The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.

Matth. xiii. 25, 38.

PARAPHRASE.

12. Since therefore God hath so gracioufly chosen, sanctified, and loved you that are Christians, let it be your care to behave your felves as becomes men

The COLLECT.

Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and Houshold 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 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

12.

P

The EPISTLE.

Coloff. iii. 12.

UT on therefore, as the elect of God, boly and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, bumbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.

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 tenderest Compassion, the most fincere Affection to one another, have lowly Opinions of your selves, be flow to wrath, and patient under Injuries, not hasty 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, founded on the love of God, and of his love to you, be your conftant

14. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to

which ye are called in one Body, and be ye thankful.

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.

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16. Let the Doctrine of the Gospel be well studied, and liberally communicated and wisely employed by you: and in all your Assemblies give Praises to God, in such holy Hymns and Pfalms, as either the Spirit shall dictate, or your own Piety compose; so as may tend most to the Instruction and Edification of others, and best express your own Thankfulness.

16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another, in Pfalms and Hymns, and spiritual Songs, singing with grace in your bearts to the Lord.

T

COMMENT.

(a) Epift. for 1, 2, 3, Sunday after Epiphany.

Adv. Sund.

'HE Duties (a) urged in this Epistle at the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th Verses, The Obligations we all have to them, as Christians, 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- (c) Epist. for 4. giving, after Christ's Example, have had their places of being confidered already.

Sund. in Adv.

(d) Plin. Lib, 10. Epift. 37.

Cor. xiv. 26.

My purpose, at present, is, to fix on the Subject of thr 16th Verse, which Interpreters have generally agreed to understand, of those Ejaculations and pious Lauds, which Christians heretofore were so famous for, as, even by Heathens (d) and Enemies, to have special notice taken, how conftant and confiderable a part of Divine Worship they made. These, (as is probable, not only from this and another parallel Text to the Ephesians, but a Passage very remarkable in the First to the Corinthians,) were such Ephef. v. 19. Effusions of Praise, as the Holy Ghost (among other extraordinary Gifts, seasonable and necessary for those early days of the Gospel) infused into Souls, transported with Zeal, and Gratitude, and Love. But, in regard those Gifts have long fince ceased, and we are left to stated Methods; in regard we have still fome such Helps to our Devotion, as, we may be very confident, did originally (though in an Age far distant 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 set before you the Excellence and Usefulness of the Book of Pfalms. The rather, because they are a constant Portion of our K 3 Pub

Publick Service; and seem, by the Wisdom of our Church, to be recommended, with a diftinguishing Concern, to our Study and Remembrance, by being fo much oftner read in our Afssemblies, than any other part of God's holy Word.

I shall not stay to infift (though somewhat might be faid to good purpose on that Subject) upon the Advantage this Collection hath, by being of Poetical Composition. It shall suffice to observe, that this is designed, as all other Poetry is, or ought to be, for Inftruction and Delight. My business shall be to shew, 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 Instructing Part, They, who at all attend to the Matter here treated of, cannot but fee the Justice of those Ancients, who recommend this Book, as the Marrow and Epitome of Divine Knowledge, the Treasury and Storehouse of Piety and Prayer.

The ground of true Religion is laid in right and worthy Apprehenfions of God, of his Providence, his Justice, his Power, and his Mercy. But where shall we be better furnished with, whence may we hope for more lively Representations of, these so necessary Truths? How becomingly do the xixth, the xxxiiid, the civth, and cxlviiith Pfalms, befides fundry other incidental Passages, declare the Efficacy of that Almighty Word, which did but speak, and all things were made, commanded only, and forthwith they stood fast? The Beauty and Order of the Creatures, the wife Ufes affigned to each of them, the Eternal Bounds which they cannot pass, 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 these, upon the kindly Influence

and

and prolifick Goodness of the First Cause, cannot be suggested, 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 shines, with a peculiar Luftre, upon the Person and the Posterity of the Good man; Those Guards of Angels, that pitch their Tents round about his House, and chase away the Powers of Darkness from their beloved Charge; That diftinguishing Care, which faves the Souls of such 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 secures them under bis feathers, and, even then, when thousands fall beside them, and ten thousands at their right hand, forbids any Plague from coming nigh Their Persons or their Dwellings; are admirably defcrib'd in the xxxiiid, xxxivth, and xcift Pfalms. And The Observations made there are back'd with so many Instances and Experiments, in other Places, relating to David's own Cafe; that, in speaking his own Senfe and Soul, he fills every faithful Chriftian with holy Confidence and great Tranquillity, when Dangers and Calamities make their boldest Approaches.

The direful Vengeance, that awaits the Ungodly, That Fire and Brimstone, that Storm and Tempel, which shall be their portion to drink. Their Confusions, and Horrors, and unavoidable Destruction, are painted in fuch ghastly 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

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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.

These are Evidences of a God and Providence, which all, who believe such things, would naturally expect. But there is One Thought, more peculiarly David's own; for he helps us against the Difficulties too, which have staggered fo many in this Belief. His xxxviith, Ixxiiid, and xciid Pfalms, do, with wonderful dexterity, unfold the Mystery of Good men being deftitute, afflicted, tormented, while the Evil and Oppreffors live at their Eafe, full of Health, and Plenty, and Power. These assure 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 forsaken; That this short 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 spared, the higher the Arm is lifted, and the heavier at last the Blow will fall: for when all the workers of wickedness do flourish, and look gay and green as the grass, 'tis only to reserve them for the fiery oven, and, that they may be destroyed for ever. In a word, Though other Confiderations may stop short, yet if we will bear David company into the house of God, that is, apply our selves to Revealed Truths; we shall understand the end of these men, that the high places where they stand are slippery, that they fuddenly and surprisingly 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 these promifcuous Difpenfations are fitted for excellent Improvements. They will convince Men of the Folly of Sin, even in its most pompous and alluring Circumstances;

and