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proceeds with the Teftimony of his own Breaft; this Man is either right in his Opinion, or under fuch a Miftake, as fhall never be imputed to him for a Crime. And therefore, whatever Advantages of Safety fuch a Proceeding can give, he is fairly entituled to take the Benefit of them. So again; A Man may make the best Terms he can for himself, with thofe that oppress or destroy him; provided he act without Fraud, and break none of thofe Reftraints, which the Laws of God, or of Civil Society, have bound him up to. He may strive to deliver himfelf in diftrefs; He may pray to God to deliver him; but Both these must be done with a refign'd Spirit. And when we beg, with Chrift, That if it be poffible this Cup may be taken from Us, we must beg it, and we muft endeavour it, with his Refervation too, Nevertheless not Ours, but our heavenly Father's Will be done. This Submiffion is highly neceffary; Not only as it agrees with the Condition of Sons, and Servants, and Creatures; but as it may incline the Favour of God to our Relief. For, Why fhould we not suppose, that he will proceed by the Rules, which Love, Honour, and the pureft Reason, have fix'd among Men; That he will think it becoming his Goodnefs, to take those into his more peculiar Care and Protection, who are content to depend upon his Pleasure, and refign all their Affairs entirely up to his Wife and Gracious Difpofals? Hence it is, that to Lawful Means I add a Regular ufe of thofe Means; because anxious and inordinate Defires, do draw down, I doubt not, many Sufferings and Misfortunes, which would not otherwife have befallen Men. And Thefe, properly fpeaking, are Troubles, not of God's creating, but their own.

Again; when I fay, a Man may ufe all Lawful Means; I do not fay, that he is always bound to do it. There may be fome Inftances, wherein the Chriftian Gallantry is concerned to diftinguish it felf. And Heroes there

have been, who, when they might have had it, would' not accept Deliverance; but have acquir'd to themselves a juft and immortal Renown, for devoting their Lives to the Service of Religion. But this is a point of Perfection; And must be left to Wisdom, and a due confideration of Circumstances, to pronounce of. We may fay of it, as our Lord did of them that make themfelves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's Sake, Matt. xix. 12. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. There may be Cafes, when all the fafe Methods of Prefervation may be neglected; but He, that feeks and ufes them, fins not in fo doing. If God gives not Succefs, then he is to fit down, and no doubt his Mercy, and a future Reward: For that defeating his Prayers and Endeavours fo far, is a plain and loud Call to Suffer. But, He, who in Bravery is more liberal of himself, must be well advised. For, as Men may not be too tenacious, fo neither may they be too profufe and lavish, of Life, and the Comforts of it, Left, befides thefe prefent Hardships, they find at last an indifcreet Zeal return'd, with a Who hath required thefe things at your Hands? Love indeed is apt and defirous to give over-measure, where it can; To make up for the Defects of One kind, by double Application in Another. And fure, where God is the Object of our Love, it well becomes Us to attempt this. But ftill, this must not be the effect of Paffion alone; Prudence should temper and direct it. And, where an Affliction is chofen, which with a Good Confcience might have been avoided As it may happen, that the making fuch Choice fhall be highly commendable, fo it is certain, They ought not to be condemned, who chufe a Lawful Safety, and therefore make it not.

Fourthly, We have already confidered Chrift, as a Pattern of Meeknefs, in not returning opprobious Language; let us alfo contemplate him, as an Example of not taking Revenge. When an outrageous Attempt was made

made upon his Life, he fatisfies himself with restraining the Violence, without inflicting thofe Punishments, which their Wickedness deserved. And fo ought We to content our felves, with thofe Methods, that are fufficient for our Security; without proceeding to the utmost Rigor and Severity: Even with the worst of Enemies, Even when they are in our Power, and lie at our Mercy. It is God, to whom Vengeance belongeth, and Men do but ufurp it. But here you fee the very Perfon, to whom it did of right belong, tender in ufing that Right; and rather chufing, to foften his Adverfaries Hearts, by Patience and Long-fuffering, than to confound them, by exerting his Almighty Power. Inftructing us hereby, what Difpofition They fhould be of, who pretend to be governed by His Laws, and to live by the Copy of his Practice; That it is fit, they pafs by many and great Provocations, and enough for them, to confult their own Safety, without feeking the Ruin of others. And this, if it were duly confidered, would set bounds to our Fury; and fhew us, that, as we ought not in any cafe to do Injuries, fo we should not repay them neither in their own kind; But ceafe from Wrath, and let go Displeasure; for otherwife we fhall, in this Senfe too, be certainly moved to

do Evil.

