NIniveh, that great City and Me­tropolis of Assyria, had now filled, up the Measure of its Iniquities; which called aloud for Vengeance from Heaven: Insomuch that the Prophet Jonah was going to give the Inhabitants notice of their unavoidable Destructi­on, unless they Repented. He Embarks him­self, in a Ship bound for Tarshifh; and no sooner was He got out to Sea, but a terrible Storm ari­ses, such a one, as made the very Sailors trem­ble, altho they are a hardy sort of Men, very familiar and acquainted with Dangers: After they had for a long time tug'd the leaky Vessel [Page 4]to no purpose, in a great Fright they call every Man upon his God, Belus perhaps, or Astarte, Melcartus and Ilus. But Jonah was all this while missing, who was fallen asleep in some bidden Corner of the Ship: After they had found him out, they enquire presently what Country-Man He was; because He was not calling upon his God, as well as others, in this Distress of Weather.

To which, He replys, that He was an He­brew, and that He feared the Lord, the God of Heaven, who hath made the Sea, and the dry Land: the Worship of Him was his daily Oc­cupation; and he expected no Relief from any such Gods, as were the Creatures of Fear, or a deluded Imagination; But his God was the Cre­ator and Preserver of all Things; and if ever they escaped the Tempest, it must be by Con­fiding in Him; if ever they arrived safe Ashore, it must be thro his Power and Providence, whom alone the Winds and the Seas Obey. We may suppose, the prophet told them, how vain a Thing it was, to fly to Stocks and Stones in this Case; when their Safety was only in the living God; when their deliverance could be wrought only by his Power and Mercy. You may indeed cry out, mangle and cut your selves, as Baal's Priests did: But no one hears, or can answer your Requests; because you Address [Page 5]your selves to Idols, which in Reallity are No­thing at all. Whereas I am an Hebrew, an Ab­horrer of all manner of Idolatry; I am of that Country in which the true God is Adored in Sin­cerity and Truth, who is both able and willing to save all, that trust in Him; who is more than ordinary concern'd for the Miserable and Afflict­ed: Blessed be his Holy Name, that I was born among those People, who are Untainted by any Idolatrous or Superstitious Worship; who never bowed the Knee to the Altar of any strange God. Hence it is, that I can sleep in Storms; rest secure in the midst of imminent Dangers; whereas you, poor ignorant. Wretches, are at your Wits end, as soon as the Sea begins to swell, because you know not the Ways of that God, who is Almighty, and whose Arm is stretched out to save his faithful Servants. In confidence of his Aid and Assistance, I am now travelling to an unknown Place, and carrying a very un­grateful Message to the chief Seat of a Vicious and proud Nation: But I fear no Harm, so long as I am of that Race of Men, who Worship the true God by rational Services; so long as I am. an Hebrew, and fear the Lord, the God of Heaven, &c.

From which Words, I shall first consider, what Advantage and Benefit it is, to be Born and Educated in some Countrys above others.

Secondly, I shall shew, that the greatest Hap­piness and Comfort, Men are capable of re­ceiving, doth arise from their being numbred a­mong those People, who truly fear God, the Lord of Heaven, who made the Sea and the dry Land.

First, The Advantage of being Born and E­ducated in some Countrys above others, will appear; if we consider them both in a Natural, and in a Spiritual Sense: For some Countrys are so situated on the Globe of the Earth, that ei­ther the Inhabitants are continually scorched with furious Heats, or they are benummed and stupified by incessant Colds; some wander in untrodden Paths, thro vast barren Desarts, such as those of Arabia: Others sit shivering at the Foot of the Riphaean Hills; undergo the severe Hardships of the Northern Pole. In one place, they can scarce find Water to quench their Thirst: In another, they fill their Bellies with Roots, or the small Herbage of the Earth: In one part of the World, the poor naked Indian lays his Neck on the Block, to be made a miserable Sacrifice to some Deity of Wood or Stone; and an infi­nite number have their Ears born to the Arbi­trary and bloody Decrees of an Eastern Empe­ror. These Circumstances of Life are sad and deplorable, such as render the Condition of Mankind an Object of much Pity and Compas­sion; [Page 7]but there it is most lamentable, where their Bodies draw the Yoak of Slavery; and their Minds are destitute of common Civility, as well as of all true Conceptions concerning God or Religion.

This Consideration, must make us see our Happiness, who are Natives of such a Country, as seems to be the Garden and Paradice of the whole World; a Country, on which the Clouds drop Fatness Night and Day: Where an abun­dance of all things doth encrease, that may sup­port and refresh the Life of Man: So that it seems to be shut in and enclosed from the rest of the Earth, as if it were designed by God him­self, to be the principal Seat of Plenty and worldly Happiness.

Secondly, The Advantage of being Born and Educated in some Countrys above others, will appear greater; if we consider them in a spiritu­al Sense: And this is that Country, in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ was planted very early: That Gospel, which is the Dew from Heaven, whereby we grow up in Grace, to the full sta­ture of Holy and good Christians; whereby we are directed to live up to our highest Faculties, as it becomes rational Beings, that are endow­ed with intellectual Nature: By which we are forbid to do any thing, that would make us like Beasts, or that would transform us into the like­ness [Page 8]of Devils: by which Rhiteousness and Huma­nity, the true Worship and Fear of God is wrought in our Souls: War and Bloodshed, Ra­pine and Spoil are rooted out; which are the ways of Living, and the Trade of other Nati­ons: A Gospel, which hath silenced the Heathen Oracles, and hath taught us to entertain right Notions concerning God; hath delivered us from dark and uncertain Conjectures at things, by bringing Life and Immortality to light; by pointing out to us the right way, and by teach­ing us, how we should follow the Conduct of true and sincere Reason: In brief, Thsi is that System of Religion, which is the most condu­cive Instrument in the whole World, to the Pleasure both of Body and Mind: And this is that excellent Work of God, which makes Men Good, whom it finds bad; as it quickly turn'd the first Inhabitants of this Island, who were Un­civiliz'd and Barbarous, into Humble, Affable, Meek, Charitable, Modest, Prudent, Tender, and Compassionate Creatures: This being now the true Character of an Englishman, that He naturally Reverences the God of Heaven and Earth; and abhors all manner of Atheism and Prophaneness.

