teach fuch Divine Difpofitions, and partly because of some special Excellency in the Vertues themselves, above any other of the Christian Law. And therefore alfo our Lord puts them for the whole of it, by calling them his Toke: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek, and lowly in heart, Mat. 11. 29.

NOR are we lefs obliged to this by the Example, than by the Precept of our Lord: For, as his Example was a Living Law, fo was the Practice of his Vertue a very eminent Part of his Example. This he himself intimates to us, by affigning this for the Reason why we should learn of him. And of this we may be farther informed from the whole Story and Procefs of his Life. Never was any Man's Meeknefs fo much tried as his was: For, as the real Excellency and Dignity of his Perfon heightned every Affront and rude Treatment that was offered him, to an incomparable Pitch, fo the outward Lownefs and Meannefs of it expofed him to a great many of them: And yet, notwithstanding the Number and Heinousness of his Provocations, we do not find that he was ever in the leaft difcompofed, or put into a Paffion by them.

MOSES, indeed, was a Man very eminent for this Vertue; infomuch that the Scripture gives this Character of him, That he was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth, Numb. 12. And yet we find that, with all his Meeknefs, he could not bear with

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the Croffness and Perversenefs of that untractable People the Jews, who (as the Pfalmift's Obfervation is) so provoked his fpirit, that he spoke unadvifedly with his lips, Pfal. 106. Now our Lord had to deal with the very fame ftubborn and croff-grain'd Generation of Men, only now under infinitely greater Prejudices and Difaffections; and fuffered more Indignities from them, 'than either were, or could be offered to Mofes; and yet none of all their ill Ufages could ever raife fuch a thing as Anger or Refentment in him, though they did fo in those who ftood by, and beheld his Abuses. Thus the Unkindnefs of the rude Samaritans could not fo much as ftrike a Spark into his Divine Breaft, when at the fame time it made his two zealous Difciples, James and John, kindle to that Degree, as to defire Fire from Heaven to confume them, Luk. 9. 54. And fo again, the rough Seizure of his Sacred Perfon by the Soldiers could not extort from him so much as an angry Look, when yet the very Sight of it made his warm Difciple draw his Sword.

AND with the fame Meekness he went on with his Sufferings, with which he begun them; as may appear from that mild Answer which he returned to the Officer that struck him, Job. 18. If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why fmiteft thou me? What could have been faid more mildly and difpaffionately, or that could argue a more fe date and well-govern'd Spirit? His greatest A poftle

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Apostle could not be half fo moderate under a far lefs urging Occafion: For, when not actually fmitten, but only commanded to be fo by the Order of Ananias the High-Prieft, he returned him this fharp and warm Anfwer, God fbali fmite thee, thou whited wall. For fittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandeft me to be Smitten, contrary to the law? There was, indeed, nothing in his Anfwer, but what, perhaps, might have been juftified by the Oddness of the Provocation; but yet you cannot but obferve a great Difference between the Behaviour of the Difciple, and of the Mafter.

But if you would fee a perfect Example of Meeknefs, look upon him under the Shame, and Dishonour, and Pains of the Crofs; encountring at once with the Agonies of Death, the Contradictions and Revilings of Sinners, and the Vengeance of an Almighty God; and all this without any the leaft Shew of Impatience, or Difcompofure of Spirit. So that I think I may well enlarge the Question of the Prophet, and to that, Is there any forrow like to my forrow? add this alfo, Is there any meeknefs like to my meekness?

AND here I cannot but make a Stand, and with Sorrow reflect upon a certain Order of Men, how little they have of the true Spirit of Christianity, how little they have learnt, either by the Precept, or by the Example of him whofe Religion and Imitation too they profefs, and by whofe Venerable Name they have thought

thought fit to diftinguish themselves; who, inftead of this Meeknefs and Gentleness, are all made up of Paffion and, Violence, Fury and Out-rageoufnefs; mere Fire-brands in Society, that kindle and lay wafte where-ever they come, and feem more like Granada's fhot into a Town, than Inhabitants of it, by thus raging where they light, by thus burning, deftroying and tearing all about them. How unlike are these Men to the Temper of the meek Lamb of God! As unlike, certainly, as Wolves and Tygers. And yet it is an Unlikeness they are fo little fenfible of, that they will yet pretend to the Name and Practice of Chriftians; yea, to the very Name of Jefus: And he had need be a bold Man, or at a good distance from them, that shall dare to contradict them.

But certainly, as Wrath worketh not the Righteousness of God, Jam 1. 20. fo neither is fuch an allowed Courfe of it confiftent with it. And as he cannot be a good Man who is fo inordinate in the Ufe of a Paffion, wherein both his own and his Neighbour's Peace and Quiet is so much concerned; fo much less can he be a good Chriftian, who is of a Frame of Spirit fo directly contrary to that of the Holy Jefus, and who wants this great Chriftian Qualification, the Spirit of Gentleness and Meeknefs, which is fo confiderable an Inftance of Charity, and fo ftrictly enjoined by the Precept, and fo ftrongly recommended by the Example of Christ.

But because the Limits of this Duty are not fo plain as the Obligation of it, I proceed, in the Third Place, to ftate the Measures of its Obligation in its more general Cafes. And here, in the first place, it may be demanded, Whether all Anger be contrary to Meeknefs, and confequently unlawful? The Affirmative is ftiffly contended for by the Stoic; but I think the Negative fufficiently warranted by the Apoftolical Caution, Be angry, and fin not, Eph. 4. 26. Which plainly implies, that there may be Anger without Sin: And it is also plain, from the Nature of the Thing, that there may; for Anger is a Natural Affection, implanted in us by God, from whom nothing can proceed that is fimply, and as fuch, evil. And befides, the Office of Meeknefs is not utterly to deftroy this Paffion, but only to regulate it; whereby 'tis fuppofed that it is not, in its whole Kind, evil; for, what is fo, cannot be regulated, and must be destroyed.

SINCE then Anger is fuppofed not wholly to be deftroyed by Meeknefs, as being Evil, but only to be regulated, left it become fo, the next thing to be confidered is, by what Meafures. Now, thefe Measures may either respect Anger as to the inward Paffion, as within a Man's own Breaft, or as to the outward Acts, Effects, and Expreffions of it.

AND Firft, As to thofe Meafures which refpect Anger as to the inward Paffion, as lodged within a Man's own Breaft. Thefe, I think,