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 "5
 
 THE 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 O F 
 
 Mr. Y O R I C K. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 The Twelfth Edition. * 
 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 frinted for J. Dodsley in Pali-Mall. 
 M.DCC.LXXV.
 
 SERMONS 
 
 B y 
 
 LAURENCE STERNE, 
 A. M. Prebendary of York, and 
 Viciir of Sutton on the Foreil, 
 and of Stillington near York. 
 
 V O L. U. 
 
 A I
 
 SERMON VriL 
 
 TIME and CHANCE. 
 
 A.'
 
 [ 7 J 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 ECCLESIASTES IX. 1 I. 
 
 I returned and faw under the Jun^ that 
 the race is not to the f-xift^ — nor the 
 battle to the Jlrongy — neither yet bread 
 to the wife^ ncr yet riches to men cf 
 underftanding^ nor yet fa-vour to men 
 cjjkilU — but time and chance happen- 
 ilh to them alL 
 
 WllFN a man calls a look upon 
 ihi-s melancholy dcrcription ot 
 the world, and fees, contrary to all his 
 guefies and expectations, what diFTerent 
 fates attend the lives of men, — how on 
 it happens in the world, that there is not 
 even bread to the wife, nor riches to men 
 
 of underftanding, &c. he is apt to 
 
 conclude with a figh upon it, in the 
 
 A 4 words.
 
 8 SERMON VIII. 
 
 words, — tho' not in the fenfe of the wife 
 man, — that time and chance happeneth 
 to them all. — That time and chance, — 
 apt feafons and fit conjundtures have the 
 greateil fway, in the turns and difpofals 
 of mens fortunes. And that, as thefe 
 lucky hits (as they are called) happen to 
 be for, or againft a man, — they either 
 open the way to his advancement againft 
 all obftacles, — or block it up againft all 
 helps and attempts. That as the text 
 intimates, neither vjifdom^ nor under- 
 ftanding^ nov JJiill fliall be able to fur- 
 mount them. 
 
 However widely we may differ in our 
 reafonings upon this obfervation of So- 
 lomon's, the authority of the obfervation 
 is ftrong beyond doubt, and the evidence 
 given of it in all ages fo alternately con- 
 firmed by examples and complaints, as 
 
 to
 
 SERMON VIII. 9 
 
 to leave the fad itfelf unqueftionable — 
 That things are carried on in this world, 
 fometimes lb contrary to all our rcafon- 
 ings, and the feeming probabilities of 
 fuccefs, — that even the race is not to the 
 fwift, nor the battle to the ftrong, — nay 
 what is ftranger ftill — nor yet bread to 
 the wife, who fhould laft ftand in want 
 of it, — nor yet riches to men of under- 
 Handing, who you would think bed 
 qualified to acquire them, — nor yet fa- 
 vour to men of fkill, whofe merit and 
 pretences bid the fairefl for it, — but 
 that there are fome fecret and unfeen 
 workings in human affairs, which baffle 
 ail our endeavours, — and turn afide the 
 courfe of things in fuch a manner, — 
 that the mofl likely caufes difappoint 
 and fail of producing for us the effed: 
 which we wifhed and naturally expeded 
 from them. 
 
 2 You
 
 lo SERMON VIII. 
 
 You will fee a man, of whom was 
 you to form a conjedture from the ap- 
 pearances of things in his favour, 
 
 you would fay was fetting out in the 
 world, with the faireft profpedl of mak- 
 ing his fortune in it •, — with all the ad- 
 vantages of birth to recom.mend him, — 
 
 of perfbnal merit to fpeak for him 
 
 and of friends to help and pufli him 
 forwards : you will behold him, not- 
 withflanding this, difappointed in every 
 effed you might naturally have looked 
 for, from them ; every ftep he takes 
 towards his advancement, fomething 
 invifible fhall pull him back, fome un- 
 forefeen obftacle fhall rife up perpetual- 
 ly in his way, and keep there. In 
 
 every application he makes — fome un- 
 toward circumftance fhall blafl it. — He 
 
 Ihall rife early, late take reft, 
 
 and ea^ the bread of carefulnefs, — yet 
 
 fome
 
 SERMON VIII. II 
 
 fome happier man fliall ftill rife up, 
 and ever ftcp in before him, and leave 
 him ftruggling to the end of his life, in 
 the very fame place in which he firft 
 began it. 
 
 The hiftory of a fecond, Ihall in all 
 rcfpe^ls be the contrail to this. He 
 (hall come into the world with the mod 
 unpromifing appearance, — fhall fet for- 
 wards without fortune, without friends, 
 — without talents to procure him either 
 the one or the other. Neverthelefs, you 
 will fee this clouded profped brighten 
 lip infenfibly, unaccountably before 
 him ; every thing prefented in his way 
 fhall turn out beyond his expectations, 
 — in fpite of that chain of unlurmount- 
 able difficulties which firfl threatened 
 him, — time and chance fliall open him 
 a way, — —a feries of fuccefsful occur- 
 rences
 
 12 SERMON VIII. 
 
 fences iliall lead him by the hand ta 
 the fummit of honour and fortune, and, 
 in a word, without giving him the pains 
 of thinking, or the credit of projedling 
 it, fhall place him in a fafe poffeflion of 
 all that ambition could wifh for. 
 
 The hiftories of the lives and for- 
 tunes of men are full of inftances of 
 this nature, — where favourable times 
 and lucky accidents have done for them, 
 what wifdom or fkill could not: and 
 there is fcarce any one who has lived 
 long in the world, who upon looking 
 backwards will not difcover fuch a mix- 
 ture of thefe in the many fuccefsful 
 turns which have happened in this life, 
 as to leave him very little reafon to dif- 
 pute againft the fad, and, I fliould 
 hope, as little upon the conclufions ta 
 be drawn from it.
 
 SERMON VIIL 13 
 
 Some, indeed, from a fuperficial view 
 of this reprefentation of things, have 
 
 atheiftically inferred, that becaufe 
 
 there was fo much of lottery in this 
 
 life, and mere calualty feemed to 
 
 have fuch a fhare in the difpofal of 
 
 our affairs, that the providence of 
 
 God ftood neuter an J unconcerned in 
 their feveral workings, leaving them to 
 the mercy of time and chance to be 
 furthered or difappointed as fuch blind 
 agents directed. Whereas in truth the 
 very oppofite conclufion follows. For 
 
 confider, if a fuperior intelligent 
 
 power did not fometimes crofs and 
 over-rule events in this world, — then 
 our policies and defigns in it, would 
 always anfwer according to the wifdoni 
 and Itratagem in which they were laid, 
 and every caufe, in the courfe of 
 ihing% would produce its natural effect 
 
 without
 
 14 SERMON VIII. 
 without variation. Now as this is not 
 the cafe, it neceflarily follows from 
 Solomon's reafoning, that, if the race 
 is not to the fwifc, if knowledge and 
 learning do not always fecure men from 
 want, — nor care and induftry always 
 make men rich, — nor art and fkill in- 
 fallibly make men high in the world ; 
 that there is fome other caufe which 
 mingles itfelf in human affairs, and go- 
 verns and turns them as it pleafes ; 
 which caufe can be no other than the 
 Firft Caufe of all things, and the fecrct 
 and over-ruling providence of that 
 Almighty God, who though his dwelling 
 is fo high, yet he humbleth himfelf to 
 behold the things that are done in earth, 
 raifing up the poor out of the duff, and 
 lifting the beggar from the dunghill,, 
 and contrary to all hopes putting him 
 with princes, even with the princes of 
 n his
 
 SERMON VIII. 15 
 
 his people i which by the way, was the 
 cafe of David, who makes the acknow- 
 ledgment! — And no doubt — one rea- 
 Ibn, why God has feleclcd to his own 
 difpofal, fo many inftances as this, 
 where events have run counter to all 
 j)robabilitics, — was to give teltimony 
 to his providence in governing the 
 world, and to engage us to a confidera- 
 tion and dependence upon it, for the 
 event and fuccefs of our undertakings*. 
 For undoubtedly — as I faid, it fhould 
 ieem but fuitable to nature's laws, that 
 the race fhould ever be to the fwift, — 
 and the battle to the flrong ; — it is rea- 
 fonablc that the bed contrivances and 
 means fhould have beft fuccefs, — and 
 fince it often falls out other wife in the 
 cafe of man, where the wifcll projeds 
 
 • Vide Tillotjon'j fcrmon on this fubjtfl. 
 
 are
 
 i6 SERMON VIII. 
 
 are overthrown, — and the mofl hope- 
 ful means are blafted, and time and 
 chance happens to all ; — you muft call 
 on the Deity to untye this knot ; — for 
 though at fundry times — fundry events 
 fall out — which we, who look no far- 
 ther than the events themfelves, call 
 chance, becaufe they fall out quite con- 
 trary both to our intentions and our 
 
 hopes, though at the fame time, in 
 
 refpedl of God's providence over-ruling 
 in thefe events, it were profane to call 
 them chance, for they are pure defig- 
 nation, and tho' invifible, are flill the 
 regular difpenfations of the fuperin- 
 tending power of that Almighty Be- 
 ing, from whom all the laws and 
 powers of nature are derived, who, 
 
 as he has appointed, fo holds 
 
 them as inflruments in his hand : and 
 without invading the liberty and free 
 
 will
 
 SERMON VIIL 17 
 
 will of his creatures, can turn the paf- 
 fions and defires of their hearts to fulfil 
 his own righteoufnefs, and work fuch 
 effedls in human affairs, which to us 
 ieem merely cafual^ — but to him, cer- 
 tain and determined, and what his infi- 
 nite wifdom fees neceifary to be brought 
 about for the government and prefer- 
 vation of the world, over which Provi- 
 xience perpetually prefides. 
 
 When the fons of Jacob had cad their 
 brother Jofeph into the pit for his de- 
 ftru6lion, — one would think, if ever any 
 incident v;hich concerned the life of man 
 deferved to be called chance, it was this 
 —That the company of llhmaciites 
 fhould happen to pafs by, in that open 
 country, at that very place, at that time 
 too, when this barbarity was committed. 
 After he was refcucd by fo favourable a 
 Vol. II. B con-
 
 i8 SERMON VIII. 
 
 contingency, — his life and future for- 
 tune flill depended upon a feries of con- 
 tingencies equally improbable -, for in- 
 ftance, had the bufinefs of the Ilhmael- 
 ites who bought him, carried them from 
 Gilead, to any other part of the world 
 befides Egypt, or when they arrived 
 there, had they fold their bond-flave to 
 any other man but Potiphar, through- 
 out the whole empire, — or, after that 
 difpofal, had the unjuft accufations of 
 his mafler's wife cafl the youth into 
 any other dungeon, than that where 
 the king's prifoners were kept, — ^^or had 
 it fallen out at any other crifis than \vhen 
 Pharaoh's chief butler was caft there 
 £00, — had this, or any other of thefe 
 events fallen out otherwife than it did> 
 —a feries of unmerited misfortunes had 
 overwhelmed him, — and in confequence 
 the whole land of Egypt and Canaan* 
 
 From
 
 SERMON VIII. 19 
 
 From the firft opening, to the conclu- 
 fion of this long and interefting tranfac- 
 tion, the Providence of God fuffered 
 every thing to take its courfe: the ma- 
 lice and cruelty of Jofeph's brethren 
 wrouo.ht their worfl milchief ao-aiml 
 him ; banifhed him from his country 
 and the protection of his parent. — The 
 luft and bafenefs of a difappointed wo- 
 man funk him (liil deeper : — loaded his 
 chara6ler with an unjuft reproach, — 
 and, to complete his ruin, doomed him, 
 friendlefs, to the miferiesof an hopelefs 
 prifon, where he lay negledled. Provi- 
 dence, though it did not crofs thefe 
 events, — yet Providence bent them to 
 the mod merciful ends. When the 
 w^hole Drama was opened, then the 
 v.'ifdom and contrivance of every part 
 of it was difplayed. Then it appeared, 
 it was not they (as the patriarch inferred 
 B 2 in
 
 20 SERMON VIII. 
 
 in confolation of his brethren,) it was 
 not they that fold him, but God, — 'cwas 
 he fent him thither before them, — his 
 fuperintending power availed itfelf of 
 their paffions — diredled the operations 
 of them, held the chain in his hand, 
 and turned and wound it to his own 
 purpole. " Ye verily thought evil 
 
 againfl me, but God meant it for 
 
 good, — ye had the guilt of a bad in- 
 tention, — his Providence the glory of 
 accomplifhing a good one, — by pre- 
 fer ving you a pofte'f'ity upon the earthy 
 and bringing to pafs as it is this day^ to 
 fave much people alive'' All hiftory is 
 full of fuch tcftimonies, which though 
 they may convince thofe who look no 
 deeper than the furface of things, that 
 time and chance happen to all, — yet to 
 thole who look deeper, they manifefl at 
 the fame time, that there is a hand 
 5 much
 
 SERMON VIIL 21 
 
 much bufier in human affairs than what 
 we vainly calculate ; which though the 
 proje6lors of this world overlook, — or 
 at lead make no allowance for in the 
 formation of their plans, they generally 
 find in the execution of them. And 
 though the fatalift may urge, that every 
 event in this life is brought about by 
 the miniftryand chain of natural caufes, 
 — yet, in anfwer, let him go one ftep 
 higher — and confider, — whofe power it 
 is that enables thefe caufes to work— 
 whofe knowledge it is, that forefecs 
 what will be their effeds, — whofe good- 
 nefs it is, that is invifibly conducing 
 them forwards to the befl and greateft 
 ends for the happinefs of his creatures. 
 
 So that as a great reafoncr juflly dif- 
 
 tinguifhes, upon this point, — " It is not 
 
 only religioufly fpeaking, but with the 
 
 B 3 ftriaeft
 
 22 SERMON VIII. 
 
 flrideft and moft philofophical truth of 
 expreffion, that the fcriptute tells us, 
 thai God commandeth the ravens,— -that 
 they are his directions which the winds 
 and the feas obey. If his fervant hides 
 himfelf by the brook, fuch an order, 
 caufes and effefls Ihall be laid, — that 
 the fowls of the air fhall minifter to his 
 fupport. — When this refource fails, and 
 his prophet is directed to go to Zare- 
 phath, — ^for that he has commanded a 
 v/idow woman there to fuftain him,-— 
 the fame hand which leads the prophet 
 to the gate of the city, — ihall lead forth 
 the diftreffed widow to the fame place, 
 to take him under her roof, and tho' 
 upon the impulle of a different occa- 
 fion, Ihall neverthelels be made to ful- 
 fil his promife and intention of their 
 mutual prefervation, 
 
 Thu^
 
 SERMON VIII. 23 
 
 Thus much for the truth and illuftra- 
 tion of this great and fundamental doc- 
 trine of a Providence -, the belief of 
 which is of fuch confequence to us, as 
 to be the great fupport and comfort of 
 our lives. 
 
 Juflly therefore might the Pfalmift 
 upon this declaration, — that the Lord 
 is King — conclude, that the earth may 
 be glad therefore, yea the multitude of 
 the ides may be glad thereof. 
 
 May God grant the perfuafion may 
 make us as virtuous, as it has reafon to 
 make us joyful; and that it may bring 
 forth in us the fruits of good living, to 
 his praife and glory ! — to whom be all 
 might, majefty, and dominion, now and 
 for evermore. Amen, 
 
 B 4. S E R.
 
 SERMON IX. 
 The Charaaer of HEROD. 
 
 Preached on Innocents Day.
 
 [ 27 ] 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 Matthew II. 17, iS. 
 
 nen iv as fulfilled that which was fpoken 
 
 by Jeremy the prcphet^ f^f^^^Z-^ ^'^ 
 
 Rama was there a voice heard^ lamen- 
 taticn^ and weepings and great mourn- 
 ing ; Rachael weeping for her children^ 
 and would not be comforted^ hecaufe 
 they are not, 
 
 THE words which St. Matthew 
 cittrs here as fulfilled by the cruel- 
 ty and ambition of Herod, — are in the 
 3 1 ft chapter of Jeremiah, the 1 5th verfe. 
 In the foregoing chapter, the prophet 
 havinedeclaredGoD's intention of turn- 
 ing the mourning of his people into joy, 
 by the refloration of the tribes which 
 had been led away captive into Babylon ; 
 
 he
 
 28 S E R M O N IX. 
 
 he proceeds in the beginning of this 
 chapter, which contains this prophecy, 
 to give a more particular dcfcription of 
 the great joy and feflivity of that pro- 
 mifed day, when they were to retura 
 once more to their own land, to enter 
 upon their ancient poirefrions,and enjoy 
 again all the privileges they had lofl, 
 and amongft others, and what was above 
 them all, — the favour and protedion 
 of God, and the continuation of his 
 mercies to them and their poflerity. 
 
 To make therefore the impreflion of 
 this change the fironger upon their minds 
 — he gives a very pathetic reprefenta- 
 tion of the preceding forrowon that day 
 when they were firft led away captive. 
 
 Thus faith the Lord, A voice was 
 heard in Rama> lamentation and bitte? 
 
 weeping,
 
 S E R M O N IX, 29 
 
 ^veepIng, Rachacl weeping for her chil- 
 dren, refufed to be comforted, becaufe 
 they were not. 
 
 To enter into the full fenfe and beau- 
 ty of this defcription, it is to be re- 
 membered that the tomb of Rachael, 
 Jacob's beloved wife, as we read in the 
 35th of Genefis, was fituated near Ra- 
 ma, and betwixt that place and Eethle- 
 hem. Upon which circumftance the 
 prophet raifes one of the moil afiecling 
 fcenes, that could be conceived ; for as 
 the tribes in their forrowful journey be- 
 twixt Rama and Bethlehem in their way 
 to Babylon, were fuppofed 10 pafs by 
 this monumental pillar of their anceflor 
 Rachael, Jacob's wife, the prophet, by 
 a common liberty in rhetoric, introduces 
 her as rifing up out of her fepulchre, 
 and as the common mother of two of 
 
 their
 
 30 SERMON IX. 
 
 their tribes, weeping for her children, 
 bewailing the fad cataftrophe of her pof- 
 terity led away into a llrange land — 
 refufing to be comforted becaufc they 
 were not, — loft and cut off from their 
 country, and in all likelihood, never to 
 be reftored back to her again. 
 
 The Jcwifh interpreters fay upon 
 this, that the patriarch Jacob buried 
 Rachael in this very place, forefeeing by 
 the fpirit of prophecy, that his pofterity 
 fhould that way be led captive, that fhe 
 might, as they paffed, here intercede for 
 them. — 
 
 But this fanciful fuperftrufture upon 
 the pafTage, feems to be little elfe than a 
 mere dream of fome of the Jewiih doc- 
 tors; and indeed had they not dreamt 
 it v/hen they did, 'tis great odds, but 
 lo fome 
 
 I
 
 S E R M O N IX. 31 
 
 fome of the Romifh dreamers would 
 have hit upon it before now. For as ic 
 favours the doctrine of intcrceflions — if 
 there had not been undeniable vouchers 
 for the real inventors of the conceit, one 
 Ihould much fooner have fou2;ht for i: 
 among the oral traditions of this church, 
 than in the Talmud, where it is — 
 
 But this by the bye. There is Hill an- 
 other interpretation of the words here 
 cited by St. Matthew, which altogether 
 excludes this Icenical reprefcntation I 
 
 have given of them. By which 'tis 
 
 thought that the lamentation of Rachael 
 here delcribed, has no immediate refer- 
 ence to Rachael, Jacob's wife, bur that 
 it fimply alludes to the forrovvs of her 
 dcfcendants, the diiireflcd moihcrs of 
 the tribes of Benjamin and Epiiraim, 
 who might accompany their children, 
 
 led
 
 32 S E R M O N IX. 
 
 led into captivityas far as Rama, in their 
 way to Babylon, who wept and v/ailed 
 upon this fad occafion, and as the pro- 
 phet defcribes them in theperfonof Ra- 
 chael, refufing to be comforted for the 
 lofs of her children, looking upon their 
 departure, without hope or profpeft of 
 ever beholding a return. 
 
