proceeds with the Testimony of his own Breast; this Man is either right in his Opinion, or under such a Mistake, as shall never be imputed to him for a Crime. And therefore, whatever Advantages of Safety such a Proceeding can give, he is fairly entituled to take the Benefit of them. So again; A Man may make the best Terms he can for himself, with those that oppress or destroy him; provided he act without Fraud, and break none of those Restraints, which the Laws of God, or of Civil Society, have bound him up to. He may strive to deliver himself in distress; He may pray to God to deliver him; but Both these must be done with a resign'd Spirit. And when we beg, with Christ, That if it be possible this Cup may be taken from Us, we must beg it, and we must endeavour it, with his Reservation too, Nevertheless not Ours, but our heavenly Father's Will be done. This Submiffion is highly neceffary; Not only as it agrees with the Condition of Sons, and Servants, and Creatures; but as it may incline the Favour of God to our Relief. For, Why should we not suppose, that he will proceed by the Rules, which Love, Honour, and the pureft Reason, have fix'd among Men; That he will think it becoming his Goodness, to take those into his more peculiar Care and Protection, who are content to depend upon his Pleasure, and resign all their Affairs entirely up to his Wife and Gracious Disposals? Hence it is, that to Lawful Means I add a Regular use of those Means; because anxious and inordinate Defires, do draw down, I doubt not, many Sufferings and Misfortunes, which would not otherwise have befallen Men. And These, properly speaking, are Troubles, not of God's creating, but their own. Again; when I fay, a Man may use all Lawful Means; I do not fay, that he is always bound to do it. There may be fome Instances, wherein the Christian Gallantry is concerned to diftinguish it felf. And Heroes there have been, who, when they might have had it, would' not accept Deliverance; but have acquir'd to themselves a just and immortal Renown, for devoting their Lives to the Service of Religion. But this is a point of Perfection; And must be left to Wisdom, and a due confideration of Circumstances, to pronounce of. We may fay of it, as our Lord did of them that make themselves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's Sake, Matt. xix. 12. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. There may be Cafes, when all the fafe Methods of Preservation may be neglected; but He, that seeks and uses them, fins not in so doing. If God gives not Succefs, then he is to fit down, and no doubt his Mercy, and a future Reward : For that defeating his Prayers and Endeavours so far, is a plain and loud Call to Suffer. But, He, who in Bravery is more liberal of himself, must be well advised. For, as Men may not be too tenacious, so neither may they be too profufe and lavish, of Life, and the Comforts of it, Left, befides these present Hardships, they find at last an indifcreet Zeal return'd, with a Who hath required these things at your Hands? Love indeed is apt and defirous to give over-measure, where it can; To make up for the Defects of One kind, by double Application in Another. And fure, where God is the Object of our Love, it well becomes Us to attempt this. But still, this must not be the effect of Passion alone; Prudence should temper and direct it. And, where an Affliction is chosen, which with a Good Confcience might have been avoided: As it may happen, that the making fuch Choice shall be highly commendable, so it is certain, They ought not to be condemned, who chuse a Lawful Safety, and therefore make it not. Fourthly, We have already confidered Christ, as a Pattern of Meekness, in not returning opprobious Language; let us also contemplate him, as an Example of not taking Revenge. When an outrageous Attempt was made made upon his Life, he fatisfies himself with restraining the Violence, without inflicting those Punishments, which their Wickedness deserved. And fo ought We to content our selves, with those Methods, that are fufficient for our Security; without proceeding to the utmost Rigor and Severity: Even with the worst of Enemies, Even when they are in our Power, and lie at our Mercy. It is God, to whom Vengeance belongeth, and Men do but ufurp it. But here you fee the very Person, to whom it did of right belong, tender in ufing that Right; and rather chusing, to soften his Adversaries Hearts, by Patience and Long-fuffering, than to confound them, by exerting his Almighty Power. Instructing us hereby, what Disposition They should be of, who pretend to be governed by His Laws, and to live by the Copy of his Practice; That it is fit, they pass by many and great Provocations, and enough for them, to confult their own Safety, without seeking the Ruin of others. And this, if it