SERM. II.

Little do they think, who are inured to Eafe and Delicacy, whofe Affluence empowers them to do Good; how many Thousands are wearing out Life in a fad Variety of Pain; or are dying perhaps of Poverty and a broken Heart; at the fame Instant that they are expending their Time and Fortune in a Round of Folly, Sin and Vanity, unconscious of each liberal, each tender Sentiment.

But Adverfity quickens our Compaffion, corrects that Levity, which is the Inlet to Vice; and begets a fixed Thoughtfulness and Sedateness, the Soil which Virtue loves: It takes off our Infenfibility, breaks the Fierceness of our Nature, and foftens us into Humanity. For when our Hearts are like melting Wax, they are moft ductile, tender, and fufceptive of humane Impreffions. We are acquainted with Grief; and by feeling Mifery and Pain, we learn to have a Fellow-Feeling for the Calamities of our Fellow-Creatures.

2dly, Adverfity puts our Virtue to the Teft, and proves the Sincerity of it.

It is no great Virtue for a Man to be honeft, who poffeffes an ample Fortune; though it would be a very great Crime for

him not to be fo. For what Temptations SERM. II. can he have to Dishonesty, who has the Discretion to extract and enjoy the Sweets of a great Estate, without damaging or hurting the Flower from which they proceed? But to hold fast to that which is good, in the lowest Ebb of Fortune; to retain our Integrity and intrinsic Worth, when stripped of every Thing that we were worth befides, and furrounded with whatever is grievous, is the strongest Evidence that can be given of our Love of Goodness. Thoufands have acted contrary to their Conscience, and, with a Behaviour more pitiable than their Circumftances, crouched beneath the Pressure of hard Fortune, to low and fordid Compliances; who, it is to be charitably hoped, would have stood upright and unbending without that galling Load upon them.

For how fhall a Man poffefs his Soul in Patience, who has little or nothing befides to poffefs? Now he finds, that a little Merit, with a World of Suppleness, Dexterity and Addrefs, may facilitate his Advancement; but great Merit, and a rigorous, unpliant Adherence to the Rules of Morality, are too often Bars to it: That

the

SERM. II. the Way from low Fortune to Greatness,

is up a fleep and craggy Hill: To climb up it by a ftrait and direct Afcent, is almost impracticable: To reach the Summit of it, or even to rife to any Eminence, he must generally fall into crooked and indirect Paths, which have several artful Turns andWindings.

;

It is eafy for him who has a Sufficiency of Fortune, and well-regulated Paffions, to look upon a barren Superfluity of Wealth, without cafting a wifhful Look, or a paffionate Side-Glance towards it; to fit loofe and indifferent to the World in one Sense, viz. To have no felfish and indirect Views and yet in another Senfe to be a great Lover of it, by affectionately wishing, and vigorously promoting, the general Good of it. The great Difficulty is, to act and think in fome Measure above the World, while Poverty exposes us to the Neglect and Contempt of it; to scorn to build our Fortunes on the Ruins of our Probity; to despise the little Injuries we receive, and to pity the little Men that do them; little I mean in themfelves, and in the Eye of Reason; though they may be very great in the Eye of the World, and perhaps much their own Eyes.

greater in

How

How defpicable therefore are those, who, SERM. II.

though flowing in Plenty, have lost a good Name, merely to gain a fine Title; have facrificed the true Greatnefs of the Mind, for the Outfide of Greatnefs, fome external Mark of Distinction; and have ceafed to be honourable, that they might be ftiled fo? How truly esteemable thofe, who have proved their Love of Virtue and Truth to be ftronger than Death, by foregoing the Blandishments of Life, and encountring the Terrors of Death for the Sake of them?

Such were the primitive Martyrs, Men of whom this World was not worthy, and therefore worthy of a better. Such was (a Name above all Names) our bleffed Saviour, who left us an Example of Suffering, that we might follow his Steps.

Had he appeared with all the Littleness of Greatness and Power, with which the Jews inveft their Meffiah; had he affumed a temporal Kingdom; had he bound Kings in Chains, and Nobles in Links of Iron; his Example would have been of little or no Use; or at least only to those who move in an higher Orb: Not to mention, how inconfiftent fuch a Pattern would have been with a Religion, which teaches us to wean ...VOL. II.

E

our

SERM. II. our Affections from earthly Things. But

by fubmitting to a lower Scene of Action, by taking upon him the Form of a Servant, by being content to be ennobled by himfelf, which is the trueft Ennoblement; his Example is of more univerfal Influence. This gave him an Opportunity to exemplify several Virtues, which the Pulk of Mankind has every Day Occafion to practise: Such as Humility, Patience, Refignation to God, and Contentedness in the lowest Station, Father, faith he, juft before his Crucifixion, if it be poffible, remove this Cup from me ; nevertheless, not my Will, but thine be done. And just before his Death he cries out, Father, Forgive them; for they know not what they do. And again, Father, into thy Hands I commend my Spirit. Here are no unnatural Rants, no undiftinguishing Glare of Eloquence, no high-flown Expreffions, fuch as the Pride of Philofophy has dictated to it's Votaries: The Thoughts are great without being extravagant; caly without being low and groveling. As a Man, he wishes, if it were poffible, the Removal of his Calamities; as a good and great Man, he refigns himself without Reserve to the Will of his Creator. He affects

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