These Advantages of our Country considered both in a Natural and Spiritual Sense, being well weighed and compared with the Condition of [Page 9]other Countrys and People: We may conclude; that we have as large a Field, as any is, of ex­ternal Felicity; whilst our Laws, and our Reli­gion make us to be the best constituted State under the Sun; being free from those unsuffe­rable Burdens, which so great a part of the World do labour under: a serious Reflection on whose Miseries doth sufficiently set off and il­lustrate our happy Enjoyments. For had we been of a Pagan People, we had been in a worse Condition, than the Beasts, that Perish; for then we should have made Beasts, our Gods; we should have shed Tears at the smell of a Deified Onyon; we should have hewn down a Tree, and have furnished our Chimneys with one part, with the other our Chappels. Had we been bred up among those, who are misled by the Impostour Mahomet; we had for ever been con­demned to follow Fables and Lyes. But (thanks be to God) we are of that People and Nation, where the God of Heaven and Earth is wor­shiped in Spirit and in Truth: Where we enjoy the free exercise of that Religion, which hath the purest Reason to recommend it to our Judg­ments, which creates a sweet and heavenly tem­per of Mind in all its Professors: For it's im­pressions breath not upon the Passions, but the Reasons of Men, and all its Assistances work in a calm and rational Way, so that every good [Page 10]Man's Religion floats not in his Blood, nor ri­ses or falls with the Ebbs and Tides of his Hu­mours: But he maintains an evenness of Mind in all the various Constitutions of his Body: He confines his Piety entirely within his Soul, and cheerfully keeps it from all Mixtures of Imagi­nation, as knowing, a Religious Fancy to be the greatest Cheat in the World, and the great­est Virtue to consist in promoting an universal Benevolence and Kindness to Mankind: where­by in the room of Envying, Wrath, Strife, and every mischeivous Passion; are planted in the Souls of Men Love, Candour, Ingenuity, Clemency, Patience, Mildness, Gentleness, and all other Instances of good Nature. So that we assume the honourable Name of Christians; not that we merely owe this Title to the Font, where we were Baptized; to our Education or Climate, wherein we were born; or that we proceed ac­cording to Custom and general Consent in the Religion of our Native Country: But upon a strict Examination we find our selves, by the Principles of Grace, and by the Law of our own Reason, obliged to Embrace no other, but the Christian Faith; there being nothing so in­trinsecally Rational, nothing so self-evident, as this is. For it is pregnant with Wisdom and Happiness; it is admirably Consonant to the Desires and Needs of Human Nature; it is a­greeable [Page 11]to the Faculties of Men; it is infinitely serviceable to the Content and Tranquility of the Mind; it is such a thing, as every wise Man would choose, as most becoming the Dignity of rational Nature, and most conducive to his Hap­piness: It rids the Mind of irkesom and vexati­ous Thoughts; it exempts men from the Trou­bles and Tumults of disquieting Passions; it frees the Conscience of all sad and gloomy Re­flections: It is the greatest art of Joy and Plea­sure; it makes us like to God, as well in the Happiness, as in the Purity of our Lives: In short, it hath in it all the excellent and amiable Qualities, which can prevail upon the Reasons or Affections of Men.

