juftly 
 have afk'd, Majier, we ivould fee a Sign 
 from Heaven, that we may believe. But 
 fince he held out fo vaft a while without 
 feeking the Supplies of outward Nourifti- 
 ment, before the opening of his high Com- 
 miffion, there could be no reafo?jable Excep- 
 tion againft him. So imcom?non a Faft, not 
 only as it evidenced th-e Agreement betwixt 
 
 Type 
 
304 QutSa'uionrs miraculous Faji. 
 
 Type and Antitype y but alfo. as a' ^F/jg-w/^r 
 Performance, prov'd him to be the very 
 » ChriH that fljoiiU come into the World.. For 
 no Man could live fo like a Miracle^ except 
 God were with him* So that hence we 
 rnay account for the Self-denial, and con-* 
 elude it was to get him the Honour of a 
 Prophet in his own Country, and cut off all 
 Pretences of lookiiig for another. 
 
 Some are for inferring the Duty of a like 
 Forty Days Abftinence from the Pradice iri 
 the Text. But it is hard to determine^ 
 whether is greateft, the Indifcretion or the 
 fiety of the Inference. They are to be 
 commended for their good will to our 
 Lord's Example, and their defire of tran- 
 " fcribing it ^to the utmoft. But here their 
 Emulation out-runs their Ability - and jhall 
 I praife them in this, I praife them net ^ 
 This Adion is above our Strength to go 
 through with, and fo fhould be beyond our 
 Zeal to attempt. In him the Divine Na- 
 ture underprop'd the Human -^ but this 
 flefhiy Tabernacle of ours, if not conftantly 
 repaired, having no Promife of invifible Sup- 
 port, will foon fall from under us and crum- 
 ble into Duft. The Manifeftation of his 
 eternal Power and Godhead took up forty 
 Days and forty Nights , but a four Days 
 Trial would fufficiently, if not fatally, con^ 
 vince us that Man liveth, ordinarily fpea- 
 ^ii^g^ h H^ead alone. Nay fo fenfible ai*e 
 
Our Sa'vionrs miraculous Faji. 305 
 
 the rigid Tafk-mafters themfelves, that 
 Meats are for the Belly ^ and the Belly for 
 Meats ^ that tho' fle^o is feverely interdi- 
 fted with a Touch not ^ Taji not ^ Handle 
 not ^ yet a jF///>Dinner, an Evening-CoWd- 
 tion, and more than a little Wine, we are 
 told, are gracionfly allow'd/Jr the Stomach- 
 fake. 
 
 But befides the Frailty of our Conftitu- 
 tion, the Silence of the Scriptures is a check 
 upon us. We are commanded indeed to 
 walk even as he walked in the World, but 
 not to faft as he fafled in the Wildernefs. 
 Had Chrift intended this for a Pattern of our 
 Obedience, as well as a Recommendation 
 of his Dodrine, would he not have pro- 
 pounded it as fiich^ would he not have (ig- 
 nified his Intention fomewhere ? The i)ue- 
 ry put to him about the different Conduft of 
 his Difciples, and thofe of the BaptiH in re- 
 ference to Fajiing^ gave him an Opportu- 
 nity to do fo. But we*find, he makes no 
 more than a general Reply. The Days wil/^^^th, 9. 
 co?ne^ when the Bridegroom jhall he taken^^* 
 from them^ and then jhall they fast. Here 
 is an exprefs Order and a weighty Reafon 
 given for future Ads of Difcipline, but no 
 Diredion for Time or other Circimijlances, 
 Thefe things, it feems, are difcretionary^ 
 and wholly left to the Wifdom and Occafons 
 of the Church. 
 
 X And 
 
So6 Our Saviour s miraculous Faji. 
 
 And what was fo left at large^ the Church 
 very fitly determine with a fpecial Eye to 
 this Divine Faft, tho' not without fome re- 
 fped too to humafi Infirmity. No iftipra-^ 
 Bicdble Aufterities were brought up, but 
 only convenient Abridgments in point of 
 Diet, PleafureandBufinefs^ no tedionsEx- 
 ercifes encouraged, but only fuch temporary 
 Devotions , as Man's weak Nature could 
 bear, his fpiritual Cafe required, and his or» 
 dinary Duties admitted of. 
 
