ven, when they break my Law, into Chains of Darkness. But to you, O Men, I condescend to act as a Supplicant. Though highly injured, and horribly affronted, I beseech you, again and again, I beseech you to be reconciled."

*

To hate fuch a GOD, is indeed the most deteftable Impiety. Yet Man, foolish Man, practises this Impiety, whenever for the Sake of a vile Luft, an ignoble Pleasure, or an unruly Paffion, he tranf greffes the Command of his CREATOR.

Shall I exemplify the Doctrine, in another of the Affections?

Ther. In Truth, Afpafio, I begin to be fick of the Subject. If human Nature is fo ulcerated, the less you touch it the better. However, let us not quite omit the irafcible Appetite.

Afp. Of this we have already taken a Side-view; if you choose to fee it in fuller Proportion, make your Obfervation on Fervidus. Fervidus comes home in a Rage. His Cheeks are pale, and his Lips quiver, with Excess of Paffion. Tho' he can hardly fpeak, he vows Revenge, and utters Imprecations. -What is the Cause of all this wondrous Ferment? A Neighbour, it seems, has dropt fome reflecting Hint, or a Servant has blundered in fome trifling. Meffage. Such Ufage, Fervidus fays, is intolerable; and fuch Negligence unpardonable.This fame Fervidus has offered numberlefs Affronts to his MAKER; he has moft fcandalously neglected the Will of his Almighty LORD; yet feels no Indignation against Himself. He is all Fury, when his own CreVOL. II.

D

dit

* Hatred of GOD is fo fhocking an Expreffion, that one would almost wish, never to hear or read it. But it occurs in our unerring Book; is too often exemplified in common Life; and is engraven by corrupt Nature on every human Heart. See Rom. i. 30. Exod. xx. 5. John Xv. 25. Rom. viii. 7.

dit is touched. But when the Interest of CHRIST is wounded, he can fit unconcerned, or pafs it off with a Laugh.-Anger, I acknowledge, is fometimes becoming and ufeful. But is this its right Tempe rature? This its proper Application?

Ther. This is the Practice only of fome few turbulent Spirits. To faddle their Qualities upon every Perfon, is a Procedure just as equitable, as the Madman's Calculation was reasonable; who took an Account of every Ship, which entered the Harbour, and fet it down for his own.

Afp. The latter Part of my Charge, I fear, is ap plicable to more than a few. However let us confider the moft calm and fedate Minds. How are they affected under Injuries? Do they never aggravate Failings into Crimes? Do they find it eafy to abftain from every Emotion of Ill-will? Eafy to love their Enemies, and do Good to those who hate them? Thefe God-like Tempers, if our Nature was not degenerated, would be the fpontaneous Produce of the Soul. But now, alas! they are not raised, without much Difficulty; feldom come to any confiderable Degree of Eminence; never arrive at a State of true Perfection. An undoubted Proof that they are Exotics, not Natives of the Soil.

Now we are fpeaking of Plants, caft your Eye upon the Kitchen-garden. Many of thofe Herbs, will perfume the hard Hand, which crushes them; and embalm the rude Foot, which tramples on them. Such was the benign Conduct of our LORD.

He

always overcame Evil with Good. When his Difciples difregarded him, in his bitter Agony, he made the kindeft Excufe for their ungrateful Stupidity +. When his Enemies, with unparalleled Barbarity, fpilt his very Blood; he pleaded their Ignorance, as an Extenuation

Thrafylus, an Athenian: + Matt. xxvi. 41:

Extenuation of their Guilt *.-Is the fame Spirit iu us, which was alfo in our Divine MASTER? Then are our Paffions rightly poised, and duly tempered. But if Refentment kindles, and Animofity rankles in our Hearts; this is an infallible Sign, that we fwerve from our SAVIOUR's Pattern; confequently, are fallen from our primitive Rectitude.

Ther. What fay you of the Fancy? This fure, if no other, retains the primitive Rectitude. What Pictures does the form, and what Excurfions doesfhe make? She can dive to the Bottom of the Ocean can foar to the Height of the Stars; and walk upon the Boundaries of Creation.