 Which ever of the two fenfes you give 
 the words of the prophet, the applica- 
 tion of them by the cvangelift is equally 
 juft and faithful. For as the former 
 fcene he relates, was tranfa6led upon the 
 very fame flage, — in the fame diftri6b 
 
 of Bethlehem near Rama where fo 
 
 many mothers of the fame tribe now dif- 
 fered this fecond mod affefling blow — 
 the words of Jeremiah, as the evangelifl 
 obferves, were literally accomplifhed, 
 and no doubt, in that horrid day, 
 
 a voice
 
 S E R M O N rx. 3^ 
 
 a voice was heard again in Rama, la- 
 mentation and bitter weeping — Rachael 
 weeping for her children, and refufing 
 to be comforted-, — every Bethlemitifh 
 mother involved in this calamity, be- 
 holding it with hopelefs forrow — gave 
 vent to it — each one bewailing her chil- 
 dren, and lamenting the hardnefs of their 
 lot, with the anguilh of an heart as in- 
 capable of confolation, as they were of 
 redrefs. Monftcr! — could noconfidera- 
 tion of all this tender forrow, flay thy 
 hands? — Could no refle(5lion upon (o 
 much bitter lamentation throughout the 
 coails of Bethlehem, interpofe and plead 
 in behalf of fo many wretched objedls, 
 
 as this tragedy would make? Was- 
 
 there no way open to ambition but that 
 thou mufl trample upon the afFcdions 
 of nature? Could no pity for the inno- 
 cence of childhood — no fympathy for 
 Vol. 1L C the
 
 34 S E R M O N IX. 
 
 the yearnings of parental love incline 
 thee to Tome other meafures, for thy 
 fecurity — but thou mufh thus pitilefsly 
 rufh in — take the viiftim by violence — 
 tear it from the embraces of the mother 
 — offer it up before her eyes — leave 
 her difconfolate for ever broken- 
 hearted with a lofs — fo affeding in it- 
 felf — fo circumftanced with horror, that 
 jio time, how friendly foever to the 
 mournful — fhould ever be able to wear 
 out the impreflion? 
 
 There is nothing in which the mind 
 of man is more divided than in the ac- 
 counts of this horrid nature. For 
 
 when we confider man, as fafhioned by 
 his Maker — innocent and upright — 
 full of the tendered difpofitions — with 
 a heart inclining him to kindnefs, and 
 the love and protedion of his fpecies — 
 
 this
 
 S E R M O N IX. 35 
 
 this idea of him would almoft (hake the 
 credit of fuch accounts; — fo that to 
 dear them — we are forced to take a 
 
 fecond view of man very different 
 
 from this favourable one, in which we 
 infenfibly reprefent him to our imagi- 
 nations — that is — we are obliged to 
 confider him — not as he was made — 
 but as he is — a creature by the violence 
 and irregularity of his pafTions capable 
 of being perverted from all thefe friend- 
 ly and benevolent propenfities, and 
 fometimes hurried into exccfTes fo op- 
 pofite to them as to render the moil 
 unnatural and horrid accounts of what 
 he does but too probable. — The truth 
 of this obfervation will be exemplified 
 in the cafe before us. For next to the 
 faith and charadler of the hiflorian who 
 
 reports fuch facls, the particular 
 
 C 2 cha-
 
 36 SERMON IX. 
 
 charafler of the perfon who committed 
 them is to be confidered as a voucher 
 for their truth and credibility •, — and if 
 upon enquiry, it appears, that the man 
 a6led but confiftent with himfelf, — and 
 juft fo as you would have expected 
 from his principles, — the credit of the 
 
 hiftorian is reftored, and the fad: 
 
 related (lands inconteflible, from fo 
 ftrong and concurring an evidence on 
 its fide. — 
 
 With this view, it may not be an un- 
 acceptable application of the remaining 
 part of a difcourfe upon this day, to 
 give you a fketch of the charadter of 
 Herod, not as drawn from fcripture, — 
 for in general it furnilhes us with few 
 materials for fuch defcriptions: — the 
 facred fcripture cuts off in few words 
 
 the
 
 SERMON IX. 37 
 
 the hiftory of the ungodly, how great 
 foever they were in the eyes of the 
 world, — and on the other hand dwells- 
 •largely upon the fmalleft adions of the 
 
 righteous. We find all the circum- 
 
 flances of the lives of Abraham, Ifaac, 
 Jacob, and Jofeph, recorded in the 
 minuted manner. — The wicked feem 
 only mentioned with regret ij uft brought 
 upon the ibge, on purpofe to be con- 
 demned. The ufe and advantage of 
 which conducl — is, I fuppofe,the reafon 
 — as in p-encral it enlaro-es on no cha- 
 radiler, but what is worthy of imitation. 
 *Tis however undeniable, that the lives 
 of bad men are not without ufe, — and 
 whenever fuch a one is drawn, not with 
 a corrupt view to be admired, — but on 
 purpofe to be dctcfted — it mud excite 
 fuch ail horror againfl vice, as will 
 C ci (Irike
 
 3S S E R M O N IX. 
 
 ilrike indiredlly the fame good impref- 
 fion. And tho' it is painful to the laft 
 degree to paint a man in the fhades 
 which his vices have caft upon him, — 
 yet when it ferves this end, and at the 
 fame time illuftrates a point in facred 
 hillory — it carries its ovvn excufe with 
 it. 
 
 This Herod, therefore, of whom the 
 evangeiift fpcaks, if you take a fuper- 
 ficial view of his life, you woukl fay w^as 
 a compound of good and evil, — that 
 though he was certainly a bad man, — 
 yet you would think the mafs was tem- 
 pered at the fame time with a mixture 
 of good qualities. So that, in courfe, 
 as is not uncommon, he would appear 
 Avith two chara6ters very different from 
 each other. If you looked on the more 
 
 favour-
 
 S E R M O N IX. 39 
 favourable fide, you would fee a man of 
 great addrefs — popular in his beha* 
 viour — generous, prince-like in his en- 
 tertainments and expences, and in a 
 word fet off with all fuch virtues and 
 ihewy properties as bid high for the 
 countenance and approbation of the 
 world. 
 
 View him in another light, he was an 
 ambitious, defigning man, — fufpicious 
 of all the world, — rapacious, — impla- 
 cable in his temper, without fcnle of 
 
 religion, — or feeling of humanity. 
 
 Now in all luch complex charaders as 
 this, — the way the world ufually judges, 
 is— to fum up the good and the bad 
 againd: each other, — dedu(fl the IcfTcr 
 of thefe articles from the greater, and 
 (as we do in pafTing other accounts) 
 give credit to the man for what remains 
 C 4 wpon
 
 }(b is E H M O N IX. 
 
 vjpon the iDalance. Now, though this 
 feems a fair, — yet I fear it is often a 
 fallacious reckoning, — which though it 
 may fcrve in many ordinary cafes of 
 private life, yet will not hold good in 
 the more notorious inftances of mens 
 lives, efpecially when fo complicated 
 with good and bad, as to exceed all 
 common bounds and proportions. Not 
 to be deceived in fuch cafes we mull 
 work by a different rule, which though 
 it may appear lefs candid, — yet to make 
 amends, I am perfuaded will bring us 
 in general much nearer to the thing we 
 
 want, which is truth. The way to 
 
 which is — in all judgments of this kind, 
 to diftinguifh and carry in your eye, the 
 principal and ruling paffion which leads 
 the charadler— and feparate that from 
 
 the other parts of it, and then take 
 
 notice, how far his ather qualities, good 
 
 and
 
 S E R M O N IX. 41 
 
 and bad, are brought to ferve and fup- 
 porr that. For want of this dillindion, 
 we often think ourfelves inconfiftent 
 creatures when we are the fartheft from 
 it, and all the variety of fhapes and 
 contradidlory appearances we put on, 
 are in truth but fo many diiierent at- 
 tempts to gratify the fame governing 
 appetite. 
 
 With this clew, let us endeavour to 
 unravel this charadter of Herod as here 
 given. 
 
 The firfl thing which llrikes one in 
 it is ambition, an immoderate third, as 
 well as jcaloufy of power •, — how in con- 
 fident foever in other parts, his charac- 
 ter appears invariable in this, and every. 
 ^6lion of his life was true to it. — PVom 
 hence we may venture to conclude, that 
 
 this
 
 42 SERMON IX. 
 
 this was his ruling pafTion, — and that 
 mod, if not all the other wheels were 
 put in motion by this firfl fpring. Now 
 let us confider how far this was the cafe 
 in fact. 
 
 To begin with the word part of 
 him, — 1 laid he was a man of no fenfe 
 of religion, or at leafl: no other fenfe of 
 it, but that which ferved his turn — for 
 he is recorded to have built temples in 
 Judea, and erected images in them for 
 idolatrous worfhip — nor from a perfua- 
 fion of doing right, for he v;as bred a 
 Jew, and confequently taught to abhor 
 all idolatry, — but he was in truth fa- 
 crificing ail this time to a greater idol 
 of his own, his ruling pafiion •, for if we 
 may trull Jofephus, his fole view in fo 
 grofs a compliance was to ingratiate 
 himfelf with Auguftus, and the great 
 
 men
 
 S E R M O N IX. 43 
 
 men of Rome, from whom he held his 
 power. — With this he was greedy and 
 rapacious — how could he be otherwife, 
 with fo devouring an appetite as ambi- 
 tion to provide for? — He was jealous 
 in his nature, and fufpicious of all the 
 
 world Shew me an ambitious man 
 
 that is not fo ; for as fuch a man's 
 hand, like Khmael's, is againft every 
 man, he concludes that every man's 
 hand in courfe is againil his. 
 
 Few men were everguiiey of more 
 aftoniniing sl&.s of cruelly — and yet 
 the particular inftances'of tlicm in He- 
 rod were fuch as he was hurried into, 
 by the alarms this waking pafTion per- 
 petually gave him. He put tlie whole 
 Sanhedrim to the fvvord — l|;aring nei- 
 ther age, or wifdoin, or merit -one 
 
 cannot
 
 4+ S E R M O N IX. 
 
 cannot fuppofe, limply from an inclina- 
 tion to cruelty — no— they had oppofed 
 the eftablilhment of his pov;er at Jeru- 
 falem. 
 
 His own fons, two hopeful youths, 
 he cut off by a public execution. — The 
 worft men have natural affedtion — and 
 fuch a firoke as this would run lb con- 
 trary to the natural workings of it, that 
 you are forced to fuppofe the impulfe 
 of fome m.ore violent inclination to 
 
 over-rule and conquer it. And fo it 
 
 was, for the Jewifh hiftorian tells us, 
 'twas jealoufy of power — his darling 
 objc6l — of which he feared they would 
 one day or other difpoflefs him — fuf- 
 ficient inducement to tranfport a man 
 of fuch a temper into the bloodied ex- 
 celTes. 
 
 6 Thus
 
 SERMON IX. 45 
 
 Thus far this one fatal and extrava- 
 gant pafTion, accounts for the dark fide 
 of Herod's charadter. This governing 
 principle being firft laid open — all his 
 other bad adlions follow in courfe, like 
 lb many fymptomaric complaints from 
 the fame dillemper. 
 
 Let us fee, if this was not the cafe 
 fven of his virtues too. 
 
 At firft fight it feems a myftery — 
 how a man lb black as Herod has been 
 thus far defcribed — ftiould be able to 
 fupport himfelf in the favour and friend- 
 fhip of fo wife and penetrating a body 
 of men as the Roman ienate, of whom 
 he held his power. To counter-balance 
 the weight of fo bad and detefted a cha- 
 racler — and be able to bear it up as 
 
 Ilcrcd
 
 46 S E R M O N IX. 
 
 Herod did, one would think he miift 
 have been mailer of Ibme great fecret 
 worth enquiring after — he was fo. But 
 that fecret was no other than what ap- 
 pears on this reverfeof his charader. — 
 He was a perfon of great addrefs — po- 
 pular in his outward behaviour. — He 
 was generous, prince-like in his enter- 
 tainments and expences. The world 
 was then as corrupt at Jeafl:, as now— 
 and Plerod underftood it — knew at 
 what price it was to be bought — and 
 what qualities would bid the higheft 
 for its good word and approbation. 
 
 And in truth, he judged this matter 
 fowell — that notwithftanding the gene- 
 ral odium and prepolfefTion which arofe 
 againft lb hateful a character — in fpite 
 of all the ill imprefTions, from fo many 
 
 repeated
 
 SERMON IX. 47 
 
 repeated complaints of his cruekies and 
 opprefTions — he yet ftemmed the tor- 
 rent — and by the fpecious difplay of 
 thefe popular virtues bore himl'elf up 
 ao;ainft it all his life. — So that at lenj^th, 
 when he was fummoncd to Rome to 
 anfwer for his crimes — Jofephus tells 
 us — that by the mere magnificence of 
 his expences — and the apparent gene- 
 rofity of his behaviour, h;? entirely con- 
 futed the whole chare;e — and fo inc^rra- 
 tiatcd himfelf with the Roman fenate 
 — and won the heart of Auguftus (as 
 he had that of Anthony before) that 
 he ever after had his favour and kind- 
 nels i which I cannot mention without 
 adding that it is an eternal ftain upon 
 the character and memory of Auguftus, 
 that he fold his countenance and protec- 
 tion to fo bad a man, for fo mean and 
 bafe a confideration. 
 
 8 From
 
 48 SERMON IX. 
 
 From this point of view, if we look 
 back upon Herod — his befi: qualities 
 will fhrink into little room, and how 
 glittering foever in appearance, when 
 brought to this balance are found want- 
 ing. And in truth, if we would not 
 willingly be deceived in the value of 
 any virtue or let of virtues in fo com- 
 plex a character — we muft call them to 
 this very account ^ examine whom they 
 fcrve, what paffion and what principle 
 they have for their mailer. When this 
 is underilood, the whole clew is unra- 
 velled at once, and the charafler of 
 Herod, as complicated as it is given 
 
 u5 in hiftory when thus analyfed^ 
 
 is fummed up in three words That 
 
 he was a man of unbounded ambition^ 
 
 who fluck at nothing to gratify it^ 
 
 fo that not only his vices were mi- 
 nifterial to his ruling paffion, but his 
 
 virtues 
 
 4
 
 S E R M O N IX. 49 
 
 virtues too (if they deferve the name) 
 were drawn in, and lilled into the fame 
 fcrvice. 
 
 Thus much for the charader of He- 
 rod — the critical review of which has 
 many obvious ufes, to which I may 
 truft you, having time but to mention 
 that particular one wliich firft led me 
 into this examination, namely, that all 
 objections againll the Evangelift's ac- 
 count of this day's flaughter of the 
 Bethlemitifh infants — from the incre- 
 dibility of fo horrid an account — arc 
 filcnccd by this account of the man; 
 fjnce in this, he acled but like himfclf, 
 ^nd juil fo as you would expect in the 
 fame circumftances, from every man of 
 fo ambitious a head — and fo bad a heart. 
 — Confider, what havock ambition I;as 
 ■m^e — how often the fame trn^edy l^as
 
 50 S E R M O N IX. 
 been adled upon larger theatres — where 
 not only the innocence of childhood — 
 or the grey hairs of the aged, have 
 found no procedion — but whole coun- 
 tries without diftindlion have been put 
 to the fword, or what is as cruel, have 
 been driven forth to nakednefs and fa- 
 mine, to make way for new ones, under 
 
 the guidance of this pafTion For a 
 
 fpecimen of this, refledl upon the ftory 
 related by Plutarch : when by order of 
 the Roman fenate, feventy populous ci- 
 ties were unawares facked and deftroyed 
 at one prefixed hour, by P. ^milius — 
 by whom one hundred and fifty thou- 
 fand unhappy people were driven in 
 one day into captivity — to be fold to 
 the higheft bidder, to end their days in 
 cruel labour and anguifh. As aftonifh- 
 ing as the account before us is, it va- 
 niihes into nothing from fuch views, 
 
 fmcc
 
 S E R M O N IX. 51 
 fince it is plain from all hiftory, that 
 there is no wickednels too great for fo 
 unbounded a caufe, and that the moft 
 horrid accounts in hiftory are, as I faid 
 above, but too probable effedls of it. — 
 
 May God of his mercy defend man- 
 kind from future experiments of this 
 kind — and grant we may make a pro- 
 per ufe of them, for the fake of Jefus 
 Chrift. Amen. 
 
 D 2 SER.
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 job's Account 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Shortness and Troubles 
 of Life, 
 
 CONSIDERED; 
 
 r>3
 
 1
 
 [ 55 J 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 Job XIV. i, 2. 
 
 Man that is horn of a woman^ is of fcjo 
 days^ and full of trouble : — He comet h 
 forth like a flower^ and is cut down \ he 
 feeth alfo as afJoadow^ and conlinuelb 
 not, 
 
 THERE is fomething in this re- 
 fledtion of holy Job's, upon the 
 iliortnels of life, and inllability of hu- 
 man affairs, fo beautiful and truly fub- 
 lime •, that one might challenge the 
 writings of the moll celebrated orators 
 of antiquity, to produce a fpecimen of 
 eloquence, fo noble and thoroughly af- 
 fcdling. Whether this effecl be owing 
 in fome meafure, to the pathetic nature 
 of the fubjedl remedied on \ or to tliC 
 D 4 eafltrn
 
 S6 S E R M O N X. 
 
 eaftern manner of expreflion, in a ftyle 
 more exalted and fuitable to fo great a 
 iubjed, or (which is the more likely ac- 
 count,) becaufe they are properly the 
 words of that Being, who firft infpired 
 man with language, and taught his 
 mouth to utter^ who opened the lips of 
 the dumb, and made the tongue of the 
 infant eloquent ; — to which of thefe we 
 are to refer the beauty and fublimity of 
 this, as well as that of numberlefs other 
 pafTages in holy writ, may not feem new 
 material; but furely without thefe helps, 
 never man was better qualified to make 
 juft and noble refledions upon the fhort- 
 nefs of life, and inftability of human af- 
 fairs, than Job was, who had himfelf 
 v;aded through fuch a fea of troubles, 
 and in his paflage had encountered 
 many vicifTitudes of ftorms and fun- 
 fhine, and by turns had felt both the 
 
 extremes,
 
 S E R M O N X. ^^ 
 
 extremes, of all the happinefs, and all 
 the wretchedntffs that mortal man is 
 heir to. 
 
 The beginning of his days wa5 
 crowned with every thing that ambi- 
 tion could wifh for-, — he was the great- 
 eft of all the men of the Eaft — had 
 large and unbounded pofTefllons, and 
 no doubt enjoyed all the comforts and 
 advantages of life, which they could 
 adminifter. — Perhaps you will fay, a 
 wife man micrht not be inclined to f?ive 
 a full loolc to this kind of happinefs, 
 without fome better fecurity for the 
 fupport of it, than the mere poircfTion 
 of fuch goods of fortune, which often 
 flip from under us, and Ibmetimes un- 
 accountably make themfelves wings, 
 and fly av/ay. — But he had that fecu- 
 rity too, — for the hand of Providence 
 
 which
 
 58 S E R M O N X. 
 
 which had thus far protedled, was flill 
 leading him forwards, and feemed en- 
 gaged in the prefervation and continu- 
 ance of thefe bleflings •, — God had fet a 
 hedge about him, and about all that he 
 had on every fide; he had blefled all 
 the works of his hands, and his fub- 
 ftance increafed every day. Indeed, 
 even with this fecurity, riches to him 
 that hath neither child or brother^ as the 
 wife man obferves, inftead of a comfort 
 prove fometimes a fore travel and vex- 
 ation. — The mind of man is not always 
 fatisfied with the reafonable afliirance 
 of its own enjoyments, but will look 
 forwards, as if it difcovers Ibme imagi- 
 nary void, the want of fome beloved ob- 
 ject to fill his place after him, will often 
 dil'quiet itfelf in vain, and fay — " For 
 " whom do I labour, and bereave my- 
 *'felfofreft?" 
 
 This
 
 S E R M O N X. 59 
 
 This bar to his happinefs God had 
 likewife taken away, in blefling him 
 with a numerous offspring of Ions and 
 daughters, the apparent inheritors of 
 all his prefent happinefs. — Pleafing re- 
 flexion ! to think the bleffings God 
 has indulged one's fclf in, fhall be 
 handed and continued down to a man's 
 own feed; how little does this differ 
 from a fecond enjoyment of them, to 
 an affcdionate parent, who naturally 
 looks forward with as flrong an interelt 
 upon his children, as if he was to live 
 over again in his own pofterity ! 
 
 What could be wanting to finiOi fuch 
 
 a pidure of a happy man? Surely 
 
 nothing, except a virtuous difpofuion 
 to give a relifh to thefc bleffings, and 
 tlircd him to make a proper ufe of 
 
 them.
 
 6o S E R M O N X. 
 
 them.— He had that too, for he was a 
 perfect and upright man, one that fear- 
 ed God, and efchewed evil. 
 