 Thefe Rides are of very venerable Anti* 
 qiiity^ and the Antepafchal Faft under fuch 
 prudential Limits, as it is countenanc'd by 
 the often Fafti?igs of St. Paid^ and the great 
 Abftemioufnefs of Timothy^ fo may it be tra- 
 ced almoft up to the Days of St. John^ 
 one of the honourable Children of the Bride- 
 chmnher. 
 
 •The Title of a Divine or Apoftolical Tra- 
 .ditton given it by many of the Fathers , 
 the famous Debate ^before the clofe of the 
 fecond Century betwixt ViBor of Rome and 
 thofe of lefier Afia about its endijig , the 
 immemorial^ tho* various, Obfervation of it, 
 which that noted Frag?nent of IrenAivs his 
 '>'CircTdar Letter alferteth , and the imiverfal 
 Regard paid to it in the feveral Countreys 
 where the Name of ChriH was caiTd upon, 
 which St. Bafd fo eminently beareth wit- 
 nefs to (it appearing; not that any General 
 Council ever eftabiifaed it) feem to make 
 
 for 
 
Our Samonrs miramlous Faji. 307 
 
 for its Jpojlolical Authority or Approbation. 
 The heavy Penalties decreed by the Sixty 
 nhitb Canon for fuch as fliould De found to 
 neglefl: it, whether Clergy or Lahy^ the 
 exprefs mention of it by the Councils of 
 Nice and Laodicea, and the numerous au- 
 thentick Teflimouies coUeded by the late 
 Bifliop Bevericlge upon the Argument in Cod. Cart.' 
 hand, clearly demonftrate it a Primitive^^^^'h^^* 
 Conftitution or Ufage. Eccleftajlick Story Quadr»gl 
 is full enough in its Favour 5 and that ju* 
 dicious Prelate made fo good an ufe there- 
 of, as perfectly to rout his pretendiiig Ad- 
 verfary, and take from him the Armour 
 wherein he trufted. 
 
 Nor is it more ancient than laudable^ 
 whatever morofe Separatijls^ that make it 
 matter of Difpute and not of Pradice^ may 
 affirm to the contrary. Did we teach in- 
 deed for a DoBrine of Chrift this Cofnmand- 
 7nent of Men, there would be umbrage for 
 Calumny, ground for Scruple. But 'tis well 
 known, we reverence it only as a Cufto7fi 
 which we have ever had and all the Churches 
 ofGody and yet they will not ceafe to be 
 contejitious. Did we make it a ground of 
 Merits a Standard of PerfeBiorr^ they would 
 find fufficient Caufe to keep a clutter v/ith 
 that dear Wordy Popery, that forniidabie 
 Things Superftition. 
 
 But it is our avowed Sence, and has been 
 the conftaiu Declaration of our Apologifis, 
 
 X 2 that 
 
3oS Our Samonrs miraculom Fafl. 
 
 that bodily Exercife^ without Godlinefsy pro- 
 fiteth but little •, and yet Detradion will 
 not be ftruck dumb. If we urge in defence 
 of that and other Jlated Times of Abfti- 
 nence, that there were ordinary Fafts oihu- 
 pian Extradion under the Jewi^o GEconomy, 
 which are remembred in Scripture and ap- 
 proved by God 5 and therefore why may 
 there not alfo under the ChriWian^ They 
 reply with a concluding Face and a decifive 
 Air, T>ays and Months^ and Times andTears 
 are no longer of lawful Obfervance •, as if 
 what St. Faid defign'd as an Inveftive a- 
 gainft fuperannuated C^r^w^;w/^?/ Ordinances, 
 was equally a Blow to moral ones of a 
 modern Date ! Thus they ufe their liberty 
 as an occafion to the Flejhy as a doak of Mali- 
 cioufnefs. We muft forfooth be voted by 
 them the Difciples of Rome^ becaufe they 
 are fo of the vdndory Jerius ! 
 