Which brings me to the second Thing pro­pounded, which was, to shew, that the greatest Happiness Men can receive, doth arise from their being numbred among those People, who fear God, the Lord of Heaven, who made the Sea and the dry Land. This Happiness is best de­monstrated by Comparison with the Enjoyments of other People, and Nations. Indeed when a Man passeth into the Turkish Dominions, it is no unpleasant Sight to behold a new Scene of the World, and an unknown Face of Things, in Habits, Dyet, Manners, Custom, and Lan­guage. Yet all this while, the People suffer the most intolerable Bondage, both in Body and [Page 12]Mind; their Necks are galled with Oppressed and their Understandings are filled with the Be­lief of the most extravagant and absurd Opini­ons. And when a Man travels into Italy, it is a glorious Shew for him, to see the Gallantries of a pompous Religion; their solemn Processi­ons after Reliques, a Thorn perhaps, or a Chip of Wood: Where the Soil, having plentifully received the good Seed of Christ's Gospel, seems to produce nothing, but Shrines, Altars, Ima­ges, rare Pictures, and rich Chappels: Nay He views this Pageantry of Religion set off by the finest Witts, delineated by the choicest Pensils, garnisht by the rarest Carvers. These little De­vices they have to catch the Multitude; to raise a Mist before their Eys, that they may not see the Snares, that are laid for them; to guild the Pill, that they may swallow it the more glibly: For by these Wheedles their minds are betrayed and seduced into the most extravagant and non­sensical Doctrines: By these Stratagems they are disseized of the Book of God, by which they hold their Salvation: By these Arts, instead of sober Godliness, they are taught to practise an infinite number of silly and antick Ceremonies: By these Tricks they are made Slaves, and Te­nants both for Soul and Estate to their pretended Guides and Governours of Conscience. Had we been so unhappy, as to have been born and edu­cated, [Page 13]under the same Prejudices, and superstiti­ous Blindness: true Piety would long since have left us, and common Honesty too. For who would conform to the strict Rules of a pious Life here, if he were perswaded, as the Romanist's are, that the Indulgence of a Pope can deliver him out of the Pains of the other World? Who would not enfranchise himself from all Duty, both to God and man, if he did believe, that the Dispensation of the same Pope can dissolve the Oaths of Subjects to obey their Prince, or can set at liberty every good Catholick, from keeping Faith, or dealing honestly with Haereticks? But it is our Happiness, that we live in a Country, that is not subject to blind Obedience, or an im­plicit Faith; that we are Members of such a Church, as is uniform in all its Devotions: whose avowed Principles and Practices disown all Resistance of lawful Authority, our Saviour never warranting the shedding of any Blood, not of his own most implacable Enemys. Let men look but into its doctrine and History; and they will find neither the Knoxes, nor the Junius Brutus's on the one side; nor the Bellarmin's, Escobar's, or Marianna's on the other: This is the Church, that makes the Protestant Religion considerable in Christendom; because it doth not confound us with the many Postures and Garbs of Worship, or with the continual starting up of new Lights; because it doth not [Page 14]approve of Enthusiastical Heats, of sudden Im­pulses of Spirit, of Zeal without Understand­ing, nor of any such extraordinary Calls; where­by some men have thought themselves authori­zed to overthrow Kingdoms, because there is somewhat to be found in the Revelation concern­ing a Beast, little Horn, and a fifth Vial. But in the room of wild and unaccountable Conceits, our Church settles in us clear and certain Noti­ons of Religious Duties; forbids us to make false Interpretations of Scripture, to countenance any evil Design; charges us to place our Religion in the Practice of true and real Goodness; not in Forms, and Schemes of Speech, or unintelligible Words, that have no meaning or Sense belong­ing to them, but in the Heart, and in good Af­fections issuing thence. By these means we are brought to the Exercise of substantial Virtue, having no hope of Salvation, unless we work it out with Fear and Trembling. For no man is in any thing more certain, than that he ought to be sober and temperate in reference to him­self; that he ought to deal righteously, and so, as he would be dealt by; that he ought to carry himself equally and fairly; and that he ought to fear and reverence the Deity: Now the Church, where we were Baptized, plainly tells us, what we are to do; what sober, righteous, and god­ly Lives we are bound to lead, and sets before [Page 15]our Eyes the danger of neglecting these Duties: So that we are not deceived by any ways of Fraud or Falshood; we have no such Cheats put upon us, as the Doctrine of Merit, or the delivering Souls out of Purgatory by Masses. But we are dealt Honestly withal; for without Flattery our Church declares, no man shall be saved without personal Holiness, and unless he be renewed in the Spirit of his Mind: that no Sacrifice shall attone for his Sin, altho he make his whole Body a Burnt-Offering: He shall not hide his Iniquities by the greatest Fire and Smoak he can raise, unless he deny his most beloved Appetites, and cast off his choicest Lusts: He may go a great way from home in Pilgrimages, and wander thro Desarts in Sackcloath and Hair; being clogg'd with heavy, malancholy Blood, he may retire to a dark, religious Room, and lock himself in with many Keys: But all will not do; unless he part with the sins of his Heart, come abroad, and practise the active Virtues of Christ's Religion: Unless he fashion his Life according to the Laws of it, and takes not up his Religion for Mode-sake, or because he was born, where it is professed. Thus, I say, our Church deals uprightly with Mankind, by tel­ling them, that here they ought to fit and qua­fie themselves for the state of Glory and Blessed­ness; that here they should get themselves dis­charged [Page 16]of evil Habits, which the repetition of Ave-Mary Prayers, or the Absolution of a Priest at the last, cannot wipe away; especially when they have long abused themselves by ill Practi­ses and Customs. Wherefore being Members of this Church, which shews us the best way of Worshiping God by a reasonable Service: which teaches the surest Principles of Peace and Charity, that tend to reconcile the Differences of Men; which prescribes the best Methods of propagating Love and Good-will in the World: Being Subjects to that Government, by whose Laws this Church is established; where the Su­preme Ruler enjoys a Capacity of doing all the Good imaginable to Mankind, and is in his Na­ture inclined so to do. I must say, we are a hap­py People both in the Constitution of our Church and State.

That this Happines may abide for ever with us: we are obliged,

Fist, To keep up a friendly Society, and Cor­respondence with all Men.

Secondly, We are more particularly engaged to love and help one another, as we are Coun­try-men, born in the same Neighbourhood.

First, We are obliged to keep up a friendly Society and Correspondence with all Men; because without this Society and Correspon­dence, no Man can possibly live happily or [Page 17]well: and we know, every man hath a natural desire of his own Happiness; the sense whereof results from the first and strongest Instincts of Nature: In that it is without doubt natural to Men, as to other Creatures, to seek after their own Welfare: Consequently to consider, by what means it is attainable: Which particular Welfare of every Man, is not to be had without mutual Benevolence, and a common regard for the prosperity of the wole Body of Men: This preserves them Honest and Virtuous in all the entercourses of Life: For should human Society disband, and betake themselves to Woods; Men would be quickly turned into wild Crea­tures, and must subsist by preying upon each o­ther: Then the most Innocent would be least secure, because they are not apt to Invade other men's Rights, and are ever exposed to Wrongs and Injuries.

