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it. We find by daily Experience, as well as by the Inftructions of our Religion, that Man is born to Trouble, as the sparks fly upward, Job v. 7. and therefore we should expect them, and be upon our Guard against them. It is our Unacquaintedness with the World, and with our own Circumftances in it, that makes us fo fanguine in our Hopes about it, and fo eafily difturbed whenever Matters fall out otherwife than we had projected to ourselves.

3.

It will help us much to keep our Temper, and not to be eafily provoked to Anger, if we will accuftom ourselves to overlook the prefent immediate Inftruments of our Troubles, and to take them all as out of the Hands of God; as David did when curfed by Shimei; and as Job, when his Herds were carried away by the Chaldeans and Sabeans; The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken, &c. And our Bleffed Saviour, Luke xxii. 53. But this is your Hour, and the Power of Darkness, q. d. why fhould I be angry, or find Fault with you? This is the Time which God hath destined for this very Thing, and without God's Permiffion ye could not do it. 4. If we would avoid Anger, let us endeavour, as much as is poffible, to obferve and avoid all thofe Things which are the usual Causes or Occafions of it: Such as Drunkenness, Talebearing, Backbiting, Cenforiousness, Pragmaticalness, Rudenefs, Incivility, Pride, Covetoufnefs, Vanity, a difputatious or fatyrical Temper, the Converfation of angry, quarrelfome Men, and the like. And, on the other Hand, let us obferve and follow all fuch obliging friendly Virtues and innocent Customs, as may gain us the good Will of

our

our Neighbour, and prevent Anger both in him and ourselves.

5. Lastly, To help us to fupprefs Anger and Impatience, let us confider how much Self-denial and Bearing the Crofs is a Duty, and a principal Duty of the Chriftian Religion; and what noble Promises are made to it; which if we believe, we shall count it an Honour to bear Affronts and Injuries for Righteousness Sake, knowing that our Reward in Heaven shall be so much the greater.

So much for the First Thing I proposed to confider from the Words, Inward Anger against our Brother; which our Saviour affigns as the first Degree of the Sin of Murder. The other Things contained in the Text I must refer to some other Opportunity. Now God bless what we have heard, and give us a right Understanding in all Things. To him let us render, as is due, all Praife, &c.

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SERM.

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SERMON

MATT. V. 21.

IX.

Ye have heard that it was faid by them of old
Time, Thou shalt not kill: and whosoever shall
kill, fhall be in danger of the Judgment.
Ver. 22. But I fay unto you, that whosoever shall
angry with his Brother without a Cause, shall
be in danger of the Judgment: and whofoever
fhall fay to his Brother, Raca, fhall be in danger
of the Council: but whosoever shall fay, Thou Fool,
fhall be in danger of Hell-fire.

The Second Sermon on this Text.

EFORE I go on to what remains of this important Subject, it will be neceffary to refresh your Memories with a brief Recapitulation of what I faid in the opening up of the Words. They are our Saviour's Improvement upon the Sixth Commandment, in pursuance of the general Doctrine he had delivered in the preceding Verfe, that unless the Righteousness of his Difciples exceeded the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, they should in no cafe enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Our Saviour's Improvement confifts firft in giving us a clearer and fuller Defcription of the Sin prohibited in that Commandment; and then of the Punishment to be inflicted on that Sin. As to the Sin, thofe Doctors feem to have looked no further than to the gross Act of Murder; and as to the Punishment, they conVOL. II. Ι

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fidered only the Sentence of Death inflicted by their Criminal Courts; fo that as to both it seems they regarded the Sixth Commandment as they would have done one of their Judicial or Political Laws; without minding either the greater Extent of it in foro Confcientiæ, in the inward Court of Confcience; or the higher Degrees of Penalty for the Tranfgreffions of it in the Life to come. Both thefe, I mean the Sin and the Punishments thereof, belonging to this Sixth Commandment, our Saviour doth here more particularly explain; extending the Sin to the Thoughts and Words tending to it, or occafioning Murder, as well as to the grofs Act of it; and teaching likewife, that there are Degrees of Punishments in the other World for the feveral Degrees of this Sin; which he illuftrates by Allufion to the Higher and Lower Courts of Juftice, and the greater or lesser Punishments ufed among the Jews.

From the Words thus opened, there were fix Things I propofed to confider more particularly.

I. First, Inward Anger, which our Saviour affigns as the First Degree of Tranfgreffion of the Sixth Commandment.

II. Secondly, Slight affronting Words, which our Saviour affigns as the Second Degree of Tranfgreffion of this Commandment.

III. The Higher Provocations of Contumely and Reproach, which our Saviour affigns as the Third Degree of Tranfgreffion of this Command

ment..

IV. The gross Act of Killing, which even the Jewish Doctors understood to be prohibited by this Commandment; and which we have Reafon to fuppofe, is likewife to be interpreted DotoLA according

according to our Saviour's Meaning in a fuller Senfe.

V. The Degrees of Punishments in the other World, proportioned to the feveral Degrees of

Sin.

VI. The laft was a general Inftruction I gathered from the whole, upon Obfervation of our Saviour's Way of interpreting this Commandment; namely, that where any Sin is prohibited by any of God's Laws, there all Thoughts, Words, and Actions, ufually occafioning the Sin, or tending towards it, are likewife prohibited.

These are all very material Points, and deferve our most diligent Regard and Attention. The First of them, namely, the inward Anger, which our Saviour affigns as the First Degree of Tranfgreffion of this Sixth Commandment, I confidered at the laft Occafion, and think it not neceffary to repeat any thing of what was offered on that Head; unless it be to put you in mind, that by Inward Anger here is not meant all fort of Commotion or Indignation whatfoever; for fometimes that may proceed from a true Zeal for God's Honour, or from a true Love to our Neighbour; but only that Sort of Indignation or Anger which proceeds from the Hatred of our Neighbour; for no other can be a Breach of the Sixth Commandment. And fo I proceed to

II. The Second Thing I propofed to confider from the Text; namely, flight affronting Words, which our Saviour affigns as the fecond Degree of Tranfgreffion of the Sixth Commandment. Whofoever shall fay to his Brother, Raca. Interpreters agree that this Word among the Jews was an Expreffion of fome fmall Slight, rather than a

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