The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Matth. xiii. 25, 38. PARAPHRAS E. 12. Since therefore God hath fo graciously chofen, fanctified, and loved you that are Chriftians, let it be your care to behave your felves as becomes men The COLLECT. Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and Houfhold in thy true Religion; that they whe do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly Grace, may evermore be defended by thy mighty power, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. 12. P The EPIST L E. Coloff. iii. 12. UT on therefore, as the cleft of God, boly and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, bumbleness of mind, meekness, long-fuffering. 13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye. thus favoured. Shew the tendereft Compaffion, the moft fincere Affection to one another, have lowly Opinions of your felves, be flow to wrath, and patient under Injuries, not hafty to revenge, but imitating the goodness of Christ to Sinners, in your Carriage to those who have wronged or offended you. 14. Especially let the love of your Brethren, 14. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. founded on the love of God, and of his love to you, be your conftant Principle and Practice, for this will make you perfect in all manner of good Works; and in any Difference, let the Peace God requires of you be the Umpire to compose it; remembring how he hath united you into one Body, his Church, which is a Mercy, that calls for your greatest thanks. 15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye are called in one Body, and be ye thankful. 16. Let the Doctrine of the Gospel be well studied, and liberally communicated and wifely employed by you: 16. Let the word of Chrift dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another, in Pfalms and Hymns, and spiritual Songs, finging with grace in your bearts to the Lord. and in all your Affemblies give Praises to God, in fuch holy Hymns and Pfalms, as either the Spirit fhall dictate, or your own Piety compofe; fo as may tend moft to the Instruction and Edification of others, and beft express your own Thankfulness. 17. And in all your Actions and Words, whether those of folemn Worship, or others, ad 17. And whatfoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by bim. drefs your felves to God, and expect his Acceptance by Jefus Chrift; For he is the only Perfon, by whom our Prayers and Praises must be offered to his Father under the Gofpel, as all Mercies are derived down to us through him, for which we pray to, or praise God, COMMENT. TH COMMENT. (a) Epift. for 1, 2, 3, Sunday af ter Epiphany. Adv. Sund. *HE Duties (a) urged in this Epiftle at the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th Verses, The Obligations we all have to them, as Chriftians, The (b) high Com- (b) Epift. for mendation of Charity, the common Source and Sum of them all; And the Reasonableness (c) of forbearing and for- (0) Epiß. for 4. giving, after Chrift's Example, have had their places of being confidered already. Sund, in Adv. (d) Plin. Lib. My purpose, at prefent, is, to fix on the Subject of thr 16th Verfe, which Interpreters have generally agreed to understand, of thofe Ejaculations and pious Lauds, which Chriftians heretofore were fo famous for, as, even by Heathens (d) and Enemies, to have fpecial notice taken, how conftant and confiderable a part of Divine Worship they made. Thefe, (as is probable, not only from this and another parallel Text to the Ephefians, but a Paffage very remarkable 10. Epift. 37. 19. Ephef. v. in the First to the Corinthians,) were fuch Effufions of Praife, as the Holy Ghost (among other extraordinary Gifts, feasonable and neceffary for thofe early days of the Gofpel) infufed into Souls, tranfported with Zeal, and Gratitude, and Love. But, in regard thofe Gifts have long fince ceased, and we are left to stated Methods; in regard we have still some fuch Helps to our Devotion, as, we may be very confident, did originally (though in an Age far diftant from our own) proceed from the fame Divine Spirit; I hope it will not be judged improper, because 'tis our own fault if it be unprofitable, for me, at this time, to fet before you the Excellence and Usefulness of the Book of Pfalms. The rather, because they are a conftant Portion of our Pub K 3 Publick Service; and feem, by the Wisdom of our Church, to be recommended, with a diftinguifhing Concern, to our Study and Remembrance, by being fo much oftner read in our Affemblies, than any other part of God's holy Word. I fhall not ftay to infift (though fomewhat might be faid to good purpose on that Subject) upon the Advantage this Collection hath, by being of Poetical Compofition. It fhall fuffice to obferve, that this is defigned, as all other Poetry is, or ought to be, for Inftruction and Delight. My bufinefs fhall be to fhew, how well the Pfaims acquit themselves of both these Offices. And confequently, how wife a choice They make, who pitch upon these, for a conftant Companion, both of their more retired Thoughts, and of their more publick Exercises of Devotion. 