This therefore is the proper and useful end of Society, to institute a common Friendship among Men, that they may be endeared to each other by mutual Offices of Kindness and Love: The Angels teach us this Lesson; that we should condescend to the meanest Office for the good of our Brethren. The work of these ministring Spirits is, to promote the Welfare of Mankind: so that to employ our selves to do good unto Men, and to further them in the way of Salva­tion, [Page 18]is to be as good as Angels unto Men: We hope to be one day like them in Happiness let us now make them the Examples of our Duty and Obedience: And indeed, were Men as faithful to one another, as the Condition of their Nature requires, and the Author of it ex­pects, there would be no need of Civil Laws and Penalties: We should be all then like our Country-men of Brightwell, where it is observed, there hath been no Ale-House, no Sectary, nor any Suit of Law within the Memory of Man. VVould every single Person take right Measures of himself; reflect seriously upon his frail and helpless State in this VVorld; consider, how in­sufficient all his personal Strength is to secture him; he must believe, that if there were not a common Assistance; if he had not Friends and Acquaintance to fly to upon all Occasions; no­thing could be more wretched and forlorn, than the life of Man. For as the Malmesbury Philo­sopher says, could we suppose a Man out of Society; he must live in perpetual Fears and Jealousies: For his Condition must be desperate, who Corresponds with no body, but trusts to his own Wit and Understanding, to defend him­self against the Fraud and Violence of the whole VVorld besides; so that Men must thwart both their Reason and their Interest, before they can reconcile their Minds to any other Thoughts, [Page 19]then of Love and Society; Human Nature be­ing so much inclined to both; For supposing the brutish part of Man to be wild and Savage; yet if we consider him as an intelligent and rational Being; nothing will appear more extravagant, than to affirm, that he will not pursue such Means, as tend to the Comfort and Chearful­ness of his Life. For a sociable Life, and a friend­ly Conversation with one another, is of great Use to us, in respect of our several Employ­ments, which we are thereby enabled to fol­low and accomplish with greater Safety, much more Chearfulness, and better Success: With greater Safety, because as the wise Man says of two Travelling together, if one falls, the other will lift him up; but woe to him, that is alone, when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him: With much more Cheerfulness, be­cause good Company doth ever lessen and a­bate the Tediousness of Labours; doth easily subdue Troubles and Oppositions: Insomuch that it was a Custom in antient Times, for Men to meet together, that they might find out a way, how to Comfort any of their Friends, that was fallen into Adversity: This was the reason of the Visit, which Job's Friends made him: With better Success; because Affairs are always managed with better Wisdom, and con­sequently Success, where several Heads and [Page 20]Hands are joyned to carry them on. What a strange Chimera then, what an unaccountable Fiction was that Stoick's Wise and Happy Man! Who fancied, no Man could be either one or the other, unless he were shut up in some Dungeon, or lost in some desolate Island; where he might be able acquiescere sibi, cogitationibus suis traditus: But we know, that Adam, our com­mon Father could not be happy without a Com­panion; and if we consider all the Sons of A­dam, as truly they are, and we shall see, they are all very lyable to Confusion and Error. Whilst we are alone, many tumultuous Thoughts and vain Projects start up in our Minds: The Weakness and Defects whereof are plainly seen, as soon as we communicate them to others: Of our selves we are very apt to run into Mistakes in every thing, we set about; there is no better remedy against them, than the Advice of a faith­ful Acquaintance: most of our Disturbances pro­ceed from irregular Passions: We have the Fea­vours and Frenzyes of Anger and Love to strug­gle with, that keep our Minds out of Frame and Order: Hope and Fear shake us, like an Ague: Envy brings a Consumption upon all our Facul­ties: all of them lye cross to our Souls, and like small Particles, that have rugged and sharp Angles, do continually molest and grate upon us. Whatever then that is, which will preserve [Page 21]us from these fretting Passions, that rob us of our Peace, vex and corrode our Spirits, must be of great Consequence to our Welfare. The So­ciety of good and virtuous Men is one of the best Remedies in this case: is one of the most likely ways to free us from the Tumults of dis­orderly Affections, so that we may find Ease and Pleasure, Sweetness and Contentment in our Lives: Because into their Bosoms we may pour forth our secret Troubles, and they will help us to bear our Burden, To them we may divide our Griefs, and so diminish them; we may com­municate our Joys and so encrease them. No­thing but sincere and unfeigned Love, can make us thus friendly and helpful to one ano­ther; which Love is stiled in Scripture, the Bond of Perfection, and must not be founded upon private Ends: For this is Traffick and not Friend­ship. But we must use a discreet Freedom in giving Counsel to our Brethren, or Admonition, as there is need: We must be constant, and ne­ver forsake them in Adversity: because a Man, who deserts his Friend at such a time, is ever to be condemn'd for Baseness and Meanness of Spirit. Wherefore that we may be effectually moved to the Exercise of this entire Friendship and Love for Mankind; let us not only consi­der, that it will pour down upon us great and unexpected Showers of Delight and Satisfaction: [Page 22]But let us look abroad into the World, and take a view of the State of many People, how un­comfortably they live by their neglect of these Virtues: by reason of Dissentions among them, Destruction is brought upon their Families: By Quarrels and Divisions those are separated and consequently weakned, whom God hath joyned in the Profession of the same Holy and peaceable Religion.

For the Prevention of this growing Mischief; We are Secondly, more particularly obliged to be kind to, and love one another, as we are Country-Men, born in the same Neighbour­hood.