 But in fpite of all oppofite Pleas and hu- 
 mourfom Cavils , the Dignity of Lent 
 Itands firm and immoveable. Sure I am in 
 its crigifial Ufe, it had a fpecial Influence 
 upon Religion, and brought much Glory to 
 God,, much Benefit to Men , whether we 
 confider it as an Opportunity to the Goodoi 
 improving themfelves in Vertue by retired 
 Meditation, as a means of reclaiming the 
 Bad from Vice by caiitionary Penances, or as 
 an Inftrument of Gr^^^, fitting both-^ the 
 one in fome meafure, and the other to great 
 
 Exadnefs, 
 
Our Saviour s miraculous Fali. 500 
 
 Exa6lnefs, for the enfuing Sacrament and 
 Feftival of Eafter, Sure I am, in its prefe?it 
 Defign, it has a very friendly Afpeft upon 
 Civil Society, as it invites a publick Humi- 
 liation for publick hiiquities^ which if not 
 timely expiated by a proportionable Sorrow, 
 muft neceffarily tend to the ruin of it. But ^ 
 fince National Sins are capable only of a 
 temporary Vengeance, private ones alfo of e- 
 ter?ial Retributions, becaufe of the different 
 Duration of States and hdividuals ^ parti- 
 cular Perfons are more efpecially beholden 
 to that which leadeth them to Repentance. 
 Tho' we are oblig'd to have /^te/^jj a watch- 
 ful Eye upon our Aftions, and to fhake 
 Hands with a ?noral Imperfedion as foon as 
 we difcover it in our felves ; yet it is but 
 neceffary fome fet Time, and that of reafo- 
 nable Co7itimtan.ce, (hould be referv'd for a 
 more ^ji-^^ Scrutiny intoour paft Behaviour, 
 a moxQ jiiidioiis Subjedion of Sence to Rea- 
 fon, a more folemn Abrenunciation of the 
 World by Weeping, Fafting and Praying. 
 But fuch is the Re?mff?iefs of fome, and the 
 Perverfenefs of more, if every one was left at 
 liberty as to this matter, fcarce ^;j^ would e- 
 ver come to a pofitive Refolution about it^ 
 we (hould be exceeding bufy to projecl Rea^ 
 fons for (hifting or drilling off the return of 
 an ttnwelcorne Duty, too apt to confult with 
 the B^/^/w-Sophifters, Fle^: and Blood, in the 
 Gafe, and too willing to flay the Leifure 
 
 X ^ of 
 
Our Saviour s miraculojis Faji, 
 
 of every vile Luft and vain Impertinenqr. 
 
 TliQ Sppidfi of C^fif/ therefore could do no 
 lefs than reduce to a Certainty what accor- 
 ding to his Prophecy was to follow upon thd 
 Abfence of the Bridegroom^ and appoint an 
 (i?mual Seafon of Contrition and Mourning 
 to be obferv'd by all fucceeding Ages till his 
 coming again. And 'tis almoft inconceivable 
 what good Eflfefts her Appointment wrought 
 even in ht): ProdigalC\ii\Axtu^ together with 
 the pathetick Admo7iitions of their Teachers^ 
 and the cxe?nplary Conducl of their Brethren ^ 
 %vhat Indignation and Relentings, what Re- 
 vr^nge and Self-difpiicency, yea what Careful- 
 7iefs and Fear, yea what vehement Dejlre and 
 Iioly Zeal, A fmcere Piety got ground apace, 
 and ihe Pr^rt-^^^^ofbetter Thoughts, that was 
 taken up by the worft of Men, often ended 
 in the foririCr. l^otorioii-s Offenders took open 
 ihame to themfelves as a Reparation oi viola- 
 ted Laws, as a Satisfaction for publick Scan- 
 dal And. all tatYivzXy Emblems of Meannefs 
 and Difparagement, of Horror and Deformi- 
 ty, concurred to fet out the fadnefs of their 
 Condition. While the Groans of a wounded 
 Spirit hufti'd the Cravings of a flighted Ap- 
 petite, and made 'em almoft infenfible of any 
 Hunger or Thirsi but of thofe after Rigbte- 
 oufnefs '^ rough Sackcloth was thrown upon 
 their Backs, that the Flefh, which had been 
 every way carefs'd, might be every way cha- 
 f lis'd 5 hlthy Afloes were fprinkled on their 
 