 In the midft of all this profperity, 
 which was as great as could well fall to 
 the fhare of one man ; — whilfl all the 
 world looked gay, and fmiled upon him, 
 and every thing round him feemed to 
 promife, if poffible, an increafe of hap- 
 pinefs, in one inflant all is changed into 
 forrow and utter defpair. 
 
 It pleafed God for wife purpofes to 
 blafl the fortunes of his houfe, and cut 
 ofi the hopes of his pofterity, and in one 
 mournful day, to bring this great prince 
 from his palace down to the dunghill. 
 His fiocks and herds, in which confided 
 the abundance of his wealth, were part 
 
 confumed
 
 S E R M O N X. 6i 
 
 confumed by a fire iVom heaven, the 
 remainder taken away by the fword of 
 the enemy: his fons and daughters, 
 •whom 'tis natural to imagine fo good a 
 man had fo brou'-^ht up in a knCe of 
 their duty, as to give him all reafonable 
 hopes of much joy and pleafure in their 
 future lives — natural profpect for a pa- 
 rent to look forwards at, to recompenfe 
 him for the many cares and anxieties 
 which their infancy had coft him ! thcfc 
 ^ear pledges of his future happinefs 
 were all, all fnatched from him at one 
 blow, jufl at tlie time that one might 
 imagine they were beginning to be the 
 comfort and delight of his old age, 
 which mod wanted fuch flaves to lean 
 •on •, — and as circumflances add to an 
 
 ^evil, fo they did to this i for it fell 
 
 -out not only by a very calamitous acci- 
 dent.
 
 62 S E R M O N X. 
 
 dent, which was grievous enough in ir- 
 felf, but likewife upon the back of his 
 other misfortunes, when he was ill pre- 
 pared to bear fuch a fhock ; and what 
 would flill add to it, it happened at an 
 hour when he had lead reafon to ex- 
 ped it, when he would naturally think 
 his children fecure and out of the 
 way of danger, " For whilft they 
 *' were feafting and making merry in 
 *«• their eldeft brother's houfe, a great 
 *« wind out of the wildernefs Imote 
 *' the four corners of the houfe, and it 
 ** fell upon them." 
 
 Such a concurrence of misfortunes 
 is not the common lot of many : and 
 yet there are inftances of fome who have 
 undergone as fevere trials, and bravely 
 (Vruggled under them \ perhaps by na- 
 tural force of fpirits, the advantages of 
 6 health,
 
 S E R M O N X. 63 
 
 health, and the cordial affiftance of a 
 friend. And with thefe helps, what 
 may not a man fullain? — But this was 
 not Job's cafe; for fcarce had thefe 
 evils fallen upon him, when he was 
 not only borne down with a grievous 
 diftemper which afflicted him from the 
 crown of his head to the fole of his 
 foot, but likewife his three friends, in 
 whofe kind confolations he might have 
 
 found a medicine, even the wife of 
 
 his bofom, whofe duty it was with a 
 gentle hand to have foftened all his for- 
 rows, inftead of doing this, they cruelly 
 infulted and became the reproachcrs of 
 his integrity. O God! what is man 
 when thou thus bruifeft him, and 
 makeft: his burden heavier as his 
 ftrength grows lefs? — Who, that had 
 found himfclf thus an example of the 
 many changes and chances of this mor- 
 tal
 
 64 S E R M O N X. 
 
 tallife; — — when he confidered hirn- 
 felf now Ilripped and left deftitute of 
 fo many valuable bleffings which the 
 moment before thy Providence had 
 poured upon his head ; — when he re- 
 ceded upon this gay delightfome llruc- 
 ture, in appearance fo ftrongly built, fo 
 pleafingly furrounded with every thing 
 that could flatter his hopes and wifhes, 
 and behold it all levelled with the 
 ground in one moment, and the whole 
 profpect vaniili with it like the defcrip- 
 tion of an enchantment-, — who I fay 
 that had feen and felt the Ihock of fo 
 fudden a revolution, would not have 
 been furniihed with juit and beautiful 
 reflexions upon the occaflon, and faid 
 ^ith Job in the words of the text, " That 
 *' man that is born of a woman, is of 
 *' few days, and full of mifery — that he 
 **' Cometh foi-th like a flower, and is cut 
 p '•' di'.vn^
 
 S E R M O N X. 65 
 
 '* down i he fleeth allb cs a Ihadow, and 
 ** continuech not." 
 
 The words of the text are an epitome 
 of the naturd and moral vanity of man, 
 and contain two diftincl: declarations 
 concerning his ll:ate and condition in 
 each refpecl. 
 
 Firfl:, That he \z a creature of few 
 days; and fecondly. That thofc da)s 
 are full of trouble. 
 
 I fliall make fome reflexions upon each 
 of thefein their order, and conclude with 
 a pradical leflbn from the whole. 
 
 And firfl. That he is of few days. 'J'hc 
 
 comparifon which Job makes ufc of, 
 
 That man cometh forth like a flower, is 
 
 Vol. II. E extremely
 
 66 S E R M O N X. 
 
 extremely beautiful, and more to th^ 
 purpole than the mod elaborate proofs 
 which in truth the fubjedt will not eafi- 
 ly admit of, — the fhortnefs of life being 
 a point fo generally complained of in 
 all ages fince the flood, and fo univer- 
 fally felt and acknowledged by the 
 whole fpecies, as to require no evidence 
 beyond a fimilitude-, the intent of which 
 is not fo much to prove the fad, as to 
 illullrate and place it in fuch a light as 
 to firike us, and bring the impreilion 
 hom^e to ourfelves in a more affeding 
 manner. • 
 
 Man comes forth,, fays Job, like a 
 
 flower, and is cut down j he is fent 
 
 into the world the faireft and nobled 
 part of God's works, — fafliioned after 
 the image of his Creator with refpeft ta 
 
 reafoa
 
 SERMON X. G-j 
 
 reaibn and the great faculties of the 
 mind \ he cometh forth glorious as the 
 flower of the field •, as it furpalTes the 
 vegetable world in beauty, fo does he 
 the animal wo; Id in the glory and ex- 
 cellencies of his nature. 
 
 The one — if no untimely accident op- 
 prefs itjfoon arrives at the full period of 
 i:s perfedllon, — is fufFered to triumph 
 for a few moments, and is plucked up 
 by the roots in the \try pride and gayelt 
 rtage of its being: — or if it happens to 
 cfcane the hands of violence, in a few 
 days it neceflarily fickens of itfclf and 
 <]ies away. 
 
 Man likcwife, tliough liis progrels 
 is flower, and his duration fometliing 
 longer, yet the periods of Iiis growth 
 and declenfion are nearly the fame l^oth 
 in the nature and manner of them, 
 
 E2 If
 
 6S S E R M O N X. 
 
 If he efcapes the dangers which 
 threaten his tenderer years, he is loon 
 got into the full maturity and llrength 
 of life; and if he is fo fortunate as not 
 to be hurried out of it then by acci- 
 dents, by his own folly and intemper- 
 ance — if he efcapes thefe, he naturally 
 decays of himfeif ; — a period comes 
 fafl upon him, beyond which he was 
 
 not ir.ade to lad. Like a flower or 
 
 fruit which may be plucked up by force 
 before the time of tlieir maturity, yet 
 cannon be made to outgrow the period 
 when they are to fade and drop of them- 
 felves ', when that comes, the hand of 
 nature then plucks them both o(f, and 
 r,o art of the botanifl can uphold the 
 one, or ficill of the phyfician preferve 
 the other, beyond the periods to which 
 their original frames and conftitutions 
 were made to extend. As God has ap- 
 3 pointed
 
 S E R M O N X. 69 
 
 pointed and determined the fevcral 
 growths and decays of the vegetable 
 race, fo he Teems as evidently to have 
 prefcribcd the fame laws to man, as well 
 as all living creatures, in the firll rudi- 
 ments of which there are contained the 
 j'pecifick powers of their growth, dura- 
 tion and extinction ; and when the evo- 
 lutions of thofe animal powers are ex- 
 haufted and run down, the creature ex^ 
 pires and dies of itfclf, as ripe fruit falls 
 from tiie tree, or a flower prcferved be- 
 yond its bloom drops and periflies upon 
 the aalk. 
 
 Thus much for this comparifon of 
 Job's, which though it is very poetical, 
 yet conveys a jufl idea of the thing re^ 
 
 ferred to. '' That he fleeth alio as a 
 
 ihadow, and continuetii not" — is no Icis 
 E 3 a faith-
 
 70 S E R M O N X. 
 
 a faithful and fine reprefentation of the 
 fliortnefs and vanity of human life, of 
 which one cannot give a better expla- 
 nation, than by referring to the original, 
 from whence the picture was taken. — 
 With how quick a fncceffion, do days, 
 months and years pafs over our heads? 
 — how truly like a Ihadow that de- 
 parteth do they flee away infenfibly, 
 and fcarce leave an impreflion with us ? 
 
 when we endeavour to call them 
 
 back by refledion, and confider in what 
 manner they have gone, how unable 
 are the beft of us to give a tolerable 
 account ? — and were it not for fome of 
 the more remarkable llages which have 
 dillinguifhed a few periods of this rapid 
 progrefs — we (hould look back upon 
 it all as Nebuchadnezzar did upon his 
 dream when he awoke in the morning; 
 
 —he
 
 S E R M O N X. yi 
 
 he was fenfible many things had 
 
 paflcd, and troubled him too, but had 
 pafled on fo quickly, they had left no 
 footfteps behind, by which he could 
 be enabled to trace them back. — -— 
 Melancholy account of the life of 
 man! which generally runs on in fuch 
 a manner, as fcarce to allow time 
 to make refledlions which way it has 
 
 gone. 
 
 How many of our firft years Hide by 
 in the innocent fports of childhood, in 
 which we are not able to make reflec- 
 tions upon them ? — how many more 
 thoughdefs years cfcape us in our 
 youth, when we are unwilling to do ir, 
 and are fo eager in the purfuit of plea- 
 fure, as to have no time to fpare, to (lop 
 and confider them ? 
 
 E 4 When
 
 72 S E R M O N X. 
 
 V/hen graver and riper years come 
 on, and we begin to think it time to re- 
 form and fet up for men of fenfe and 
 condufl, then the bufinefs and perplex- 
 ing interefts of this world, and the end- 
 lefs plotting and contriving how to make 
 the mod of it, do fo wholly employ us, 
 that we are too bufy to make refle6lions 
 upon fo unproiitable a fubje6i. — As fa- 
 milies and children mcreafe, fo do our 
 affeclions, and with them are multiplied 
 our cares and toils for their prefervation 
 and eftablirhmient; — all which take up 
 our thoughts fo clofely, and pofTefs them 
 io long, that we are often overtaken by 
 grey hairs before we fee them, or have 
 found leii'ure to confider how far we 
 v;ere got,— what we have been doing — 
 and for what purpofe God fent us into 
 the world. As man may juftly be faid 
 to beoffev/ days, confidered with refped 
 
 to
 
 S E R M O N X. 7^ 
 
 to this hafty fucceflion of things, whicli 
 fbon carries him into the decline of his 
 life, fo may he likewife be faid to flee 
 like a Ihadow and continue not, when 
 his diiration is compared with other 
 parts of God's works, and even the 
 works of his own hands, which outlaft 
 him many generations ^ — whilll his— 
 as Homer obferves, like leaves, one ge- 
 neration drops, and another fprings up 
 to fall again and be forgotten. 
 
 But when we farther confider his days 
 in the light in which we ought chiefly 
 to view them, as they appear in thy 
 fight, O God ! with whom a thoufand 
 years are but as yefl:erday ; when we re- 
 fled that this hand-breadth of life is all 
 tliat is meafured out to man from that 
 eternity for which he is created, how 
 does his fliort fpan vanilh to nothing in 
 
 the
 
 74 S E R M O N X. 
 
 the companion ? 'Tis true, the greateft 
 portion of time will do the fame when 
 compared with what is to come •, and 
 therefore fo fhort and tranfitory a one, 
 as threefcore years and ten, beyond 
 which all is declared to be labour and 
 ibrrow, may the eafier be allowed : and 
 yet how uncertain are we of that por- 
 tion, fhort as it is ? Do not ten thou- 
 fand accidents break off the flender 
 thread of human life, long before it can 
 be drawn out to that extent ? — The 
 new-born babe falls down an eafy prey, 
 and moulders back again into duft, 
 like a tender bloffom put forth in an 
 untimely hour. — The hopeful youth in 
 the very pride and beauty of his life is 
 cut off ; fome cruel diflemper or un- 
 thought-of accident lays him proflrate 
 upon the earth, to purfue Job's com- 
 parifon, like a blooming flower fmit 
 7 and
 
 S E R M O N X. 75 
 
 and fhrivelled up with a malignant 
 blaft. — In this ftage of life chances 
 multiply upon us, — the feeds of difor- 
 dcrs are fown by intemperance or ne- 
 gledl, — infedlious diftempers are more 
 eafily contradlcd, when coiuraded they 
 rage with greater violence, and the 
 fuccefs in many cafes is more doubtfiil, 
 infomuch that they who have exercifed 
 themfelves in computations of this kind 
 tell us, " That one half of the whole 
 fpecies, which are born into the world, 
 go out of it agaip, and are all dead in 
 fo fhort a fpace as the firft feventeen 
 years." 
 
 Thefe reflexions may be fufficient to 
 illuftrate the firll part of Job's declara- 
 tion, " That man is of few days^"* Let 
 us examine the truth of the other, and 
 
 fee,
 
 76 S E R M O N X. 
 
 fee, whether he is not likewife full of 
 trouble. 
 
 And here we mull not take our ac- 
 count from the flattering outfide of 
 things, which are generally fet off with 
 a glittering appearance enough, efpe- 
 cially in what is called higher life, — 
 Nor can we fafely truft the evidence of 
 fome of the more merry and thought- 
 lefs amongft us, who are fo fet upon the 
 enjoyment of life as feldom to reflect 
 upon the troubles of it; — or who, per- 
 haps, becaufe they are not yet come to 
 this portion of their inheritance, imagine 
 it is not their common lot. — Nor laft- 
 ly, are we to form an idea of it, from 
 "the delufive (lories of a few of the mod 
 profperous pafTengers, who have fortu- 
 nately failed through and efcaped the 
 
 rougher
 
 S E R M O N X. ^^ 
 
 ^rougher toils and dlftreflcs. But we 
 
 arc to take our account from a clofe fur- 
 
 vey of hu:ran life, and the real face of 
 
 things, ilript of every th'ng that can 
 
 palliate or gild it over. We muft hear 
 
 the general complaint uf all ages, and 
 
 read the hiftones of mankind. If we 
 
 look into them, and examine them to 
 
 the bottom, what do they contain but 
 
 the hillory of fad and uncomfortable 
 
 palTages, which a good-natured man 
 
 cannon read but v. ith opprefTion of 
 
 fpirits? — Confidcr the dreadful fuccef- 
 
 iion of wars in one part or other of the 
 
 earth, perpetuated from one century to 
 
 anothtr with fo little intermifTjon, that 
 
 mankind have Icarce had time to breathe 
 
 from them, fince ambition firft came 
 
 into the world j confuler the liorrid 
 
 effcdls of them in all thofc b'arbarous 
 
 devafta-
 
 7? S E R M O N X. 
 
 devaftations we read of, where whole 
 nations have been put to the fword, or 
 have been driven out to nakednefs and 
 famine to make room for new comers. 
 — Confider how great a part of our fpc- 
 cies, in all ages down to this, have been 
 trod under the feet of cruel and capri- 
 cious tyrants, who would neither hear 
 
 their cries, nor pity their difrrefTes. 
 
 Confider flavery, — what it is, — how 
 bitter a draught, and how many millions 
 have been made to drink of it-, — which 
 if it can poifon all earthly happinefs 
 when exercifed barely upon our bodies, 
 what muft it be, v;hen it comprehends 
 both the flavery of body and mind? — 
 To conceive this, look into ths hiftory 
 cf the Romifh church and her tyrants, 
 (or rather executioners) who fecm to 
 have taken pleafure in the pangs and 
 
 con-
 
 S E R M O N X. ;^ 
 
 convulfions of their fellow-creatures.— 
 Examine the inquifition, hear the me- 
 lancholy notes founded in every cell. — 
 Confider the anguifli of mock trials, and 
 the exquifite tortures confequent there- 
 upon, mercilefsly inflided upon the un- 
 fortunate, where the racked and weary 
 foul has fo often wifhed to take its leave, 
 — but cruelly not fuffered to depart. — 
 Confider how many of thefe helplcfs 
 wretches have been haled from thence 
 in all periods of this tyrannic ufurpa- 
 lion, to undergo the mafTicres and 
 flames to which a falfe and a bloody re- 
 lio;ion has condemned them. 
 
 If this fad hiftory and detail of the 
 more public caufcs of the miferies of 
 man are not fufficient, let us behold 
 him in another light with rcfpecfl to the 
 more private caufcs of t!iem, and kc 
 
 whether
 
 So S E R M O N X. 
 
 whether he is not full of trouble like- 
 wife there, and almofl born to it as 
 naturally as the fparks fly upwards. 
 If we confidcr man as a creature full 
 of wants and necefTities, (whether real 
 or imaginary) which he is not able to 
 fupply of himfelf, what a train of dif- 
 appointments, vexations and depen- 
 dencies are to be feen, ilTuing from 
 thence to perplex and make his being 
 
 \ineafy? How many jurtlings and 
 
 liard ftruggles do we undergo, in 
 making our way in the world ? — How 
 barbaroufly held back? — How often 
 and bafely overthrown, in aiming only 
 at getting bread ? — How many of us 
 never attain it — at leaft not comfort- 
 ably, — but from various unknown 
 caufes— eat it all our lives long in bit- 
 ternefs. 
 
 If
 
 S £ R M O N X. 81 
 
 If we fhift the fcene, and look up- 
 wards, towards thofe whofe fituation in 
 life feems to place them above the for- 
 rows of this kind, yet where are they 
 exempt from others ? Do not all ranks 
 and conditions of men meet with fad 
 accidents and nnmberkfs calamities in 
 other refpedls, which often make them 
 go heavily all their lives long. 
 
 How many fall into chronical infirmi- 
 ties which render both tlieir days and 
 
 nights reillefs and infupportable? 
 
 How many of the higheft rank are tore 
 up with ambition, orfoured with difap- 
 pointments,nnd how many more, from a 
 thoufand fecrct caul'es of dilquiet, pine 
 away in filence, and owe their deaths to 
 
 forrow and dejcdion of heart? If 
 
 we cafl our eyes upon the lowed clafs 
 
 and condition of life, — the fcene is more 
 
 Vol. II. F me-
 
 $2 S E R M O N X. 
 
 melancholy ftill. — Millions of our fel- 
 low-creatures, born to no inheritance 
 but poverty and trouble, forced by the 
 necefTity of their lets to drudgery and 
 painful employments, and hard fet with 
 that too, to get enough to keep them- 
 
 felves and families alive. So that 
 
 upon the whole, v,'hen we have exa- 
 mined the true (late and condition of 
 human life, and have made fome allow- 
 ances for a few fugacious, deceitful 
 pkafures, there is fcarce any thing to 
 be found which contradicls Job's de- 
 fcription of it. — Which ever v;ay we 
 look abroad, we fee fome legible cha- 
 racters of what God firft denounced 
 againft us, " That in forrow we fhould 
 eat our bread, till we return to the 
 ground from whence we were taken."* 
 
 But 
 
 • N. B. Moft of thefe rcfleflions upon thcmi- 
 feries of life are taken from WooUafton.
 
 S E R M O N X. S3 
 
 But fome one will fay, Why are we 
 thus to be put out of love with human 
 life? To what purpofc is it to expofe 
 the dark fides of it to us, or enlarge 
 upon the infirmities which are natural, 
 and confequently out of our power to 
 redrefs ? 
 
 I anfwer, that the fubjedl is never- 
 thelefs of great importance, fince it is 
 neceflary every creature fhould under- 
 ft^nd his prefent flate and condition, 
 to pur him In mind of behaving fuitably 
 to it. — Does not an impartial furvcy of 
 man — the holding up this glafs to 
 Hievv him his defeats and natural infir- 
 mities, naturally tend to cure his pride 
 and clothe him with humility, which is 
 a drefs that bell becomes a (hort-lived 
 and a wretched creature? — Does not 
 the confideration of the fhortnefs of our 
 F 2 life.
 
 84 S E R M O N X. 
 
 life, convince us ofthe wifdom of dedi- 
 cating [o fmall a portion to the great 
 purpofes of eternity. 
 