And when I mention my native Country; methinks it is a kind of resolving me into my own Beginnings: For like all sorts of Fruit, there is a natural tendency in us to the Ground, from whence we came, and where our Root is fixed: Consequently there must be a more than ordi­nary Inclination to love and help those, who are of the same Birth and Growth with our selves: They are as it were connatural to us, and we are more concerned for their Prosperity, than for Strangers: For it is in human, as in natural Plantations, partaking of the same Soil; they cherish one another, and thrive best together. There are ('tis true) in the course of human Life, from our Cradles upward, certain Peri­ods [Page 23]or degrees of Change; commonly (as the Antients have noted) every seven Years: Inso­much that our Persons may be so altered, that we may be as much unknown to one another, as we are to Forreigners. However this Strange­ness is soon laid aside, and we are as it were by a forcible Impulse of Nature, ready to Embrace our Country-Men with an undissembled Affecti­on: Without which (as my Lord Bacon says) our meeting together doth not make Company, but a Crowd; Faces are but a Gallery of Pictures, and Talk but a tinkling Cymbal, without true hearted Love and Friendship. Who knows not, that there is a mutual Bond of Amity and Bro­therhood between Man and Man over all the World? neither is it the English Sea, that can sever us from that Duty and Relation: a strai­ter Bond yet there is between Neighbours and Friends: For a Friend and Countryman is my se­cond or better-self; my Tutelar Angel, by whom I may be defended from innumerable Dangers: For as God sends his Angels, Creatures, that ex­cel in Understanding and Power, that are most vigilant and vigorous in their Actions, not only to give Success to our temporal Affairs, but to assist us in the great Concernments of our Souls; so also he hath planted in the Minds of Men such mutual Inclinations to advance one anothers Happiness and Benefit: That we may say, He [Page 24]hath made the whole Creation serviceable to Mankind: Whilst the glorious Spirits above, and our own Fellow-Creatures, do contribute, as much as they can, to the good of our Bodies, and the delight of our Minds. Men may high­ly esteem the Titles of Honour, and they may be proud of their large Possessions: But it is not possible, there should be any thing bestowed up­on a Man, of equal Value, with a faithful Friend and Neighbour: There are few Hearts, that are not double; few Tongues, that are not Cloven, and a Man must have Recourse to the age of Poetry, the golden Times, to find such a happy Pair, as entirely love one another. Let this Ra­rity be found in our Conversation: Let us shew that Friendship to each other, as may be valu­able for its stability and lasting Nature; such, as may not be subject to the change of Fortune, the Rust of Time, nor the Violence of Men: let o­thers glory in their high and slippery Places; we envy not their Happiness, so long as we preserve the love of our Country-men: let others ascribe, what they suffer or enjoy here below, to some good or malignant Influences from above: as for us, we do not think, there is any Planet so lucky, as a trusty Companion, and on the con­trary, none so malicious, as false hearted and per­fidious Acquaintance: let others be solicitous, how Jupiter or Mercury look upon them in their [Page 25]Affairs; it imports us most to mark, what Men we Converse withal: And altho we are to pre­fer our Country-Men above others; yet these are to be avoided, if they are Vicious; if they would draw us into any familiarity or acquain­tance with Sin: For above all things, we must be careful, that the Virgin-purity of our Minds may not be Deflowred, nor its native Modesty laid wast by any manner of Vice. Therefore for those of our Country we are to have a parti­cular Affection, who exercise a due Care and Government over their Lives and Actions; who excel in the peculiar Virtues of Conversation, Modesty, Humility, Meekness, Cheerfulness, universal Kindness and Charity. They, who are Cloathed with these good Qualities, have in a most eminent Degree that Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit, which, St. Peter says, is in the Sight of God of so great Price: There is no appearance of Pride or Passion in any of their Words or Actions; they are free from Anger and bitterness of Spirit; their Company is Affa­ble and Pleasant; which arises from a Christian serenity of Mind, and a great evenness of Tem­per. These Virtues of all others, ought to shine brightest in us: then we shall be always Cheerful, and always Kind; upon all Occasi­ons and Accidents perpetually the same; by re­ceiving these virtuous Qualities into our Tem­per, [Page 26]we shall be rendered truly Wise, Holy, and Good: We shall give real Demonstrations of the Truth and Integrity of our Religion, by our Actions; we shall ever employ our Faculties, and determine them to that, which is good and fit to be done; and this will convince Men, that we live under the Guidance and Influence of the Good Spirit of God: From which good Spirit do proceed all good Notions and Inclinations in Mankind, all their good Qualities and Desires, all their mutual Love and good-Will: When Christ Jesus by his Spirit hath thus turned us in­to the same Disposition with himself, hath mould­ed and fashioned us to the Temper of himself, our Head; then we shall be always devising the most effectual ways of doing Good in the World; managing and disposing our charitable Deeds, to the best Purposes, and to the largest Extent: Our whole Heart will be employed in these things, so that we shall be little affected with a­ny other matter, and seldom mind the strange Occurrences of a troublesom and busie Age. Let us therefore think our selves happy in nothing here upon Earth, but in the Opportunities we enjoy of corresponding with one another in the Duties and Offices of Religion and Friendship, which is nothing else, but a Commutation of Hearts; whereby the greatest dearness is created towards each other: especially where there is [Page 27]an agreeableness of Humour, and a resemblance of Disposition: The Impression, that these make, can never be blotted out: For we do ever carry in our Minds the amiable Perfections of Virtu­ous and Worthy Persons: We always think of those, who have touched our Inclinations with their agreeable Nature: which is most probably to be found among the Natives of the same Place and Climate: and where this agreeable Nature is, the Friendship resulting thence must be very consistent and well setled; such as no­thing can disorder, and Death its self cannot End: For it will at last translate us to those hap­py Regions, where Peace and Charity, Bene­volence and Good-Will are in their Kingdom, and reign over every Heart.

