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efficacy, what an excellency in the religion of Jefus !--"Here is the patience of the faints!" This brings us,

PART III. To fpecify SOME CASES in which the patience of the faints is to be rendered ILLUSTRIOUS and STRIKING. We shall mention three. The firft concerns PROVOCATION; the fecond AFFLICTION; the third DELAY: here patience is neceffary; and here we are to behold its triumphs.

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First, it is to be difplayed in bearing PROVOCATION. "It must needs be that offences will come." opinions, reputations, connections, offices, bufineffes, render us widely vulnerable. The characters of men are various; their purfuits and their interefts perpetually clash. Some try us by their ignorance, fome by their folly, fome by their perverfeness, fome by their malice. There are to be found perfons made up of every thing disagreeable and mischievous; born only to vex, a burden to themselves, and a torment to all around them. Here is an opportunity for the triumph of patience; here is a theatre on which a man may exhibit his character, and appear a fretful, wafpifh reptile, or a placid, pardoning God. We are very fufceptive of irritation; anger is eloquent; revenge is fweet. But to ftand calm and collected; to fufpend the blow, which paffion was urgent to ftrike; to drive the reasons of clemency as far as they will go; to bring forward fairly in view the circumstances of mitigation; to distinguish between surprise and deliberation, infirmity and crime; or if an infliction be deemed neceffary, to leave God to be both the judge and, the executioner-This a chriftian fhould labour after.

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peace requires it. People love to fting the paf

fionate. They who are eafily provoked, commit their repose to the keeping of their enemies; they lie down at their feet, and invite them to ftrike. The man of temper places himself beyond vexatious interruption and infult. "He that hath no rule over his own fpir"it, is like a city that is broken down and without "walls," into which enter over the ruins, toads, ferpents, vagrants, thieves, enemies; while the man, who in patience poffeffes his foul, has the command of himfelf, places a defence all around him, and forbids the entrance of fuch unwelcome company to offend or difcompofe.

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His wisdom requires it. "He that is flow to anger “is of great understanding: but he that is hafty of "fpirit exalteth folly." "Anger refteth in the bofom "of fools.' Wisdom gives us large, various, comprehenfive, failing-round views of things; the very exercife operates as a diverfion, affords the mind time to cool, and furnishes numberlefs circumftances tending to foften severity. Such is the meekness of wisdom. Thus candour is the offspring of knowledge.

His dignity requires it. "It is the glory of a man "to pafs by a tranfgreffion." "Be not overcome of ❝evil, but overcome evil with good." The man provoked to revenge, is conquered, and lofes the glory of the struggle; while he who forbears, comes off a victor, crowned with no common laurels; for, "he "that is flow to anger is better than the mighty; and "he that ruleth his fpirit, than he that taketh a city." A flood affails a rock, and rolls off, unable to make an impreffion; while ftraws and boughs are borne off in triumph, carried down the ftream," driven with "the wind, and toffed."

It is alfo required by examples the moft worthy of our imitation. What provocations had Jofeph receiv ed from his brethren! but he fcarcely mentions the crime, fo eager is he to announce the pardon:" and "he faid, I am Jofeph your brother, whom ye fold in"to Egypt: now therefore be not grieved, nor angry "with yourselves that ye fold me hither; for God did "fend me before you to preferve life." Hear David: "they rewarded me evil for good, to the fpoiling of my foul. But as for me, when they were fick my "clothing was fackcloth: I humbled my foul with “fasting, and my prayer returned into my own bofI behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother!" View Stephen, dying under a fhower of ftones: he more than pardons; he prays; he is more concerned for his enemies, than for himself; in praying for himself, he ftood; in praying for his enemies, he kneeled; he kneeled and faid, "Lord lay not this fin to their

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charge." A greater than Jofeph, a greater than David, a greater than Stephen, is here. He endured every kind of infult; but "when he was reviled, he "reviled not again: when he suffered, he threatened "not; but committed himself to Him that judgeth " righteously." Go to the foot of the cross, and behold him fuffering for us, "leaving us an example "that we should follow his fteps." Every thing conspired to render the provocation heinous; the nature of the offence, the meanness and obligations of the offenders, the righteousness of his caufe, the grandeur of his perfon; all these feemed to call for vengeance.

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The creatures were eager to punish. Peter drew his fword. The fun refolved to fhine on fuch criminals no longer. The rocks afked leave to crush them. The earth trembles under the finful load. The very dead cannot remain in their graves. He fuffers them all to testify their fympathy, but forbids their revenge; and left the Judge of all fhould pour forth HIS fury, he inftantly cries, "Father, forgive them, for they "know not what they do." "Here is the patience

"of" a God.

AFFLICTION.

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Secondly, Patience is to be displayed in SUFFERING "Man is born to trouble, as the fparks fly upward;" and fo far are the faints from being exempted, that we are informed "many are the af"flictions of the righteous." But we shall not de-. scribe them; we have only to inquire after the temper with which they are to be borne. It is not neceffary to be infenfible; there is no virtue in bearing what we do not feel; grace takes away the heart of stone, and patience does not bring it back. You may defire deliverance; but thefe defires will not be rash, infifting, unconditional; but always clofed with "nev"ertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." You may employ means to obtain freedom; but thefe means will be lawful ones. A fuffering christian may fee several ways of release, but he feeks only God's way. "He who confined me fhall bring me forth; "here will I ftand ftill to fee the falvation of the Lord, "which HE will fhew me." He would rather endure the greatest calamity, than commit the leaft fin; and while the affliction remains, there is no rebellious carriage, no foaming expreffions, no hard thoughts of

God, no charging him foolishly. He calmly acqui- ~ esces in a condition, of the disadvantages of which he is fully fenfible. His patience keeps him in the medium between presumption and despair; between defpifing "the chaftening of the Lord, and fainting when "rebuked of him;" between feeling too little and too much. Here then is another field, in which patience may gather glory. Affliction comes to exercife and illuftrate our patience. "The trial of your faith "worketh patience;" and it does fo in confequence of the divine bleffing, and by the natural operation of things; for use makes perfect, the yoke is rendered eafy by being worn, and those parts of the body which are most in action, are the most strong and folid. And therefore you are not to excufe improper difpofitions under affliction, by faying, "it was fo trying, "who could help it:" this is to juftify impatience, by the very means which God employs on purpose to make you patient. Be affured the fault is not in the condition, but in the temper. Labour therefore to display this grace in whatever, state you are, and however afflicted you may be. Impatience turns the rod into a scorpion. Till you wipe your eyes from this fuffusion of tears, you cannot see what God is doing; and while the noisy paffions are so clamorous, his addrefs cannot be heard. Suppofe you were lying on a bed of pain, or walking in the field under fome heavy affliction; suppose you were alone there, and heard a voice which you knew to be the voice of God" Do "not imagine your cafe is fingular; there has been "forrow like unto thy forrow. Take the prophets, "who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an

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