 ■Heads, 
 
Onr Saviour s miraculous Faji. 5 1 
 
 Heads, that their Perfons, which had forfei- 
 ted the Divine Image^ might be reprefented 
 as vile Earth for doing fo, fit for nothing but 
 the Dunghill, and more defpicable than the 
 very Duft they trod upon: Doleful Confef- 
 ftons of Guilt came from them, with melan- 
 choly Streams of Water from their troubled 
 Eyes, that it might appear how evil and bit- 
 ter a thing it was to depart from God, in 
 whofe Favour is Life-^ and that nothing might 
 be wanting to compleat the Abafement, Pro- 
 Jlration at the Feet of the Frejlyters and the 
 Friends ofGod^ 2i?,Tertitllian^ when a Catho- ■ 
 licky informs us, was fubmitted to as a pro- 
 per fupplicating Pofture -, and infinitely glad 
 they were, if after all they were accounted 
 worthy to be reftored to Chtirch'Sockty^ 
 and the Privileges of the Faithfid. 
 
 From the Senfe of thefe Hardfhips and . 
 Dijimjours, Sinners of an inferiour Rank re- 
 ceiv'd a very kindly Impreffion, and were 
 induced to Ji?i no more^ left the fame awful 
 Judgment of £:^c^w7/i?m/V^ri<???, that had al- 
 ready pafs'd on others, with the fame difmal 
 Confequences (hould happen to themfelves 
 here, or a worfe thi?ig hereafter, the terri- 
 ble Sentence of — Depart ye Car fed. 
 
 And even fuch as lay not under any S*- 
 cleftaflical Cenfure, nor a felf-condemning 
 Confcience, readily clos'd with ma?jjoithc 
 StriBiiefes then ufed, and having barr'd the 
 door upon human Converfe and feadar In- 
 
 X 4 cumbrances. 
 
312 
 
 Our Saviours miraculous Fafi. 
 
 cumbrances, earneflly addrefs'd themfelves 
 to the reviewing of their Lives, the morti- 
 fying of their Lufts, and the raifing of their 
 Affedions above EartMy Vanities. Charity 
 too never faird, no more than Devotion. 
 Whilft they perfeded their own Repentance, 
 wafhing ofFthofeOr^^^;;,?/ Soils and Defile- 
 ments, which the tainted Air of a wicked 
 World fuffers none that breath in it wholly 
 to efcape, they pray'd for that of others, wifli- 
 mg they were not only ahmfl hit altogether 
 fitch a^ themfelves j and tho' they knew their 
 ownQmXl was not great,yet they thought their 
 Humiliation neceffary by way of Sympathy 
 with them that wept. In fliort, ' the whole 
 Body of Chriftians as one Man, made a re- 
 verend and frequent Recognition of the Glo- 
 ries of the Tri-une D/i;/;?/^;, and fent their 
 Petitions upwards, like publick Amha(fadors 
 
 ^^!t^ f^VV^^^^f behalf> a general blotting 
 out ot 1 ranfgreflions, and to make their 
 Peace with Heaven. And let me add, that 
 this great Solemnity^ which was fo grievous 
 for the time, was no lefs comfortable in the 
 Iffue, 'd?, yielding the peaceable Fruits of Ho- 
 linefs to thofe that were exercised thereby. 
 The Conrfe of Self-denials they begun in Sor- 
 row, butfinilh'd it with Joy, fuch Joy as no- 
 thing elie could give or take away. Every 
 one was of David's mind, when his peniten- 
 tial Pears were dried up, and cou'd not but 
 avknowledgeit^^^^/^r him that he was thm 
 
 a 
 
Our SamoHTS miracuJom Faji. 2 13 
 
 affliEled. All the while the Pagan World 
 look'd on with Envy and Amazement , and 
 from their manly negle8i?ig^ or rather afflid- 
 ing, of the Body ^ Prejudice it felfwasforcM to 
 conclude that God was m them of a Truth. 
 
 Such was xht glorious State,the excellent Ge- 
 nhis^tht noble heights of primitive Chriftiani- 
 ty ! But alas ! former things are pafs'd away, 
 and we can 7iow view the Churches Happinefs, 
 only by the help of Memory and long Refle- 
 xions. Now it is moft Men's Care to under- 
 mine that Spirit of Godlinefs, which the Fore- 
 fathers of our Faith were at fome Pains to ad- 
 vance, and inftead of confefling their Sins as 
 Venitents in the Face of the Congregation , 
 with a vifible Compundion, they proclaim 
 them as Sodom on the Houfe-top, with boaft- 
 ing Confidence. Now the Emulation oi Ex- 
 ample and the Fear of Shame have (hifted their 
 fide, and join in an open Confederacy againft 
 Vertue, To be Lewd is become fafhionable, 
 to be Abftemious reproachful. So that to 
 maintain the Poft of sl good ChriJ}/a?i^ afksas 
 much Courage almoft as would fignalize a Ge- 
 neral Thofe that are rich in this World fare 
 fumptiioiify every D.^, with the plump Epi- 
 cure in the Par aMe, as if they were refolv'd 
 ihtir good things alfofhouldrife up in Judg- 
 ment againfl them in another;, and but few, 
 I'm perfuaded, evervouchfafe to keep a Faft 
 that have wherewithal to ^rd'/7)t it! Nay, what 
 thro' the Connivance of the Magiftratfj and 
 
