wounded, fo far was he from approving this Act of Paffion, that he ftretched out his Hand and healed the Man. And the fame Meeknefs of Behaviour that he fhew'd at his Apprehenfion, did he continue all the Time of his Trials, and to his Death. No Affronts that the rude Soldiers could put upon him, no Buffettings, no Scourgings, no Mockeries, no Spitting upon him, no reviling Terms, could in the leaft work him to any Difcompofure of Spirit, or make him once complain, or fo much as to give out one harth Word against thofe that thus treated him. So true was that which the Prophet foretold of him, He gave his Back to the Smiters, and his Cheek to them that plucked off the Hair. He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his Mouth.

Oh, what an Example have we here of Meeknefs, and Patience, and Gentleness, and Long-suffering!

Oh, how can we hear or read thefe Things of our Saviour, and not be afham'd and angry with ourfelves, that we are fo much unlike him in thefe Qualities! How can we call ourselves his Difciples, and yet continue of fo froward, fo peevish, fo wrathful, fo revengeful a Temper as we many of us are! In good Earneft, I doubt there are many among us that pafs for very good Chriftians, that are exceedingly to be Cc 2 blamed

blamed upon this Account; tho' they seem to be very well difpofed towards God, and to have obtained fome Victory over many of their other Sins and evil Affections, yet this of Anger, and Fretfulness, and Impatience, they fatally lie under. Every little Thing is able to vex them, and quite puts them out of their Humour, they will be angry upon the leaft Occafion; a Laughter, or a Jeft, an unexpected Answer, an unforefeen Accident, is fufficient to make them lose their Temper; if a Child be froward, or a Servant be negligent, or those they converse with be impertinent; if any thing happens crofs to their Bufinefs, or a fmall Lofs doth befal them, or a little Pain feizes them, or the like, they are quite out of Patience; and oftentimes they are put into à Rage; and when they are fo, they care not in how unfeemly Language they vent their Paffion. Oh, how far is this from the Temper of the meek and patient Jefus !

But ftill further are they from it, and much more to blame, that make it a Piece of Greatnefs of Soul and Good-breeding to be quarrelfome, and implacable, and revengeful; that account it a Point of Honour to be fenfible of the least Affront, and not to put it up without full Satisfaction. What, fay they, pocket up an Injury without a Revenge! He is no Gentleman

that

that doth it.

Whether that be fo or no, I know not; but fure I am, he is no Chriftian that doth it not. No, no; whatever our Notions of Honour be, if we mean to have any Benefit of our Christianity, we must be of the Temper of the holy Jefus: We must be meek, and gentle, and peaceable, and long-fuffering, neither provoking others, nor being eafily provoked our felves, rather fuffering Evil than doing any, nay, and doing Good against Evil; For hereunto were we called (faith the Apostle in my Text); hereunto were we called, becaufe Chrift alfo fuffered for us, leaving us an Example that we should follow his Steps. He did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatned not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.

.

And now I might proceed to discourse of fome other particular Virtues, which were very confpicuous in our Saviour, and wherein he left us a noble Example to follow, fhining forth as a Light to the Paths, and a Lantern to the Feet of all the Ages and Generations of the World; as for Inftance, his admirable Courage and Fortitude, his great Prudence in the Conduct of his Life, for the bringing about the Ends he proposed to himself; the ingenuous Plainefs and Simplicity he used in all his Cc 3 Conver

Conversation; and laftly, his hearty Faith and Trust in God, and intire Dependance on him, and abfolute Refignation of himfelf to do his Will in all Things.

But to treat of thefe Things particularly, would engage me in too long a Difcourfe, (and I would finish my Text at this Time) and therefore I fhall only now touch a little upon the last of them I now mentioned, namely, his continual Refpect to God in all his Conversation; and with that I shall conclude.

It cannot but be taken notice of, that in the Hiftory of the great Men among the Pagans, who have been often recommended to the World for Patterns of Virtue, there is little of this divine Temper of Mind to be met with. The Pagan Heroes feem to be fet out to us rather as felf-fufficient independent Beings, than as Servants and Votaries of God Almighty. We meet with great Instances among them of the moral human Virtues; fuch as Courage, and Juftice, and Temperance, and Gratitude, and Moderation, and Beneficence, and Love to their Country, and the like; which indeed we cannot deny to be noble and excellent Qualities. But we find little in their Story of fpiritual and religious Virtues, of their Love to God, and Zeal for his Honour and Service, and entire Depen

dence

dence upon him in all Conditions of Life: And yet thefe are the Things that muft adorn and perfect human Nature, and moft of all contribute to the Happiness of the World, and of every Man in it. Man in it. This now was a great Defect and Inconvenience that the World laboured under till our Saviour's Appearance. Their Notions of Virtue were in a manner wholly calculated for the civil Life; and a Man among them might be accounted virtuous, tho' he was not fincerely pious: whereas in truth it is of the Effence of Virtue, that it fhould proceed from Religion. That is the true Virtue indeed, let the Object of it be what it will, that is founded in a hearty Sense of God and Love to him; that inclines a Man to live well, and to do good Actions, not only because it is decent and reasonable, brave and generous, convenient and useful fo to do, but chiefly and principally becaufe God requires it of us; it is his Will and Pleasure by whom, and to whom, and for whom we live, and tends to his Honour and Glory that we should thus exercise our felves. This, I fay, is the true Notion and Idea of that Virtue which we ought all to labour after, and in which alone the Happiness and Perfection of all created Natures doth confift: And this is that Virtue which Christianity (which is the only true Philofophy) doth most affectionately CC 4

and