preparations they made to encounter it, argue a secret fear in their breasts. Many discourses, reasonings, and arguments are employed to sweeten that cruel necessity, but they are all ineffectual.

1. That it is the condition of our nature: to be a man and immortal, are inconsistent. But this consolation afflicts to extremity. * If there were any means to escape, the soul might take courage. He is doubly miserable, whose misery is without remedy.

2. That it puts a period to all temporal evils. But as this is of no force with those who are prosperous, and never felt those miseries which make life intolerable; † so it cannot rationally relieve any that have not good hopes of felicity after death. The heathens discovered not the sting of death, as it is the wages of sin, and consigns the guilty to eternal death; so that they built upon a false foundation, as if it were the cure of all evils.

3. They encouraged themselves from their ignorance of the consequences of death, whether it only changed their place, or extinguished their persons. Socrates who died with a seeming indifference, gave this account of it; that he did not know whe ther death was good or evil. But this is not fortitude, but folly: as Aristotle observes, that readiness to encounter dangers arising from ignorance, is not true valour, but a brutish boldness. What madness is it then for one that enters upon an eternal state, not knowing whether it shall be happy or miserable, to be unaffected with that dreadful uncertainty?

But now the gospel furnishes us with real remedies against all the evils of our present state. It is the true paradise wherein the tree of life is planted, whose "leaves are for the healing of the nations." We are assured that God disposes all things, with the wisdom and love of a father; and that his providence is most

* Stultum est timere quod vitare non possis. Labar. In illis qui morbo finiuntur, magnum ex ipsa necessitate solatium est. Plin.

Morior; hoc dicis, desinam ægrotari posse, desinam alligari posse, desinam mor: posse. Senec.

Nam si supremus ille dies non extinctionem, sed commutationem affert loci, quid obtabilius? sin autem perimit, ac delet omnino, quid melius quam in mediis vitæ laboribus obdormiscere ?

admirable and worthy of praise in those things wherein they who are only led by sense, doubt whether it be at all. For as it is the first point of prudence to keep off evils, so the second and more excellent is, to make them beneficial. Christians" are more than conquerors through Christ that loves them." They are always in an ascendant state; "and believing, rejoice with an unspeakable and glorified joy." Death itself is not only disarmed, but made subservient to their everlasting good. Briefly, christian patience endures all things as well as charity, because it expects a blessed issue. It draws from present miseries the assurance of future happiness. A believer while he possesses nothing but the cross, sees by faith the crown of the eternal kingdom hanging over his head; and the "lively hope" of it makes him not only patient, but thankful and joyful. This sweetens the loss of all temporal goods, and the presence of all temporal evils. St. Paul in his chains was infinitely more contented than Cesar or Seneca, than all the princes and philosophers in the world.

I will conclude this argument by a short reflection on the immoral maxims of several sects of philosophers. The Cynics * assert that all natural actions may be done in the face of the sun; that it is worthy of a philosopher to do those things in the presence of all, which would make impudence itself to blush. A maxim contrary to all the rules of decency, and corruptive of good manners. For as the despising of virtue, produces the slighting of reputation: so the contempt of reputation causes the neglect of virtue. Yet the Stoics with all their gravity were not far from this advice. Besides, among other unreasonable paradoxes, they assert all sins are equal; that the killing a bird is of the same guilt with the murdering a parent: a principle that breaks the restraints of fear and shame, and opens a passage to all licentiousness. They commended self-murder in several cases; † which unnatural fury is culpable in many respects, of rebelling against God, injustice to others, and cruelty to ones self. Zeno

Cynicorum natio tota ejicienda est: est enim inimica verecundiæ, sine qua nihil rectum esse potest nihil honestum, Cicer. Et qui nec Cynicos, nec Stoica dogmata legit, a Cynicis tunica distantia. Juve.

+ Injuriosum est rapto vivere, at contra pulcberimum rapto mori.

Aspice Marc. Catonem, sacro illo pectori purissimas manus admoventem,

& vulnera parum demissa laxantem, Seneca.

the founder of that sect practised his own doctrine. For falling to the ground, he interpreted it to be a summons to appear in another world, and strangled himself. Aristotle allows the appetite of revenging injuries, to be as natural as the inclination to gratitude, judging according to the common rule, that one contrary is the measure of another. Nay, he condemns the putting up with an injury as degenerous and servile. He makes indignation at the prosperity of unworthy men, a virtue; and to prove it, tells us the Grecians attributed it to their gods, as a passion becoming the excellency of their natures. But if we consider, the Supreme Disposer of all things may do what he pleases with his own, that he is infinitely wise, and in the next world will dispense eternal recompences; there is not the least cause of irritation for that seeming disorder. He also allows pride to be a noble temper that proceeds from a sublime spirit. (Vid. lib. 4. Ethic.) He represents his hero by this among other characters, that he is displeased with those who mention to him the benefits he hath received, which make him inferior to those that gave them; as if humility and gratitude were qualities contrary to magnanimity. He condemns envy as a vice that would bring down others to our meanness, but commends emula tion which urges to ascend to the height of them that are above