Laftly, From this Paffage, we may be certainly affured, that the Sufferings and Death of Chrift were his own free voluntary Act. The fame Divine, unfeenForce, which held the Hands of the Men of Nazareth, when they intended to caft him headlong down the brow of their Hill; The fame, which evaded the Jews prefent defign to Stone him; was ever Ready, ever Able, to produce the fame wonderful Effects. We know, it was fo in the Garden particularly. And the cafting those down to the Ground, who then came to apprehend him, ought to have made them underftand, that, if he had not thought fit to check and withdraw it, neither their

Numbers,

Numbers, nor their Weapons, could have prevailed to his Prejudice. This fhould enflame our Love and our Gratitude, that the many bitter things our Lord endured for Our Sakes, were not upon Conftraint, but Choice: That He fo fignally proved the Truth of thofe his own Words; No Man taketh my Life, from me, but I lay it down of my felf: That he was barbarously treated, and ignominiously murthered, because he would be fo; and the Will of God was fulfilled in this point, only because he was content and well pleased to do it. What remains then, but that, as this Holy Seafon requires, we meditate on this Dying Redeemer with wonder; That we reprefent his Willing Paffion to our Souls, in all thofe moving Circumstances it is capable of; That we think nothing too much for Him, who was fo liberal of Eafe, of Reputation, of Life for Us; That we not only Adore, but Imitate, that Great Example, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he fuffered, he threatned not, but committed bimfelf to God, that judgeth righteously: That we make not Wrongs, of any fort mutual, but account it our Generofity, our Duty, to fuffer our felves to be outdone, in this only Inftance of Evil-doing? So observing the Apostle's Command, not to render Evil for Evil, nor Rai ing for Railing, but contrariwife Bleffing, knowing that we are Hereunto called that we might inherit a Bleffing.

1 Pet. ii. 23.

1 Pet. iii. 9.

Rom. viii. 23.
1 John iv. 9, 10.
Phil. ii. 5, 8.

2 Tim. ii. 11, 12.

The Sunday next before Easter.

A

The COLLECT.

Lmighty and everlasting God, who of thy tender Love towards Mankind, haft fent thy only Son our Saviour Jefus Chrift, to take upon him our Flesh, and to fuffer Death upon the Crofs, that all Mankind should follow the Example of his great Hu

mility;

mility; Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the Example of his Patience, and alfo be made Partakers of his Refurrection, through the fame Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen

5.

L

The EPISTLE.

Philip. ii. 5.

ET this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus.

PARAPHRASE.

5. With regard to the Charity and mutual Condefcenfions I am ex

horting you to, make the Humility and wonderful Love of Jefus Chrift your

Pattern.

6. Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

6. Who, though be was very God, and had taken to himself no more

than belonged of right to him, in exerting all the Glory and Majefty of the Divine Nature; yet did he not affect to appear in his native Greatness and Glory.

7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon bim the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men.

7. But laid all that a

fide, did not disdain to live in human Nature, not only as Man, but

as the meanest Servant of God, and even of Men, miniftring to their Wants.

8. And being found in Fafbien as a man, be bumbled bimfelf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.

8. And stooping so very low, as to die, nay to die the most painful and ignominious Death, in

obedience to his heavenly Father's Will, and for the common benefit of Man

kind.

9. Wherefore God alfo bath highly exalted bim, and given him a name which is above every name.

10. That at the name of Jefus every knee jhould bow, of things in beaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11. And that every tongue should confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

9, 10,11. This unparallelled Act of Obedience God hath rewarded, by advancing his human Nature to Uni

verfal Dominion. That the Man Christ Jefus fhould now rule

over,

and be adored by, all Creatures; That all Nations fhould acknowledge this King, and, by fubmitting to his Laws and Government, promote the Glory of God the Father; Who delights to be honoured in the Belief and Obedience, paid to his Blessed Son, and his Goipel.

TH

COMMENT.

HE good Effects, which our Church proposes to her felf from this portion of Scripture, we plainly learn, from the Collect for the Day, to be Humi

Ee

lity,

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