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SERMON VI.

MAT. V. 5.

Blessed are the Meek; for they shall inherit the

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Earth.

S in the firft Beatitude our Lord gave a Check to the covetous and ambitious, and in the fecond to the fenfual and luxurious Inclinations of Men; so now here in the third he gives a Check to the proud and irafcible Paffions, which are as troublefome to a Man's felf, and more troublesome to his Neighbours than any of the other. And in this likewise he meets with another of those bad Difpofitions of Men's Minds, by reafon of which they were fo ill prepared for the Meffiah's Kingdom. As if he had faid, "Ye fancy there are great Conquefts to be made, and mighty Bat"tels to be fought by the Meffiah and his Fol"lowers, and confequently that one main Qua"lification for his Kingdom is a great Fierceness "in attacking and overcoming, and as great a "Refentment in punishing all his Enemies: But "I must undeceive you; it is not these carnal Weapons, nor this martial Courage or Prowefs, "which is wanted for the Kingdom of the Meffiah, but a quite contrary Spirit and Temper; a Spi

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a Spirit of Meekness and Humility, which tho' "ye may think a very bad Preparation for con"quering and poffeffing the World, yet it will "really qualify you better for the quiet Enjoy"ment of fuch a Portion of it as this Kingdom " of the Meffiab requires, than the greatest military Skill, animated with the fierceft and most "undaunted Paffions." From the Words I propose these two Things.

I. To give you a Description of the Virtue of Meekness, here recommended.

II. To confider the Bleffing annexed to the meek Perfons, That they shall inherit the Earth.

I. First, I am to give a Description of the Virtue of Meekness, Bleffed are the Meek. Meekness in general is a right Government of the Paffion of Anger, and especially a bridling and restraining that headstrong Unrulinefs which is incident to it, that it ftir not but at the Command of Reason, and that it go on juft as far as Reafon directs, and no further; and that it come off again at the fame Command. So that to understand the Nature of this Virtue of Meekness, which is a right Government of Anger, we must know when and where, and how far Anger is to be made use of, which is certainly a very difficult Inquiry, and almost impoffible to be rightly performed, if we do in the least admit of this fame unruly Paffion of Anger into the Confultation. Anger is never proper to confult, tho' fometimes it may help to execute, by putting fome Life and Vigour into the cooler and flower Confultations of Reason. That I may not be misunderstood, as if I meant

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that the Vice of Anger is ever good for any Thing; we must carefully diftinguish between two Things, which in the World go under one Name; the natural Paffion, and the Sin of Anger: The natural Paffion is a Thing indifferent in itself, the right Ufe of which is a Virtue, and the wrong Ufe of it a Vice. It is true this natural Paffion being much more frequently employed to a wrong than a right Use, for that Reafon it goes more commonly under the Name of a Vice; and there have been fome learned and good Men in the World, who have been altogether for banishing this Paffion from having any Commerce with Virtue, as being of Opinion that right Reason and Judgment alone would act a great deal better without it, than with it. But for the fame Reason they might be against all the other Paffions of Love, Hatred, Defire and Averfion, Joy and Grief, Hope and Fear, as well as Anger, for they are all often abufed; the right Inference from which Obfervation is, that we should reduce them to their right Ufe, not totally extirpate them: And the right Ufe of them all is, first, that we direct them to the proper Objects; then, that we keep them under good Command, as to the Meafure and Degrees of that Ufe and Service we have for them. But that this

Chriftian Philofophy, concerning the Ufe of the Paffion of Anger, may be the better understood, even by Perfons of the moft ordinary Capacity, I will beg Leave to caft fome Light upon it by a very homely Parable or Similitude; from which I hope to fhew you both the Ufe and Abuse of the. Paffions, particularly of this Paffion of Anger in human Life. Let us then compare Men VOL. I.

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[SERM. to Shepherds feeding their Flocks in a very large Range of Pafturage, of which fome is in wild Mountains, fome in fpacious Plains, fome in Thickets of Woods, fome on Rocks and Precipices: Let us fuppofe, likewife, that every Flock is apt to ftray, and that there are abundance of Wolves, and other Beafts of Prey, ready to catch and devour them; fuppofe, likewife, the Shepherds finding they were not themselves swift enough of Foot to furround the whole Range of Pafturage, and to gather in the Stragglers, but that the Wolves catched daily fome of their Flock, and made their Escape with the Booty, before they could overtake them, and rescue it; fuppofe, I fay, that the Shepherds obferving thefe Things, and upon a deep Consultation how to remedy them, had by fome of the wifer fort been advised to the Help of another fagacious Creature, and very officious and ferviceable to Men, called Dogs; by a good breeding and Management of which they might be wonderfully affifted in the Defence of their Flocks, as being both fagacious to smell out the Enemy, and dexterous in following him upon the Scent; very fierce and ftout, likewife, in attacking, especially when fet on, and animated and affifted by Men; fwift of Foot too, to fcour the Grounds, and to bring in the Stragglers out of Danger; and, withal, very wakeful in the Night-time, and apt immediately to make a Noife, and to give the Alarm upon the first Approach of the Enemy; this feemed to be a notable Expedient: But when it came to be put in Practice, a great many of the Dogs proved exceeding pernicious; they flew at Friend and Foe, and whenever they were hungry,

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or in the leaft provoked by the butting of the Flock, in their Masters Absence they would fall upon them, and devour them; and fometimes, when fet on gently to pinch and reduce a Straggler, could not be brought off till they had worried or crippled him, and in a fhort Time did fo much Damage, that, upon a fecond Confultation, fome of the Shepherds had almost concluded to destroy all the Dogs, and to undertake the feeding and defending of their Flocks without them, till they were diffuaded by others, wifer than the reft, who had trained their Dogs fo well to the Business, that they had quite laid afide the Savageness of their Nature, and would fooner ftarve than hurt one of the Flock, in the mean time performing all the other Parts of watchful Centinels, of careful Keepers, of fwift Gatherers and Reducers of the Flock; and sharp upon the Scent, and fierce upon the Fight of an Enemy: And therefore they perfuaded the reft, inftead of destroying the Dogs, to take a great deal of Pains to train, watch, and govern them well, by which Means they should find a great deal of Help and good Service, and no Prejudice from them at all. Thus it is with all our Paffions, and particularly with this Paffion of Anger; if we take Pains with it, and keep it under the strict Command of Reafon and Grace; if we let it loose to exercise its Fiercenefs upon none but fuch as Reafon has before taught it are Enemies; if we can fet it on, and take it off, wherever it is just and fitting, and fometimes, only with a Defign to bark, to frighten and fcare People to their Duty, without hurting them; at other Times giving them a gentle Pinch of Punishment, if a L 2 Bark

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