From the Premisses this Inference may be made: That we are bound with all Thankful­ness to acknowledg the Goodness of God; that we were born of Christian Parents; that we have been Educated in the true Religion, where­by we have enjoyed the advantages of God's Grace and his holy Spirit; that we have any Bowels of Compassion for the Poor and Needy, so as to consult their Relief in this publick man­ner; especially in placing out indigent Youth to Trades, because the whole Content and Fe­licity of a Man depends upon the choice of an honest Calling and State of Life; that Brother­ly [Page 28]Love doth continue among us, so that we can Converse together without Offence, that we are not of surly, and uncompliant Humours; that we are not of savage, fierce or insolent Dispositi­ons: which would make us fitter Company for Beasts, than Men, and for Wildernesses rather than Cities.

To all therefore, that shall ask us the like Question, as the Prophet Jonah was asked, whence we came, and of what Country we are: May we answer them, as he did; that we are Christians, who fear the Lord of Heaven and Earth, that made the Sea and the dry Land: that we were born in a Soil no less Fruitful in the Race of good Men, loving Neighbours, and obedient Subjects; than it is remarkable for yield­ing an abundance of all things, that may render our Beings in the World, either happy or easie to us. That, as the Country, from whence we came, is much taken notice of and Commended for its quick Streams, free from Stagnation and stinking Vapours, that may ascend to darken and corrupt the Skye; so we may be as exemplary for good Humour, affable Temper, and humble Conversation, clear of all Sullenness, Malan­cholly, and Discontent, that may raise Clouds, and consequently Storms in the Nation: They say likewise, the Air, in which we drew our first Breath, is beyond all others the most Serene [Page 29]and Pure; may the pureness of this Air incline us to more refined Passions than other Men; may it animate the Spirits of the Heart, as well as enliven those of the Brain to a more vigorous Pursuit of noble and generous Actions. The wise and judicious King Alfred did select Oxford for the Muses Seat: where continually a Race of Men are bred up as liberal and ingenuous, as the Arts and Sciences, which they profess; where a large and bountiful Provision is made for the advancement of Learning, the noblest and best Work, that can be in any civil Nation; where are encouraged and maintained the Champions of our Religion; a Religion, that dares come, not only where Men can Believe, but where they can Discern and Judge. The Kings of England ever since have made Oxford, as it were their City of Refuge, when they have been forced to fly either from War or Plague; as if this place were only Inviolable by the Ar­row, that flyeth either by Night or Day: No one therefore can upon just grounds challenge this for his Country, who entertains any unna­tural Conspiracies (so much as in his Thoughts) against the Order and Peace of the World, or against the Safety and Honour of those, whom God hath appointed Governours over it. May we then still live, as our Fore-Fathers have done, without the Suspition of having any disloyal [Page 30]Principles to the Church or State; may we e­ver have the Reputation of such Citizens, as are associated by the common Tyes of Humanity, and the Bonds of Peace? May the power of that excellent Religion, we profess, be lodged in our Hearts; so the appearance of it will be very exemplary and useful in our Conversations; then we shall avoid all that Violence and Sharp­ness, which accompanies the Differences in Opi­nion: then none amongst us will be heard to pass any rash Censures upon the Actions of Su­periors, or to Controle any of their Resolutions. May we all agree in Planting and Improving, not only those moral Virtues, which conduce to the Happiness and Tranquility of every private Man's Life, but also those Manners and Dispo­sitions, that tend to the Safety and Peace of the Kingdom. For the Constitution of the Coun­try is generally the same with the Persons, that compose it: and where the Inhabitants or Na­tive of any place are peaceable, full of Charity and good Works; their good Behaviour will be made visible by the continual and undisturbed Happiness of the Government, to which they belong, and of the particular Country, in which they were born: and that we are such peacea­ble Men, and Charitable Christians; I have a very sufficient Argument to prove it, from the use of these Meetings: For we assemble thus [Page 31]together, not to indulge our Appetites, or to gratify any sensual Desire: altho none are so excusable, as Men of much Care and Thought, or of great Business for allowing some time to an innocent Entertainment, that offends no Law, nor hurts others, or themselves: This Diversion may be necessary for the repair of Spirits ex­hausted with Labor; may serve to sweeten and preserve those Lives, that would otherwise wear out too fast, or grow too uneasy in the Service of the World: But by these Meetings we come to know one another, than which nothing can be more Beneficial: because thereby we may be directed in the best ways of exercising Charity to our Brethren: which Charity must be Uni­versal, and not limited to a Shire; but we are to love, honour, and assist Men of all Countrys: Thus, altho we were born perhaps in the eighth Climate, we shall seem to be framed for all: By the practice of which universal Charity, all Places, all Airs, will make one Country to us; and we are by This among our Country-men every where, and under every Meridian: This is a peculiar Excellency of the Christian Religi­on, to enlarge our Minds so, as we can call e­very Man our Brother: and if it be true, which is commonly observed, that Men are wont to prove such kinds of Christians, as they were Men before; and that Conversion does not destroy, [Page 32]but exalt their Tempers; It may well be con­cluded that the honest sociable Man, who Com­municates soberly with his Friends, and is ready to do good to Mankind, is neerer to make a Mo­dest, Meek, and Humble Christian; than the Man of speculative Science, who is more Pee­vish, Severe, and Morose, and hath better Thoughts of himself.