 tlie 
 
Our Samonrs miraculous Fafi. 
 
 the Stupidity of the working World, that Good 
 friday, that flands diftinguifli'd by the Effu- 
 fionofthe Blood-Royal of Heaven, and which 
 for that Reafon furely ought to be kept holy 
 unto the Lord that bought us with it, is fo far 
 from being fo, that we fee it not folemmzd 
 fo nauch as with a Refl from their Labours ! 
 When the Sons and Daughters of Jerufalem 
 fhould be afflicted and 7murn^ and weep for 
 themfelves^ and for their Children^ I pray thee 
 have me excused., is the general Language of 
 Hearts. They have Farms or Merchandife^ 
 or Senfualities to look after, and therefore 
 thty cannot come to Divine Worftiip ! 
 
 Well therefore may we obey the Call of 
 mir holj Mother^ when flie minds us to be- 
 wail the Lofs, and wiih the Revival of that 
 wholfome DifcipUne^ which once fo bravely 
 triumph'd over Vice^ and made it fneak into 
 Corners like an odious Shignlarhy, It has 
 been her foreft Trouble^ that the Condition 
 of the Times would not bear it •, it 
 would be her greateft Joy if it could be pra- 
 ftis'd again as fuccefsfdly as it was wifely 
 inftituted at firft. And tho' all her Hopes 
 were damp'd at the firft Glance upon an 
 vrntraftable Generation, yet her Endeavours 
 were always anfwerable to her Charge. 
 
 Accordmgly, fince her Hands are fo tyed 
 up by unhappy Circumftances, that fhe can 
 exert her felf no farther , a devotional Ex- 
 ercife however is provided for to the ut- 
 
Our Saviours miraculous Fafl. 3 1 d^ 
 
 moft. Upon the firH Day of Lent (he fets 
 it on Foot by a commanded Abftinence and 
 a penitential Office. On the firft Sunday 
 fhe enforces it by fetting before us the mo- 
 ving Argument of the Text, and a full Ac- 
 count of Chrift's Temptations • throughout 
 the intermediate Seafon fhe inculcates it by n 
 very pertinent Exhortations. On the Heb- \ 
 domada Magna^ the Holy Week^ (he perfeds 
 it by (hewing thofe Curfes executed on In- 
 nocence it felf, which the Law threatned a- 
 gainft Tranfgrejforsy and our own Mouths 
 antecedently feal with an — Amen^ in Tefti- 
 mony of their being due to fLtch'-^ by draw- 
 ing out the black Tragedy to our View in 
 the feveral affefting Reprefentations which 
 infpired Rhetorick gives of it ^ by requiring 
 us to humble our felves daily in the Duft 
 of the Sanftuary, and in a fpiritual Sence 
 to die and rife again with our crucified Sa- 
 viour. 
 
 For this jhe has , no doubt , the Praife 
 and Admiration of all that take to Heart 
 the dear Concerns of Religion, fo infinite- 
 ly befriended byit-, and for their Obedience 
 unto This, her pious Members may afluredly 
 expeft an Entrance into the Joy of her Lord^ 
 who for our fakes fafied forty Days and for-^ 
 ty Nights^ and for our fakes too was obedi- 
 ent unto Death, even the Death of the Crofs. 
 At prefent he pitifully beholds the Sorrows of 
 their Hearts^ and when they (hall have ac- 
 
 complifh'd 
 
gid Our Saviours miraculous Faft. 
 
 complifh'd as Hirelings their Day, will fee 
 that that rionrnifig in Sion, which Fools 
 have accoU7ited Madnefs and turn'd to their 
 Reproach , which Drunkards have made 
 Songs upon and abus'd into a Scene of Mer- 
 riment, be rev/arded, as the only tnte Wif- 
 dom^ with BlefTednefs for evermore. 
 