were duly confidered, would set bounds to our Fury; and shew us, that, as we ought not in any case to do Injuries, so we should not repay them neither in their own kind; But cease from Wrath, and let go Displeasure; for otherwife we shall, in this Sense too, be certainly moved to do Evil. Laftly, From this Passage, we may be certainly affured, that the Sufferings and Death of Christ were his own free voluntary Act. The fame Divine, unseenForce, which held the Hands of the Men of Nazareth, when they intended to cast him headlong down the brow of their Hill; The fame, which evaded the Jews present design to Stone him; was ever Ready, ever Able, to produce the same wonderful Effects. We know, it was so in the Garden particularly. And the cafting those down to the Ground, who then came to apprehend him, ought to have made them understand, that, if he had not thought fit to check and withdraw it, neither their Numbers, 1 Numbers, nor their Weapons, could have prevailed to his Prejudice. This should enflame our Love and our Gratitude, that the many bitter things our Lord endured for Our Sakes, were not upon Constraint, but Choice: That He so signally proved the Truth of those his own Words; No Man taketh my Life, from me, but I lay it down of my self: That he was barbarously treated, and ignominiously murthered, because he would be fo; and the Will of God was fulfilled in this point, only because he was content and well pleased to do it. What remains then, but that, as this Holy Season requires, we meditate on this Dying Redeemer with wonder; That werepresent his Willing Paffion to our Souls, in all those moving Circumstances it is capable of; That we think nothing too much for Him, who was fo liberal of Eafe, of Reputation, of Life for Us; That we not only Adore, but Imitate, that Great Example, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when be 1 Pet. ii. 23. fuffered, be threatned not, but committed himself to God, that judgeth righteously: That we make not Wrongs, of any fort mutual, but account it our Generofity, our Duty, to fuffer our selves to be outdone, in this only Instance of Evil-doing? So obferving the Apostle's Command, not to render Evil for Evil, nor Rai ing for Railing, but contrariwife Blessing, knowing that we are Here 1 Pet. iii. 9. unto called that we might inherit a Bleffing. Rom. viii. 23. The Sunday next before Easter. A The COLLECT. Lmighty and everlasting God, who of thy tender Love towards Mankind, haft fent thy only Son our Saviour Jesus Chrift, to take upon him our Flesh, and to fuffer Death upon the Cross, that all Mankind should follow the Example of his great Humility; Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the Example of his Patience, and also be made Partakers of his Resurrection, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. mility; 5. The EPISTLE. Philip. ii. 5. ET this mind be in you, which was alfo in PARAPHRASE. 5. With regard to the Charity and mutual Condefcenfions I am ex horting you to, make the Humility and wonderful Love of Jesus Chrift your Pattern. 6. Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. 6. Who, though be was very God, and had taken to himselfno more than belonged of right to him, in exerting all the Glory and Majesty of the Divine Nature; yet did he not affect to appear in his native Greatness and Glory. 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon bim the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men. as 7. But laid all that afide, did not disdain to live in human Nature, not only as Man, but the meanest Servant of God, and even of Men, ministring to their Wants. 8. And being found in Fashion as a man, be humbled bimself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Crofs. 8. And stooping so very low, as to die, nay to die the most painful and ignominious Death, in obedience to his heavenly Father's Will, and for the common benefit of Man kind. 9. Wherefore God also bath bigbly exalted bim, and given bim a name which is above every name. 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in beaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; II. And that every tongue should confefs that Jesus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 9, 10,11. This unparallelled Act of Obedience God hath rewarded, by advancing his human Nature to Universal Dominion. That the Man Chrift Jefus should now rule over, and be adored by, all Creatures; That all Nations should acknowledge this King, and, by fubmitting to his Laws and Government, promote the Glory of God the Father; Who delights to be honoured in the Belief and Obedience, paid to his Blessed Son, and his Gospel. T COMMENT. HE good Effects, which our Church proposes to her felf from this portion of Scripture, we plain ly learn, from the Collect for the Day, to be Humi Ee lity, |