to themselves and others, and hardly any Thing plea- 1718. fes them, or any Thing good enough for them; when on the other Hand, the meek and contented Mind hath (according to a good general Maxim) a continual Feast.

Verfe 6. Bleffed are they which do bunger and thirft after Righteonfnefs: For they fhall be filled.

Luke 1.

Let it be remembered, that as our mortal Bodies cannot enjoy Health long, without a natural Appetite to Meat and Drink, fo our Souls cannot live unto Holinefs, without a Spiritual Hunger, and an inward Thirst after the Righteoufuefs which Chrift puts upon his Saints; not by Imputation only, but actually alfo: Such Souls he will fill as holy Mary witnessed, and bare her Teftimony to the Truth thereof, viz. He bath filled the Hungry with good Things, and the Rich be bath fent empty away. When we are 53 emptied of Sin and Self, then there is Room for the Almighty to pour into us of his Spirit (if we would fill any Thing, it must be empty) fo must we be empty, if we hunger and thirst after Righteoufnefs; truly, then shall we pray to our heavenly Father for divine Food, and it will be our Meat and Drink to do his Will; and we fhall delight to feed upon his Word, as Chrift fays, Man fhall not live by Bread alone, but by Matt, ↳ every Word which proceedeth out of the Mouth of God. This is holy Food for the Soul, which nourishes and keeps it alive to God, and without which it is dead, notwithstanding it may have the Form and Fashion of a living Body. And as this Hunger and Thirft, or Defire, muft be Spiritual, fo muit the Food be alfo, It being the Spirit that quickens, and gives Life to the John 6. Soul; wherefore let a Spiritual Hunger and Thirst be 3. in the Soul after God, and his Righteoufnefs. righteous Soul being greatly athirft after the Lord, cries out; As the Hart panteth after the Water-brook, So doth my Soul after the living God. And this. holy Thirft was greatly fatisfied, fo that his Heart was

A

many

Pfal. 42.

1718. many times fweetly opened to praise the Lord. 'Tis true, we have an Adverfary, that would be filling us with many Things, flefhly, worldly, and Satanical; but we are to fhut up our Hearts against him, and to keep out all thofe Things, and to ftand open to Christ, and empty before him; and if we find this our Adverfary too hard for us, we are to fly, and cry to the Lord for Succour and Help, who is a God, not only afar off, but also near at hand, and a prefent Help in the needful Time, as many of his Servants and Children have experienced and witneffed him. Wherefore, to be truly hungry and thirsty after Chrift and his Righteoufnefs, intitles us to his gracious Promife, who fays, they shall be filled.

32, 33,

34.

Verle 7. Bleed are the Merciful: For they shall obtain Mercy.

It is highly neceffary for Mortals to fhew Mercy, in all their Words and Actions one to another; and alfo to the Creatures, which God hath made for the Ufe of Man; 'tis ufually faid, that a merciful Man is merciful to his Beaft, which generally is true; and if Men are merciful to their Beafts, how much more ought they to be merciful one to another. Where Mercy is to be extended, it ought not to be done Matt. 18. fparingly, fince thereby (according to Chrift's bleffed Doctrine) we are to obtain Mercy. That Servant that fhewed no Mercy to his Fellow, had no Mercy fhewed unto him from his Lord. It is alfo recorded, In the Name of the Lord, he hath fhewn unto thee, O Man, what is Good, that thou shouldst do justly, love Mercy, and walk humbly with thy God; by which it appears, that we are not juft in the Sight of God, if we are cruel and unmerciful one to another: And we ought not only to be merciful, but to love it; which, if we are truly humble, we fhall certainly do; Mercy will leffen, and not magnify, Weaknefs, Failings, or fmall trivial Things one in another: And sometimes, as the Cafe may require, fome

Micah 6.

larger

larger Things; and yet there is Room for feasonable 1718. Reproof and Correction: But Mercy must be mixed with Juftice, elfe the Correction may end in Tyranny. We ought to be gentle to all Men, which is a true Token of true Gentility: So to be truly merciful, is to be bleffed, and to obtain Mercy.

Verfe 8. Blessed are the Pure in Heart: For they shall fee God.