 Laflly, When we refledl that this fpan 
 of life, fhort as it is, is chequered with 
 fo many troubles, that there is nothing 
 in this world fprings up, or can be en- 
 joyed without a mixture of forrow, how 
 infenfibly does it incline us to turn our 
 eyes and affe6lions from fo gloomy a 
 profpe6l, and fix them upon that happier 
 country, where affiidions cannot follow 
 us, and where God will wipe away all 
 tears from off our faces for ever and 
 ever ? Amen. 
 
 SER*
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 EVIL-SPEAKING. 
 
 t'3
 
 t S7 ] 
 
 SERMON XI 
 
 James I. 26. 
 
 If any man among you feem to be j'eligious^ 
 and bridleth not his tongue^ hut deceivetb 
 his czvn heart, that man^s relif^ion is 
 vain. 
 
 OF the many duties owing both to 
 God and our neighbour, there are 
 fcarce any men fo bad, as not to acquit 
 themfelvcs of fome, and few fo good, I 
 fear, as to pradlife all. 
 
 Every man feems willing enough to 
 compound the matter, and adopt lb 
 much of the lyftem, as will lealt inter- 
 fere with his principal and ruling paf- 
 Xion, and for thofc parts which would 
 F 4 occafioT>
 
 SS S E R M O N XI. 
 
 occafion a moretroiiblefomeoppofition, 
 to confider them as hard fayings, and fo 
 leave them for thofe to praCtiie, whofe 
 natural tempers are better fuited to the 
 Uruggie. So that a man fliall be cove- 
 tous, opprelTive, revengeful, neither a 
 lover of truth, or common honefty, and 
 yet at the fame time, fhall be z-ery re- 
 ligious, and fo fanfliiied, as not once to 
 fail of paying his morning and evening 
 facrifice to God. So on the other hand, 
 a man fhall live without God in the 
 world, have neither any great fenfe of 
 religion, or indeed pretend to have any, 
 and yet be of niceft honour, conlcien- 
 tiouflyjuft and fair in all his dealings. 
 And here it is that men generally betray 
 themfelves, deceiving, as the apoftle 
 fays, their own hearts; of which the 
 inflances are lb various, in one degree 
 cr other throughout human life, that 
 
 one
 
 S E R M O N XL 89 
 
 one might fafely fay, the bulk of man- 
 kind live in fuch a contradi6i:ion to 
 thcmfelves, that there is no charader fo 
 hard to be met with as one, which upon 
 a critical examination will appear alto- 
 gether uniform, and in every point 
 confident with itfelf. 
 
 If fuch a contraft was only obfervable 
 in the different llages of a man's life, it 
 would ceafe to be either a matter of 
 wonder or of jufl reproach. Age, ex- 
 perience, and much refledlion, may na- 
 turally enough be fuppofed to alter a 
 man's fenfe of things, and fo entirely to 
 transform him, that not only in out- 
 ward appearances, but in the very cad 
 and turn of his mind, he may be as un- 
 like and different from the man he was 
 twenty or thirty years ago, as he ever 
 was from any thing of his own fpecics. 
 
 This,
 
 qo S E R M O N XI. 
 
 This, I fay, is naturally to be accounted 
 for, and in fome cafes might be praife- 
 worthy too; but the oblervation is to 
 be made of men in the fame period of 
 their lives, that in the fame day, fome- 
 times in the very fame adlion, they are 
 utterly inconfiflent and irreconcileable 
 
 with themfelves. Look at a n;an in 
 
 one light, and he fliall feem wife, pene- 
 trating, difcreet and brave : behold him 
 i-n another point of view, and you fee a 
 creature all over folly and indifcretion, 
 weak and timorous, as cowardice and 
 indifcretion can make him, A man 
 fhall appear gentle, courteous and be- 
 nevolent to all mankind j follow him 
 into his own houfe, may be you fee a 
 tyrant, morofe and favage to all whole 
 happinefs depends upon his kindnefs. 
 A third in his general behaviour is 
 found to be generous, difinterefted, 
 
 humane^
 
 5 E R M O N XI. 91 
 
 humane, and friendly, — hear but the 
 fad (lory of the friendlefs orphans, too 
 credulouily trufting all their little jub- 
 ilance into his hands, and he Ciioll ap- 
 pear more fordid, more pitilefs and un- 
 juft, rhan the injured thcmfelves have 
 bitternefs to paint him. Another fliall 
 be charitable to the poor, uncharitable 
 in his ceniures and opinions of all the 
 reft of the world befidesj — temperate 
 in his appetites, intemperate in his 
 tongue^ Ihall have too much confcience 
 and religion to cheat the man who trufts 
 iiim, and perhaps, as far as the bufinefs 
 of debtor and creditor extends, fhall be 
 juft and icrupulous to the uttermoft 
 mite •, yet in matters of full as great 
 concern, wliere he is to have the han- 
 dling of the party's reputation and 
 good name, — the deareft, the tendereft 
 
 property
 
 92 S E R M O N XL 
 
 property the man has, he will do him 
 irreparable damage, and rob him there 
 without meafure or pity. — 
 
 And this feems to be that particular 
 piece of inconliftency and contradidlion 
 which the text is levelled at, in which 
 the words feem fo pointed, as if St. 
 James had known more flagrant in- 
 (tances of this kind of delufion, than 
 what had fallen under the oblervation 
 of any of the reft of the apoftles -, he 
 being more remarkably vehement and 
 copious upon that fubjed than any 
 other. 
 
 Doubtlefs fome of his converts had 
 been notorioufly wicked and licentious 
 in this remorfelefs pradlice of defama- 
 tion and evil-fpeaking. Perhaps the 
 
 holy
 
 S E R M O N XI. 93 
 
 holy man, though Ipotlefs as an angel, 
 (for no charadler is too facred for ca- 
 lumny to blacken,) had grievoufly fuf- 
 fered himfelf, and as his blefled mafter 
 foretold him, had been cruelly reviled, 
 and tv\\fpoken of. 
 
 All his labours in the gofpel, his un- 
 afFedled and perpetual folicitude for the 
 prefervation of his flock, his watchings 
 and failings, his poverty, his natural 
 fimplicity and innocence of life, all per- 
 haps were not enough to defend him 
 from this unruly weapon, fo full of 
 deadly poifon. And what in all likeli- 
 hood might move his forrow and indig- 
 nation more, fome who fcemicd the mod 
 devout and zealous of all his converts, 
 were the mofl mercilefs and uncharita- 
 ble in that refped : Having a form of 
 
 5 go^-
 
 94^ SERMON Xr. 
 
 godlinefs, full of bitter envyings and 
 ilrife. 
 
 With fuch it is that he expoftulates Co 
 largely in the third chapter of his epif- 
 tle; and there is fomething in his viva- 
 city tempered with fuch affedion and 
 concern, as well fuited the charader of 
 an inipired man. My brethren, fays 
 the apoftle, thefe things ought not to 
 be, — The wifdom that is from above is 
 pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy, 
 without partiality, without hypocrily. 
 The wifdom from above, — that heaven- 
 ly religion v;hich I have f reached to 
 you, is pure, alike and coTifillent with 
 itfelf ia all its parts ; like its great Au- 
 thor, 'tis univerfally kind and benevolent 
 in all cafes and circumftances. Its firft 
 glad tidings, were peace upon earth, 
 
 good-
 
 SERMON XI. 95 
 
 good-will towards men -, its chief cor- 
 ner ilone, its mod diftinguifhing cha- 
 rader is lov^, that kind principle which 
 brought it down, in the pure exercife 
 of which confifts the chief enjoyment of 
 heaven from whence it came. But this 
 prcH^ice, my brethren, cometh not from 
 above, but it is earthly, fenfual,devilirr/, 
 full of confufion and every evil work. 
 Refied then a moment; can a fountain 
 fend forth at the fame place, fwect water 
 and bitter? Can the fig-tree, my bre- 
 thren, bear olive-b^rries; either a vine, 
 figs ? Lay your hands upon your hearts, 
 and let yoar confciences fpeak. — Ought 
 not the lame juft principle, which re- 
 flrains you from cruelty and wrong in 
 oqe cafe, equally to withhold you from 
 it in anoiher? — Should not charity and 
 good-will, like the principle of life, cir- 
 9 culating
 
 ^6 S E R M O N XI. 
 
 culating through the fmalleft veflels in 
 every member, ought it not to operate 
 as regularly upoxn you, throughout, as 
 well upon your words as upon your 
 adtions ? 
 
 If a man is wile and endued with 
 -knowledge, let him Ihew ir, out of a 
 good converfation, with mceknefs of 
 
 wifdom. But if any man amongfl 
 
 youfeemeth to be religious ieemeth 
 
 to be, for truly religious he cannot 
 
 be, — and bridleth not his tongue, but 
 ■deceiveth his own heart, this man's reli- 
 gion is vain. This is the full force 
 
 of St. James's reafoning, upon which I 
 have dwelt the more, it being the foun- 
 dation, upon which is grounded this 
 clear decifion of the matter left us in 
 the text. In which the apoftle feems to 
 have fee tlietwocharadersof a faint and 
 
 a flan-
 
 S E R M O N XI. ^j 
 
 a flanderer at fuch variance, that one 
 would have thought they could never 
 have had a heart to have met together 
 again. But there are no alliances too 
 
 ftrange for this world. How many 
 
 may we obferve every day, even of the 
 gentler fex, as well as our own, who 
 without convidlion of doing much 
 wrong in the midft of a full career of 
 calumny and defamation, rife up punc- 
 tual at the (laced hour of prayer, leave 
 the cruel (lory half untold till they re- 
 turn, — go, — and kneel down before the 
 throne of heaven, thank God that he 
 had not made them like others, and that 
 his Holy Spirit had enabled them to 
 perform the duties of the day, in fo 
 chriitian and confcientious a manner ? 
 
 This delufive itch for flander, too 
 
 common in all ranks of people, whether 
 
 Vol. II. G to
 
 9S S E R M O N XI. 
 
 to gratify a little -ungenerous refcnt- 
 ment-, — whether oftener out of a prin- 
 ciple of levelling, from a narrownefs 
 and poverty of foul, ever impatient of 
 merit and fuperiority in others; whe> 
 ther a mean ambition or the infatiate 
 luft of being witty, (a talent in which ill- 
 nature and malice are no ingredients,) 
 or laftly, whether from a natural cruel- 
 ty of difpofition, abftrafled from all 
 views and confiderations of feif : to 
 which one, or whether to all jointly, vve 
 are indebted for this contao;ious mala- 
 dy, thus much is certain, from what- 
 ever feeds it fprings, the growth and 
 progrefs of it are as deftrudiive to, as 
 they are unbecoming a civilized people. 
 To pafs a hard and ill-natured refledion, 
 upon an undefigning adtion ; to invent, 
 or which is equally bad, to propagate 
 a vexatious report, without colour and 
 
 o-roundf
 
 SERMON XL 99 
 
 grounds; to plunder an innocent maa 
 of his charadier and good name, a jewei 
 which perhaps he has ftarved himfelf 
 topurchaie, and probably would hazard 
 his life tofecure; to rob him at the 
 fame time of his happinefs and peace 
 of mind •, perhaps his bread, — the bread, 
 may be, of a virtuous family : and all 
 this, as Solomon fays of the madman, 
 who cafteth firebrands, arrows and 
 death, and faith. Am I not in fport ? 
 all this out of wanton nefs, and oftener 
 from worie motives •, the whole appears 
 fuch a complication of badnefs, as re- 
 quires no words or warmth of fancy to 
 aggravate. Pride, treachery, envy, hy- 
 pocrify, malice, cruelty, and felf-love, 
 may have been faid in one fnape or 
 other, to have occafioned all the frauds 
 and mifchiefs that ever happened in the 
 world-, but the chances againfl: a coin- 
 G 2 cidencc
 
 lOo S E R M O N XL 
 
 cidence of them all in one perfon are fo 
 many, that one would have fuppofed 
 the charadler of a common flanderer as 
 rare and difficult a production in nature 
 as that of a great genius, which feldom 
 happens above once in an age. 
 
 But whatever was the cafe, when St. 
 James wrote his epiflle, we have been 
 very fuccefsful in later days, and have 
 found out the art, by a proper manage- 
 ment of light and fhadc, to compound 
 all thefe vices together, fo as to give 
 body and ftrength to the whole, whilfl 
 no one but a difcerning artift is able to 
 difcover the labours that join in finifh- 
 
 ing the picture. And indeed, like 
 
 many other bad originals in the world, 
 —it (lands in need of all the difguife it 
 has. — For who could be enamoured of 
 a chara(^er, made up of fo loathfome 
 
 a com-
 
 S E R M O N XL loi 
 
 a compound, could they behold ic 
 
 naked, — in its crooked and deformed 
 
 fhape, with all its natural and de- 
 
 tcfted infirmities laid open tp 'public 
 view? 
 
 And therefore, it were to be wilhed, 
 lI.*-tone could do in this malignant cafe 
 of the mind, — what is generally done 
 for the public good, in the more malig- 
 nant and epidemical cafes of the bodv, 
 — that is, — when they are found infec- 
 tious, — to write a hiftory of the dif- 
 temper, — and afcertain all the fymp- 
 toms of the malady, fo that every one 
 might know, whom he might venture 
 to go near, with tolerable fafety to 
 
 himfclf But alas! the fymptoms of 
 
 this appear in fo many flrange and con- 
 tradi6lory fhapes, and vary fo wonder- 
 fully with the temper and habit of the* 
 (i 3 patient.
 
 J02 S E R iV^ O N XL 
 
 patient, that they are not to be clafied, 
 — or reduced to any one re2;aiarrv(lenn 
 
 Ten thoufand are the vehicles in 
 which this deadly poifon is prepared 
 and communicated to the world, — and 
 by fome artful hands, 'tis done by fo 
 fobtle ^nd nice an infufion, that it is 
 not to be tailed or difcovered, but by 
 its effe<5ls ? 
 
 How frequently is the honefty and in- 
 tegrity of a man dilpofed of by a fmilc 
 or a fhrug ? — How many good and ge- 
 nerous adlions have been funk iiito ob- 
 livion by a diftruftful look, — or flampt 
 with the imputation of proceeding from 
 bad motives, by a myilerious and fea- 
 fonable whifper? 
 
 Look into companies of thofe whofe 
 
 gentle natures fhould difarm them, 
 
 we
 
 SERMON XL 103 
 
 we lliall find no better account. 
 
 How large a portion of chaftity is fent 
 
 out of the world by diilant hints, 
 
 nodded away, and cruelly winked into 
 iufpicion, by the envy of thofe who are 
 palled all temptation of it themfelves ? 
 
 How often docs the reputation of 
 
 a helplefs creature bleed by a report — 
 which the party, who is at the pains to 
 propagate it, beholds witli much pity 
 and fellow-feeling, that Ihe is hear- 
 tily forry for it, — hopes in God it is 
 
 not true-, however, as Archbilhop 
 
 Tillotfon wittily obferves upon it, is re- 
 folved in the mean time to give the re- 
 port her pafs, that at leafl it may have 
 fair play to take its fortune in the 
 world, — to be believed or not, accord- 
 ing to the charity of thole, into whofc 
 hands it (hall happen to fall. 
 
 G 4 So
 
 I04 S E R M O N XL 
 
 So fruitful is this vice in variety of 
 experiments, to fatiate as well as dif- 
 guife itfelf. But if thefe fmoother 
 weapons cut fo fore, — what fhall we fay 
 of open and unblufhing fcandal — fub- 
 jefted to no caution, — tied down to no 
 reflraints? — If the one, like an arrow 
 fliot in the dark, does neverthelefs fo 
 much fecret mifchief, — this, like the 
 peftilence, which rageth at noon-day, 
 fweeps all before it, levelling without 
 diftindlion the good and the bad ; a 
 thoufand fall befide it, and ten thou- 
 fan i on its right hand, — they fall 
 — fo rent and torn in this tender 
 part of them, fo unmercifully but- 
 chered, as fometimes never to reco- 
 ver cither the wounds, — or the an- 
 guifh of heart, — which they have oc- 
 cafioned. — - 
 
 lo But
 
 SERMON XL 105 
 
 But there is nothing Co bad which 
 will not admit of foinething to be faid 
 in its defence. 
 
 And here it may be afked, — Whether 
 the inconvenicncies and ill cffcd:s which 
 the world feels, from the licentioufnefs 
 of this practice — are not fufficiently 
 .counterbalanced by the real influence it 
 
 has upon mens lives and condud? 
 
 That if there was no evil-fpeaking in 
 the world, thoufands would be encou- 
 raged to do ill, — and would rufh into 
 many indecorums, like a horfe into the 
 battle, — were they fure to cfcape the 
 tongues of men. 
 
 That if we take a general view of the 
 world, — we fhall find that a great deal 
 of virtue, — at lead of the outward ap- 
 pearance of ir, — is not fo much from 
 
 any
 
 io6 SERMON XI. 
 
 any fixed principle, as the terror of what 
 the world will lay, — and the liberty it 
 will take upon the occafions we (hall 
 
 give. 
 
 That if we defcend to particulars, 
 numbers are every day taking more 
 pains to be well fpoken of, — than what 
 would actually enable them to live fo 
 as to deferve it. 
 
 That there are many of both {cxes^ 
 who can fupport life well enough, with- 
 out honour or chaftity, — who without 
 reputation, (which is but the opinion 
 which the world has of the matter), 
 would hide their heads in Ihame, and 
 fink down in utter defpair of happinefs. 
 —No doubt the tongue is a weapon, 
 which does chaftife many indecorums, 
 which the laws of men will not reach, 
 
 — and
 
 S E R M O N XI. 107 
 
 — and keeps many in awe — whom con- 
 fcience will not, — and where the cafe is 
 indifputably flagrant, — thcfpeaking of 
 it in fuch words as it deferves, — fcarce 
 comes within the prohibition. — In many 
 cafes, 'tis hard to exprefs ourfelves fo as 
 to fix a diftindlion betwixt oppofite cha- 
 
 raders, and fometimes it may be 
 
 as much a debt wc owe to virtue, and 
 as great a piece of juftice to expofe a 
 vicious charafter, and paint it in its 
 
 proper colours, as it is to fpeak 
 
 well of the deferving, and defcribe his 
 
 particular virtues. And, indeed, 
 
 when we inflidl this punifhment upon 
 the bad, merely out of principle, and 
 without indulgence to any private paf- 
 fion of our own, — 'tis a cafe which hap- 
 pens fo fcldom, that one might venture 
 to except it. 
 
 However
 
 io8 S E R M O N XL 
 
 However to thofe, who in this objec- 
 tion are really concerned for the caufe 
 of virtue, I cannot help recommending 
 what would much more effedlually ferve 
 her inters ft and be a lurer token of their 
 zeal and attachment to her. And that 
 is, — in all fuch plain inftances where it 
 feems to be duty, to fix a diftindion 
 betwixt the good and the bad, — to let 
 their adions fpeak it inflead of their 
 words, or at lead to let them both fpeak 
 one language. We all of us talk fo 
 loud againft vicious characters, and are 
 fo unanimous in our cry againft them — 
 that an unexperienced man, who only 
 trufted his ears, would imagine the 
 whole world was in an uproar about it, 
 and that mankind were all alTociating 
 together, to hunt vice utterly out of the 
 
 world. Shift the fcene and let 
 
 him behold the reception which vice 
 
 meets
 
 S E R M O N XI. 109 
 
 meets with, — he will fee die condud 
 and behaviour of the world towards it, 
 fo oppofite to their declarations, — he 
 will find all he heard, fo contradicted 
 by what he faw, — as to leave him in 
 doubt which of his fenles he is to truft, 
 — or in which of the two cafes, man- 
 kind were really in earneft. Was there 
 virtue enough in the world to make a 
 general (land againfl: this contradiction, 
 — that is, — was every one who deferved 
 to be ill fpoken of — fure to be ill looked 
 on too J — was it a certain confcquencc 
 of the lofs of a man's charadter, — to 
 lofe his friends, — to lofe the advantages 
 of his birth and fortune, — and thence- 
 forth be univerfally fliunncd, univer- 
 fally flighted. 
 
 Was no quality a fhelter againfl the 
 indecorums of tlie otiier fcx, but was 
 
 every
 
 no SERMON XL 
 
 every woman without diftindlion, 
 
 who hadjuftly forfeited her reputation, 
 — from that moment was fhe fure to 
 forfeit likewife all claim to civility and 
 refped — 
 
 Or in a word, — could it be eftablifhed 
 
 as a law in our ceremonial, that 
 
 wherever chara6lers in either fex were 
 become notorious, — it fhould be deemed 
 infamous, either to pay or receive a vifit 
 from them, and the door were to be fhut 
 againfl them in all the public places, 
 till they had fatisfied the world by giv- 
 ing teilimony of a better. A few 
 
 fuch plain and honeft maxims faithfully 
 
 put in practice, vvould force us 
 
 upon fome degree of reformation. Till 
 this is done, — it avails little thatwe have 
 no mercy upon them with our tongues, 
 fince they efcape without feeling any 
 
 other inconvenience. 
 