1. And First, For the Inftructing Part, They, who at all attend to the Matter here treated of, cannot but fee the Juftice of thofe Ancients, who recommend this Book, as the Marrow and Epitome of Divine Knowledge, the Treafury and Storehoufe of Piety and Prayer. The ground of true Religion is laid in right and worthy Apprehenfions of God, of his Providence, his Juftice, his Power, and his Mercy. But where fhall we be better furnished with, whence may we hope for more lively Representations of, thefe fo neceffary Truths? How becomingly do the xixth, the xxxiiid, the civth, and cxlviiith Pfalms, befides fundry other incidental Paffages, declare the Efficacy of that Almighty Word, which did but fpeak, and all things were made, commanded only, and forthwith they stood faft? The Beauty and Order of the Creatures, the wife Ufes affigned to each of them, the Eternal Bounds which they cannot pafs, The Glory of the Heavens, The Riches of the Earth and Seas, The wondrous and profitable Variety that fill them, And the perpetual neceffary dependance of all thefe, upon the kindly Influence and and prolifick Goodness of the First Cause, cannot be fuggefted, in Idea's more lofty, in Terms more fuitable to the Dignity of the Subject, than that Spirit, which made, and governs them all, hath here infused into the Holy Author. The Effects of Divine Providence in general, That Light of God's Countenance, which fhines, with a peculiar Luftre, upon the Perfon and the Pofterity of the Good man; Thofe Guards of Angels, that pitch their Tents round about his House, and chafe away the Powers of Darkness from their beloved Charge; That diftinguishing Care, which faves the Souls of fuch from death, and feeds them in the time of dearth, that keeps all their bones fo, that not one of them is broken, shelters them under his wings, and fecures them under bis feathers, and, even then, when thousands fall befide them, and ten thousands at their right hand, forbids any Plague from coming nigh Their Perfons or their Dwellings; are admirably defcrib'd in the xxxiiid, xxxivth, and xcist Pfalms. And The Obfervations made there are back'd with so many Instances and Experiments, in other Places, relating to David's own Cafe; that, in fpeaking his own Sene and Soul, he fills every faithful Chriftian with holy Confidence and great Tranquillity, when Dangers and Calamities make their boldeft Approaches. The direful Vengeance, that awaits the Ungodly, That Fire and Brimstone, that Storm and Tempel, which fhall be their portion to drink. Their Confufions, and Horrors, and unavoidable Destruction, are painted in fuch ghaftly Colours, at the xith, xviiith, xxxvth, lxixth, and cixth Pfalms; as will, if any thing will, strike a damp into the Wicked, chill all their Blood, quell their proud Wrath, and almost force them to reflect, though most unwillingly, that there is verily a God that judgeth in the earth. A God, that will not forget the poor helpless Man, nor fuffer the patient abiding of K 4 the the meek to perish for ever; But will put the mightiest and the boldeft Sinners of them all in fear, and make them know themselves to be but Men. Thefe are Evidences of a God and Providence, which all, who believe fuch things, would naturally expect. But there is One Thought, more peculiarly David's own; for he helps us against the Difficulties too, which have flaggered fo many in this Belief. His xxxviith, lxxiiid, and xciid Pfalms, do, with wonderful dexterity, unfold the Myftery of Good men being deftitute, afflicted, tormented, while the Evil and Oppreffors live at their Eafe, full of Health, and Plenty, and Power. Thefe affure us, That the End of the perfect and upright Man is fure to be peace at the laft; That the Righteous and their feed are never utterly forfaken, That this fhort imaginary Happiness of the Wicked is but like the crackling of thorns under a pot, a Blaze, foon kindled, and foon out again: That it is a Subject to exercise our Patience, but by no means fit to provoke our Envy; That, the longer they are fpared, the higher the Arm is lifted, and the heavier at laft the Blow will fall: for when all the workers of wickedness do flourish, and look gay and green as the grafs, 'tis only to referve them for the fiery oven, and, that they may be destroyed for ever. word, Though other Confiderations may stop short, yet if we will bear David company into the houfe of God, that is, apply our felves to Revealed Truths; we shall understand the end of these men, that the high places where they stand are flippery, that they fuddenly and furprisingly confume, perish, and come to a fearful end, and that their Glories, and even the remembrance and very Image of them, vanish like a dream, when one awaketh out of fleep. Thus thefe promifcuous Difpenfations are fitted for excellent Improvements. They will convince Men of the Folly of Sin, even in its most pompous and alluring Circumftances; In a and |