For if we are good Men, the more publick we are, and the more subject to the Notice of others, our Goodness will thereby be the more diffusive; will be of a more publick Benefit and Advantage: If our Conversation be Bountiful, Affable, Cheerful, and Friendly; it will spread the Fame of the Gospel in the World, by ma­king it appear lovely in the Eyes of all Beholders, and so alluring them to submit to the easiness of its Yoak: and this methinks is evident in our Saviour's Life: For whenever he intended to Convert any to his Faith; he did it by some vi­sible good Work in the sight of the Multitude. So by Conversing lovingly together, we may shew the World, what good Success our Savi­our's Doctrine hath had upon our Minds; what a blessed thing it is, to live without mutual Grudges and Animosities: We may direct Man­kind, how they may live without Passions, or Fierceness; how they may firmly unite and a­gree together: For it is not possible for those [Page 33]Men to be Perverse and Ungovernable, who keep such Company, as regard the Peace and Benefit of Mankind; who are of amicable and conversable Tempers: Such Persons are like so much Salt cast into the World, to keep the Man­ners of Men from Stench and Putrefaction; they are Balm poured into the Wounds of a Nation, to Cure and Heal them; They are so much Fire sent from Heaven, so much Life infused into the World, to kindle in others warm and pious Af­fections for God and his Religion.

That we may be of this Disposition, so be­coming our selves, and so profitable to others, let us not despond or be dejected, whatever our Condition be in this World: For by falling into Fitts of Unbelief, we charge God foolishly, as if he neglected the World; we Usurp upon him, and peevishly snatch the Management of Things into our own unskilful Hands; so Ma­lancthon was exceedingly troubled, lest the Cause of God should sink for want of Instru­ments to carry it on: Whereupon Luther in an Epistle to a Friend of his, hath this Expression; Our Friend Malancthon must be warn'd, — that he would leave off to Govern the World: And how qui­et would all things be, if Men would not in­trude, nor set themselves at the Stern thereof, but leave infinite Power and Wisdom to Govern the Affairs of it. Then again we must not be apt [Page 34]to be affrighted at every little Symptom, as we think, of Change in the Government, of things: God's Providence and Mercy (I hope) will se­cure us from any more; for if another should be­fall us, it must be the Wrong-side outwards; the Lowest, Uppermost. Yet there are some Hi­storians, that relate our forreign Wars, who have this Objection against the Disposition of our Country-Men; that they were used to order their Affairs of greatest Importance, according to some obscure Omens or Predictions, which passed about among them upon little or no Foun­dations: But a firm Confidence in the Goodness, Power, and Providence of God, in whom we Live, Move, and have our Being; a sober Wisdom, and the Discretion of good Society will shake off the Shadows, and scatter the Mists, which fill the Minds of Men with vain Consternations.

