Son of God was to be the great Prophet of Love. 'Twas referved for him, as being the Express Image of him who is Love it felt, and therefore the only Mafter fit to teach it. This was the Fire which he came to kindle upon Earth, Luk. 12.49. the most ardent and affectionate Love towards God and towards Men. This was to be the Subftance and Accomplishment of his Law, and the diftinguishing Badge of those that profefs'd Devo tion to it. By this fhall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, &c. But now 'twould not have been agreeable for a Law of Love to begin its recommendation from fuch Argu ments as should work upon the more Servile part of Man. Mofes indeed deliver'd his Law with all the Circumstances and Argu ments of Fear, and the Nature of his Law required fuch an Addrefs, but 'twas fit that a Law of Love fhould come recommended to the World by Motives of Love.

Fourthly and Laftly, It may be further confidered that this folemn Inftruction of our Lord upon the Mount confifted of Precepts So very fublime and elevated, and withal fo ftrange and unusual, as having had not Credit, if Reception, in the World before, that 'twas but neceffary for the Prevention of Prejudice to fet a Beatitude in the Front of every Duty, and to bribe the Paffions of the Hearers with a forward Anticipation of Happineis,

04

pinefs, left Men fhould fay of the Commands
of Chrift, as the Prophet brings them in fay-
ing of his Perfon, Ifa. 53. 2. that there is no
Form nor Comeliness, nor Beauty in them that
we should defire them.

For thefe and other like Reasons that may be added, our Divine and gracious Lawgiver was pleased to deliver his Laws rather by afferting the Bleffedness than the Obligation of them. Which while I confider, I cannot but enter into a profound Admiration of the ftrange Goodness and Condefcenfion of our Lord, that he should fo far lay afide the Majefty of a God and a Langiver, that he might the better act the part of a Friend and of a Redeemer. And to fet this Confideration the more home upon our Minds, let us by the aids of Fancy draw the Curtains of this Intellectual Scene, and imagin to our felves that we faw our Saviour feated upon the Mount of Bleffing, with his Eyes devoutly fet towards Heaven, and his Hands affectionately ftretch'd forth over the adoring and attentive Multitude, and with Looks full of concern for the Good of Souls, gravely and pathetically diftilling down upon them the Dew of his Heavenly Doctrin and temper ing his Authority with the Style of Goodness and Kindness, as well as his Divinity with the Veil of Flefh. Who can with fufficient Wonder contemplate fo pleafing a Scene of

Love and Sweetness! And who, that well contemplates it, can find in his Heart to tranfgrefs a Law delivered with so much Condefcenfion, or offend a Lawgiver fo infinitely, fo amazingly good!

Now concerning the Number of the Beatitudes, why our Lord fhould affign Eight and no more, 'tis not eafie to offer what fhall fatisfie all Minds. Were I minded to amuse my Reader, I could tell him that in the My-, fick Philofophy 8 is the Number of Justice and Fulness, because it is first of all divided into Numbers equally even, namely into 2 Fours, which Divifion again is by the fame reafon made into 2 times 2, that is, 2 times 2 twice reckon'd. And by reason of this Equa-, lity of Divifions it received the Name of Juftice. But I do not believe our Saviour intended any Rofie-Crucian Mystery

in this matter, tho a certain Gen- Mr. Heydon tleman of that Order would fain Rofie Crucian infinuate that he did, reckoning ons, pag. 73. Infallible Acti this among other Obfervations

"

upon the Number 8, that there were 8 kinds of Blessed Men in the leffer World, The Poor in Spirit, the Mourners, the Meek, they that, hunger and thirst after Righteoufnefs, &c. But I think all that can here be warrantably and fafely faid is, that our Saviour intending (as. he fignify'd by his Afcent into the Mount) a Difcourfe of Perfection and Excellence,

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confifting of fuch Divine Vertues as were most perfective of Human Nature, and for the Practice of which he himself was most exemplary, was by his Defign concern'd to inftance only in the most felect and excellent Duties both to God and Man. Whereupon premifing Humility as being a Duty common to both, and withal the Foundation of all the reft, he found remaining three extraordinary Duties relating to Man, Meekness, Mercifulness and Peaceableness; and four to God, Mourning for Sin, Hungring and Thirfting after Righteousness, Purity of Heart, and Suffering of Perfecution for Confcience Sake. So that our Saviour feems rather to have been directed by a natural Measure, and to take things as he found them, than to proceed by any Arbitrary Measure of his own. And this I think is the only ground of his affigning eight Beatitudes, and not that he had any Fondness to the Number it self.

Then laftly, as to the Order of the Beatitudes Dr. Hammond in his Practical Catechism, Pag. 114. remarks two things. First, That the Grace first named is a general Principal Grace, and the Foundation of the reft, as he there fhews in particular. Secondly, That there is an interchangeable Mixture of these Graces one towards God, and another towards Man, fo interweav'd, that the first refpects God, the next Man, the next God

again, till you come to the laft which refpects God again. To verify which Remark, he begins his Computation not from Humility, which is a general Fundamental Grace, but from Mourning, which is the firft particular one, and refpecting God. So that the First and the Laft both refpect God, who is the true Alpha and Omega, the Firft and the Laft, and those between divide between our Neighbour and God. To teach us, that to God belongs the Chief, the First and the Laft of our Love, and that our Neighbour is to be regarded after and in fubordination to God. To this I further add, that there is also a gradual and defcending connexion between all the Beatitudes, the latter ftill depending upon the former, as well as all the rest upon the firft. For from Humility 'tis an easie descent to Mourning. When a Man takes a juft Survey of his own Nothingness and Unworthiness by contemplating himself as a Creature and a Sinner, 'twill be so natural for him to mourn and be forrowful, that the danger is of being overwhelm'd with too much Sorrow. Then from Mourning 'tis cafie to advance to Meeknefs, it being one of the chief Properties of Sorrow to foften and melt down the Spirit, which when meekly difpofed, will alfo be in a fair dif pofition to Hungring and Thirfting after Righteousness. The Wrath of Man worketh

not