with all that tenderness, that foft and affectionate, that mild and grateful language, which may endear you to them, and make their lives a comfort.

(6.) LASTLY, This gentleness must extend to all who are in rank, fortune, or knowledge inferior to us, and be fhewn by an affable and courteous temper, a calm and eafy conversation and behaviour towards them. For the precept is general, that we > fhould be no brawlers, but gentle, fhewing all meekness unto all men. That fall bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-fpeaking, be put away from us. And this is the true wifdom from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and eafy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits.

1

We have now very largely gone through the defcription of meekness. It remains now,

II. THAT we explain the promise made to it, or confider and apply the blessing; Bleffed are the meek, for they fhall inherit the earth. In doing this, we fhall,

I. ENQUIRE What is meant by inheriting the earth. Now by this must needs be meant the poffeffion or enjoyment of any of the profits or be nefits which men are capable of in this prefent life. And these are many, if we take in the whole compafs; for into this account, we are to put a long and healthful life, a fair and numerous pofterity, a pleasant habitation, a good neighbourhood, fuccefs, honour, peace and quietnefs, command, reputation, riches, and other earthly advantages. Earth being the place where all these are conferred, and the nature of them differing from (or at least being inferior to) the rewards of heaven, they may be properly ftiled the bleffings of the earth.

Tit. iii. 2.

† Eph. iv, 31.

Jam. iii. 17.

THE

THE inheritance of the earth, therefore, muft be the poffeffion or enjoyment of fome of thefe, for it is not neceffary we fhould include all of them; but he may be faid to inherit the earth, who has the enjoyment but of fome one or other of these bleffings, and efpecially if it be in any full

and remarkable measure.

2. WE must make out the truth of this promife; that the inheritance of the earth, in fome or other the particulars above-mentioned, is actually the reward or portion of the meek. And this will appear upon a double account, (1.) As meekness, in the latitude I have expreffed it to you, is the best and chiefest instrument of fecuring peace in the world; (2.) As it has alfo farther, a proper and peculiar influence upon fome special advantages of the present life.

FOR the first of these then, it will be requifite I should a little make it appear, that of all fecular felicities, peace is the moft large and comprehenfive, as taking in many others, and giving indeed a relish to 'em all; and then I muft make it evident that peace is fecured chiefly by the exercise of this grace of meeknefs. Now that peace is a most full and copious bleffing, will need no other proof than the common fenfe and experience of all perfons, who cannot but take notice that every other inftance of felicity, how confiderable foever, without the poffeffion of this, is fo abated and reftrained, that there is nothing at all in it of that relish and fatisfaction, which otherwise (crown'd with the addition of peace) it certainly would have; for war and tumult is a ftormy fea which shipwrecks every honeft fortune, and drowns a great deal of treasure paft recovery, and ufually the weightieft alfo fink the fooneft. When the Pfalmift would defcribe the excellent reward of a righteous man, (which I fuppofe to be only meant G

of

of the rewards of this world) he does it by this one expreffion of peace. * Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace, viz. it is profperous and fortunate, rich and honourable, which are all well enough comprized in the name of peace. The Prophet Feremiah alfo brings in the Jews, complaining of the miferable state of their captivity; We looked for peace, but no good came. Where we may observe, that peace is made of the fame extent and latitude as good; by which is imply'd, that peace is the very falt and relish of all other good things, and without it the goodness of them cannot be enjoyed. The next thing we are to do, is, to fhew that meekness is the most apt and proper inftrument of making and fecuring peace, which will be as clear to you as the former, by a little obfervation. We will take peace, for the prefent, in that publick fenfe of the word, wherein it fignifies the calm and quiet adminiftration of the ftate or kingdom, proceeding from an happy concord of the princeand people. Now how far meekness contributes to eftablish this, is eafily vifible; for one branch of the meekness due from fubjects to their sovereign (as laid down before) was obedience (by which we are to understand the actual performance of, or conformity to laws, where they may juftly, and with agreement to the law of God, be obferved) and this obedience or fubmiffion muft produce a good agreement betwixt every good prince and his fubjects; and confequently many evils and fufferings, many loffes and ruins are thereby prevented, which in open hoftilities muft needs enfue, where the fovereign and the people are drawn into two parties. This keeps open the books of law and juftice, which in the diftraction of civil feuds are either

*Pfal. xxxvii. 37.

† Jer. viii. 15.

thrown

thrown afide or torn afunder; and fo much farther alfo it goes towards fecuring the inheritance of the earth, that it keeps open the courfe of trade, and the other honeft methods of gain and profit, which are wholly fhut up in the time of war; it prevents a deluge of blood, in which may be fuppofed the lofs of our own lives, or of our relations, as well as the deftruction of our private fortunes. And therefore as a meek obedience fecures us from rebellion, and the confufions incident thereto, it must be look'd upon as a principal inftrument of peace. If we go on to confider meeknefs alfo as due from fuperiors to their inferiors, from the fovereign to his fubjects, the argument will be ftill much strengthen'd. The inftances of that meeknefs, I told you, were humility and gentleness; and by these the prince is reftrain'd from tyranny, violence and oppreffion, which might be the cause of war on his fide; he fecures to himself, by the mildnefs of his government, the hearts and affections of his people, and cuts off all pretence and occafion to rebel. And thus you fee what influence this grace of meeknefs yields towards the bleffing of publick peace, and in that towards the fecure enjoyment of many other bleffings. I have not time to run through all the other branches and instances of meeknefs, and fhew you particularly, the noble treasure of advantages they abound with to private perfons and families; but I fhall fay fomething of this in general, and briefly, under my fecond head. And in that I am,

(2.) To fhew, that meeknefs has a special and peculiar influence in obtaining or fecuring fome very great advantages of the prefent life. It very much fecures the honour and fucceffion of families; for this engages parents to the love of their chil dren, and children to the obedience of their pa rents, and fo fecures the paffing of that honour and G 2

eftate

eftate from father to fon, and fo downwards, thro' many generations, which by the unnatural differences of fuch relations, often come to be diverted, and the fucceffion broke by difinheriting. The practice of meeknefs alfo betwixt parents and children, husbands and wives, mafters and fervants, produces that ferenity and happiness within doors, which is able to make even poverty it felf, and many other unhappy circumftances, fupportable, and without which the moft plentiful fortune, and an hundred other advantages, will be but little comfort. It fecures the eftate alfo, and the honest ways of gain and profit, by the gentleness of the mafter, encouraging and rewarding his fervants, and the obedience, faithfulness and respect of the fervant's preferving the fortune and reputation of his mafter from decay and injury; by preventing those differences betwixt hufband and wife, and those fuits at law, and uncharitable contentions in a neighbourhood, which have ruin'd many families, and laid wafte great eftates; and by taking away all occafions of less enmities and differences, which often proceed from evil-speaking, passionate reflections, and uncharitable cenfures. For the meek man is fo far from undervaluing, or fpeaking evil of his neighbour, that he prefers him to himself, and endeavours to do him all the offices of refpect and kindness that he can. And lastly, the patient forbearing, benevolent carriage of the meek Chriftian to his adverfary, is that which gives him, in his own mind and confcience, not only a great fatif faction, but a great joy; and it is also an excellent means of making up the difference, and reconciling the enmity, fo as that the adverfary, from thence, becomes a friend; and if he have any thing of an ingenuous temper, cannot help becoming fo; for there is a ftrange attractive power in meekness. Frequent experience fhews, that patience in en