 We
 
 SERMON XI. Ill 
 
 We all cry out that the world is cor- 
 rupt, — and I Icar too juftly i — but we 
 never reflcifl:, what we have to thank for 
 it, and that our open countenance of 
 vice, which gives the lye to our private 
 cenfures ofit, is its chief protcdion and 
 encouragement. — To thofe however, 
 who ftill believe that evil-fpeaking is 
 fome terror to evil-doers, one may an- 
 fwer, as a great man has done upon the 
 occafion, — that after all our exhorta- 
 tions againft it, — 'tis not to be feared, 
 but that there will be evil-fpeaking 
 enough left in the world to chaftife the 
 guilty, — and we may fafely truft them 
 to an ill-natured world, that there will 
 be no failure of juftice upon this fcore, 
 — The pafTions of men are pretty fevere 
 executioners, and to them let us leave 
 this ungrateful tafk, — and rather our- 
 fclves endeavour to cultivate ihat more 
 5 friendly
 
 112 SERMON XL 
 
 friendly one, recommended by theapof- 
 tle, — of letting all bitternefs,and wrath, 
 and clamour, and evil-fpeaking, be put 
 away from us, — of being kind to one 
 another, — tender-hearted, forgiving 
 one another, even as God for Chriil's 
 fake forgave us. Amen. 
 
 SER-
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 JOSEPH'S Hiftory 
 
 CONSIDERED. 
 
 Forgivenefs of Injuries 
 
 Vol. II, 
 
 H
 
 I "5 J 
 
 SERMON XII, 
 
 Genesis l. 15. 
 
 And zvhen Jofep/ys brethren faw that 
 
 their father ivas dead^ they faidy Jo- 
 
 feph '•juill peradventure hate us, a77d zi^ill 
 
 certainly requite us all the evils zvhich 
 
 we did unto him. 
 
 Tl I E R E are few infl-ances of the 
 excrcife of particular virtues 
 which fcem harder to attain to, or 
 which appear more amiable and engag- 
 ing in thcnifelves, than thole of mode- 
 ration and tlie forgivenefs of injuries; 
 and when tlie temptations againil them 
 happen to be iieightened by the bitter- 
 nefsof a provocation on one hand, and 
 the fairnels of an opportunity to retaliate 
 II 2 on
 
 xi6 SERMON XII. 
 
 on the other, the inftances then are truly 
 great and heroic. The words of the 
 text, which are the confultation of the 
 fons of Jacob amongft themfelves upon 
 their fatherlfrael's death, when, becaufe 
 it was in Jofeph's power to revenge the 
 deadly injury they had formerly done 
 him, they concluded in courfe, that it 
 was in his intention, — will lead us to a 
 beautiful example of this kind in the 
 character and behaviour of Jofeph con- 
 fequent thereupon \ and as it feenis a 
 perfect and very engaging pattern of 
 forbearance, it may not be improper to 
 make it ferve for the ground-work of a 
 
 difcourfe upon that fubjv.^{5l. The 
 
 whole tranfaclion from the firft occa- 
 fion given by Jofeph in his youth, to 
 this lafl act of remiffion, at the conclu- 
 Tion of his life, may be faid to be a 
 mafter-piece of hiilory. There is not 
 
 only 

 
 5 E R M O N XII. ny 
 
 only in tlie manncrr tiiroughout, fuch a 
 happy though uncommon mixture of 
 fimplicity and grandeur, which is a 
 double charadler fo hard to be united, 
 that it is fcldom to be met with in com-* 
 
 pofitions merely human; but it is 
 
 likewife related with the greateft variety 
 of tender and affe61ing circumftances^ 
 which would afford matter for refiec- 
 ti'jns ufeful for tlie condudl of almoll 
 every part and (tage of a man's life. — 
 But as the words of the text, as well as 
 the intention and compafs of this dif- 
 cuurfe, particularly confine m.e to fpeak 
 only to one point, namely the forgive- 
 ncls of injuries, it will be proper only to 
 confiderfuch circumftances of the ftory, 
 as will place this inltance of it in its ']ui\ 
 light, and then proceed to make a more 
 general ufe of the great example of
 
 ii8 SERMON XIL 
 
 moderation and forbearance, which it 
 fets before us. 
 
 It feems ftrange at firfl fight, that 
 after the fons of Jacob had fallen into 
 Jofeph's power, when they were forced 
 by the forenefs of the famine to go down 
 into Egypt to buy corn, and had found 
 him too good a man even to expoftu- 
 late with them for an injury, which he 
 feemed then to have digefted, and piouf- 
 ly to have refolved into the over-ruling 
 providence of God, for the preiervation 
 of much people, how they could ever 
 after queftion the uprightnefsof his in- 
 tentions, or entertain the lead fufpicion 
 that his reconciliation was difTcmbled. 
 Would not one have imagined, that 
 the man who had difcovered fuch a 
 goodnefs of foul, tl^at he fought where 
 
 to
 
 SERMON XII. 119 
 
 to weep, becaufe he could not bear the 
 ftruorgles of a counterfeited harfhnefs, 
 
 DO ' 
 
 could never be fufpedled afterwards of 
 intending a real one-, — and that he only 
 waited till their father Ifrael's death to 
 requite them all the evil which they 
 had done unto him ? What {iill adds 
 to this difficulty is, that his affedtionate 
 manner in making himfclf known to 
 
 them : his goodnefs in forbearing 
 
 not only to reproach them for the in- 
 jury they had formerly done him, but 
 extenuatino; and excufino; the fault to 
 themfelves, his comforting and fpeaking 
 kindly to them, and fcconding ail with 
 the tenderclt marks of an undifguifed 
 forgivencfs, in falling upon their necks 
 and weeping aloud, that ail the houfc 
 of Pharaoh heard him-, that more- 
 over this behaviour of Jofeph could not 
 1 1 4 iippcar
 
 I20 SERMON XII. 
 
 appear to them, to be the efie6t of any 
 warm and fudden tranrport, which might 
 as fuddenly give way to other reflec- 
 tions, but that it evidently fprung from 
 a fettled principle of uncommon gene- 
 nerofity in his nature, which was above 
 the temptation of making ule of an op- 
 portunity for revenge, which the coune 
 of God's providence had put into his 
 hands for better purpofesj and what 
 might flill feem to confirm this, was 
 the evidence of his adtions to them af- 
 terwards, in bringing them and all their 
 houfhold up out of Canaan, and placing 
 them near him in the land of Gofhen, 
 the richeft part of Egypt, where they 
 had had fo many years experience of his 
 love and kindnefs. And yet it is plain 
 all this did not clear his motive from 
 fufpicion, or at Icafl: themfelves of fome 
 
 appre-
 
 SERMON XII. 121 
 
 •apprehcnfions of a change in his con- 
 dudt towards them. And was it not that 
 the whole tranfadion was written under 
 the direction of the Spirit of truth, and 
 that other hiftorians concur in doing 
 juflice to Jofeph's charadler, and fpeak 
 of him as a companionate and merciful 
 man, one would be apt, you will fay, to 
 imagine here, that Mofes might pof- 
 fibly have omitted fome circumftances 
 of Jofeph's behaviour, which had alarm- 
 ed his brethren, betwixt the time of his 
 firft reconciliation and that of their 
 
 father's death. For they could not 
 
 be fufpicious of his intentions without 
 fome caufe, and fear where no fear was. 
 
 But does not a guilty confcience 
 
 often do fo •, and tho' it has the grounds, 
 yet wants the power to think itfelf 
 
 And
 
 122 SERMON XII. 
 
 And could we look into the hearts of 
 thofe who know they deferve ill, we 
 fliould find many an inflance, where a 
 kindnefs from an injured hand, where 
 there was leaft reafon to expert one, 
 has flruck deeper and touched the heart 
 with a degree of remorfe and concern, 
 which perhaps no feverity or refentment 
 could have reached. This refleclion will 
 in fome meafure help to explain this 
 difficulty, which occurs in the ftory. 
 For it is obfervable, that when the in- 
 jury they had done their brother was 
 firll committed, and the fa6l was frefh 
 upon their minds, and mod likely to 
 have filled them with a fenfe of guilt, 
 we find no acknowledgment or com- 
 plaint to one another of fuch a load, as 
 one might imagine it had laid upon 
 them 5 and from that event, through a 
 
 long
 
 SERMON XII. 123 
 
 long courfe of years, to the time they had 
 gone down to Egypt, we read not once 
 of any forrow or compundion of heart, 
 which they had felt during all that tinie, 
 for what they had done. They had art- 
 fully impofed upon their parent — (and 
 as men are ingenious cafuifts in their 
 own affairs,) they had, probably, as art- 
 fully impofed upon their own confci- 
 ences •, — and poflibly had never impar- 
 tially refle6led upon the a61:ion,or con- 
 fidered it in itsjufl light, till the many 
 acls of their brother's love and kindnefs 
 had broug;ht it before them, wiih all the 
 c i re um (lances of aggravation which his 
 
 behaviour would naturally give it. 
 
 They then began maturely to confider 
 
 what they had done, that they had 
 
 lirft undefervcdly hated him in his child- 
 hood for that, which if it was a ground 
 
 of
 
 124 SERMON XII. 
 
 of complaint, ought rather to have been 
 charged upon the indifcretion of the 
 parent than confidered as a fault in him. 
 That upon a more jufl: examination and 
 a better knowledge of their brother, 
 they had wanted even that pretence. — 
 It was not a blind partiality which feem- 
 ed firft to have direded their father's af- 
 fedion to him — tho' then they thought 
 
 fo, for doubtlefs fo much goodnefs 
 
 and benevolence as ihone forth in his 
 nature, now that he was a man, could 
 r.ot lay all of it fo deep concealed in his 
 youth, but the fagacity of a parent's eye 
 would difcover it, and that in courfe 
 their enmity towards him was founded 
 upon that which ought to have won their 
 
 efteem. That if he had incautioufly 
 
 added envy to their ill-will in reporting 
 his dreams, which prefaged his future 
 
 great-
 
 SERMON XII. 125 
 greatnefs, it was but the indifcretion of 
 a youth unpradifed in the world, who 
 had not yet found out the art of dif- 
 fembling his hopes and expedations, 
 and was fcarce arrived at an age to 
 comprehend there was fuch a thing in 
 the world as envy and ambition •, — — 
 that if fuch offences in a brother, fo 
 fairly carried their own excufes with 
 them, what could they fay for them- 
 felves, wlien they confidered it was for 
 this they had almoft unanimoufly con- 
 
 fpired to rob him of his life ; and 
 
 though they were happily reftrained 
 from fhedding his blood upon Reuben's 
 remonftrance, that they had neverthe- 
 lefs all the guilt of the intention to an- 
 fwer for. That whatever motive it was 
 which then flayed their hands, their 
 confciences told them, it could not be 1 
 good one, fmcc they had changed the 
 
 fe.i-
 
 126 SERMON XII. 
 
 fentence for one no lefs cruel in itfclf, 
 and what to an ingenuous nature was 
 worie than death, to be fold for a flave. 
 — The one was common to all, — the 
 other only to the unfortunate. That ic 
 was not compalTion which then took 
 place, for had there been any way open 
 to that, his tears and entreaties mult 
 have found ir, when they law the an- 
 guifh of his foul, when he befought 
 
 and they would not hear. That if 
 
 aught ftill could heighten the remorfe 
 of banifhing a youth without provoca- 
 tion, for ever from his country, and the 
 protection of his parent, to be expofed 
 naked to the buffetings of the world, 
 and the rough hand of fome mercilefs 
 mailer, they would find it in this reflec- 
 tion, " That the many afflictions and 
 hardlhips, which they might naturally 
 have expedled would overtake the lad, 
 10 con-
 
 SERMON Xn. 127 
 
 confequent upon this aclion, had adlu- 
 ally fallen upon him.'* 
 
 That befidcs the anguifli of fufped- 
 ed virtue, he had felt that of a prifon, 
 where he had long lain negletfted in a 
 friendltfs condition •, and where the 
 affliction of it was rendered ftill (harper 
 by the daily expefration of being re- 
 membered by Pharaoh's chief butler, 
 and the difappointment of finding him- 
 
 ielf ungratefully forgotten. And 
 
 though Mofes tells us, that he found 
 favour in the fight of the keeper of the 
 prifon, yet the Pfalmilt acquaints us 
 that his fufferings were ftill grievous; 
 That his feet "joere hurt with fetters^ 
 and the iron entered even into his fouL 
 And no doubt, his brethren thought 
 the fcnfc of their injury mud have 
 
 entered
 
 128 SERMON XII. 
 
 entered at the fame time, and was 
 then rivetted and fixed in his mind for 
 ever. 
 
 It is natural to imagine they argued 
 and refiedled in this manner, and there 
 feems no necefTity of feeking for the 
 reafon of their uneafinefs and diftruft in 
 Jofeph's condud, or any other external 
 caufe, fmce the inward workings of 
 their own minds will eafily account for 
 
 the evil they apprehended. A feries 
 
 of benefits and kindnefles from a man- 
 they had injured, gradually heightened 
 the idea of their own guilt, till at length 
 they could not conceive, how the trefpafs 
 could be forgiven them -, — it appeared 
 with luch frefh circumftances of aggra- 
 vation, that though they were convinced 
 his refentment flept, yet they thought 
 6 ic
 
 SERMON XII. 129 
 
 it only flept, and was likf ly foine time 
 or other to awake, and iroft probably 
 then, that their father was dead, when 
 the confideration of involving him in 
 his revenge had ceafed, and all the duty 
 and compafTion he owed to the grey 
 hairs and happinefs of a parent was 
 difcharged and buried with him. 
 
 This they exprefs in the confultation 
 held amongfl: themfclves in the words of 
 the text ; and in the following verfe, we 
 find them accordingly fending to him 
 to deprecate the evil they dreaded-, and 
 cither becaufe they thought their father's 
 name more powerful than their own, in 
 this application — or rather, that they 
 might not commit a fredi injury in 
 fceming to fufpedl his fincerity, they 
 pretend their fatiier's direflion 5 for we 
 
 Vol. II. I read
 
 ijo SERMON XII. 
 
 read they fent mefTengers unto Jofeph^ 
 laying, Thy father did command be- 
 fore he died, — fo Ihall ye fay unto Jo- 
 feph, — " Forgive I pray thee now the 
 trefpafs of thy brethren and their fin, 
 for they did unto thee evil : and now 
 we pray thee, forgive the trefpafs of 
 the fervants of the God of thy father." 
 The addrefs was not without art, and 
 was conceived in fuch words as feemed 
 to fugged an argument in their favour, 
 — as if it would not become him, who 
 was but a fellow-fervant of their fa- 
 ther's God, to harbour revenge, or ufe 
 the power their father's God had given 
 him againft his children. Nor was 
 there a reafon in any thing, but the 
 fears of a guilty confcience to appre- 
 hend it, as appears from the reception 
 which the addrefs met, which was fuch 
 
 as
 
 SERMON XII. 131 
 
 as befpoke an uncommon goodnefs of 
 nature; for when they thus fpake unto 
 
 him, the hiftorian fays, he wept. 
 
 Sympathy, for the forrow and diitrefs 
 of fo many fons of his father, now all 
 in his power, — pain at fo open and in- 
 genuous a confeflion of their guilt, — 
 concern and pity for the long punifh- 
 ment they mud have endured by fo 
 ftubborn a remorfe, which fo many 
 years fecmed not to have diminifhed. 
 The affeding idea of their condition, 
 which had feemed to reduce them to 
 the neceffity of holding up their hands 
 for mercy, when they had loft their pro- 
 tedor, — fo many tender pafTions llrug- 
 gling together at once overcame him; 
 — he burft into tears, which fpoke 
 what language could not attempt. It 
 will be needlcfs therefore to enlarge any 
 further upon this incident, which fur- 
 I 2 niflies
 
 132 SERMON XII. 
 
 nilLes us with fo beautiful a pidure of a 
 compafTiOPiate and forgiving temper, 
 that I think no words Can heighten it •, 
 — but rather let us endeavour to find 
 out by what hc'ps and reafoning, the 
 patriarch might be fuppofed to attain to 
 fo exalted and engaging a vi tue. Per- 
 haps you will fay, " That one fo tho- 
 roughly convinced, as Jofeph feemed 
 to be, of the ovtr-ruling providence of 
 God, which fo evidently makes uit of 
 the malice and paflions of men, and 
 turns them as inlrruments in his hands 
 to work his own righteoufnefs and bring 
 about his eternal decrees, — and of 
 which his own hiftory was fo plain an 
 inftance, could not have far to feek for 
 an argun:,ent to forgivenefs, or feel 
 much flruggle in ftifling an inclination 
 
 againfl it. But let any man lay his 
 
 hand upon his heart and fay, how often, 
 
 in
 
 SERMON XIL 133. 
 
 in inftances where anger and revenge 
 had feized him, has this dodlrine come 
 in to his aid? — In the bitternefs of an 
 alTiont, how often has it calmed his paf- 
 fions, and checked the fury of his re- 
 Icntir^ent? — True and univerfally be- 
 lieved as the do6lrine is amongfl: us, ic 
 feldom does this fervice, though to well 
 iiiited for ir, and like fome wife ftatute, 
 never executed or thought of, though 
 in full force, lies as unheeded as if it 
 was not in beino;, 
 
 'Tis plain 'twas otherways in the pre- 
 fent inltance, where Jofcph feems to ac- 
 knowledge the influence it had upon 
 him, in his declaration, — '' That it was 
 not they, but God who lent him." And 
 docs not this virtue fliine the blighted 
 in fuch a pious application of the per- 
 fuafion tofo benevolent a purpofc? 
 
 1 3 \Vith-
 
 134 SERMON XII. 
 
 Without derogating from the merit 
 of his forbearance, he might be fup- 
 pofed to have caft an eye upon the 
 
 change and uncertainty of human affairs 
 "Sihich he had feen himfelf, and which 
 had convinced him we were all in ano- 
 ther's power by turns, and ftand in 
 need of one another's pity and compaf- 
 fion : — ^-and that to reftrain the cruel- 
 ties and (top the infolences of men's re- 
 fentments, God has fo ordered it in the 
 courfe of his providence, thatvery often 
 in this world — our revenges return upon 
 our own heads, and men's violent deal- 
 ings upon their own pates. 
 
 And befides thefe confiderations,— 
 that in generoufly forgiving an enemy, 
 he was the trued friend to his own cha- 
 rader, and fhould gain more to it by 
 fuch an inftance of fubduing his fpirit, 
 
 than
 
 SERMON XII. 135 
 
 than if he had taken a city. The 
 
 brave only know how to forgive •, 
 
 it is the mod refined and generous pitch 
 of virtue, human nature can arrive at.— 
 * Cowards have done good and kind 
 aftions, — cowards have even fought— 
 nay fomctimeseven conquered; — but a 
 coward never fororave. — It is not in his 
 
 nature; the power of doing it flows 
 
 only from a flrength and grearnefs of 
 foul, confcious of its own force and fe- 
 curity, and above the little temptations 
 of refcnting every fruitlefs attempt to in- 
 terrupt its happinefs. Moreover, fetting 
 afide all confiderations of his charader, 
 in pafTing by an injury, hewas the trued 
 friend likewife to his own happinefs and 
 peace of mind; he never felt that fret- 
 ful ftorm of pafllons, which hurry men 
 on to afls of revenge, or fufl^::rcd ihofc 
 I 4 pangs 
 
 * Chriftian hero.
 
 136 SERMON XIl. 
 
 pangs of horror which purfue it. Thus 
 he might poflibly argue, and no farther; 
 — for want of a better foundation and 
 better helps, he could raiie the building 
 no higher; — to carry it upwards to its 
 perfection we muft call in to our aid that 
 more fpiritual and refined do6lrine in- 
 troduced upon it by Chrift; namely, to 
 forgive a brother, not only to fcven 
 
 times, but to leventy times leven, 
 
 that is, without limitation. 
 
