at the costly and curious works of human skill or industry; yea, when the disciples wondered at the magnificence of the Temple, he rebuked them rather. I find Him not wondering at the frame of heaven and earth, nor at the orderly disposition of all creatures and events: the familiarity of these things intercepts the admiration. But, when He sees the grace or acts of faith, He so approves them, that He is ravished with wonder. He that rejoiced in the view of his creation, to see that of nothing He had made all things good, rejoices no less in the reformation of his creatures, to see that He had made good of evil.

of a

If the prayers of an earthly master prevailed so much with the Son of God for the recovery servant, how shall the intercession of the Son of God prevail with his Father in Heaven for us, that are his impotent children and servants upon earth! What can we want, O Saviour, while thou suest for us? He that hath given thee for us, can deny thee nothing for us, can deny us nothing for thee. In thee we are happy and shall be glorious. To thee, O thou mighty Redeemer of Israel, with thine eternal Father, together with thy blessed Spirit, one God, infinite and incomprehensible, be given all praise, honour, and glory, for

ever and ever.

Amen.-Contemplations upon the

New Testament, Book ii. Con. 6.

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany.

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.-Rom. xiii. 7. (Epistle.)

FIRST, let God have His own; His own days, His own services, His fear, His love, His all. Let religion lead all our projects, not follow them. Let our lives be led in a conscientious obedience to all the laws of our maker. Far be all blasphemies, curses, and obscenities, from our tongues; all outrages and violences from our hands; all presumptuous and rebellious thoughts from our hearts. Let our hearts and hands, tongues, lives, bodies and souls be sincerely devoted to Him.

Then, for men; let us give Cæsar his own: tribute, fear, subjection, loyalty; and if he need, our lives. Let the nobility have honour, obeisance, observation. Let the clergy have their dues, and Our reverence. Let the commons have truth, love, fidelity in all their transactions. Let there

be just balances, just weights. Let there be no grinding of faces, no treading upon the poor, no swallowing of widows' houses, no force, no fraud, no perjury, no perfidiousness.

Finally, for ourselves; let every man possess his vessel in sanctification and honour"; framing himself to all Christian and heavenly temper, in all wisdom, sobriety, chastity, meekness, constancy, moderation, patience, and sweet contentation.

So shall the work of our righteousness be peace of heart, peace of state; private and public peace; peace with ourselves, peace with the world, peace with God; temporal peace here, eternal peace and glory above :-unto the fruition whereof, He, who hath ordained us, mercifully bring us, for the sake of Him who is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ the righteous.-Sermon xiii.

So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go.-St. Matthew viii. 31, 32. (Gospel.)

Not long before had our Saviour commanded

3 Lev. xix. 36.

4 Amos v. 11.

51 Thess. iv. 4.

the winds and waters, and they could not but obey Him: now he speaks in the same language to the evil Spirit: he entreats not, he persuades not, he commands. Command argues superiority. He only is infinitely stronger than the strong one in possession. Else, where powers are matched, though with some inequality, they tug for the victory; and, without resistance, yield nothing.

What need we to fear, while we are under so omnipotent a commander? The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Let those principalities and powers do their worst: those mighty adversaries are under the command of Him who loved us so well as to bleed for us. What can we now doubt of? His power, or His will? How can we profess him a God, and doubt of his power? How can we profess him a Saviour, and doubt of his will? He both can and will command those infernal powers. We are no less safe, than they are malicious.

Behold the same name given to Christ by the devil, which was formerly given him by the Angel;

Thou shalt call his name Jesus". That awful name, whereat every knee shall bow, in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, is called upon by this prostrate devil.

Fond hypocrite, that pleasest thyself in talking well, hear this devil; and when thou canst speak better than he, look to fare better: but, in the mean time, know that a smooth tongue, and a foul heart, carries away double judgments.

Let curious heads dispute, whether the devil knew Christ to be God. In this I dare believe himself, though in nothing else he knew what he believed; what he believed, that he confessed, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God; to the confusion of those semi-christians, that have either held doubtfully, or ignorantly unknown, or blasphemously denied, what the very devils have professed. How little can a bare speculation avail us, in these cases of divinity! So far, this devil hath attained; to no ease, no comfort. Knowledge alone puffeth up, it is our charity that edifieth. If there be not a sense of our sure interest in this Jesus, a power to apply his merits

7 Mat. i. 21.

8 Mark v. 7.

9 1 Cor. viii. 1.