His Hiftory affords Inftances enough for the making this good; witnefs, 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 fo 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 spent. 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 Evennefs, nor were ever any undecent paffionate Speeches. heard to come from his Mouth. How many Interruptions in his Discourses did he patiently bear? How much injurious conVOL. V. Сс tumelious

tumelious Language did he unconcernedly put up? Oh, how great was his Mildnefs, when the barbarous inhofpitable Samaritans Thut their Gates againft 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 sharply rebuked that Spirit of Revenge that was in them. Te know not (faith he) what Spirit ye are of the Gofpel Spirit and Difpenfation is not like that of Elias, but a Spirit of Meekness, 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 said 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

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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-fuffering!

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 blamed

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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 cross 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 a 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 leaft 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 Chriftianity, 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 fuffered, he threatned not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.

And now I might proceed to difcourfe 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 Conver

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