 In this, the excellency of the gofpel 
 is faid by fome one, to appear with a 
 remarkable advantage-, " That a chrif- 
 tian is as much diipofed to love and 
 lerve you, when your enemy, as the 
 mere moral man can be, when he is 
 
 your friend." This no doubt is the 
 
 tendency of his religion — but how often 
 or in what degrees it fucceeds, — how 
 
 nearly
 
 SERMON XII. 137 
 
 nearly the pradlice keeps pace with the 
 theory, the all-wife fearcher into the 
 hearts of men, alone is able to deter- 
 mine. But it is to be feared, that fuch 
 great efi'cds are not fo fcnfibly felt, as 
 a fptrculative man would expedl from 
 fuch powerful motives ; and there is 
 many a chrillian fociety, which would 
 be glad to compound amongft them- 
 felves for fome Icflcr degrees of per- 
 fection on one hand, were they furc to 
 be exempted on the other, from the bad 
 effeds of thofe fretful paflions which 
 are ever taking, as well as ever giving 
 the occafions of ftrife ; the beginnings 
 of which, Solomon aptly compares to 
 the letting out of waters, the opening a 
 breach which no one can be fare to flop 
 till it has proceeded to the moll fatal 
 events. 
 
 Wuh
 
 138 SERMON XII. 
 
 Withjuflice therefore might thefon 
 of Sirach conclude, concerning pride, 
 that fccret ftream, which adminifters to 
 the overflowings of refentments, that 
 it was not made for man, nor furious 
 anger for him that is born of a woman. 
 That the one did not become his fla- 
 tion, and that the other was deftrudive 
 to all the happinefs he was intended to 
 receive from it. How miferably then 
 muft thofe men turn tyrants againft 
 themfelves, as well as others, who grow 
 fplenetic and revengeful not only upon 
 the little imavoidable oppofitions and 
 offences they muft m.eet with, in the 
 commerce of the world •, but upon 
 thofe which only reach them by report, 
 and accordingly torment their little 
 fouls with meditating how to return 
 the injury, before they are certain 
 
 they 
 8
 
 SERMON XII. 139 
 
 they have received one ? Whether 
 this eager fenfibility of wrongs and 
 relentment arifes from that general 
 caufe, to which the fon of Sirach feems 
 to reduce all fierce anger and pafTion ; 
 or whether to a certain forenefs of tem- 
 per, which (lands in every body's way, 
 and therefore fubjedl to be often hurt : 
 from whichever caufc the diforder 
 fprings, the advice of the author of 
 the book of Ecclefiafticus is proper : 
 " Admonifh a friend, fays he, it may 
 be he hath not done it •, and if he have, 
 that he do it not again. Admonidi t!iy 
 friend, it may be he hath not faid it ; 
 and if he have, that he fpeak it not 
 ai.ain. There is that llippeth in his 
 fpeech, but not from his heart : and 
 who is he, who hath not offended with 
 his tongue ?" 
 
 I can-
 
 I40 SERMON XII. 
 
 I cannot help taking noiice here of a 
 certain fpecies of forgivenefs, which is 
 feldom enforced or thought of, and yet 
 is no way below our regard. I mean the 
 forgivenefs of thofe, if we may be al- 
 lowed the expreffion, whom we have 
 injured ourfelves. One would think 
 that the difficulty of forgiving could 
 only reft on the fide of him who has 
 received the wrong ; but the truth of 
 the fact is often otherwife. The con- 
 fcioulhefs of having provoked another's 
 refentmenr, often excites the a2o:reiror 
 to keep before-hand with the man he 
 has hurt, and not only to hate him for 
 the evil he expects in return, but even 
 to purfue him down, and put it out of 
 his power to make reprifals. 
 
 The bafenefs of this is fuch, that it 
 IS fufficient to make the fame obfer- 
 
 vation,
 
 SERMON XII. 141 
 
 vation, which was made upon the crime 
 of parricide amongfl the Grecians : — it 
 
 was fo black, their legiflators did 
 
 not fuppofe ic could be committed, and 
 therefore made no law to punifh it. 
 
 SERMON
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 DUTY of fetting Bounds 
 to our Desires.
 
 [ H5 ] 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 2 Kings iv. 13. 
 
 And he faid unto him^ Say now unto her^ 
 Behold^ thou haft been careful for us 
 with all this care\ — what is to be 
 done for thee ? — wouldft thou befpoken 
 for to the king, or the captain of the 
 hoft ? — And fhe anfwered, I dzvell 
 among mine own people. 
 
 THE firfl: part of the text is the 
 words, which the prophet EHflia 
 puts into the mouth of his fervantGeha- 
 zi, as a meflage of thanks to the woman 
 of Shunem for her great kindnefs and 
 hofpitality, of which, after the acknow- 
 ledgment of his jufl I'enfe, which Ge- 
 hazi is bid to deliver in the words ; — . 
 Vol. II. K " Behold,
 
 146 SERMON XIII. 
 " Behold, thou haft been careful for us 
 with all this care;" — he direds him to 
 enquire in what manner he may beft 
 make a return in difcharge of the obli- 
 gation, — " What fiiall be done for thee ? 
 Wouldft thou be fpoken for to the king, 
 or the captain of the hoft?" The laft 
 part of the text is the Shunamite's an- 
 fwer, which implies a refufal of the ho- 
 nour or advantage which the prophet 
 intended to bring upon her by fuch an 
 aoplication, which llie indiredly ex- 
 preiTes in her contentment and fatisfac- 
 tion, with what fhe enjoyed in her pre- 
 fent ftation ; " I dwell among mine own 
 people." This inftanceof felf-denial in 
 the Shunamite, is but properly the in- 
 trodu6lion to her ftory, and gives rife 
 to that long and very pathetic tranfac- 
 tion, which follows in the fupernatural 
 
 grant
 
 SERMON XIII. 147 
 
 grant of a child, which God had many 
 years denied her. — 'J^he affeding lofs of 
 him as foon as he was grown up — and 
 his reftoration to life by Elifha, after he 
 had been Tome time dead ; the whole of 
 which, though extremely interefting, and 
 forming fuch incidents as would afford 
 fufficient matter for inftrudion, yet as 
 it will not fall within the intention of 
 this difcourfe, I fliall beg leave at this 
 time barely to confider thefe previous 
 circumflanccs of it, to which the text 
 confines me ; upon which I (hall enlarge 
 with luch rcfledions as occur, and then 
 proceed to that pradlical ufe and exhor- 
 tation, which will naturally fall from it. 
 
 We find that after Eliflia had refcued 
 
 the diftreffed widow and her two fons 
 
 from the hands of the creditor, by the 
 
 miraculous multiplication of her oil: — 
 
 K 2 that
 
 148 SERMON XIII. 
 
 that he pafled on to Shunem, where, we 
 read, was a great woman, and fhe con- 
 ftrained him to eat bread -, and fo it was, 
 that as often as he pafled by, he turned 
 in thither to eat bread. The (acred 
 hiftorian Ipeaks barely of her temporal 
 condition and ilation in life. — ^" That 
 flic was a great woman," but defcribes 
 not the more material part of her, her 
 virtues and charadler,. becaufe they 
 were more evidently to be difcovered 
 from the tranladion itfelf, from which 
 it appears, that flie was not only 
 wealthy, but likewife charitable, and 
 of a very confiderate turn of mind. 
 For after many repeated invitations and 
 entertainments at her houfe, finding his 
 occafions called him to a frequent paf- 
 fage that way ; — fhe moves her huf- 
 band to fet up and furnilh a lodging 
 for him, with all the conveniencies 
 
 which.
 
 SERMON XIII. 149 
 
 which the fimplicity of thofe times re- 
 quired : " And fhe faid unto her huf- 
 band, Behold, now I perceive that this 
 is an holy man of God, which pafleth 
 by us continually -, !et us make him a 
 little chamber I pray thee on the wall, 
 and let us fet for him there a bed, and a 
 table, and a flool, and a candleftick ; 
 and it fliall be when he cometh to us, 
 that he (hall turn in thither." — She per- 
 ceived he was a holy man, — fhe had 
 had many opportunities, as he pafied 
 by them continually, of obfcrving his 
 behaviour and deportment, which fbe 
 had carefully remarked, and faw plainly 
 what he was. Tliet the fandtity 2Lnd 
 Hmplicity of his manners, — the feverity 
 of his life, — and zeal for the religion of 
 liis God, and the uncommon fervency 
 of his devotion, when he worfhipped 
 before him, which fecmcd his whole 
 K c? bufinefs
 
 150 SERMON XIII. 
 
 bufinefs and employment upon earth ; 
 — all befpoke him not a man of this 
 world, but one whofe heart and affec- 
 tions were fixed upon another objed, 
 which was dearer and more important 
 to him. But as fuch outward appear- 
 ances may and often have been coun- 
 terfeited, fo that the adions of a man 
 are certainly the only interpreters to be 
 relied on, whether fuch colours are true 
 
 or falfe fo fhe had heard that all 
 
 was of a piece there, and that he was 
 throughout confident; that he had 
 never in any one inftance of his life, 
 acted as if he had any views in the af- 
 fairs of this world, in which he had 
 never interefled himfelf at all, but 
 where the glory of his God, or the good 
 and prefervation of his fellow-creatures 
 at firft inclined him : that in a late in- 
 ftance, before he came to Shunem, he 
 
 had
 
 SERMON XIII. 151 
 
 had done one of the kindefl and mofl 
 charitable adlions that a good man 
 could have done, in afTifling the widow 
 and fatherlefs ; and as the fad was fin- 
 gular, and had juft happened before her 
 knowledge of him, no doubt llie had 
 heard the (lory with all the tender cir- 
 cumftances which a true report would 
 give it in his favour, namely, that a 
 certain woman whofe hufband was late- 
 ly dead, and had left her with her chil- 
 dren in a very helplefs condition — very 
 deftitute — and what was flill worfe, 
 charged with a debt Ihe was not able to 
 pay, — that her creditor bore exceeding 
 hard upon her, and finding her little 
 worth in fubftance, was going to take 
 the advantage which the law allowed 
 of feizinor her two fons for his bondf- 
 men j lb that fhe had not only loft her 
 K 4 hulband.
 
 152 SERMON XITI. 
 
 hufband, which had made her miferable 
 enough already, but was going to be 
 bereaved of her children, which were 
 the only comfort and fupport of her 
 life ', that upon her coming to Eiifha 
 with this fad ftory, he was touched with 
 compafTion for her misfortunes, and 
 had ufed all the power and intereft 
 which he had with his God to relieve 
 and befriend her, which in an unheard- 
 of manner, by the miraculous incrcafe 
 of her oil, which was the only fub- 
 ftance fhe had left, he had fo boun- 
 tifully effeded, as not only to difentan- 
 gle her from her difficulties in paying 
 the debt, but withal, what was ftill 
 more generous, to enable her to live 
 comfortably the remainder of her days. 
 She confidered that charity and com- 
 pafTion was fo leading a virtue, and had 
 
 fuch
 
 SERMON XIII. 153 
 
 fuch an influence upon every other part 
 of a man's charader, as to be afuflicient 
 proof by itfelfof the inward difpofuion 
 and goodnefs of the heart; but that lo 
 engaging an inftance of it as this, exer- 
 cifed in fo kind and kafonable a man- 
 ner, was a demonftration of his, — and 
 that he was in truth what outward cir- 
 cumftances befpoke, a ho]y man of 
 
 God. As the Shunamite's principle 
 
 and motive for her hofpitality to Elifha 
 v.as juft, as it fprungfrom an idea of the 
 worth and merit of her gued, fo like- 
 wife was the manner of doing it kind 
 and confideratc. It is obfcrvable fhe 
 does not folicit her hufband to alTiga 
 him an apartment in her own houfc, 
 but to build him a chamber on the wall 
 
 apart ; — ■ — fhe confidered, that true 
 
 piety wanted no witnelTes, and was al- 
 ways
 
 154 SERMON XIII. 
 ways moft at eafe when mod private ; 
 —that the tumult and diftradlion of a 
 large family were not fit for the filent 
 meditations of fo holy a man, who 
 would perpetually there meet with 
 fomething either to interrupt his devo- 
 tion, or offend the purity of his man- 
 ners; that moreover, under fuch an 
 
 independent roof, where he could take 
 fhelter as often as his occafions requi- 
 red, fhethought he might tafte theplea- 
 fure which was natural to man, in pofTef- 
 fino; fomethino; like what he could call 
 his own, — and what is no fmall part of 
 conferring a favour, he would fcarce 
 feel the weight of it, or at lead much 
 feldomer in this manner, than where a 
 daily invitation and repetition of the 
 kindnefs perpetually put him in mind 
 of his obligation. If any thing could 
 
 flill
 
 SERMON XIII. 155 
 
 flill add to this — it was that it did not 
 appear to be the dry offer of a faint ci- 
 vility, but that it came diredly from 
 the heart. There is a nicety in honed 
 minds, which will not accept of a cold 
 and fufpeded offer, — and even when it 
 appears to be fincere and truly meant, 
 there is a modefty in true merit which 
 knows not how to accept it ; and no 
 doubt fhe had one, if not both thefe 
 difficulties to conquer in their turns. — • 
 For we read, that flie conflrained him, 
 and in all likelihood forced his accept- 
 ance of it with all the warmth and 
 friendly opennefs of a humane and hof- 
 pitable temper. 
 
 It is with benefits as with injuries in 
 this refpedV, that we do not fo much 
 weigh the accidental good or evil they 
 do us, as that which they were defigned 
 
 to
 
 156 SERMON XIII. 
 
 to do us, That is, we confider no 
 
 part of them fo much as their intention; 
 and the prophet's behaviour confequenc 
 upon this, fhews he beheld it through 
 this medium, or in fome fuch advan- 
 tageous light as I have placed it. 
 
 There is no burden fo heavy to a 
 grateful mind, as a debt of kindnefs un- 
 paid •, and we may believe Eliiha 
 
 felt it fo,from the earned defire which he 
 had, upon the immediate receipt of this, 
 todifcharge himfelf of it, which he ex- 
 prefTes in the text in the warmeft man- 
 ner-, — " Behold, thou haft been care- 
 ful for us with all this care : What 
 
 fhall be done for thee ? Wouldft thou 
 be fpoken for to the king, or the cap- 
 tain of his hoft ?" — There is a degree 
 of honeft impatience in the words, fuch 
 as was natural to a good man, who 
 
 would
 
 SERMON XIII. 157 
 
 would not be behind-hand with his be- 
 nefaflor. — But there is one thing which 
 mayfeem ftrange atlirfl fight, that as her 
 flation and condition of life was fuch, that 
 fhe appeared rather to have abounded 
 already than flood in want of any thing 
 in this world which fuch an application 
 could fupply, — why the prophet fhould 
 not rather have propofed fome fpiritual 
 advantage, which, as it would better 
 have become the fandlity of his charac- 
 ter on the one hand, fo, on the other, it 
 would have done a more real and lafting 
 fervice to his friend. 
 
 But we are to refle(5l:, that in return- 
 ing favours, we adl differently from 
 what we do in conferring them : — in the 
 one cafe we fimply confiderwhat is beft, 
 —in the other, what is molt acceptable. 
 
 The
 
 158 SERMON XIII. 
 
 The reafon is, that we have a right to 
 act according to our own ideas of what 
 will do the party mod. good, in the cafe 
 where we beftow a favour; — but where 
 we return one, we lofe this right, and 
 aft according to his conceptions, who 
 has obliged us, and endeavour to repay- 
 in fuch a manner as we think it mofl 
 likely to be accepted in difchargeof the 
 obligation. — So that, though we are 
 not to imagine Elifha could be wanting 
 in religious duties, as wxll as wifhes to 
 fo hofpitable a friend, we may yet fup- 
 pole he was directed here by this princi- 
 ple of equity, and that in refleding 
 
 in what manner he fhould requite his 
 benefadrefs, he had confidered, that to 
 one of her affluent condition, who had 
 all the reafonable comforts of an inde- 
 pendent life, if there was any paf- 
 
 fion
 
 SERMON XIII. 159 
 fion yet unfatisfied, it muft certainly be 
 ambition : that though in general it was 
 an irregular appetite, which in mod 
 cafes 'twas dangerous to gratify, yet in 
 effeifl 'twas only fo far criminal, as the 
 power which is acquired was perverted 
 to bad and vicious purpofes, which ic 
 was not likely to be here, from the 
 fpecimen fhc had already given of her 
 difpofition, which fhewed that if fhe 
 did wilh for an increafe of wealth or 
 honour, fhe wifhed it only, as it would 
 enable her more generoufly to extend 
 her arm in kind offices, and increafe the 
 power as well as the opportunities of 
 doing good. 
 
 In juftice to Elifha's motive, wliich 
 
 muft have been good, we muft fuppofc 
 
 iic confidercd his offer in this light; and 
 
 a wliat
 
 i6o SERMON XIII. 
 
 what principally led him to propofe it, 
 was the great intereft which he had with 
 the king of Ifrael at that time, which he 
 had merited by a fignal fervice ; and as 
 he had no views for himfelf, he thought 
 it could not be employed fo well as in 
 eftablilhing the fortune of one, whofe 
 virtue might be fo fafely trufled with it. 
 It was a juftifiable prepofTelTion in her 
 
 favour, though one, not always to 
 
 be relied on ; for there is many a one 
 who in a moderate ftation, and with a 
 lefTer degree of power, has behaved with 
 honour and unblemifhed reputation, 
 and who has even borne the bufFetings 
 of adverfe fortune well, and manifefled 
 great prefence and flrength of mind un- 
 der it, whom neverthelefs a high exal- 
 tation has at once overcome, and fo en- 
 tirely changed, as if the party had left 
 
 not
 
 SERMON XIII. i6i 
 not only his virtue, but even himfclf be- 
 hind him. 
 
 Whether the Shunamite dreaded to 
 make this dangerous experiment of her- 
 lelf, — or, which is more likely, that fhe 
 had learned to fet bounds to her defires, 
 and was too well fatisfied with her pre- 
 fent condition to be tempted out of it, 
 fhe declines the offer in the clofe of the 
 text : — '' I dwell amongft my own peo* 
 pie -," as if (he had faid, " The intended, 
 kindnefs is far from being fmall, but it is 
 not ufeful to me-, I live here, as thou art 
 a witnefs, in peace, in a contented obfcu- 
 rity •, — not fo high as to provoke envy,, 
 nor lb low as to be trodden down and de- 
 fpifed. In this fafe and middle (late, as 
 I have lived amongfl my own people, 
 fo let me die out of the reach, boih of 
 the cares and glories of the wcrlJ. 
 
 Vol. IL L "lis
 
 i62 SERMON XIII. 
 
 'Tis fit, O holy man of God ! that I learn 
 foine time or other to fet bounds to my 
 defires, and if I cannot fix them now, 
 when I have already more than my wants 
 require, when fhall I hope to do it ? — 
 Or how fhould I exped, that even this 
 increafe of honour or fortune would fully 
 fatisfy and content my ambition, fhould 
 I now give way to it ?" 
 
 So engaging an inftance of unafFefted 
 moderation and felf-denial, deferves well 
 to be confidered by the buftlers in this 
 -world ; — becaufe if we are to truft the 
 face and courfe of things, we fcarce 
 fee any virtue fo hard to be put in 
 pradice, and which the generality of 
 mankind feem fo unwilling to learn, as 
 this of knowing when they have enough, 
 and when it is time to give over their 
 worldly purfuits. — Aye ! but nothing 
 
 5 is
 
 SERMON XIII. 163 
 
 is more eafy, you will anfwer, than to fix 
 this point, and fet certain bounds to it. 
 
