obliged to thofe holy men, who by their practice have SERM. affured us, that the highest duties exacted of us by our XXXIV. religion (the mortification of unreasonable defires, the fuppreffion of irregular paffions, the loving and bleffing our enemies, the renouncing worldly vanities and pleafures, the rejoicing in afflictions, the voluntary abdication of our eftates in fome cafes, yea, expofing life itself to inevitable hazard and lofs,) are not chimerical propofitions of impoffible performances; but duties (if we shall seriously and vigorously apply our endeavours to them, and fuffer our hopes to be elevated by their example) really practicable. Piety abstractedly viewed in precept may seem an airy project, a name, a notion; but it being feen in example will prove a matter fubftantial, true, and feasible. A direct and pure fpeculation thereof may dazzle our fight, and dash our hopes; but as being reflected from perfons practising it, we may bear its luftre, and hope to attain it.

2. Examples do inflame courage. So the Apostle to the Hebrews fignifieth, when to this purpose he intimateth, that he mentioned and fetteth before them the examples of the Patriarchs; that he thereby might excite their courage, and cause them refolutely to undertake that obedience, and patiently to undergo thofe afflictions, which they performed and fuftained; that, faith he, ye be Heb. vi. 12. not flothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promifes. For that heat, and active fpirit, which in fome degree refideth in all men's breasts, is by example kindled, as one flame is kindled by the contact or approach of another. How many perfons, timorous and averfe from dangerous undertakings, have notwithstanding become very bold and adventurous in war, by the difcipline and influence of an exemplary valour! It is Plutarch's observation concerning Cæfar's foldiers, that they who in fervice under other commanders did not exceed the ordinary rate of courage, nor excel

Ex aliorum fa&is fieri poffe credunt, quod forte cum putant fieri non pofsc pigrefcunt. Cyp. Ep. 1. ii. 2.

SERM. their fellows, did yet when he led them become irrefistXXXIV. ibly valiant, being animated and infpired by his unparal

leled gallantry 8: and who is there indeed fo incurably heartless, so desperately sluggish or ftupid, whom the fight of a valiant leader marching before into the mouth of danger, will not infufe fire and vigour into, and instigate forward into a participation of brave adventure? So example doth by a kind of contagion infinuate courage, or inveigle men thereinto; befide that it is a kind of daring, and proclaimeth him a daftard, that will not imitate it; which imputation the lowest courage of man can hardly digeft, and will therefore, by doing fomewhat anfwerable, ftrive to decline it.

3. Again: Examples provoke emulation h; which is another strong principle of activity; moving us earnestly to defire, and thence eagerly to pursue, whatever good, privilege, or advantage, we fee another to enjoy. To obferve another of the fame nature and capacities with ourfelves to have fhone with an illuftrious virtue, to be confecrated to pofterity by a lasting fame, and to be crowned with glorious rewards above; what other reflections of thought can it produce in us, than such as these? Shall he, a man like myself, endued with the fame faculties, appetites, and paffions; fubject to the fame infirmities, temptations, needs, cares, and encumbrances of life; fhall he, by noble difpofitions of soul, and worthy performances, render himself highly confiderable; while I, by fordid qualities and unworthy practices, debase and render myself despicable? Shall he leave behind him monuments of eternal praise, while I do nothing worthy of regard or memory? Shall he enjoy the favour of the great God, and the comforts of a blessed eternity, but I be wholly deprived of that joyful estate, and plunged into endless forrows and defperate mifery? Shall a Jofeph ftoutly refift and overcome the strongest temptations, and I be eafily

- Fortis in armis

Cæfareis Labienus erat.

Chryf. tom. i. p. 77. tom. vi. p. 148. tom. v. Orat. 101.

Φύσει γὰρ φιλόκαλον ἦσαν τὴν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰδὼς ὁ Κύριος, δύσ

