lingly owe his joy to madness, nor think it a pleasure, foolishly to forget the situation of his affairs.

:

The wise man alone feels true joy and real wisdom is the attainment of a Christian only, who bears with life, but hopes for death, and passes through all the storms and tempests of the former with an undauntedness of mind, but with the most fervent wishes, looks for the latter as the secure port and the fair havens in the highest sense of the expression; whose mind is humble, and, at the same time, exalted, neither depending upon foreign, that is, external advantages, nor puffed up with his own; and neither elevated nor depressed by any turns or vicissitude of fortune.

He is the wise man, who relishes things as they really are; who is not, with the common sort of mankind, that are always children, terrified by bug-bears, nor pleased with painted rattles: who has a greatness of soul, vastly superior to all fading and perishing things; who judges of his improvements by his life, and thinks he knows every thing he does not covet, and every thing he does not fear. The only thing he desires, is the favour and countenance of the Supreme King; the only thing he fears, is His displeasure. And, without doubt, a mind of this cast, must, of necessity, be the habitation of constant serenity, exalted joy, and gladness springing from on high. And this is the man, that is truly possessed of that viav uai yaλnvnv,—tranquillity and happy disposition of mind, which the Philosophers boast of, the Divines recommend, but few attain. And though he will neither willingly suffer himself to be called a philosopher, nor a philologist, yet, he is, in reality, Oεóropos, well versed in the things of God, and, by a kind of Divine influence and instruction, has attained to the light of pure and peaceable truth: where he passes his days in the greatest quietness and serenity, far above the cloudy and stormy regions of controversy and disputation.

If any one of you has been thus instructed, he has certainly

* Καλούς λίμενας.

attained the highest of all arts, and has entered upon the most glorious liberty, even before he hath received any University degree. But the rest, though they are presently to have the title of Master of Arts, still continue a silly, servile set of men, under a heavy yoke of bondage, whereby even their minds will be cramped with oppressive laws, far more intolerable than any discipline however severe. None of you, I imagine, is so excessively blinded with self-conceit, so ignorant of the nature of things, and unacquainted with himself, as to dream that he is already a philosopher, or be puffed up with an extravagant opinion of his own knowledge, because he has gone through the ordinary exercises at the University; though, to speak the truth, the philosophy which prevails in the schools, is of a vain, airy nature, and more apt to inspire the mind with pride, than to improve it. As it is my earnest prayer, so it is also the object of my hope, that you will retire from this Seminary, with your minds excited to a keen and wholesome thirst after true erudition, rather than blown up with the wild-fire of science, falsely so called; and what above all other attainments, is of greatest consequence, that you will leave us, deeply affected with the most ardent love of heavenly wisdom. Whatever may be your fate with respect to other things, it is my earnest request, that it be your highest ambition, and your principal study, to be true Christians; that is, to be humble, meek, pure, holy, and followers of your most auspicious Captain, the Lamb, wherever he goeth. For he that followeth him, shall not walk in darkness, but be conducted, through the morning light of Divine grace, to the meridian and never-ending brightness of glory.

Let us pray.

ETERNAL Father of mercies and of lights, the only rest of the immortal souls which Thou hast created, and their never-failing consolation: Into what by-paths of error do our souls divert, and to what dangers are they exposed on every hand, when they stray away from Thee! But, while they keep within Thy

hiding-place, O Most High, they are safe under the shadow of Thy wings. O how happy are they, and how well do they live, who pass their whole lives in that secret abode, where they may continually refresh themselves with the delicious fruits of Thy love, and shew forth Thy praise! where they may taste and see that Thou art good, O Lord, and be thoroughly persuaded of the immense riches of Thy bounty, which all our miseries cannot exceed, nor our poverty exhaust; nay, which the constant effusion of them upon the whole universe, and all its parts, cannot in the least diminish. As for us who are before Thee, the most unworthy of all Thy creatures, yet, at the same time, the most excessively loaded with all the instances of Thy goodness, can we avoid crying out with the united voices of our hearts, Let praise be ascribed to the Lord, because he is good, and His mercy endureth for Who shall declare the great and wonderful works of God? Who shall shew forth His praise? Who ruleth by His power for ever, and His eyes observe the nations, that the rebellious may not exalt themselves. Who restores our souls to life, and suffers not our feet to be moved. But, on the other hand, alas! how justly may our songs be interrupted with bitter lamentations, that, under such strong and constant rays of his bounty, our hearts are so cold towards Him! O how faint and languid is our love to Him! How very little, or near to nothing, is the whole of that flame which we feel within us! And, as that love fails within us, we misplace our affections upon the things around us; and as we follow vanity, we become vain and miserable at the same time. But may Thy Spirit, O Lord, whom we humbly and earnestly beg of Thee, descending into our hearts, inspire us thoroughly with life, vigour, and celestial purity!