 '* For my own part, you will fay, I 
 
 declare, I want and would wifh no more, 
 but a fufficient competency of thofe 
 things, which are requifite to the real 
 ufes and occafions of life, fuitable to the 
 way I have been taught to exped from 
 ufe and education." — But recollect how 
 feldom it ever happens, when thefe points 
 are fecured, but that new occafions and 
 new neccfTities prefent themfelves, and 
 everyday as you grow richer, frefli wants 
 are difcovered, which rife up before you, 
 as you afcend the hillj fo that every ftep 
 you take, — every acceffion to your for- 
 tune, fet your defires one degree far- 
 ther from reft and fatisfadlion ; that 
 
 fomething you have not yet grafped, and 
 
 pofilbly never fhall ; that devil of a 
 
 phantom unpofTcired and unpofTefTablc is 
 L 2 per-
 
 i64 S E R M O N XIII. 
 
 perpetually haunting you, and (lepping 
 in betwixt you and your contentment. — 
 Unhappy creature \ to think of enjoying 
 that blefTing without moderation ! — or 
 imagine that To facred a temple can be 
 raifed upon the foundation of wealth or 
 power ! — If the ground- work is not laid 
 within your own mind, they will as foon 
 add a cubit to your flature, as to your 
 happinefs. — To be convinced it is fo, — 
 pray look up to thole who have got as 
 high as their warmed wifhes could car- 
 ry them in this afcent, — do you obferve 
 they live the better, the longer, the 
 merrier, — or that they fleep the founder 
 in their beds, for having twice as much 
 as they wanted, or well know how to dif- 
 pofe of? — Of all rules for calculating 
 happinefs, this is the mod deceitful, and 
 which few but weak minds, and thofe 
 unpradifed in the world too, ever think 
 
 of
 
 SERMON XIII. 165 
 of applying as the meafure in fuch an 
 
 eftimation. Great, andinexpreflible 
 
 may be the happinefs, which a moderate 
 fortune and moderate defires with a con- 
 llioufnefs of virtue will fecure. Many 
 are the filent plealures of the honeft pea- 
 fant, who rifes chearful to his labour ^ — 
 why fhould they not ? — Look into his 
 houfe, the feat of each man's happinefs •, 
 Jus he not the fame domeflic endear- 
 ments, the fame joy and comfort 
 
 in his children, and as flattering hopes of 
 their doing well, to enliven his hours 
 and glad his heart, as you could con- 
 ceive in the higheft ftation ? And I 
 
 make no doubt in general, but if the 
 true (late of his joy and fufferings, could 
 be fairly balanced with thofe of his bet- 
 ters, whether any thing would appear at 
 the foot of the account, but what would 
 recommend the moral of this difcourfe. 
 L 3 — This,
 
 i66 SERMON XIII. 
 — This, I own, is not to be attained to, 
 by the cynical flale trick of haranguing 
 againft the goods of fortune — they were 
 never intended to be talked out of the 
 world. — But as virtue and trv.e wifdoni 
 lie in the middle of extremes, — on one 
 hand, not to negledl and defpile riches, 
 fo as to forget ourfelves, and on the 
 other, not to purfue and love them fo as 
 
 to forget God; to have them fome- 
 
 times in our heads — but always, fome- 
 thing more important in our hearts-.. 
 
 SER-
 
 SERMON XIV, 
 
 Self-Examination,
 
 I ^69 3 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 Isaiah I. 3. 
 
 ^he ox knoiveth his ozvner^ and the afs his 
 
 majler's crib \ but Ijrael doth not 
 
 know^ — my people doth not ccifider. 
 
 ^rnrn I S a fevere but an affedionatc 
 J- reproach of the prophet's, laid 
 againft the Ifraelkes, which may fafely 
 be applied to every heedlefs, and un- 
 thankful people, who are neither won b/ 
 Gcd's mercies, or terrified by hispunilh- 
 mcpts. — There is a giddy, thoughtlefs, 
 intemperate fpirit gone forth into the 
 world, which poflcfTes the generality of 
 mankind, — and the rcafon the world is 
 undone, is, becaufe the world does noc 
 confider, — confiders neither aweful re- 
 gard
 
 lyo SERMON XIV. 
 gard to God, — or the true relation them* 
 felvcs bear to him. — Could they confider 
 this, and learn to weigh the caufes, and 
 compare the confequences of things, and 
 to exercife the reafon, which God has 
 put into us for the government and di- 
 redlion of our lives, — there would be 
 
 fome hopes of a reformation : but 
 
 as the world goes, there is no leifure for 
 fuch enquiries, and fo full are our minds 
 of other matters, that we have not time 
 to afk, or a heart to anfwer the queftions- 
 v;e ought to put to ourfelves. 
 
 Whatever our condition is, 'tis good 
 to be acquainted with it in time, to be 
 able to fupply what is wanting, — and 
 examine the flate of our accounts, be- 
 fore we come to give them up to an 
 impartial judge. - 
 
 The
 
 SERMON Xir. 171 
 
 The moft inconfiderate fee the reafon- 
 ablencfs of this, — there being few, I be- 
 lieve, either fo thoughtlefs, or even fo 
 bad, but that they fometimes enter upon 
 this duty, and have feme fhort intervals 
 of felf-examination, which they are 
 forced upon, if from no other motive, 
 yet at leaft to free themfelves from the 
 load and opprefTion of fpirits, they mull 
 
 neceflarily be fubjedt to without it. 
 
 But as the fcripture frequently intimates 
 — and obfervation confirms it daily, — 
 that there are many miftakes attending 
 the difcharge of this duty 1 can- 
 not make the remainder of this dif- 
 courfe more ufcful, than by a fliorc 
 enquiry into them. I fhall therefore, 
 firll, beg leave to remind you of fome 
 of the many unhappy ways, by which we 
 often fct about this irklbme tafk of exa- 
 mining
 
 1/2 S E R M O N XIV. 
 mining our works, without being either 
 the better or the wifer for the employ- 
 ment. 
 
 And firfl then let us begin with that 
 which is the foundation of almoftall the 
 other falfe nieafures we take in this mat- 
 ter, that is, the fetting about the ex- 
 amination of our works, before we are 
 prepared with honefl difpofitions to 
 amend them. — This is beginning the 
 work at the wrong end. Thefe previous 
 difpofitions in the heart, are the wheels 
 that fhould make this work go eafily 
 
 and fuccefsfully forwards, and to 
 
 take them off, and proceed without 
 them, 'tis no miracle, if, like Pharaoh's 
 chariots, they that drive them, — drive 
 them heavily along. 
 
 Befides,
 
 SERMON XIV. i;3 
 
 Befidcs, if a man is not fincerely in- 
 clined to reform his faults, — 'lis not like- 
 ly lie fhould be inclined to fee them, — 
 nor will all the weekly preparations that 
 ever were wrote, bring him nearer the 
 point-, — fo that with how ferious a face 
 
 foever he begins to examine, he no 
 
 longer does the office of an enquirer, — 
 but an apologiftjwhofe bufinefj is not to 
 
 fearch for truth but fkilfully to 
 
 hide it. So long — therefore, as this 
 
 pre-engagement lafls betwixt the man 
 
 and his old habits, there is little 
 
 profpecfl: of proving his works to any 
 good purpofc — of whatever kind they 
 are, with fo ftrong an intereft and power 
 on their fide. — As in other trials, fo in 
 this, *tis no wonder, if the evidence is 
 puzzled and confounded, and the feveral 
 fads and circumftances fo twifted from 
 
 their
 
 174 S E R M O N XIV. 
 
 their natural Ihapes, and the whole proof 
 To altered and confirmed on the other 
 
 fide, as to leave the laft flate of 
 
 that man even worfe than the firfl. 
 
 A fecond unhappy, though genera] 
 mifrake in this great duty of proving 
 our works, — is that which the apoftle 
 hints at j in the doing it, not by a diredl 
 examination of our own aflions, but 
 from a comparative view of them with 
 the lives and adlions of other men. 
 
 When a man is going to enter upon 
 
 this work of felf-examination, there 
 
 is nothing fo common, as to fee him — 
 
 look round him in (lead of looking 
 
 ^ivithin him. — He looks round, — finds 
 out fome one, who is more malicious, — 
 fees anotherthat is more covetous, a third 
 
 that
 
 SERMON XIV. i;5 
 
 that is more proud and imperious than 
 
 himfelf and fo indiredlly forms a 
 
 judgment of himfelf, not from a review 
 of his life, and a proving of his own 
 works, as the apoitle direds him, but 
 rather from proving the works of others, 
 and from their infirmities and defedls 
 drawing a deceitful conclufion in favour 
 
 of himfelf. In all competitions of 
 
 this kind — one may venture to fay there 
 will be ever fo much of felf-love in a 
 man, as to draw a flattering likcnefs of 
 
 one of the parties and 'tis well 
 
 if he has not fo much malignity too, as 
 to give but a coarfe picture of the other, 
 
 finiflied with fo mcnyhird ftrokes, 
 
 as to make the one as unl.ke its orio-inal 
 as the other. 
 
 Thus the pharifee, when he entered 
 
 the
 
 176 S E R M O N XIF. 
 
 the temple, no fooner faw the pub- 
 lican, but that moment, he formed the 
 idea to himfelf of all the vices and cor- 
 ruptions that could pofTibly enter into 
 
 the man's chara6ler and with great 
 
 dexterity flated all his own virtues and 
 good qualities over againft them. His 
 abftinence and frequent fafting, — exadt- 
 nefs in the debts and ceremonies of the 
 law i not balancing the account as he 
 ought to have done, in this manner : — 
 What! though this man is a publican 
 and a fmner, have not I my vices as 
 well as he ? 'Tis true, his particular 
 office expofes him to many tempta- 
 tions of committing extortion and inju- 
 ftice; — but then — amnotladevourerof 
 widows houfes, and guilty of one of the 
 mod cruel inftances of the fame crime ? 
 He pofTibly is a prophane perron,'and 
 
 may, 
 6
 
 SERMON XIV. 177 
 may fet religion at nought; — but do not 
 I myfelf for a pretence make long pray- 
 ers, and bring the greateft of all fcandals 
 upon religion, by making it a cloak 
 to my ambitious and worldly views ? — 
 If he, laftly, is debauched and intempe- 
 rate — am not I conlcious of as corrupt 
 and wanton difpofitions; and that a fair 
 and guarded outfide is my belt pretence 
 to the oppofite character ? 
 
 If a man will examine his works by a 
 comparative view of them with others-,— 
 this, no doubt, would be the fairer way, 
 and leaft likely to miflead him. — But 
 as this is Icldom the method this trial is 
 gone through, — in fadl it generally turns 
 out to be as treacherous and delufive 
 to the man himfelf, — as it is uncandid 
 to the man, who is dragged into the 
 
 Vol. II. M com-
 
 178 SERMON XIV. 
 comparifon •, and whoever judges of 
 bimfelf by this rule, — fo long as there 
 is no fcarcity of vicious charaders in the 
 world, — 'tis to be feared, he will often 
 take the occafions of triumph and re- 
 joicing, — where in truth he ought rather 
 to be forry and afnamed. 
 
 A third error in the manner of prov- 
 ing our works, is what we are guilty of, 
 when we leave out of the calculation the 
 only material parts of them •, — I mean, 
 the motives and firft principles from 
 whence they proceeded. There is many 
 a fair inflance of generofity, chaftity, 
 and felf-denial, which the world may 
 give a man the credit of, — which if he 
 would give himfelf the leifure to refled 
 upon and trace back to their firft 
 fprings, — he would be confcious, pro- 
 ceeded
 
 SERMON XIV. 1 79 
 
 ceeded from fuch views and intentions, 
 as if known would not be to his honour. 
 — The truth of this may be made evi- 
 dent by a thoufand inftances in life: — 
 and yet there is nothing more ufual than 
 for a man when he is going upon this 
 duty of felf-examination, — inftead of 
 calling his own ways to remembrance, 
 — to clofe the whole enquiry at once, 
 with this fhort challenge 5 — *' That be 
 defies the world to fay ill of him.'" If the 
 world has no exprefs evidence, this in- 
 deed may be an argument of his good 
 luck ; but no fatisfadory one, of the 
 real goodnefs and innocence of his life. 
 — A jnan may be a very bad man^ — 
 
 and yet t hrough caution, through 
 
 deep- lai d policy,. and defign may fo 
 guard all outward appearances, as never 
 to want this negative teflim ony_OQ hjs^ 
 fide ; — t hat the world knows no_j viL.of^ 
 M 2 him. —
 
 i8o SERMON XIV. 
 
 him^ — how little foever he deferves it. — 
 Of all afTays upon a man's felf, this may 
 be faid to betheflighteft^ this method of 
 proving the goodnefs of our works — 
 differing but little in kind from that un- 
 happy one, which many unwary people 
 take in proving the goodnefs of their 
 coin J — who, if it happens to be fufpi- 
 cious, — infiead of bringing it either to 
 the balance or the touch-ftone to try its 
 worth, — they ignorantly go forth ; try, 
 if they can pafs it upon the world: — if 
 fo, all is well, and they are faved all the 
 expence and pains of enquiring after and 
 detedino; the cheat. 
 
 'o 
 
 A fourth error in this duty of exami- 
 nation of men's works — is that of com- 
 mitting the talk to others ; — an error 
 into which thoufands of well-meaning 
 
 creatures
 
 SERMON XIV. iSi 
 
 creatures are infnared in the Romifh 
 church by herdodlrines of auricular con- 
 feflion, of works of fupererogation, and 
 the many lucrative pradlices raifcd upon 
 that capital (lock. — The trade of which 
 is carried to fuch a height in popifh 
 countries, that if you was at Rome or 
 Naples now, and was difpofed, in com- 
 pliance with the apoftle's exhortation in 
 the text, to fet about this duty, to prove 
 your own works, — 'tis great odds whe- 
 ther you would be fuffered to do it 
 yourfelf, without interruption ; and you 
 might be fald to have efcaped well, if 
 the firft perfon you confulted upon k 
 did not talk you out of your refolution, 
 and polTibly your fenles too at the fame 
 
 time. Prove your works ? for 
 
 heaven's lake, defiit from fo ralii an 
 
 undertaking, — what! — trufl: your own 
 
 M 3 ikill
 
 i82 SERMON XIV. 
 
 fkillandjudgmentinamatteroffomuch 
 
 difficulty and importance when 
 
 there are fo many whofe biifinefs it is, 
 — who underftand it fo well, and who 
 can do it for you with fo much fafety 
 and advanta2;e. 
 
 If your works muft be proved, you 
 would be advifed by all means to fend 
 them to undergo this operation with 
 fome one who knows what he is abouc, 
 either fome expert or no:ed confefibr 
 of the church, — or to fome convent, or 
 religious fociety, who are in poifenion 
 of a large flock of good works of all 
 kinds, wrought up by faints and confef- 
 fors, v;here you may fuit yourfelf — and 
 either get the defeds of your own fup- 
 plied, — or be accommodated with new 
 ones ready proved to your hands, fealed, 
 and certified to be fo, by the Pope's com- 
 
 miffary
 
 SERMON XIV. iSj 
 miflary and the notaries of his ecclefia- 
 ftic courr. 'Inhere needs little more to 
 lay open this fatal error, —than barely 
 to reprefent it. So I fhall only add a 
 fliort remark, — that they who are per- 
 fuaded to be thus virtuous by proxy, 
 and will prove the goodnefs of their 
 works only by deputies, — will have no 
 reafon to complain againft God's juftice, 
 — if he fufters them to go to heaven, 
 only in the fame manner, — that is, — by 
 deputies too. 
 
 The lad miflake which I fnall have 
 time to mention, is that which the Me- 
 thodifts have revived, for 'cis no new er- 
 ror — but one which has miQed thoufands 
 before thefc days, wherever enthufiafni 
 
 had got footing and that is, 
 
 the attempting to prove their works, by 
 
 that very argument which is Lhe greateft 
 
 M 4 proof
 
 iS4 SERMON XIV. 
 proof of their weakneis and kiperftition : 
 — I mean that exrraorclinary impulTe 
 and inrercourfe with the fpirit of God 
 which they pretend to, and whofe oper- 
 ations (if you triift them) are fo fenfibly 
 felt in their hearts and fouls, as to ren- 
 der at once all other proofs of their 
 works needlcfs to themfelves. — This, 
 I own, is one of the mod fummary 
 ways of proceeding in this duty of felf- 
 examination, and as it proves a man's 
 works in the grofs, it faves him a world 
 of fober thought and inquiry after m.any 
 vexatious particulars. 
 
 'Indeed if the premifes were true,— 
 the inference is diredl. For when a man 
 dreams of thefe inward workings — and 
 wakes with the imprefTion of them (Irong 
 upon his brain -, 'tis not fl range, he fhould 
 
 Lhinkhimfclfachoicnvellel, -fan61:i- 
 
 fied
 
 SERMON XIV. 1S5 
 
 fied within and fealcd up unto the per- 
 fed day of redemption j and lb long as 
 kich a one is led captive by this error, 
 — there is nothing in nature to induce 
 liim to this duty of examining his own 
 
 works in the fenfe of thepropliet: 
 
 for however bad they are, — folong as his 
 credulity and enthufiafm equal them,'tis 
 impoflible they Ihouid difturb his con- 
 fcience or frighten him into a reformation. 
 Thefe are fomc of the unhappy miftakes 
 in the many methods this work is fen 
 about, — which in a great meafure rob 
 us of the fruits we expelled — andfome- 
 times fo entirely blaft them, that we are 
 neither the better or wifer for all the 
 pains we have> taken. 
 
 There arc many other falfe fteps 
 which lead us the fame way, — but the 
 delineation of thcfe however may fervcat 
 
 prefenr,
 
 iS6 SERMON XIV. 
 
 prefent, not only as fo many land-marks 
 to guard us from this dangerous coaft 
 which I have defcribed, but to dired us 
 likewife into that fafe one, where we can 
 only expedt the reward the gofpel pro- 
 mifes. For, if according to the firft re- 
 cited caufes, a man fails in examining his 
 works from a difinclination to reform 
 them, — from partiality of comparifons, 
 — from flattery to his own motives, and 
 a vain dependence upon the opinion of 
 the world, — the conclufion is unavoida- 
 ble, — that he muft fearch for the quali- 
 ties themoftoppofuetothereforhis con- 
 ductors. — And if he hopes to dilcharge 
 this work fo as to have advantage from 
 it, — that he muft fet out upon the prin- 
 ciples of an honeft head, willing to re- 
 form itfelf, and attached principally to 
 that objed, v/ithout regard to the fpiri- 
 tual condition of others, or the mifguid- 
 
 ed
 
 SERMON XIV. 187 
 cd opinions which the world may have 
 of himlclf. 
 
 That for this end, — he muft call his 
 own ways to remembrance, and icarch 
 out his Ipirit, — fearch his adlions with 
 the fame critical exadlnefs and fame pier- 
 cing ciiriofity, we are wont to fit in 
 
 judgment upon others -, varnifhing 
 
 nothing and difguifing nothing. If 
 
 he proceeds thus, and in every relation 
 of life takes a full view of himfelf with- 
 out prejudice traces his a^lions to 
 
 thcirprincipleswithout mercy, and looks 
 into the dark corners and receffes of his 
 heart without fear — and upon fuch an 
 
 enquiry he ads confillcnt with liis 
 
 view in it, by reforming his errors, fepa- 
 rating the drofs and purifying the whole 
 
 mafs with repentance ; this will bid 
 
 fair for examining a man's works in the 
 
 apolllc's
 
 1^8 SERMON XIV. 
 
 apoftle's fenfe : — and whoever difcharges 
 the duty thus — with a view to fcripture, 
 
 which is the rule in this cafe and to 
 
 reafon, which is theapplierofthisrulein 
 
 2II cafes need not fear but he will 
 
 have what the prophet calls rejoicing in 
 himfelf^ and that he will lay the founda- 
 tion of his peace and comfort where it 
 
 ought to lay that is, within himfeif 
 
 — in the teftimonyof a good confcience, 
 and the joyful expectation that, having 
 done his utmoft to examine his cix;n 
 ■works here, God will accept them here- 
 after through the merits of Chrift ^ 
 which God grant. Amen. 
 
 SER.
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 job's Expoftulation with 
 his Wife.
 
 [ 19^ ] 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 Job it. lo. 
 
 Pf^al ! Jhall-uve receive gocd at the 
 
 hand of God, and JJoall v;e not receive 
 evil alfo ? 
 
 THESE are the words of Job, ut- 
 tered in the depth of his misfor- 
 tunes, by way of reproof to his wife, for 
 the counfel we find fhe had given him in 
 the foregoing verfe-, namely, not to re- 
 tain his integrity any longer, but to 
 
 curfe God and die. Tho' it is not very 
 evident, what was particularly meant 
 
 and implied in the words *' Curfe 
 
 God and die," yet it is certain from 
 
 Job's reply to them, that they directed 
 
 him to fome (lep, which was ra(h and 
 
 5 unwar-
 
 292 SERMON XV. 
 unwarrantable, and probably, as it is 
 generallyexplained,meantthathefhould 
 openly call God's juftice to an account, 
 and by a blafphemous accufation of it, 
 provoke God to deftroy his being : as if 
 Ihe had faid, — After fo many fad things 
 which have befallen thee, notwithftand- 
 ing thy integrity, what gaineft thou by 
 ferving God, feeing he bears thus hard 
 upon thee, as though thou waft his ene- 
 my ? Ought fo faithful a fervant as 
 
 thou haft been, to receive fo much un- 
 kind treatment at his hands •, — and 
 tamely to fubmit to it ? — patiently to 
 fuftain the evils he has brought upon thy 
 houfe, and neither murmur with thy lips 
 nor charge him with injuftice? — bear 
 it not thus ; — and as thy piety could not 
 at firft protecl thee from fuch mi-sfor- 
 tunes, — nor thy behaviour under them 
 
 could
 
 SERMON XV. 193 
 
 could fince move God to take pity on 
 theej — change thy condudt towards 
 him, — boldly expoilulate with him,— ^ 
 upbraid him openly with unkindnefs,— ► 
 call his juftice and providence to an 
 account for opprefling thee in lb unde- 
 ferved a manner, and get that benefit 
 by provoking him, which thou haft not 
 been able to obtain by ferving him — 
 to die at once by his hands, and be 
 freed at lead, from the greater mifery 
 of a lingering and a more tormenting 
 death. 
 