 After fo tedious tho' necejfary Bigre/fion^ 
 'tis alraofl: too late to fpeak to our lasi Par- 
 ticular, which refpefts thcConfequent of the 
 hng FaH , his being fubjeft to the Impref- 
 iions of Hwiger. 
 
 At anj; time Hunger , tho* a convenient , 
 is a very grating Senfation , a moft fevere 
 and unacceptable Notice of our prefent 
 Needs, unlefs Reliefs be at Hand to quiet 
 it. And in Cafe of abfolute Deftitution, fo 
 fevere and oppreflive a Challenge , that to 
 rid themfelves of it, fome have been ready 
 to take Sanftuary in the Grave, from which 
 that was intended to preferve us, by obli- 
 ging the Mind to look after its Companion. 
 
 But then , *tis like, it prefs'd for imme- 
 diate Supplies with all poffible Vehemence 
 and Importunity. Nature^ which was l^e- 
 fore upheld by the fupernatural Power of 
 the Spirit y was then fuffered to have her 
 Courfe , and fo preyed upon her felf for 
 want of other Fuel. 
 
 But why was {he thus fuflFered? Why, 
 when be could command Stones into Breads 
 or ftrike it out of nothing, did he chufe to 
 
 gQ 
 
Onr Saviours miracnlom Faji. 517 
 
 go without it, and languifti under Pains that 
 a Word might remedy? The Vfefulnefs and 
 jSfeceJitjf of the ConfltB are an Anfwer. It 
 was rtfefitl, as making full Proof of hx^exem-^ 
 plary Truft in- God , it was 7ieceffary^ av^^^- 
 hig a Step to an effential part of his Hum^ 
 liation^ the Temptations of the Dev'iU It be-^ 
 hoved him, as an intended Patterji of untver- 
 fal Righteoufnefs, to copy out among the 
 reft the great Duty of Affiance-^ it behov'd 
 him as the Redeemer of Mankind to enter 
 the Lifts with the Enemy of Souls , to 
 whom we were in Bondage, and fubdue 
 him. Now had he not been thus diftrefs'd, 
 there had been no room for that trying 
 
 Suggeftion, " If thou be the Son of 
 
 *' Gocl^ fee that thou be treated like fuch a 
 " one ; command that thefe Stones before us 
 " be made Bread for thy Refrefliment: And 
 confequently no Place for that manly Ne- 
 gative^ " IVi?, every Word that proceedeth out 
 *"' of the Mouth of Godc^iU accommodate me 
 " with Necelfaries, and if I be the Son of 
 *' God, as alTuredly I am, I muft be fo 
 " much the more at his Difpofe ^ I muft re- 
 " fer therefore the particular Time and 
 " Method of Accommodation to my Fa- 
 " ther's Pleafure. But by fubmitting to 
 the Condition of a Starvling , he tempted 
 Satan out into the Field, to the Subverfion 
 of his Kingdom, and by ftruggling on with 
 that gnawing Wolf, VeceJJity^ he hath taught 
 us what may be oi dally Ufe arnid^ the Chan- 
 
 Zes 
 
Ottr Sa'viours miraculous Fuji. 
 
 ges a?id Chances of z fhifting World, an entire 
 Dependance on the divine Providence. A 
 Dependance, I fay, not Prefumption. For 
 we hav^e no Warrant from his Example to 
 cafl- our felves into Hazards of Temptation, 
 only an Argument for our Faith, when it 
 befalleth us. The Captain of our Salvation 
 indeed lent him a Weapon againft himfelf, 
 but not to embolden us to the fame Terms 
 of Difad vantage. But for the Appearance 
 of Infirmity, which was intended as a Bait 
 for his ravenous Appetite, the Serpent would 
 never have made his Efforts on our Saviour, 
 nor confequently been/^r;;w//y vanquifh'd by 
 him. The Htflory intimates, he did not, 
 'till the languifhing Condition feem'dto pro- 
 mife but a feeble Refiftance. And befides, 
 St. Paul's Charader of himfelf more eminent- 
 ly befitted Chrifl at that time. When he 
 was weak , then was he Jlrong. His Flelh 
 might be wafted, and his Spirits faint thro' 
 Fafting-, notwithftanding he had Arm.our 
 left that was impenetrable. The Prince of 
 this World fomii no Corruption in him, and 
 fo could draw none out of him. 
 
