marshals of the heavenly field; but all this only in a loose way of speaking, as we have need. For any one may conceive, that if particular or concrete spirits are not material, the abstract here alluded to certainly cannot be so, in the first place; and next, that no one who was not particularly vain or fanatical could ever presume to draw a strict comparison between good spirits only of the moral order or complexion: he might as well pretend to state the comparative worth of every individual in the right or left wing of a victorious army, in which every private should be an hero.

Therefore the adverse objects of comparison in this case will generally be extraneous rather than intrinsic with respect to the kingdom; as for example, comparing some good and amiable spirits which the gospel prizes highly with those which the world chiefly prizes, we shall find a mighty difference in their two estimates. Especially we shall find that such humble spirits as those of pity and sympathy; lenity, forgiveness, placability; toleration and mutual concession; affability and condescension; patience; meekness; modesty; self-correction; and in short, humility; with politeness and equity; gentleness and pliability on the one hand-and fidelity and obedience; respect; hope; gratitude on the other, however dear they may be to God and Christ, are not so popular as some in the world: but on the contrary there are multitudes in the world with whom no commendation would ever make them take, for want of the necessary affinity. Hence they will regard some of these properties; forgiveness, patience and meekness particularly, which are taught so decidedly in the Christian school, as weak and effeminate, pitiful and absurd. That a disposition framed on such principles may frequently conduce to its owner's comfort; or at least, to a diminution of his misery in a case past remedy they cannot deny; but at the same time will resolutely maintain, that the avenging of an affront, and procuring the redress of outward grievances, real

or imagined, is a duty incumbent on every man as a member of society; HOWEVER IT BE WITH THE INWARD SORT." And the very same persons who can submit implicitly to the harrows of an infernal enemy, will spurn the yoke of Christ, and regard a peaceful submission to their own brethren as an argument of pusillanimity; as no part of civic virtue, nor conducive by any means to public happiness: which is just what St. Peter says of them; " For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh those that were clean escaped from them that live in error. WHILE THEY PROMISE THEM LIBERTY, THEY THEMSELVES ARE THE SERVANTS OFS CORRUPTION; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage" (Pet. II. ii. 18, 19). "They corrupt other and speak of wicked blasphemy; (says the Psalmist) their talking is against the Most High. For they stretch forth their mouth unto the heaven; and their tongue goeth through the world. Therefore fall the people unto them; and thereout suck they no small advantage (Ps. lxxiii. 8, &c.). And many in the world, who do not fully answer this description, whom it may esteem more justly perhaps in certain respects, are still of the same principle with those above described, if they do not perceive it themselves, in relation to the unchristian preference of revenge and other violent spirits before the mild and amiable which have been commended, and that by the best authority.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; (says Christ) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. v. 3). But nothing can be more diametrically opposite to the opinion of the world; which admires a fine spirited fellow above all things. In the world courage is generally esteemed the highest, and most primitive virtue (virtus); in the kingdom of Christ not courage, or not worldly courage however; but patience and resignation, gentleness and forbearance, meekness and humility, or even timidity; properties all opposite to worldly courage. Nothing can be

more foreign to the character of this kingdom, than the noisy, rending, vindictive courage which the world approves for the kingdom of Christ is a common concern of its subjects more than appears in any other kingdom or connexion; and there cannot be out of it so general a motive as it presents to all the peaceful virtues before enumerated. If men professing this dominion, empire or kingdom, considered always the good of the service as they ought, they would not be standing upon trifles with each other so often as they are; while the business which should chiefly concern all parties-the growth, honour and interests of the kingdom are shamefully neglected.

And only in a temporal view it would be easy to shew, that if the mild virtues aforesaid prevailed more in the world, it would be better for all ranks from highest to lowest; for the governors first, and also for the governed in every rank and degree. But the wider the sphere of the governor, the more provocation will he be likely to receive, and consequently the more occasion to have for these virtues as well as for the more dazzling properties of resolution and fortitude with others of their class before mentioned. As an example; the resolution and fortitude of the great leader of the Jews were sufficiently proved by his taking them all the long and wearisome way of that terrible march through the wilderness; or at least, to the end of it: but meekness, faith and obedience, the mild companions of fortitude, were what served him best, and what that eminent leader was most celebrated for, even by divine authority, the spirit that both gave him such meekness, and dictated its record to him as a lesson for rulers. "The man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num. xii. 3). And if his Governor had not endowed him so largely with this virtue, Moses, bold and persevering as he was, would have had but small chance of governing that untractable race, and bringing the divine expedition with which he was entrusted to a successful issue.

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Considering the freedom and equality that must have reigned in the camp of the Israelites, as usual with "those who dwell in tents," the meekness of Moses will appear the more prodigious; making one to wonder where he could learn it; as the properest class to learn meekness and all the milder virtues from, is not our equals, and still less our superiors; not from any class that will not bear our haughtiness and ill humour; but from the class that often cannot help it; from our inferiors and dependants, from those who have no remedy, from those who are obliged to bear such conduct as often as we may be sufficiently base and ungenerous to avail ourselves of our superiority in this unchristian-like manner. For if we can govern ourselves, and behave with becoming meekness before our inferiors, there will not be much danger of our breaking out in better company: our betters will take the charge of that upon themselves.

The importance of both these sorts of virtues, the manly and the mild, is therefore here generally asserted: but that all of them, at the same time, have their vices as well as their antitheses must also be confessed; and as other virtues may be eclipsed, obliterated, or even transformed into evil by evil accompaniments, so likewise may these. Patience, e. g., is evil when accompanied with sloth; resignation, accompanied with levity; meekness, with apathy; humility, with meanness perchance, as well as apathy; and forgiveness with partiality and injustice. Every action has also its proper season and circumstances. There is a time to resent, as well as to endure; to strive and pray, as well as to be resigned; to be warm and zealous, as well as to be passive and meek; lofty and indignant, as well as humble and conciliating. If, therefore, the original, essential, or fundamental properties be oftener called virtues than otherwise, they still are not absolutely and universally good any more than their antitheses are universally evil: but they seem to be for the most part as we generally find them designated; and that may be enough to entitle them

to the exalted place or station which they occupy among good moral characteristics of the more spiritual and intellectual sort.

And having now gone the round of good characteristics founded objectively, i. e. by practice, on the various essential constituents of the material and spiritual classes or kinds, those founded on the higher, intellectual, class may deserve our attention.

§ 3. The constancy of accidents or latency of properties, which will amount to the same thing, appears in this department of the heavenly kingdom more decidedly than in the other two which we have just perambulated: so that however paradoxical it may seem to expect a constancy of doing, and that wickedly too by nature, in the human subject, sphere, or composition, it will not appear so to assert the constancy of thinking; for this is no more than has been often asserted already, and never successfully contradicted. Indeed to this discovery may be owing, perhaps, the doctrine of Socrates the Athenian, and other heathen philosophers, on the soul's pre-existence; which meant nothing more with them than the latency of our intellectual properties; for little idea had they of pre-existence in fact, or of posthumous existence either. But having made the discovery of latent properties in the human understanding, our spiritual midwife, as he used to call himself, had only to apply the charm of his discourse, even to persons who had not thought much outwardly before, and produce a fine flow of thinking.

But we Christians may boast a very superior sort of excitement to that practised by Socrates, which we have in the all powerful word of God, a word that not only quickens or produces reflection, as the Psalmist observed, "Thy word hath quickened me" (Ps. cxix. 50); but produces also just reflection, or right wisdom with its proper reward of happiness; as the Psalmist also observes, speaking this time of particulars, "More to be desired are they than gold; yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than