 On the other hand, Ibme interpreters 
 
 tell us, that the word curfe^ in the 
 
 original, is equivocal, and docs more 
 literally fignify here, to blels than to 
 blafpheme, and confequcntly that the 
 
 Vol. IL N whole
 
 194 S E R M O N XV. 
 
 whole is rather to be confidered as a far- 
 cafticalfcofFat Job'spiety. — As if it had 
 been faid-, — Go to, — blefs God, — and 
 die -J — fince thou art fo ready to praife 
 him in troubles as thou haft done, go on 
 in thy own way, and fee how God will 
 reward thee, by a miferable death which 
 thou canft not avoid. 
 
 Without difputing the merit of thefe 
 two interpretations, it may not feem an 
 improbable conjedure, that the words 
 imply fomethingftilldifterentfrom what 
 
 is exprefled in either of them, and 
 
 inftead of fuppofing them as an incite- 
 ment to blafpheme God, — which was 
 madnefs — or that they were intended 
 as an infult, which was unnatural; — 
 that her advice to curfe God and die, 
 was meant here, that he fhould refolve 
 6 upon
 
 SERMON XV. 195 
 upon a voluntary death himrdf, which 
 was an act not only in his own power, 
 but what carried fome appearance of a 
 remedy with it, and promifed, at lead 
 at firil fight, ibme rcipite from pain, as 
 it would put an end, both to his life and 
 his misfortunes together. 
 
 One may fuppofe that with all the 
 concern and affedlion which was natural, 
 fhc beheld her lord afflided both with 
 poverry and ficknefs ; — by one fudden 
 blow brought down from his palace to 
 the dunghill. — In one mournful day Ihe 
 faw, that not only the fortunes of his 
 houfe were blalled, but iikewife the 
 hopes of his pofterity cut off for ever 
 by the untimely lofs of his children.— 
 She knew he was a virtuous and an 
 upright man, and defer ved a better fate; 
 N 2 — her
 
 196 S E R M O N XV. 
 
 — her heart bled the more for him, — 
 fhe faw the profped before him was 
 
 dreadful, that there • appeared no 
 
 poflible means, which could retrieve the 
 fad fituation of his affairs, — that death, 
 the laft — the fureft friend to the unfortu- 
 nate, could only fet him free; — and that 
 it was better to refolve upon that at once, 
 than vainly endeavour to wade through 
 fuch a fea of troubles, which in the end 
 would overwhelm him. — We may fup- 
 pofe her fpirits fmking under thofe ap- 
 prehenfions, when fhe began to look up- 
 on his Gonftancy as a fruit lefs virtue, and 
 frbm that perfuafion, to have laid unta 
 him, — Curie God,— depend no longer 
 \ipon him, nor wait the ifTues of his 
 providence which has already forfakcn 
 
 thee ; as there is no help from that 
 
 quarter, — refolve to extricate thyfelf—- 
 5 ^^
 
 S E R M O N XV. 197 
 
 and fince thou haft met with no juftice 
 
 in this world, — leave it, — die, and 
 
 force thy pafifage into a better country, 
 where misfortunes cannot follow thee. 
 
 Whether this paraphrafc upon the 
 words is jufl, or the former interpre- 
 tations be admitted,— — the reply in the 
 text is equally proper-, — What! — fliall 
 we receive good at the hands of God, 
 and lliall we not receive evil alio ? Are 
 not both alike the difpenfiitions of an 
 all-wife and good Being, who knows 
 and determines what/j beft? and where- 
 fore fliould I make myfclf the judge, 
 to receive the one, and yet be fo partial 
 as to reject the other, when by fairly 
 putting both into thefcale, I may be con- 
 vinced how much the good outweighs 
 the evil in all cafes ? in my own, con- 
 N 3 fider
 
 198 SERMON XV. 
 
 fider how ftrong this argument is againft 
 
 me. 
 
 In the beginning of my days, how did 
 God crown me with honour ? In how 
 remarkable a manner did his providence 
 fet a hedge about me, and about all that 
 I had on every fide ? — how he profper- 
 ed the works of my hands, fo that our 
 fubftance and happinefs increafed every 
 day ? 
 
 And now, when for reafons bed known 
 to his infinite wifdom, he has thought 
 
 fit to try me with afflidions fhall I 
 
 rebel againft him in finning with my 
 lips, and charging him foolifhly ? — God 
 forbid. O rather may I look up to- 
 wards that hand which has bruifed me, — 
 forhemaketh fore and he bindeth up, — 
 he woundeth and his hands make whole; 
 
 from
 
 SERMON XV. 199 
 from his bounty only has iflued all I 
 had, from his wifdom — all I have loft, 
 for he giveth and he hath taken away, 
 — blelTed be his name. 
 
 There are few inflances of particular 
 virtue more engaging than thofeof this 
 heroic caft-, and if we may take the tefti- 
 mony of a heathen philofopher upon ir, 
 there is not an objed in this world which 
 God can be fuppofedto lookdown upon 
 with greater pleafure, than that of a good 
 man involved in misfortunes, furrounded 
 on all fides with difficulties — yetchear- 
 fully bearing up his head, and flruggling 
 againft them with firmnefs and conftancy 
 of mind — Certainly to our conceptions 
 fuch objects mud be truly engaging, — . 
 and the realbn of lb exalted an encomium 
 from this hand, is cafily to be guefied : 
 no doubt the wifeft of the heathen philo- 
 N 4 fuphers
 
 500 S E R M O N XV. 
 
 ibphers had found from obfervation 
 upon the life of man, that the many 
 n-oubles and infirmities of his nature, 
 the fickneffes, difappointments, forrows 
 for the lofs of childi-en or property, with 
 the numberlefs other calamities and crofs 
 accidents, to which the life of man is 
 fubjedl, were in themfelves (o great ^ — 
 and lb little Iblid comfort to be admi- 
 niftered from the mere refinements of 
 philofophy in fuch emergencies, that 
 there was no virtue which required 
 greater efforts, or which was found fo 
 difficult to be atchieved upon moral prin- 
 ciples-, upon moral principles — which 
 had no foundation to fuftain this great 
 weight, which the infirmities of our 
 nature laid upon it. x'\nd f.^r th's rea- 
 fon 'tis obfervihle that thtre is no fub- 
 jedt, upon which the moral writers of 
 
 antiquity
 
 SERMON XV. 2or 
 antiquity haveexhanfted fo much of their 
 eloquence, orwhere they have fpentfuch 
 time and pains, as in this of endeavour- 
 ing to reconcile men to thefe evils. In- 
 fomuch, that from thence in moll mo- 
 dern languages, the patient enduring 
 of affliction has by degrees obtained the 
 name of philofopher, and almoft mono- 
 polized the word to itfelf, as if it was the 
 chief end or compendium of all the 
 wifdom which philofophy had to offer. 
 And indeed confideringwhat lights they 
 had, fomeof them wrote extremely well', 
 yet, as what they faid proceeded more 
 from the head than the heart, 'twas 
 generally more calculated to filence a 
 man in his troubles, than to convince, 
 and teach him how to bear th^im.. And 
 therefore liowever fubtle and ingenious 
 their arguments might appear in the 
 
 read in I?,
 
 202 SERMON XV. 
 
 reading, 'tis to be feared they loft much 
 of their efficacy, when tried in the appli- 
 cation. If a man was thruft back in 
 the world by difappointments, or — as 
 was Job's cafe — had fuffered a fudden 
 change in his fortunes, from an affluent 
 condition was brought down by a train 
 of cruel accidents, and pinched with po- 
 verty — philofophy would come in, and 
 
 exhort him to ftand his ground; it 
 
 would tell him that the fame greatnefs 
 and ftrengch of mind, which enabled 
 him to behave well in the days of his 
 profperity, fhould equally enable him to 
 behave well in the days of his adverfity ; 
 — that it was the property of only weak 
 and bafe fpirits, who were infolent in the 
 one, to be dejedted and overthrown by 
 the other •, whereas great and generous 
 fouls were at all times calm and equal. — 
 
 As
 
 S E R M O N XV. 203 
 
 As they enjoyed the advantages of life 
 with indifference, — they were able to 
 refign them with the fame temper, — and 
 confequently — were out of the reach of 
 fortune. All which, however fine, and 
 likely to fatisfy the fancy of a man at 
 eafe, could convey but little confolation 
 to a heart already pierced with forrow, 
 —nor is it to be conceived how an unfor- 
 tunate creature fhould any more receive 
 relief from fuch a ledlure, however juft, 
 than a man racked with an acute fit of 
 the gout or ftone, could be fuppofed to 
 be fet free from torture, by hearing 
 from his phyfician a nice diirertation 
 upon his cafe. Thephilolbphic confola- 
 tions in ficknefs, or in affl dtions for the 
 death of friends and kindred, were juft 
 as efficacious, — and were rather in ge- 
 neral to be confidcrcd as good fayings 
 
 than
 
 204 S E R M O N XV. 
 
 than good remedies.- So that, if a 
 
 man was bereaved of a promifing child, 
 in whom all his hopes and expedlations 
 centered — or a wife was left deftitute to 
 mourn the lofs and protedion of a kind 
 and tender hufband, Seneca or Epi<5tetus 
 would tell the penfive parent and difcon- 
 folate widow, — that tears and lamenta- 
 tion for the dead were fruitlefs and ab- 
 furd •, — that to die, was the neceflary 
 and unavoidable debt of nature •, — and 
 as it could admit of no remedy — 'twas 
 impious and foolifh to grieve and fret 
 themfelves upon it. Upon fuch fage 
 counfel, as well as many other leflbns 
 of the fame itamp, the fame reflexion 
 might be applied, which is faid to have 
 been made by one of the Roman empe- 
 rors, to one v/ho adminiftered the fame 
 confolations to him on a like occafion — 
 
 to
 
 S E R M O N XV. 205 
 to whom advifing him to be comforted, 
 and make himfelf ealy, fince the event 
 had been brought about by a fatality,and 
 
 could not be helped — he replied, 
 
 " That this was lb far from lelfening his 
 trouble — that it was the very circum- 
 flance which occafioned it." — So that 
 upon the whole — when the true value 
 of theie, and many more of tlieir cur- 
 rent arguments have been weighed and 
 brought to the tell — one is led to doubt, 
 whether the greateftpartof their heroes^ 
 the moil renowned for conflancy, were 
 not much more indebted to good nerves 
 and IpirrtSjOr the natural happy frame of 
 their tempers, for behaving well, than 
 to any extraordinary helps, which they 
 couid be fuppofed to receive from their 
 inftrudlors. And therefore I fliould make 
 no fcruple to aflcrt, that one fuch in- 
 
 llance
 
 2o6 SERMON XV. 
 
 flanceof patience and refignation as this, 
 which the Scripture gives us in the per- 
 fon of Job, not of one moft pompoufly 
 declaiming upon the contempt of pain 
 and poverty, but of a man funk in the 
 lowed condition of hum.anity, to behold 
 him when dripped of his edate, — his 
 wealth, his friends, his children — chear- 
 fully holding up his head, and entertain- 
 ing his hard fortune with firmnefs and 
 ferenity, — and this, not from a ftoical 
 ftupidity, but a jud fenfe of God's pro- 
 vidence, and a perfuafion of his judice 
 
 and goodnefs in all his dealings. 
 
 Such an example, I fay, as this, is of 
 more univcrfal ufe, fpeaks truer to the 
 heart, than all the heroic precepts, 
 which the pedantry of philofophy have 
 to offer. 
 
 This
 
 SERMON XV. 207 
 This leads me to the poFnt I aim at 
 in this difcourfe •,— namely, that there 
 are no principles but thofe of religion 
 to be depended on in cafes of real dif- 
 trefs, and that thcle are able to encounter 
 the worft emergencies j and to bear us 
 up under all the changes and chances to 
 which our life is fubje6t. 
 
 Con fider then what virtue the very fi rft 
 principle of religion has, and how won- 
 derfully it is conducive to this end. 
 That there is a God, a powerful, a wife 
 and good being, who firit made the world 
 and continues to govern it-, — by whofe 
 goodnefs all things are defigned — and 
 by whofe providence all things are con- 
 dueled to brincT about the orcateft and 
 beft ends. The forrowfui and pen five 
 wretch that was giving way to his misfor- 
 tunes,
 
 2o8 S E R M O N XV. 
 
 tunes, and mournfully finking under 
 them, the moment this dodrine comes in 
 to his aid, hufiies ail his complaint?: — and 
 thus fpeaks comfort to his foul, — " Ic 
 is the Lord, let him do what feemcth 
 him good, — without his direction I know 
 that DO evil can befal me, — wkhout his 
 permiiTion that no power can hurt me — 
 It is impofiible a Being fo wife fhould 
 iniftake my happinefs — or that a Being fo 
 good fhould contradid it. if he has de- 
 nied me riches orotheradvantages, — per- 
 haps he forefees the gratifying my wilhes 
 would undo me, and by my ownabufc of 
 them be perverted to my ruin. — If he 
 has denied me the requefl of children, — 
 or in his providence has thought fit to 
 take them frorh me — how can I fay — 
 whether he has not dealt kindly with me, 
 and only taken that away which he fore- 
 fa w
 
 SERMON XV. 209 
 
 law would imbitterand fhorten my days. 
 It does fo to thoufands, where the difobe- 
 dience of a thankleis child has brought 
 down the parents grey hairs with forrow 
 to the g-rave. Has he vifitcd me with fick- 
 nefs, poverty, or other difappointments ? 
 — can I fay, but theie are blellings in dif- 
 guile ? — fo many different exprcfiions of 
 his care and concern to difentangle my 
 thoughts from this world, and fix them 
 upon another, — another, a better world 
 beyond this !" — This thought opens a 
 newfcene of hope and confolation to the 
 unfortunate-, — and as thepeiiuafionof a 
 providence reconciles him to the evils he 
 has fufiered, — this profpedl of a future 
 life gives him ftrength to defpife them, 
 and efteem the light afflictions of his life 
 as they are — not worthy to be compared 
 to v;hat it^referved for liim hereafter. 
 Vol. II. O Things
 
 210 SERMON XV. 
 Things are great or fmall by compa- 
 
 rifon and he who looks no farther 
 
 than this world, and balances the ac- 
 counts of his joys and lufFerings from 
 that confideration, finds all his forrows 
 enlarged, and at the clofe of them will 
 be apt to look back, and cafl the fame 
 fad reflection upon the whole, which 
 the patriarch did to Pharaoh, — " That 
 few and evil had been the days of his 
 pilgrimage." But lee him lift up his 
 eyes towards heaven, and ftedfaftly be- 
 hold the life and immortality of a fu- 
 ture ftate, he then wipes away all 
 
 tears from off his eyes for ever and 
 
 ever; like the exiled captive, big 
 
 with the hopes that he is returning 
 
 home he feels not the weight of his 
 
 chains, or counts the days of his captivi- 
 ty^ but looks forward with rapture to- 
 wards
 
 SERMON XV. 211 
 
 wards the country where his heart is 
 fled before. 
 
 Thefe are the aids which religion offers 
 US towards the regulating of our fpirit 
 under the evils of life, — but like great 
 cordials, — they are feldom ufed but on 
 
 great occurrences. In the lefler evils 
 
 of life we feem to (land unguarded, — 
 and our peace and contentment are over- 
 thrown, and our happinefs broke in upon 
 bya little impatience of fpirit, under the 
 crofs and untoward accidents we meet 
 
 with. Thefe itand unprovided for, 
 
 and we negiccl them as wedothe (lighter 
 indlfpofitions of the body — which we 
 think not worth treating feriouHy — and 
 fo leave them to nature. In gocd habits 
 
 of the body, this may do, and I 
 
 would gladly believe, there are fuch 
 O 2 good
 
 212 SERMON XV. 
 
 good habits of the temper, — fuchacom- 
 plexionaleafe and health of heart, as may 
 often fave the patient much medicine. 
 —We are ftill to confider — that how- 
 ever fuch good frames of mind are got 
 — they are worth preferving by all rules ; 
 —patience and contentment, — which 
 like the treafure hid in the field for which 
 a man fold all he had to purchafe — is of 
 that price that it cannot be had at too 
 great a purchafe, fince without it, the 
 beft condition in life cannot make us 
 
 happy, and with it, it is impofTible 
 
 wefhould be mifei-abieevenintheworft. 
 — Give me leave therefore to clofe this 
 difcourfe v/ith fome reflections upon the 
 
 fubjefl of a contented mind and the 
 
 duty in man of regulating his fpirit, in 
 
 our fsray through life •, -a fubjed in 
 
 every body's mouth — -^preached upon 
 
 daily
 
 SERMON XV. 21^ 
 
 daily to our friends and kindred — but 
 too ofc in fuch a flyle, as to convince 
 the party Icdlured, only of this truth-, — 
 that we bear the misfortunes of others 
 with excellent tranquillity. 
 
 1 believe there are thoufands lb extra- 
 vagant in their ideas of contentnnenr, as 
 to imagine that it mud confilt in having 
 every thing in this v/orld turn out the 
 way they wifli — that they are to fit down 
 in happinefs, and feci themfelves fo at 
 eafe at all points, as to defire nothing 
 better and nothing more. 1 own there 
 are inftances of fome, who feem to pafs 
 through the world, as if all their paths 
 had been flrewed with rofc-buds of de- 
 light i but a little experience will 
 
 convince us, 'tis a fatal expe(Siation to go 
 upon, — We are born to trouble j and 
 
 wc
 
 214 SERMON XV. 
 we may depend upon it whilfl we live in 
 this world we fhall have it, though with 
 intermiflions — that is, in whatever ftate 
 we are, we fhall find a mixture of good 
 and evil ^ and therefore the true way to 
 contentment, is to know how to receive 
 thefc certain vicifTitudes of life, — the re- 
 turns of good and evil, fo as neither ta 
 be exalted by the one, or overthrowr^ 
 by the other, but to bear ourfelves to- 
 wards every thing which happens with 
 fuch eafe and indifference of mind, as ta 
 hazard as little as may be. This is the 
 true temperate climate fitted for us by 
 nature, and in which every wife man 
 would wiOi to live. — God knows, wc are 
 perpetually flraying out of it, and by 
 giving wings to our imaginations in the 
 tranfports we dream of, from fuch or 
 fuch a fituation in life, we are carried 
 
 away
 
 S E R M O N XV. 215 
 
 away alternately into all the extremes of 
 hot and cold, tbr which as we are nei- 
 ther fitted by nature, or prepared by ex- 
 pedation, we feel them wiih all their 
 violence, and with all their danger too. 
 
 God, for wife rtafons, has made our 
 affairs in this world, almcfl: as fickle and 
 capricious as ourfelves — Pain and plea- 
 lure, like light and darknefs, IVxceed 
 each other -, and he that knows how to 
 accommodate himfelf to their periodical 
 returns, and can wifely extract the good 
 from the evil — knows only how to live; 
 — this is true contentment, at lead all 
 that is to be had of it in this world, and 
 for this every man mud be indebted not 
 to his fortune but to himfelf — And in- 
 deed it would have been (Irange, if a 
 duty fo becoming us as dependent crea- 
 £ tures
 
 2i6 S E R M O N XV. 
 
 tures — and fo neceffary befides to all 
 our well-beings, had been placed out 
 of the reach of any in feme meafure to 
 
 put in pradlice and for this reafon, 
 
 there is fcarce any lot lb low, but there 
 is fomething in it to fatisfy the man 
 whom it has befallen •, providence hav- 
 ing fo ordered things, that in every 
 man's cup, how bitter loever, there are 
 
 feme cordial drops fome good cir- 
 
 cumftances, which if wifely extraded 
 are fufiicient for the purpofe he wants 
 them, — that is, to make him contented, 
 and if not happy, at leaft refigned. 
 May God blefs us all with this fpiric, 
 for the fake of Jefus Chrift. Amen. 
 
 THE END.
 
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