 But what was Gallantry in the Holy one of 
 God^ if I maybeallow'dtocall itfo, would 
 be Fool-hardinefs in the frail Sons oi Adam, 
 There is no need of our beckening to the 
 grand Adverfary to come and affault us , we 
 may depend on't, he will make us a Vifit 
 without an Invitation. He is no backward 
 Gueft, tho' a troublefome onej but always 
 
 in 
 
Our Saviour s nnraculom Fa ft. 
 in a Readinefs to ftrive with Man, where he 
 alvpoys vtckons upon Vidory, ^nd feUom 
 fails of it. And certain it is, that if we are 
 the Jggreffors , he will be the Conqueror. 
 For in fuch a Cafe we expatiate beyond the 
 Liberties of a Chriftian, and fo make a i^. 
 feiture of God*s Protedion, who never fuK 
 fers us to he tempted above that we are able\ 
 but when we tempt our felves. Agreeable \ 
 is the Remark of the Son of Sirach, He that 
 loveth Danger *, it is not faid, he that falls 
 into it by unavoidable Necefiity, but , he 
 that loveth and draws it upon himfelf, fljall 
 perijij therein. The Wretch is abandon'd to 
 his own perverfe Choice, and the Difficul- 
 ties which he courted out of Wantonnefs 
 he fliall endure without Relief. 
 
 Such are the ill Confequences of provo- 
 king Satan, and playing with Temptation. 
 His Efforts are invigorated upon the mad 
 Adventure, our Succours withdrawn. And 
 Is'akednefs is fure but a thin Defence againft 
 fo Giant-like a Champion, Flefi and Blood 
 unfeconded but a poor Guard againft Prin- I 
 dualities and Powers. If therefore we would 
 quit our felves as good Soldiers of the Lord 
 Jefus, we muft be fure never to follow him 
 but where he calleth us, if we would get 
 the better of the Foe that labours our De^ 
 ftrudion, we muft give him no Encourage- 
 ment by Heedlefnefs and Secmitj;. /Self. 
 Diffidence will procure the Aids of iht one 
 Watching difappoint the Devices of x\x^other. 
 
 And 
 
20 Our Sazfionrs miraatlom Faji. 
 
 And both together will render us vidorious. 
 Thus each Branch of the Text is inftru- 
 aive , and to make them more fo , I fhall 
 add a general Refledion from the whole, 
 that Lafe SLndFleafurey thd" beautiful in their 
 Seafofiy as the Preacher obferves, carry not 
 %vath them the greateft Congruity to our 
 Probation-State, We call out indeed for 
 Mirth , as if it were the one thing needful^ 
 and we could not breath a Moment without 
 it , and with'hold not our Hearts from any 
 Joy that comes within our reach. But what 
 is there to bear us out in this profufe Gayety 
 and Self-Indulgence^ The PraSice of Solo- 
 7noni Lo! a greater than Solomon crieth, 
 hearn of me^ who hardly ever rejoiced but in 
 Spirity and was moft intimately acquai?ited 
 with Grief FajVtng and Temptations prece- 
 ded his triennial Miniftry , Wearinefs and 
 Painfulnefs came upon him daily thro' the 
 whole Courfe of it. And therefore unlefs the 
 Difciple is above his Majier^ the Servant above 
 his Lordy penfive Thoughts and a fedate Tem- 
 per will beft become us all the Years of our 
 earthly Pilgrimage. Inearneft Chriftians, our 
 Time for l^anfport is not yet. We may re- 
 joice mihout douht^ and nothing but a y?^/W 
 Sournels wou'd fuggeft the contrary ^ but 
 then it ought to be in fuch a manner as if we re- 
 joiced ?iot, no farther t\\m Health and Society 
 require. For we muft remember the Bufinels 
 oi xht7iext\NoY\d will not be done with Jeft- 
 ing, and the Fafiion of this paffeth away. 
 F I N I S. 
 
Date Due 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 f) 
 
 PRINTED 
 
 IN U. S. A. 
 
 t 
 
■( "'« . 
 
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