Page images
PDF
EPUB

With pleafing Blue he arch'd the Sky,
And a Green Carpet drefs'd the Ground.

3. Let envious Atheifts ne'er complain

That Nature wants, or Skill, or Care;
But turn their Eyes all round in vain,
T' avoid their Maker's Goodness there.

DIVINE FRIENDSHIP.

THE

SPECTATOR.

HE Man who lives under an habitual Senfe of the Divine Prefence, keeps up a perpetual Chearfulness of Temper, and enjoys every Moment the Satisfaction of thinking himself in Company with his nearest and beft Friend. The Time never lies heavy upon him: It is impoffible for him to be alone. His Thoughts and Paffions are most bufied at fuch Hours when thofe of other Men are most inactive: He no fooner fteps out of the World, but his Heart burns with Devotion, fwells with Hope, and triumphs in the Conscioufnefs of that Prefence which every where furrounds him; or, on the contrary, pours out its Fears, its Sorrows, its Apprehenfions, to the great Author and Supporter of its existence.

True Religion of univerfal Influence, and always the fame. WHICH COTE.

R

ELIGION doth poffefs and affect the whole Man: In the Understanding it is Knowledge; in the Life it is Obedience; in the Affections it is

Delight

Delight in GOD; in our Carriage and Behaviour, it is Modefty, Calmnefs, Gentleness, Quietnefs, Candour, Ingenuity; in our Dealings, it is Uprightness, Integrity, Correfpondence with the Rules of Righteoufnefs. Religion makes Men virtuous in all Inftances.-Religion itself is always the fame, but Things about Religion are not always the fame; these have not in them the Power or Virtue of Religion; they are not of a fanctifying Nature; they do not purify our Minds as Things of a Moral Nature do; so that Religion may stand without them.

B

On the Sufferings of CHRIST.

BURGH'S Dignity of Human Nature.

EHOLD the Innocent arraigned before the Guilty. The most amiable of Characters treated worse than the most odious deferves at any human Hands. The future Judge of Mankind brought before a human Tribunal. He who did no Sin, and in whofe Mouth was found no Guile, fentenced to die, and a Robber and Murderer pardoned. They, for whom the Saviour of the World O came from Heaven to give his precious Life, long to imbrue their Hands in the very Blood which was to be fhed for them. O the diabolical Fury of Hypocrify detected! crucify him, crucify him, cry the bloody Priefts, and the blinded People echo back the maddening Voice. But will the LORD of Life fuffer himself to be spoiled of Life by a Set of miferable Worms, whom he can crush to nothing

in a Moment? No. He lays it down of himself; no Man takes, or can take it from him. He came to lay down his Life for the Life of the World. And if daring Mortals will be fo impious as to ftretch forth unhallowed Hands against him, the Decree of Heaven will nevertheless be fulfilled, and they who will heap Damnation upon themselves, fhall be left to the Deftruction they have fought. Yet hold your butchering Hands, unthinking Wretches. Or if his facred Blood must stream to wafh a finful World from Guilt, let the HighPrieft with Reverence offer him on the Altar, the true, the laft, the only effectual Sacrifice for Sin. So fhall you, and your Nation, escape the Deftruction which hangs over you.-They harden their rocky Hearts against all Senfe of Pity. They urge their own Destruction. Let not then the Eye of Day behold fo black a Deed. Let Heaven hide its Face from fuch a Sight. They pierce thofe Hands, whofe falutary Touch gave Health and Strength, and those Feet which went about doing Good. They ftretch him on the Crofs. They ftop their Ears against the Groans of fuffering Innocence. But the inanimate Earth feels, and shakes with Horror at the Impiety of her Inhabitants. The Rocks burst in Pieces, and Nature is in Agonies The Sleep of Death is broken by the Convulfion. The Graves open their Throats, and cast up the ghaftly Dead. An unfeen Hand rents the Veil of the Temple, and expofes the holy Place, into which it was forbidden to enter. His Agonies now grow ftronger. His Pangs redouble. The Choirs of Angels mourn the Sufferings of their Prince.

Hell

Hell is moved, and the Dæmons enjoy a fhort TriHumph. Darkness covers the Face of Nature, and Chaos feems ready to swallow all. He calls on his SEGOD and Father, the Witness of his Innocence, and

[ocr errors]

Approver of his Obedience. He prays for thofe by whofe murdering Hands he dies.

He raifes his Voice aloud. His Strength is yet entire. But having finished the Work, and the Prophecies being accomplished, by his own original Power over his own Life, he resigns his Soul into the Hands of the great Father of all, and, bowing his Head, expires. He dies; and yet his Murderers live. His Death raises a guilty World to Life. Tremendous

Myftery! not to be explained, 'till the Veil of Time be rent afunder, and Eternity expofe to View the amazing Scene of Divine Government, too vaft for mortal Comprehenfion. Glory to GOD in the Higheft! On earth Peace, and Good-will towards Men!

A

On SERIOUSNESS.

H my Friends! while we laugh all Things are ferious around us; GOD is serious, who exerciseth Patience toward us; CHRIST is ferious, who fhed his Blood for us; the HOLY GHOST is ferious, who ftriveth against the Obstinacy of our Hearts; the Holy Scriptures bring to our Ears the moft ferious Things in the World; the Holy Sacraments reprefent the most serious and awful Matters; the whole Creation is ferious in ferving God and US ; all that are in Heaven and Hell are ferious ; how then can we be gay To give these excel

[ocr errors][merged small]

lent Words their full Force, it should be known that they came not from the Priesthood, but the Court; and from a * Courtier, as eminent as England ever boafted.

*Sir FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.

On the Efficacy of good Example.

TILLOTSON.

'OOD Example is an unspeakable Benefit to

G Mankind, and hath a fecret Power and In

fluence upon those with whom we converse; to form them into the fame Difpofition and Manners, It is a living Rule that teacheth Men without Trouble, and lets them fee their Faults without open Reproof and Upbraiding. Befides that it adds great Weight to a Man's Counsel and Perfuafion, when we see that he advises nothing but what he does, nor exacts any Thing from others, from which he himself defires to be excufed. On the contrary, nothing is more cold and infignificant than good Counsel from a bad Man, one that does not obey his own Precepts, nor follow the Advice which he is fo forward to give to others.

The Advantage of Example beyond Precepts. Scor.

RECEPTS and Discourses of Virtue are only

PREC

the Pictures, and artificial Defcriptions of it: A virtuous Example is Virtue animated, and expofed to our View in all its living Charms and Attractions; and therefore by how much Nature exceeds Art, and the most accomplished Beauties

excell

« EelmineJätka »