Bark of Reproof won't reclaim them; if in the whole Management of Anger we keep a good' Command, that it exceed not the Bounds of Reafon and Religion, we fhall find a great deal of Benefit from it, and that it is of excellent Ufe in the Government both of larger and leffer Societies, and in regulating all our own Actions with Comfort and Advantage. The particular Cafes and Directions upon them, are fo large a Theme, that I fhall not meddle with them. The Virtue by which we thus govern our Anger, and keep it within juft Bounds, is called Meekness. I fhall just give you fome of the chief Properties of it, that ye may have fo much the clearer Notion what a bleffed Thing it is; and then go on to the Reafon of the Text, to fhew how The Meek fhall inherit the Earth.

1. The First and chief Ingredient in this Meeknefs, is an inward Calmnefs and Tranquillity of Mind. In the eleventh Chapter of this Gospel, at the twenty-ninth Verfe, it is called a Meekness and Lowlinefs of Heart. Learn of me, fays our Saviour, for I am meek and lowly in Heart. Without this, all outward Calmnefs will come much fhort of this Virtue of Meekness; for fome, from a Dulness and Heavinefs of Temper, others from Policy and a deep-laid Revenge, others from Fear and Cowardice, either have not, or think hot fit to exprefs any Anger and Refentment; who yet are Strangers to this beft Part of Meeknefs, this inward Tranquillity, which checks and fuppreffes the very first Motions to Anger in the Heart. As this is the chief, fo it is the difficulteft Part of Meeknefs, as being the Product and Result of a good Confcience towards God, of a Kindness

and true Love to our Neighbour, of good Defigns, and honeft Actions, and a Freedom from all fuch restlefs, anxious, or revengeful Thoughts, ruffle or difcompofe our inward Peace.

as may

2. This inward Tranquillity of Mind shews it felf in an outward, affable, courteous, kind, and friendly Behaviour to Men. The meek Man has no Fierceness or Haughtinefs in his Countenance, nó Rudeness or Harfhnefs in his Speech, nothing that is infolent or affronting in his Actions; he is not cenforious or captious, hafty or precipitate; he has the Civility and Patience to give Men a fair Hearing, and to hear them to an End, and even to pardon their Indifcretions: His own, both Words and Actions, receive a fweet Tincture from the inward good Temper of his Mind; for as he loves to do Good, fo he loves to do it after a kind and obliging Manner; and even where Reason will not allow him to grant People's Requests, he ftudies to deny in a gentle and winning Way, without Harshness and Severity; as being, before he can deny others, obliged firft to ufe a Piece of Self-denial upon himself, in refifting his Inclina

tion to Acts of Favour and Beneficence.

3. The Meek Man is flow to Anger. As he does by no means encourage Tale-bearers and Back-biters, fo he is not forward to give Credit to any Stories that tend to the Hurt or Prejudice of others, or to ftir up his Anger against them; but is apt to put the best and faireft Construction on his Neighbour's Words and Actions they are capable of: Nay, further, he has fo entirely fubdued the Paffion of Anger in himself, that it is no easy Matter for him to awaken and let it loofe, even where there is juft Occafion for it; the Ways

[SERM. of Severity being used by him only as laft Remedies, after all fotter and milder Courses have been tried in vain.

4. The Meek Man keeps due Measures, and is prudent and moderate in his Paffion, tempering it with a Spirit of Calmnefs and Moderation. As there is great Difference between the Rebukes of a Friend, and the Reproaches of an Enemy; between a steady Pace, and a furious Driving; between a well-difciplined Dog's pinching the Ear, and a bloody Sheep-biter's Aying at the Throat; fo the meek Man can rebuke, chaftife, and restore a Delinquent in the Spirit of Meeknefs, gaining upon his Reason, without provoking his Paffion, or driving him to defperate Extremes. He has a great Compaffion for Men in Diftrefs, and a due Regard to their Frailties and Infirmities, and to the Temptations which overcome them; remembering that he himself is in the Body.

5. The Meek Man lets go his Anger as foon as poffibly he can in Reafon, at least he fuffers it not to fettle into a fixed Hatred, or lafting Refentment, but is ready to embrace all Overtures of Reconciliation; for the fake of which he is often willing to part with somewhat of his own juft Right, rather than keep up a Quarrel.

6. I shall add but one Thing more in the Defcription of this Virtue of Meekness, that we may know it the better, at least from the Company it keeps; that is, that it is always joined with Humility, Refignation, Contentment, Chearfulness, Courtefy, Gratitude, Moderation, Peaceablèness, Kindness, Patience, Forgiveness of Injuries, Charity, and all other focial and good-natur'd Vir

tues,

tues, with most of which it is fo connected in the holy Scriptures, that I do not know whether they ought not to enter into the Definition of it, at leaft they are fuch neceffary Properties and Qualifications of it, that it is not of the right Stamp without them.

So much for the first Thing I propofed, The Description of Meekness.

2. I proceed next to confider the Bleffing here annexed to the Meek, namely, that They shall inberit the Earth.

Some Interpreters give us a very ftrained Expofition of this Promife, as if by Earth were meant Heaven, that being eminently the Land of the Living. Some others think it must be that New Earth St. Peter speaks of, Wherein dwelleth Righteoufnefs, 2 Pet. iii. 13. What has driven both these to those Interpretations, must be the feeming Strangenefs and Unusualnefs of worldly Comforts among the Gofpel Promises, especially among thefe Beatitudes, where all the reft of the Promifes feem to be of a more fpiritual Nature. But whatever there is in this, (for perhaps we fhall find it otherwife when we come to confider the two next Beatitudes,) I think it is a dangerous Thing, because of our puzzling Objections, to depart from the Letter, or plain literal Meaning of any Text. The Words are a punctual Quotation out of Pfal. xxxvii. 11. But the Meek fhall inherit the Earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of Peace. Where, no doubt, David understood it of this Earth of ours, or of the Land of Canaan. For the Tenor of that whole Pfalm is defigned to fhew that wicked Men shall by God's Judgments fuddenly perish, whilst the Righteous

L 4

Righteous lived eafily and quietly in the Land of Canaan. For clearing the Difficulty of the Words then, understood as a temporal Promife, we are not prefently to fancy that because it is faid, The Meek fhall inherit the Earth, it is therefore promifed that they fhall have a great Affluence and abundance of Things temporal to make them great and rich in this World. Our Saviour has told us, Luke xii. 15. that Man's Life, (that is, the true Felicity of it) doth not confift in the Abundance of the Things which he poffeffeth. And therefore if the Felicity of this Life doth not confist in Riches, we have no Reason to believe they are here promifed. If we look into that Part of the Pfalm from whence this Quotation is brought, there feem to be thefe two Things meant by this Promise to the Meek. 1. First, God's Bleffing and Protection to them and their Families, when his Judgments fhould overtake and cut off the the Wicked. For evil Doers, fays he, (a) fhall be cut off but those that wait upon the Lord they fhall inherit the Earth: For yet a little While and the Wicked fhall not be; yea, thou shall diligently confider bis Place, and it shall not be. So that here is a Promife of Protection to the Meek, and a Threatning of Excifion to the Wicked. 2. Another Thing meant by inheriting the Earth there, is their enjoying their Portion of it with Quiethefs, Contentment, and Satisfaction. But the Meek fhall inherit the Earth, and shall delight themfelves in the abundance of Peace; which Pronifes fignify both their having a Competency of the good Things of this Life, and the inward Contentment of Mind, and Freedom from An

(6) Pal xxxvii. 9.

xiety