knows he is poffeffed of many Excellencies and Virtues, which perhaps others have not, though he knows he doth many commendable Actions, which ought juftly to render him esteemed, and taken notice of by others; yet he is not at all the more puffed up for this; his Defigns are braver and greater than to feek himself in any thing that he doth. Vain-glory, and the Defire of Praife, is no Ingredient into any of his Actions. On the contrary, provided he but do the Work that God fent him hither to do, and maintain the Poft in which he is placed, he cares not how meanly and contemptibly he be thought on in the World. So far is he from being his own Trumpeter, or from making popular Applause the End of any thing that he doth, that fo that the Good be done, he matters not whether any body knows that it was he that did it: Nay, tho' instead of the Acclamations of the Neighbourhood, he fhould be pursued with their Cenfures and Reproaches, he is not a-whit difturbed, fo long as that that caufed them was well intended.

But tho' he be little concern'd for his own Praise, and be indifferent whether he hath it or no, he is highly concerned that God have his. And therefore, as he very well knows and confiders, that whatever Virtue he hath, whatever good Action he

doth,

doth, is wholly owing to the Mercies and Favour of God; fo is he ready always to attribute the Glory of all to Him, looking upon himself as a poor indigent Creature, nay, as one that had been worfe than nothing, had he not been made what he is by the Divine Bounty. So that, with the lowest Proftration of his Soul, he continually adores the Riches of God's Grace to him, acknowledges himself to be infinitely unworthy of the leaft of his Mercies, and in every Inftance of his Life, whatever he doth, whatever he poffeffeth, whatever he fuffereth, that any way feems to redound to his own Praife, he refers it all to the Goodness of his heavenly Father, continually faying with David, Not unto us, O God, not unto us, but unto thy Name be the Praife.

Thus have I given you fome kind of Defcription of the humble Man, as our Saviour hath in his own Perfon reprefented him. I now pafs on, in the fifth Place, to another Thing, wherein he hath proposed himself to our Imitation, and that is, his extraordinary Meekness.

This, as I faid before, is one of thofe Qualities that he would have us learn of him; Learn of me (faith he) for I am meek and lowly in Heart. And indeed, he that was fo eminently humble, as has been faid,

muft

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must needs be a very meek Perfon; this Virtue being a natural and neceffary Confequence of that: All Anger, and Wrathfulness, and Haftinefs of Temper, being generally the Effects of Pride, and an overweening Conceit and fond. Love of our felves. If we truly had thofe lowly Thoughts of ourselves that we ought to have, we should not be eafily provoked, or put out of our Temper, by any Thing that could be offered to us.

But to come to the Point. Well might our Saviour bid us learn of him to be meek, for no one else could ever fo teach us as he did. There was nothing of Harshness or Ruggedness in his Difpofition; but we may truly fay of him, that he was the quieteft, gentleft, eveneft-tempered Man in the World. That which we call good Nature, was in him in Perfection. He would neither give any Offence to others, nor take any Offence at any thing that others could fay or do to him. As he would not be provoked, fo neither would he willingly provoke any. On the contrary, he was full of Humility and Courtefy, affable and fociable, ready to yield all innocent Compliances to the Perfons with whom he converfed. So that in this Sense he was a truly complaifant Perfon, as we exprefs, if we ufe fuch a Word of fuch a Perfon.

may

His Hiftory affords Inftances enough for the making this good; witness, his receiving little Children to his Embraces, and Benedictions, whom yet his Difciples repulfed as troublesome: His treating kindly all that came to him, and answering their Questions, though fometimes impertinent enough: (except where they proposed them on purpose for a Snare to him) His converfing freely with all forts of Men, even Publicans and Sinners, and accepting Invitations from them to their Tables, whom the fupercilious Pharifees so much despised, that they would not come near them: His vouchfafing his Prefence even at a Marriage Feaft, and even adding to the Entertainment by a changing of their Water into Wine, when their own Provifion of Wine was fpent. Thus gentle, thus complying was our bleffed Saviour in all his Converfation. Nor was he more ftudious to avoid giving Offence to others, than he was careful not to take any Offence at them: Tho' never any received greater Provocations to Anger and Impatience than he did, yet never was he known to be moved thereby. His Spirit always kept the fame Calmnefs and Evenness, nor were ever any undecent paffionate Speeches heard to come from his Mouth. How many Interruptions in his Difcourfes did he patiently bear? How much injurious conC c tumelious

VOL. V.

tumelious Language did he unconcernedly put up? Oh, how great was his Mildnefs, when the barbarous inhofpitable Samaritans fhut their Gates against him, and denied him the common Civility of Paffengers! He took no Notice of it, but meekly went his Way. His Difciples indeed took it not fo well, but were for calling for Fire from Heaven (as Elias did) to confume the Town; but our Lord was fo far from approving their Motion, that he fharply rebuked that Spirit of Revenge that was in them. Ya know not (faith he) what Spirit ye are of the Gospel Spirit and Difpenfation is not like that of Elias, but a Spirit of Meeknefs, and Patience, and Forbearance, and forgiving of Injuries. This is the Spirit you must be acted by, if you mean to be my Difciples.

And a great Inftance of this kind of Spirit did he afterwards give us, when he was in the bafeft manner betrayed into the Hands of his Enemies by one of his own Difciples and Domefticks. Inftead of reproaching the Traytor, or giving him bitter reviling Terms, as moft others in fuch Circumftances would have done, all he faid was, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Betrayeft thou the Son of Man with a Kifs ? And when at the fame time, thro' the Zeal of one of his Servants in his Defence, an Officer that came to apprehend him happened to be wounded,

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