With pleasing Blue he arch'd the Sky, 3. Let'envious Atheists ne'er complain DIVINE FRIENDSHIP. SPECTATOR. HE Man who lives under an habitual Senfe THE of the Divine Presence, keeps up a perpetual Chearfulness of Temper, and enjoys every Moment the Satisfaction of thinking himself in Company with his nearest and best Friend. The Time never lies heavy upon him: It is impossible for him to be alone. His Thoughts and Paffions are most bufied at fuch Hours when those of other Men are most inactive: He no fooner steps out of the World, but his Heart burns with Devotion, fwells with Hope, and triumphs in the Confcioufness of that Presence which every where surrounds him; or, on the contrary, pours out its Fears, its Sorrows, its Apprehenfions, to the great Author and Supporter of its existence. De it Ca True Religion of universal Influence, and always the Jame. WHICHCOTE. R ELIGION doth possess 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 Modesty, Calmness, Gentleness, Quietness, Candour, Ingenuity; in our Dealings, it is Uprightness, Integrity, Correfpondence with the Rules of Righteousness. Religion makes Men virtuous in all Instances. 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 sanctifying Nature; they do not purify our Minds as Things of a Moral Nature do; so that Religion may ftand without them. On the Sufferings of CHRIST. BURGH'S Dignity of Human Nature. EHOLD the Innocent arraigned before the B Guilty. The most amiable of Characters treated worse than the most odious deserves at any human Hands. The future Judge of Mankind brought before a human Tribunal. He who did no Sin, and in whose Mouth was found no Guile, sentenced to die, and a Robber and Murderer pardoned. They, for whom the Saviour of the World • came from Heaven to give his precious Life, long to imbrue their Hands in the very Blood which was to be shed 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 so impious as to stretch forth unhallowed Hands against him, the Decree of Heaven will nevertheless be fulfilled, and they who will heap Damnation upon themselves, shall be left to the Destruction they have fought. Yet hold your butchering Hands, unthinking Wretches. Or if his sacred Blood must stream to wash a finful World from Guilt, let the HighPriest with Reverence offer him on the Altar, the true, the last, 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 Deftruction. Let not then the Eye of Day behold fo black a Deed. Let Heaven hide its Face from such a Sight. They pierce those Hands, whose salutary Touch gave Health and Strength, and those Feet which went about doing Good. They stretch him on the Cross. They ftop their Ears against the Groans of suffering 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 unseen Hand rents the Veil of the Temple, and exposes the holy Place, into which it was forbidden to enter. His Agonies now grow stronger. His Pangs redouble. The Choirs of Angels mourn the Sufferings of their Prince. Hell Hell is moved, and the Dæmons enjoy a short TriHoumph. Darkness covers the Face of Nature, and Chaos seems ready to fwallow all. He calls on his GOD and Father, the Witness of his Innocence, and Approver of his Obedience. He prays for those by whose murdering Hands he dies. He raises his Voice aloud. His Strength is yet entire. But having finished the Work, and the Prophecies be ✓ ing 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 # Mystery! not to be explained, 'till the Veil of Time be rent asunder, and Eternity expose to View the amazing Scene of Divine Government, B. too vast for mortal Comprehenfion. Glory to GOD in the Highest! On earth Peace, and Good-will towards Men! On SERIOUSNESS. AH my Friends! while we laugh all Things are serious around us; GOD is serious, who exerciseth Patience toward us; CHRIST is ferious, who shed his Blood for us; the HOLY GHOST is serious, who striveth against the Obstinacy of our Hearts; the Holy Scriptures bring to our Ears the moft serious Things in the World; the Holy Sacraments reprefent the most serious and awful Matters; the whole Creation is ferious in serving Gon and us; all that are in Heaven and Hell are ferious; how then can we be gay! To give these excel 1 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. G TILLOTSON. OOD Example is an unspeakable Benefit to Mankind, and hath a fecret Power and Influence upon those with whom we converse to form them into the same Disposition and Manners, It is a living Rule that teacheth Men without Trouble, and lets them fee their Faults without open Reproof and Upbraiding. Besides that it adds great Weight to a Man's Counsel and Perfuafion, when we fee that he advises nothing but what he does, nor exacts any Thing from others, from which he himself defires to be excused. 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 so forward to give to others. The Advantage of Example beyond Precepts. Scor. P are only RECEPTS and Discourses of Virtue the Pictures, and artificial Descriptions of it: A virtuous Example is Virtue animated, and exposed to our View in all its living Charms and Attractions; and therefore by how much Nature exceeds Art, and the most accomplished Beauties excell |