ment than the lofs of fo ineftimable an acquifition; and fome perhaps may have virtues which may entitle them to rewards of an inferior kind. Mankind are by no means divifible into two claffes only-the righteous and the wicked. We find them indeed fo divided in many paffages of the New Teftament, all which must be understood but as general declarations, that the righteous fhall be rewarded, and the wicked punished, in a future life; but cannot be applied to individuals, becaufe in fact no fuch line of dif tinction can be drawn between them. The generality of mankind are compleatly neither the one or the other: none are fo good as to be guilty of no crimes, and few so bad as to be poffeffed of no virtues; and in most men they are intermixed, though in very different proportions. The juftice of Providence must have prepared many intermediate states of happiness and mifery, in which every individual will receive reward or punishment in exact proportion to his merits. Aftronomy has opened to our view innumerable

innumerable worlds, fome of which are probably happier, and fome more 'miferable. than this which we at prefent inhabit; in them there is ample room for the difplay of the divine juftice and benevolence, as in 'fome of them fuch a fituation may be allotted to every one as his conduct has deferved.

VOL. IV.

K

MATT.

Bleffed are the meek, for they fhall inherit the earth.

T appears by no means eafy to reconcile

IT

the promise with facts and experience; for earthly profperity, wealth, power, and pre-eminence, are fo far from being the inheritance of the meek, that they seem to be entirely monopolized by the bold, turbulent, and ambitious; and we may say with Cato, This world was made for Cæfar.

To extricate themselves from this difficulty, fome commentators have been induced to look out for another earth, which they at last fortunately found in the words of St. Peter; who fays, " Nevertheless we, ac"cording to promife, look for new heavens " and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righte"oufnefs *." To this new earth, they would

perfuade us, this promise may with propriety be applied, and that therein it will certainly be fulfilled.

But in explaining this paffage, there is no occafion to have recourse to fo far-fetched and fanciful an interpretation, nor to call in the affiftance of a new world. By the meek inheriting the earth, nothing more is meant, than that perfons of meek, quiet, and peaceable difpofitions, enjoy more happiness on earth, and fuffer lefs difquietude in the prefent life, than thofe of oppofite characters: and this is verified by the experience of every day; they acquire more friends, and fewer enemies, they meet with fewer injuries and disappointments, and bear those which they cannot avoid with less uneafiness, and pass thro' the world as they do through a crowd, lefs obstructed, lefs bruised and joftled, than those who force their way by violence and impetuofity. To which we may add, that a meek and quiet temper is the most efficacious prefervative of health, the first of all earthly bleffings, and without which we are incapaK 2

ble

ble of enjoying any other. Wealth, power, and grandeur, are by no means effential to earthly happinefs; but fhould we admit that they are, and are included in this promife, we should not find it altogether unfulfilled; for, though the turbulent and overbearing may fometimes feize on them by violence, they much oftener fail in their attempts, and fink by their own infolence into ruin and contempt; whilft thofe of easy and conciliating manners, filently climb above them, less envied, and lefs opposed, because lefs noticed and lefs offending.

It is univerfally allowed, that nothing fo much advances our worldly interefts, and fo much affifts us in our purfuits of wealth and honours, as good-breeding; and what is good-breeding, but an affectation of meeknefs, humility, and complacency? if, therefore, the pretence to these amiable qualities can do fo much, furely the poffeffion of them will do a great deal more. In fact it does,

and feldom fails to gain us

favour, increase

our friends, and advance our interefts.-Thus

we