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SECT. VI.

Excellency of the CHRISTIAN
Inftitution.

Aptiffima quaque dabunt Dii,

Charior eft illis homo, quàm fibi

Juv.

T is owing to pride, and a fecret affectation of a certain felf-existence, that the nobleft motive for action. that ever was propofed to man, is not acknowledged the glory and happiness of their Being The heart is treacherous to it felf, and we do not let our reflections go deep enough to receive religion. as the most honourable incentive to good and worthy actions. It is our natural weakness, to flatter our felves into a belief, that if we fearch into our inmoft. thoughts, we find our felves wholly dif interefted, and divefted of any views arifing from felf-love and vain-glory. But

how

however fpirits of fuperficial greatness may disdain at first fight to do any thing, but from a noble impulfe in themselves, without any future regards in this or another Being; upon ftricter enquiry they will find, to act worthily and expect to be rewarded only in another world, is as heroick a pitch of virtue as human nature can arrive at. If the tenor of our actions have any other motive than the defire to be pleafing in the eye of the Deity, it will neceffarily follow that we must be more than men, if we are not too much exalted in profperity and depreffed in adverfity: But the Chriftian world has a leader, the contemplation of whose life and fufferings muft adminifter comfort in affliction, while the sense of his Power and Omnipotence must give them humiliation in profperity.

It is owing to the forbidden and unlovely constraint with which men of lowconceptions act when they think they conform themselves to religion, as well' as to the more odious conduct of hypocrites, that the word Chriftian does not carry with it at firft view all that is great, worthy, friendly, generous, and heroick. The man who fufpends his

hopes

hopes of the reward of worthy actions till after death, who can beftow unfeen, who can overlook hatred, do good to his flanderer, who can never be angry at his friend, never revengeful to his enemy, is certainly formed for the benefit of fociety: Yet these are so far from heroick virtues, that they are but the ordinary duties of a Chriftian.

When a man with a steady faith looks back on the great catastrophe of this day, with what bleeding emotions of heart muft he contemplate the life and fufferings of his deliverer? When his agonies occur to him, how will he weep to reflect that he has often forgot them for the glance of a wanton, for the applaufe of a vain world, for an heap of fleeting paft pleasures, which are at present aking forrows?

How pleafing is the contemplation of the lowly steps our Almighty Leader took in conducting us to his heavenly manfions? In plain and apt parable, fimilitude, and allegory, our great Mafter enforced the doctrine of our falvation; but they of his acquaintance, instead of receiving what they could not oppose, were offended at the prefumption of be-.

ing wifer than they: They could not raise their little ideas above the confideration of him, in thofe circumstances familiar to them, or conceive that he who appear'd not more terrible or pompous, thould have any thing more exalted than themselves; he in that place therefore would not longer ineffectually exert a power which was incapable of conquering the prepoffeffion of their narrow and mean conceptions.

Multitudes follow'd him, and brought him the dumb, the blind, the fick, and maim'd; whom when their Creator had touch'd, with a fecond life they faw, fpoke, leap'd, and ran. In affection to him, and admiration of his actions, the crowd could not leave him, but waited near him till they were almost as faint and helpless as others they brought for fuccour. He had compaffion on them, and by a miracle fupplied their neceffities. Oh, the ecftatic entertainment, when they could behold their food immediately increase to the Distributer's hand, and fee their God in perfon feeding and refreshing his creatures! Oh envied happiness! But why do I fay envied? as if our God did not still prefide over our temperate meals,

chear

chearful hours, and innocent converfations.

But tho' the facred story is every where full of miracles not inferior to this, and tho' in the midst of thofe acts of Divinity he never gave the leaft hint of a defign to become a fecular Prince, yet had not hitherto the Apostles themselves any other hopes than of worldly power, preferment, riches and pomp; for Peter, upon an accident of ambition among the Apoftles, hearing his Mafter explain that his kingdom was not of this world, was fo fcandaliz'd, that he whom he had fo long follow'd fhould fuffer the ignominy, fhame, and death which he foretold, that he took him afide and faid, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee: For which he fuffered a fevere reprehenfion from his Mafter, as having in his view the glory of man rather than that of God.

The great change of things began to draw near, when the Lord of Nature thought fit as a Saviour and Deliverer to make his publick entry into Jerufalem with more than the power and joy, but none of the oftentation and pomp of a triumph; he came humble, meek, and lowly:

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