baffled by the leaft folicitation of vice? Shall a ftripling SERM. David gloriously triumph over giants, while I bafely am XXXIV. vanquished by dwarfs? Shall Job be ftripped of all his goods with contentedness, and endure the moft grievous pains with patience, while I am difcompofed for any small lofs, and difmayed by the leaft cross accident? Shall Abraham here, by his faith and obedience, attain to be called the friend of God, and reft for ever in his glorious and happy bofom, while I defervedly am refufed the honour and comfort of that heavenly communion here, and shall hereafter be caft out from that blissful presence, into the dismal manfions of wretched folly and wickedness? Did Paul, once a ftubborn Jew, a blind Pharifee, a grievous blafphemer, a bloody perfecutor, by a seasonable converfion repair his state, approve himself to God by an eminent zeal for his glory, undergo reftlefs pains, run defperate hazards, and endure all forts of diftreffes for the propagation of God's heavenly truth, obtaining thence a never-fading crown of glory in heaven, and a perpetual renown upon earth; and fhall I then, who from my youth have been educated in the most true and holy religion, who have by folemn engagements devoted myself. thereto, who may without any trouble or danger profess and practise according to that holy discipline, proceed in wicked courses, provoking God's wrath, and attracting his vengeance upon me? No: fince the capacities are alike, fince the means are common, fince the rewards of piety are promifcuously expofed and offered unto all, why fhould I, by deplorable perverseness or negligence, fuffer myself to be deprived of it and its benefits? Why fhall not I become as good, as commendable, as happy as any other man? These are the conceits and voices of natural emulation, that mighty paffion (fo often and by many effects it discovereth itself to be) implanted in our original constitution to be as a fpur and incentive, ftimulating and inflaming us unto the ready undertaking and vigorous purfuit of good purposes; the which perhaps hath produced more noble effects than any other paffion or inclination of our fouls: for all manner of excellency in know

SERM. ledge, in prowefs, in virtue, how often doth it issue from XXXIV. this fource! Doth not the admired fame of men notable

for learning, (recorded in ftory, or fubject to present observation,) and a jealoufy of being furpaffed in accomplishments competent to human nature, sharpen the appetite, and rouse the industry of most scholars, whom neither the love of knowledge nor its apparent usefulness could anywife perfuade to bear so much toil in acquift thereofi? Do not all hiftories acquaint us, that the most gallant enterprises and exploits of famous warriors have derived their beginning from an emulation of the glory purchased by their ancestors? (wisdom and valour have thus efpecially been propagated; one man's fignal excellency being parent to the like in many others.) And that this paffion may in like manner be fubfervient to the production of virtue and piety, is plain enough from parity of reason, and from experience; and we have (for farther argument thereof) the Apoftle's practice ufing it to this purpose: St. Paul employed it as an engine for the converfion of his dear countrymen; whom, by raising in them a jealoufy of being outftripped, in God's favour, and its effects, by the Gentiles, he endeavoureth to provoke to the Rom. xi. embracing of the Christian faith: I speak to you Gentiles, faith he, inasmuch as I am the Apofile of the Gentiles, I magnify my office, εἴ πως παραζηλώσω μου τὴν σάρκα, if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might fave fome of them. And St. James inftigateth us unto fervency of prayer, by minding us, that Jam. v. 17. Elias was a man of like paffions with ourselves; yet was able by his prayers to shut and open heaven, to procure barrenness and fertility to the earth. And the Apostle to the Hebrews chargeth us, to confider one another, eis wapοξυσμὸν ἀγάπης, καὶ καλῶν ἔργων, Jo as to provoke one another (or by mutual emulation to fharpen one another) to charity and good works.

13, 14. X. 19.

4. Examples do work upon modefty, that preferver

i Tentanda via eft, qua me quoque poffim

Tollere humo.

and guardian of virtue, as Cicero calls it. For every good SERM. action of another doth upbraid, reproach, and shame him, XXXIV. who acteth not conformably thereto. Can we without a trembling heart, and blusbing forehead, view the practices of the ancient faints, if ours be altogether unlike them? If they, to please God and fecure their salvation, did undergo fuch prodigious pains in affiduous devotions, abstinences, watchings, and we contrariwife are extremely fluggish, cold, and negligent in the performance of our ordinary duties; if they willingly renounced all fenfual complacencies, and we either cherish ourselves in a foft delicacy of life, or wallow in a profane dissolution of manners; if they, to free themselves from diftracting cares, voluntarily disburdened themselves of all needless encumbrances, and we are wholly bufy in heaping up wealth, and driving on worldly interefts; if they gladly embraced. and endured, the fharpeft afflictions, and we are terrified by the thought, are overwhelmed by the fenfe of the least disappointment, or diftafteful occurrence; how can we without extreme regret of mind, and confufion of face, confider their practice, or compare it with ours? It is a. profligate impudence of him that can daily hear and read the ftories of their doings, without being deeply fenfible, and afhamed at the diffonance appearing between their courfe of life and his..

5. Example awakens that curiofity, which is natural to us, and of no mean efficacy upon our actions. For whatever we see done, we are apt to be inquifitive concerning it; why and to what purpose it is done, what the grounds are, and what the fruits of the performance; efpecially if the matter feem confiderably important, and the action proceedeth from a person deferving refpect; whereof having paffed fome competent judgment, we are by the fame instinct of curiofity farther tranfported into a defire of difcerning by our trial and experience whether the event correspondeth to our expectation; fo are we eafily induced to imitate the actions of others. By which means

* Cuftos omnium virtutum, dedecus fugiens, laudemque maxime confequens verecundia eft. Cic. Part, Rhet.