By which we may understand, that we are to take Care of our Hearts, and to keep a ftrict Watch over them; and not admit unclean or unchafte Thoughts, or finful Defires, to have an Entrance therein. And if at unawares they fhould at any time enter, we must not entertain nor love them, but turn them out; for we, in this, fhould be like our heavenly Father, Habak. 1. of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity with any Allow- 13. ance, or Approbation : Otherwife it will hinder us from feeing God, and from the fweet Enjoyment of his most precious Prefence, and beholding the only Begotten of the Father, and the Fulnefs of his Grace and Truth, which we cannot fee if our Hearts are impure: An Inftance of which, we have in the Scribes and Pharifees, tho' they were outwardly Righ teous and clean, yet within were very impure, fo that 25, c. they could not fee God, tho' he was in Chrift reconcling the World to himfelf: Notwithstanding their nice difcerning Eyes, yet they could not fee him, for the Impurity of their Hearts; which was fo great, that they murdered the Just One, their Hearts being full of Deceit and Hypocrify. Make Clean the Infide, that Mar. 23. the Outfide, may be clean alfo, fays Chrift: From 26. whence it appears, that a true Chriftian must be clean, both within and without alfo. The true Beginning of the Work of Purity and Sanctity, must be firft within; and being Innocent and Pure in Heart, we fhall then fee the Glory of the Father, the lovely Beauty of the Son, and the Power of the Holy Ghoft, or Spirit.

Matt. 23.

Verfe 9. Bleffed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God.

This Peace-making is excellent Work, and a bleffed Calling what Pity it is, that there is not more fuch Workmen in the World, who would fet themselves heartily to it, which if they did, in a right Spirit, God would certainly profper the Work in their Hands, and plentifully reward them with his own Peace, which paffeth the common Understanding of the natural Man. If our ingenious Men, our Men and Women of Skill, and good natural Parts, would take a little Pains, nay, when the Cafe requires it, a great Deal, the Almighty would richly reward them. This Work is not too mean even for Princes, and Nobles; no, not even the greatest Monarchs on Earth, without it be too mean for them to be called the Children of God. And if the Children of God are Peace-makers, what, and whofe Children are they, who break the Peace of Nations, Communities, and Families? Wherefore, we fhould feek Peace with all Men, and enfue it, or fue for it, by our continual feeking of it, being a precious Jewel, when found; and tho' this Office may feem a little unthankful in the Beginning, or at firft, yet in the End it brings forth the peaceable Fruits of Righteoufnefs, as many fo labouring have witneffed. And Christ, to encourage the Work, says, They shall be called the Children of God; which are Words of the King of Kings; and if the Princes of this World would promote this Work among themfelves, it would fave them a vaft Expence of Treafure, and of Blood; and as thefe Peace-makers are to be called the Children of God, they who are truly concerned herein, are not only fo called, but are so in Deed, and in Truth.

Verfe 10. Bleed are they who are perfecuted for Rigbteoufnefs Sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Perfecution may be confidered in relation to Calumny and Reproach, and in Imprisonments, Confine

ments,

ments, or the like, or taking away Life or Goods on 1718. a religious Account, for confcientious Scruples, &c. m What fad Work hath there been on this Account in the World, not among Turks and Jews only, but among Profeffors of Chrift and Chriftianity, which is indeed a great Reproach to that holy Name. Perfecution for Righteoufnefs-Sake, is not fit for Turks or Jews, much lefs for the Profeffors of our meek Lord; his Difpenfation and Gofpel being abfolutely the Reverse to it, which is a fhameful Sin to all Men, in all Nations: But however, the Perfecuted have this Comfort in the Midst of all their Sufferings, they are bleffed of Chrift their Lord; who himfelt fuffered for them, and are promiled by him the Kingdom of Heaven. By which Doctrine, it may be fafely concluded, that the Members of his true Church never perfecuted any, though they have been often perfecuted by many, as the large and voluminous Books. and Tracts (of perfecuting for Religion) now extant, do plainly makes appear; by which the Eyes of many are open to fee the Uglinels of it; and a Spirit of Moderation begins to grow and fpring a little in the Earth, in divers Parts thereof.

It were to be defired, that all Chriftians Modera- Phillip 4. tion might more and more encrease, and might appears. unto all Men; becaufe God is at hand, wuo wii juftify the Innocent (whom he knows better than any Man, because he fees their Hearts) and he will condemn none but the Guilty. How fhall the Jews be converted, or the Turks convinced to, and of the Verity of the Chriftian Religion, while its Profeffors are tearing and rending one another to Pieces: Had it not been for the Immoderation and Perfecution among Profeffors of Chrift in Chriftendom, to called, it is probable Chriftianity would have made a far greater Progrefs in all the four Quarters of the World long before this Time, than it hath now done. Perfecution hath been propofed by the Immoderats, to lay Hears

G

and