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in giving, and our total unworthiness to receive; our SERM. very ingratitude itself affording ftrong inducements to gratitude. That giving thanks hath de facto been always the principal part of all religion, (whether inftituted by divine command, or prompted by natural reason, or propagated by general tradition ;) the Ethnic devotion confifting (as it were totally) in the praise of their gods, and acknowledgment of their benefits; the Jewish more than half in eucharistical oblations, and in folemn commemorations of providential favours; and that of the ancient Chriftians fo far forth, that bye-standers could hardly discern any other thing in their religious practice, Plin. Epift. than that they fang hymns to Christ, and by mutual facraments obliged themselves to abstain from all villainy. But I will rather wholly omit the prosecution of these pregnant arguments, than be farther offenfive to your patience.

Now the bleffed Fountain of all goodness and mercy inSpire our hearts with his heavenly grace, and thereby enable us rightly to apprehend, diligently to confider, faithfully to remember, worthily to efteem, to be heartily affected with, to render all due acknowledgment, praife, love, and thankful obedience for all his (infinitely great and innumerable many) favours, mercies, and benefits freely conferred upon us: and let us fay with David, Bleffed be the Lord Pf. lxxii. God of Ifrael, who only doth wondrous things: and blessed 18, 19. be his glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Blessed be the Lord God of Ifrael P. cvi. 48. from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen.

SERMON X.

ON THE KING'S HAPPY RETURN.

X.

Ver. 6.

I TIM. ii. I, 2.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, fupplications, prayers, interceffions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men : for kings, and for all that are in authority.

SERM. SAINT Paul in his preceding discourse having infinuated directions to his scholar and spiritual fon, Timothy, 1 Tim. i. 3. concerning the discharge of his office, of inftructing men in their duty according to the evangelical doctrine; (the main defign whereof he teacheth to confift, not (as some men conceited) in fond stories, or vain fpeculations, but in practice of fubftantial duties, holding a fincere faith, maintaining a good confcience, performing offices of pure Ver. 5. 19. and hearty charity ;) in pursuance of fuch general duty, and as a principal inftance thereof, he doth here first of all exhort, or, doth exhort that first of all all kinds of devotion fhould be offered to God, as for all men generally, fo particularly for kings and magiftrates. From whence we may collect two particulars. 1. That the making of prayers for kings is a Christian duty of great importance. Παρακαλῶ (St. Paul judging fit to exhort thereto πρῶτον πάντων, beTávfore all other things; or, to exhort that before all things

ἦν πρῶτον

it should be performed.) 2. That it is incumbent on the pastors of the church (such as St. Timothy was) to take special care, that this duty fhould be performed in the

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church; both publicly in the congregations, and pri- SERM. vately in the retirements of each Chriftian: according to what the Apostle, after the propofing divers enforcements of this duty, subsumeth in the eighth verse; I will therefore, that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath or doubting.

The first of these particulars, That it is a duty of great importance to pray for kings, I shall infift upon: it being indeed now very fit and seasonable to urge the practice of it, when it is perhaps commonly not much confidered, or not well obferved; and when there is most need of it, in regard to the effects and confequences which may proceed from the conscionable discharge of it.

My endeavour therefore fhall be to prefs it by divers confiderations, discovering our obligation thereto, and ferving to induce us to its obfervance: fome whereof fhall be general, or common to all times; fome particular, or fuitable to the present circumstances of things.

I. The Apostle exhorteth Christians to pray for kings with all forts of prayer: with dences, or deprecations, for averting evils from them; with #goreuxal, or petitions, for obtaining good things to them; with évreúžeis, or occafional interceffions, for needful gifts and graces to be collated on them: as, after St. Auftin, interpreters, in ex- Aug. Ep. pounding St. Paul's words, commonly distinguish; how 59. Beza, Grotius,&c. accurately, I fhall not discuss: it fufficing, that assuredly the Apostle meaneth, under this variety of expreffion, to comprehend all kinds of prayer. And to this I fay we are obliged upon divers accounts.