But this is no real virtue, for it doth not excite us by the worth of moral good, but from the vain desire of equality or preeminence. And Plato himself, though styled divine, yet delivers many things that are destructive of moral honesty. He dissolves the most sacred band of human society, ordaining in his commonwealth a community of wives. He allows an honest man to lie on some occasions; whereas the rule is eternal, we must not do evil, that good may come thereby." In short, a considering eye will discover many spots, as well as beauties, in their most admired institutions. * They commend those things as virtues which are vices, and leave out those virtues which are necessary for the perfection of our nature; and the virtues they commend, are defective in those qualities that are requisite to make them sincere. If philosophy were incarnate, and had expressed the purity and efficacy of all its precepts in real actions;

* Si eos inspiciamus ut pagani, christiane, scripserunt; si ut christiani, paganice. Erasmus.

yet it had abundantly fallen short of that supernatural, angelical divine holiness which the gospel requires. Till the wisdom of God removed his chair from heaven to earth to instruct the world, not only the depravation of the lower faculties, but the darkness of the human understanding hindered men from performing their universal duty. The gospel alone brings light to the mind, peace to the conscience, purity to the affections, and rectitude to the life.

CHAP. XVIII.

Examples have a special efficacy above precepts to form us to holiness. The example of Christ is most proper to that end, being absolutely perfect, and accommodate to our present state. Some virtues are necessary to our condition as creatures, or to our condition in the world, of which the Deity is incapable; and these eminently appear in the life of Christ. They are humility, obedience, and love in suffering for us. His life contains all our duties, or motives to perform them. Jesus Christ purchased the spirit of holiness by his sufferings, and confers it since his exaltation. The sanctifying spirit is the concomitant of evangelical mercy, the supernatural declaration of the law on Mount Sinai, and the natural discovery of the divine goodness in the works of creation and providence, were not accompanied with the renewing efficacy of the spirit. The lower operations of the spirit were only in the heathens. The philosophical change differs from the spiritual and divine. Socrates and Seneca considered, Our Saviour presents the strongest inducements to persuade us to be holy. They are proper to work upon fear, hope and love, The greatness of those objects, and their truth, are clearly manifest in the gospel.

THE second means by which our Redeemer restores us to holiness, is by exhibiting a complete pattern of it in his life upon earth. For the discovery how influential this is upon us, we must consider, that of all the most noble works, the principal cause is an exact pattern in the mind of the agent which he en

deavours to imitate; and examples are of the same nature. He that desires to excel in painting or sculpture, must view the most accomplished pieces of those arts. Thus in morality, the consideration of eminent actions performed by others, is of admirable efficacy to raise us to perfection. That examples have a peculiar power above the naked precept, to dispose us to the practice of holiness, appears by considering:

1. That they most clearly express to us the nature of our duties in their subjects and sensible effects. General precepts form abstract ideas of virtue, but in examples virtues are made visible in all their circumstances.

2. Precepts instruct us what things are our duty, but examples assure us that they are possible. They resemble a clear stream wherein we may not only discover our spots, but wash them off. When we see men like ourselves, who are united to frail flesh, and in the same condition with us, to command their passions, to overcome the most glorious and glittering temptations, we are encouraged in our spiritual warfare.

3. Examples by a secret and lively incentive, urge us to imitation. The Romans * kept in their houses the pictures of their progenitors, to heighten their spirits, and provoke them to follow the precedents set before them. We are touched in another manner by the visible practice of saints, which reproaches our defects, and obliges us to the same care and zeal, than by laws though holy and good. Now the example of Christ is most proper to form us to holiness, it being absolutely perfect, and accommodate to our present state.

(1.) It is absolutely perfect. There is no example of a mere man, that is to be followed without limitation. "Be ye followers of me, as I am of Christ," saith the great apostle. Nay, if the excellencies of all good men were united into one, yet we might not securely follow him in all things: for his remaining defects might be so disguised by the virtues to which they are joined, that we should err in our imitation. But the life of Christ was as the purest gold, without any alloy of baser metal. His conversation was a living law. "He did no sin, neither

* Contumacia redargui non potest sine exemplo. Nam habere non pos sunt quæ doceas firmitatem, nisi ea prior feceris. Quia natura hominum proclivis in vitia, videri vult non modo cum venia, sed etiam cum ratione pec care, Lact, de ver. Sap.