Let us be, as Jonah was, upright Men, that worship and fear the Lord of Heaven and Earth; then we shall contribute much to the Credit and Preservation of our Country: For the World would sink (as Sodom did) under the weight of its own Wickedness, were it not kept up by such as fear God and keep his Commandments: Therefore the eminent Faith of Abraham, and the sincerity of David, had an Influence upon the Happiness of Israel for many Generations; so [Page 35]the Example of Socrates had upon Athens, and the severe Life of Cato upon the People of Rome. For the Places, where good Men are, and the Persons, among whom they live, are Happy by Concomitancy; they enjoy many Blessings, and are freed from many Evils because of their Neigh­bourhood to good Men; who contribute to the Happiness of the World by the good Offices, which they are ready to do to all Men: Is any one in Want? They are ready to Relieve him: Do their Enemies Hunger? They will Feed them: Is any Man in Misery? They do not on­ly pity him, as the Priest and Levite did in the Parable, but like good Samaritans, they will bind up his Wounds, and take Care of him: are others at Variance? they presently Interpose, take up the Quarrel, and endeavour to Recon­cile them: Now is not the World the better for such Men as these are? It may be every Man's Case to be in Misery, Affliction, and Want; is it not well then, that there are some to Com­miserate them in these sad Circumstances? The Lips of good Men do also preserve Knowledg, and they are continually distilling wise Counsel, which by degrees get Possession of men's Under­standings: By their Examples likewise they mend and reform others, for it is a greater Encou­ragement to go before a man, and shew him the Way to Virtue, than only to give him Direction. [Page 36]In short, good Men are the Fathers of their Country; they are the only great and publick Benefactors to it; because to them the World owes its continuance in Peace, their Prayers and Tears defend it both from the Judgments of God, and the hostile Incursions of Men: Where­fore that we may not only bear the Name, but perform the commendable Works of good Men in the World; let us at this time endeavour to recover the Greatness and Reputation of the Eng­lish Nation, by uniting our Interests, and Af­fections; by laying aside all civil and religious Differences; by Conversing together freely, in Peace and Love; which our Religion allows and commands us to use: Thus we may rise to the bearing of each others Infirmities; from thence to the exchange of good Offices; from thence to real Friendship: till at last by such a gentle and easie Method, our several Interests may be joyned to promote the Welfare and Peace of our Country. This our friendly Conversati­on with one another will wear off all the Rough­ness, and sweeten the humorous Peevishness of our Minds: Nay, it will take away all Sharp­ness and Violence; will teach us Humility by acquainting us with our own Imperfections, and so it will remove all overweaning haughtiness of Mind, and swelling Imaginations. This is the way to be truly Great and Considerable in [Page 37]the World. Indeed (as some wise Men have observed) there are many things in the natural Genius of the English, which qualify them a­bove any others for an eminent Nation; be­cause our Country is most advantagiously si­tuated for Command; its native Productions are most serviceable for Strength and Empire: The Disposition of the People is bold in Dan­gers, severe in Discipline, valiant in Arms, vir­tuous in Life, relenting to the Afflicted, and merciful in Conquest: It is also affirmed by some, that the Vices to which we are subject, are not natural to our Soyl, but were imported hither from forreign Countrys. The English Genero­sity, Fidelity, Magnanimity, Modesty, Integri­ty they owe to themselves; Their Luxury, their Debauchery, their Divisions, their spiritual Schisms they have received from abroad: But seeing now the Devil hath sown these Tares a­mongst us, let us make it our Business to root them out by the constant course of a good and holy Life: which will make such Impressions upon others, that we shall recover and maintain the antient Honour of our Country, and restrain our Brethren from degenerateing into base and unnatural Sins. Let it be said, that for this end we Converse together, and indeed for this Pur­pose man was Created a sociable: Creature, that he might assist his Fellow-Creature, and Pro­pagate [Page 38]all manner of Goodness in the World. For if we search backward to the original Cau­ses of men's associating and dwelling together; we shall find, that in course of time the small Clans or natural Commonwealths, were de­voured by the strength of the greater: Or else some of the wiser Men reduced the rule Multi­tude into one place, and perswaded them to live quietly under Laws: From thence Mankind be­gan to have the Face of Civility: which hath been continued ever since by the same means, by men's living quietly under Laws, and by be­ing ready to help and support one another. So that whilst I behold so many Christians met to­gether to carry on this honest Design, for whose Sake human Society was at first constituted: It makes me believe, that the Age is not quite so bad, as some men think it to be; who are apt to complain and find Fault with the Age and Place, where they live, as if it were worse, than any, that is passed: To which censorious Humour many, and those wise Men too, are very subject: For in the antient Authors, which studious Men turn over, they find Descripti­ons of Virtues more perfect, than really they were: The governments are represented bet­ter, and the Ways of Life pleasanter, than they deserved: upon this, these Bookish wise Men compare what they read with what they [Page 39]see; and here beholding nothing so heroically Transcendent, because they are able to mark all the Spots, as well as Beauties of every thing, that is so close to their Sight; they presently be­gin to despise their own Times, and to exalt the past; to contemn the Virtues, and aggra­vate the Vices of their Country. But our Work must be to commend our Country, and that, not so much for our being Natives there­of, or for our long and antient Pedigrees; as that we have one Lord, one Faith, and one Mind: like the Prophet Jonah, we must consi­der, that we are sailing thro this World with Persons of diverse Qualities and Dispositions, that are contriving various Designs, and have rank­ed themselves into several Orders: Whilst we thus uncertainly float upon the Face of the Wa­ters, and are tossed up and down at the Pleasure of the Waves, our chief care must be to direct our Prayers and Adorations to the Lord of Hea­ven and Earth, who made the Sea and the dry Land, if ever we expect to come safe at last to the Haven of Rest and Happiness; for his sake, and for our own to keep up Unity in the Bond of Peace; above all things, taking heed, lest we make Shipwrack of Christian Charity and Love.

That the World therefore may be convinced; how our natural Inclinations lead us to the mind­ing [Page 40]of these Things; I will conclude all with a short Character of the Disposition of our Coun­try-men: and if there can be a true one given of any Nation, then certainly this may be ascribed to ours; that the Inhabitants of it have com­monly an unaffected Sincerity, whereby they are much inclined to plain-dealing, and justly abhor all the refined Ways of Lying by Equi­vocations: so that they are used to speak well of others behind their Backs, as well as to their Faces; they bear no false Countenances, that can flatter every thing, and every Body alike; their Tongues, as well as Faces know no Arti­fice, nor do their Words or Looks contradict their Hearts: They are not Enemies, us some are, under the specious name of Friends, and they consider the intrinsick Worth of Men more, than the Marks and Value good Fortune hath set upon them: they love to deliver their Minds with a sound Simplicity, avoiding the Vanity as well as Sin of false Speeches and Complements: For he, that uses them, believeth not himself, so that they are imaginary Services, a solemn Nonsense, and a putting together many good VVords to signify nothing. They have the middle Qualities between the reserved subtle Southern, an the rough unhewn Northern People: They are not extreamly prone to tat­tle, thinking it much better to do well, than [Page 33]to talk much: an universal Modesty possesses them, and if for any thing they may be re­proved, it must be for their excess of natural Bashafulness: These Qualities are so conspicuous and proper to our Soil; that we ofter hear them objected to us by some of our Neighbour Satyrists, in more disgraceful Expressions: For they are wont to revile the English, with a want of Familiarity, with a Melancholly Dumpish­ness; with Slowness, Silence, and with the unrefined Sullenness of their Bebaviour. But these are only the Reproaches of Partiality and Ignorance; they ought rather to be com­mended for an honourable Integrity; for neg­lect of Circumstances and Flourishes; for re­garding things of greater moment more, than less; for a Scorn to deceive, as well as to be deceived: which are all the best Endow­ments, that can enter into the Minds of wise or good Men. So that even the Position of our Climate, the Influence of the Heaven, the Composition our Blood, as well as the Embraces of the Ocean, seem to render our Country, a Land of peculiar Blessings, of great Knowledg, and of true Friendship: And it is a good sign, that God will reveal more of his Secrets; will bestow larger Gifts both of Hu­man and Divine Knowledg upon us, than up­on [Page 36]others; because he hath already furnished us with a natural Genius, so well proportioned and fitted for the receiving and practising his Gospel of Peace and Love.