ever.

Please to enlighten Thy Church throughout the whole habitable world, and particularly in these Islands, with the continued light of Thy countenance. If Thou apply Thy healing hand, we shall presently be whole; nor need we look to any quarter for other remedies than those we have always found to

be more powerful than our most obstinate distempers. Bless this City, and this celebrated University. Grant, most gra-, cious Father, that the numbers of youth we send out from it this day, and every year, may, by Thy effectual grace, be consecrated and devoted to Thy service. Forbid, we pray Thee, that they should either be the means of spreading pollution among Thy people, or suffer themselves to be tainted with the infection of a wicked world; but let this fountain of learning be continually enriched with Thy heavenly influences, that it may constantly supply pure and limpid streams for the welfare and improvement of Thy Church and people, to the glory of Thy exalted name, through our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom, with Thee, and the Holy Spirit, be honour, praise, and glory, world without end. Amen.

EXHORTATION VIII.

AMIDST these amusements, we are unhappily losing a day. Yet, some part of the weight of this complaint is removed when we consider, that, while the greatest part of mankind are bustling in crowds and places of traffic, or, as they would have us believe, in affairs of great importance, we are trifling our time more innocently than they. But what should hinder us from closing this last scene in a serious manner, that is, from turning our eyes to more Divine objects, whereby, though we are fatigued with other matters, we may terminate the work of this day, and the day itself, agreeably; as the beams of the sun use to give more than ordinary delight, when he is near his setting?

You are now initiated into the philosophy, such as it is, that prevails in the schools, and, I imagine, intend, with all possible despatch, to apply to higher studies. But O! how pitiful and scanty are all those things which beset us before, behind, and on every side! The bustling we observe, is nothing but the VOL. IV.

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hurrying of ants eagerly engaged in their little labours. The mind must surely have degenerated, and forgotten its original as effectually as if it had drank of the river Lethe, if, extricating itself out of all these mean concerns and designs, as so many snares laid for it, and rising above the whole of this visible world, it does not return to its Father's bosom, where it may contemplate His eternal beauty, where contemplation will inflame love, and love be crowned with the possession of the beloved object. But, in the contemplation of this glorious object, how great caution and moderation of mind is necessary, that, by prying presumptuously into His secret councils or His nature, and rashly breaking into the sanctuary of light*, we be not quite involved in darkness! And, with regard to what the infinite, independent, and necessarily existent Being has thought proper to communicate to us concerning Himself, and we are concerned to know, even that is by no means to be obscured with curious impertinent questions, nor perplexed with the arrogance of disputation; because, by such means, instead of enlarging our knowledge, we are in the fair way to know nothing at all; but readily to be received by humble faith, and entertained with meek and pious affections. And, if, in these notices of Him that are communicated to us, we meet with any thing obscure and hard to be understood, such difficulties would be happily got over, not by perplexed controversies, but by constant and fervent prayer. "He will come to understand," says admirably well the famous Bishop of Hippo, [Augustine] "who knocks by prayer; not he who, by quarrelling, makes a noise at the gate of truth+." what can we, who are mortal creatures, understand with regard to the inexpressible Being we now speak of, especially while we sojourn in these dark prisons of clay, but only this, that we can by no means comprehend Him? For, though, in thinking of Him, we remove from our idea all sort of imperfection, and

* Εἰς τὰ τοῦ φωτος άδυτα.

But

Intelliget qui orando pulsat, non qui rixando obstrepit ad ostium veritatis.