1. Common charity fhould dispose us to pray for kings. This Chriftian difpofition inclineth to universal benevolence and beneficence; according to that apoftolical precept, as we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men : Gal, vi. 10. it confequently will excite us to pray for all men; seeing this is a way of exerting good-will, and exercifing beneficence, which any man at any time, if he hath the will and heart, may have opportunity and ability to pursue.

No man indeed otherwife can benefit all: few men otherwise can benefit many: some men otherwise can be

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SERM. nefit none: but in this way any man is able to benefit all, or unconfinedly to oblige mankind, deriving on any fomewhat of God's immense beneficence. By performing this good office, at the expence of a few good wishes addressed to the fovereign Goodness, the poorest may prove benefactors to the richest, the meanest to the highest, the weakest to the mightieft of men: so we may benefit even those who are most remote from us, most strangers and quite unknown to us. Our prayers can reach the utmost ends of the earth; and by them our charity may embrace all the world.

And from them furely kings must not be excluded. For if, because all men are our fellow-creatures, and brethren by the fame heavenly Father; because all men are allied to us by cognation and fimilitude of nature; because all men are the objects of God's particular favour and care: if, because all men are partakers of the common redemption, by the undertakings of him who is the common Mediator and Saviour of all men; and because all men, according to the gracious intent and defire of God, are defigned for a confortship in the fame bleffed in1 Tim. ii. heritance: (which enforcements St. Paul in the context doth intimate:) if, in fine, because all men do need prayers, and are capable of benefit from them, we should be charitably disposed to pray for them: then must we alfo pray for kings, who, even in their perfonal capacity, as men, do fhare in all thofe conditions. Thus may we conceive St. Paul here to argue: For all men, faith he, for kings; that is consequently for kings, or particularly for kings; to pray for whom, at least no less than for other men, universal charity should dispose us.

4, 5, 6.

Indeed, even on this account we may say, especially for kings; the law of general charity with peculiar advantage being applicable to them: for that law commonly is expreffed with reference to our neighbour, that is, to perfons with whom we have to do, who come under our particular notice, who by any intercourse are approximated to us; and fuch are kings efpecially. For whereas the greatest part of men (by reason of their distance

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from us, from the obscurity of their condition, or for SERM. want of opportunity to converfe with them) muft needs flip befide us, fo that we cannot employ any distinct thought or affection toward them: it is not fo with kings, who by their eminent and illuftrious ftation become very obfervable by us; with whom we have frequent tranfactions and mutual concerns; who therefore in the stricteft acception are our neighbours, whom we are charged to love as ourselves; to whom confequently we must perform this moft charitable office of praying for them,

2. To imprefs which confideration, we may reflect, that commonly we have only this way granted us of exercifing our charity toward princes; they being fituated aloft above the reach of private beneficencea: so that we cannot enrich them, or relieve them by our alms; we cannot help to exalt or prefer them to a better state; we can hardly come to impart good advice, seasonable confolation, or wholefome reproof to them; we cannot profit or please them by familiar converfation. For as in divers other respects they resemble the Divinity; fo in this they are like it, that we may fay to them, as the Pfalmift to God, Thou art my Lord; my goodness extendeth not to thee. Pfal, xvi. 2. Yet this cafe may be reserved, wherein the poorest soul may benefit the greatest prince, imparting the richest and choiceft goods to him: he may be indebted for his fafety, for the profperity of his affairs, for God's mercy and favour toward him, to the prayers of his meaneft vaffal. And thus to oblige princes, methinks, we should be very defirous; we should be glad to ufe fuch an advantage, we should be ambitious of fuch an honour.

3. We are bound to pray for kings out of charity to the public; because their good is a general good, and the communities of men (both church and state) are greatly concerned in the bleffings by prayer derived on them.

The fafety of a prince is a great part of the common welfare; the commonwealth, as it were, living and breath

a Privatorum ifta copia eft, inter fe effe munificos. Aufon. ad Gratian. Abfit, Augufte, et iftud fanéta divinitas omen avertat, ut tu a quoquam morfalium expectes vicem beneficii. Mamerc, ad Julian.