Afp. That the Fancy is lively and excurfive, readily grant. It can out-travel the Poft, or out-fly/ the Eagle. But if it travel, only to pick Shells; or fly abroad, to bring home Mifchief; then I apprehend, though you thould admire the Faculty, you will hardly be in Raptures with its Agency. This is the real Truth. Our Fancy, till divine Grace regulate and exalt its Operations, is generally em ployed in picking painted Shells, or culling venomQus Herbs. Weaving (as the Prophet very elegantly, and no lefs exactly defcribes the Cafe) the Spider's Web, or hatching Cockatrice Eggs †. Bufied in the moft abfurd Impertinencies; or acting, in Speculati on, the vileft Iniquities. That, which fhould be a Garden inclofed, a Fountain fealed ‡, for the PRINCE of Peace, is the Thoroughfair of Vanity. -And even when we are renewed from above, O! how neceffary is it, to keep an inceffant Watch, and exercife a. ftriét Difcipline, over this volatile, variable, treacherous Vagrant!

The Memory, as well as the Fancy is impaired; or, if not impaired, is debauched. Why elfe does it fo firmly retain the Impreffions of an Injury, but fo eafily

D2

Luke xxiii, 34. + Ifai. lix. 5.

Cant. iv. 12.

eafily let flip the Remembrance of a Benefit? Any idle Fopperies, which footh our Vanity, and increase our Corruption, cleave to the Thoughts, as the vexatious Burr to our Clothes. While the noble Truths of the Gospel, and the rich Mercies of a gracious GOD, flide away from the Mind, and leave no lafting Trace behind them. This double Perversenefs is very emphatically, and too truly represented by Jeremiah; Can a Maid forget her Ornaments, or a Bride her Attire Yet my People have forgotten me, Days without Number*.-If we hear a loose Hint, or read an immodeft Expreffion, they are almost fure to faften themselves on our Memory. If fhaken off, they follow us with a troublesome Importunity. If excluded, as unwelcome Vifitants, they force themfelves, again and again, upon our Imagination. They dog us to the Clofet; they haunt our most retired Hours; and too often difturb our very Devotions.Tell me now, can that Faculty be upright and uncorrupted, which is a perforated Sieve, to tranfmit the Beneficial; but a thirsty Sponge, to imbibe the Pernicious +.

Ther. Well, my Friend, whatever Guilt I or others have contracted, Flattery, I dare be positive, is none of yours. Human Nature has received no heightening or adulatory Touches from your Pencil. You have pourtrayed her foolish, and beeftly, and every Thing bad but devilish.

* Jer. ii. 32.

Afp.

This, I think, fuggefts an unanfwerable Confutation of that fpecious Argument, frequently used in Behalf of fome fashionable but diffolute Diverfions. "They are "interfperfed, fay their Admirers, with Sentiments of "Virtue, and Maxims of Morality "-Should we admit the Truth of this Plea; yet the depraved Difpofition of Mankind, is pretty fure to drop the Morality, and carry away the Ribaldry.

Afp. And this, even this Abomination I must not fecrete, I dare not except.-Ervy is a devilish Difpofition. It fubfifts no where, but in damned Spirits, and fallen Souls. Yet, infernal as it is, it has been found in Perfons of the most exalted Character.. The maguanimous Jofua felt its cancrous Tooth The Difciples of the bleffed JESUS were foured with its malignant Leaven ‡. An Apoftle declares, that the Spirit which dwelleth in us lufteth to Envy || . is impetuously prone to that deteftable Temper.

Lying is confeffedly a diabolical Practice. Yet, how unaccountably forward are our Children, to utter Falfhood? As foon as they are born, they go astray; and as soon as they fpeak, they fpeak Lies.I faid unaccountably. But I recal the Expreffion. The Caufe is evident. They have loft the Image. of the GOD of Truth; and are become like that apoftate Spirit,, who is a Lyar, and the Father of it *.

What think you of Malice, of Hate, and Revenge? Are they not each a Species of Murder, and the Seed of the old Serpent? Unless, therefore, we are intirely free from all these hellish Emotions, we muft, we must, acknowledge, that the Prince of this World § has his Party within us. May the Almighty Hand of our GOD extirpate and fubdue it, day by day!* You tell me, I am no Flatterer.-Should a Perfon, who profeffes himself the Friend of his Fellow-crea tures, foothe them into a falfe Peace? Should he bol-fter them up in a groundless Conceit of their Excel-lency, when they really are no better than "an un"clean Thing?"-Shall the Surgeon affure his Patient, "All is well;" even when the Mortification has taken place, and the Gangrene is fpeading? This were to refine the first out of all Benevolence, and to flatter the laft into his Grave.