Servant above his Lord; it is enough for the Disciple that he be as his Mafter, and the Servant as his Lord: If they have cal led the Mafter of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his houshold: Fear them not therefore: and at . 28. he says, Fear not them which kill the body, &c. In the 24th of St. Matthew, in the 13th of St. Mark, and 21ft of St. Luke, he tells them, they fhall be delivered up to the fynagogues, and into prifons, being brought before Kings and Rulers for his names fake—and exhorts them to poffefs their fouls in patience. In the 15th of St. John our Lord is upon the fame fubject; and there expreffly fets his own example before his Difciples; If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you, . 18. Remember the word that I Said unto you, The Servant is not greater than the Lord. If they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you; . 20. And at Chap. xvi. . 33. he thus encourages them: In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Thus you see our Saviour proposes his example to fuch as were not Slaves; to fuch as were to fuffer under the power of Kings and Rulers: not to juftify Rulers in their abufing Christians;

but

but to arm Christians with patience when they fuffer wrongfully; and shall we now; after having feen that Chrift himself proposes his example to Chriftians of all ranks, and who were to fuffer from civil powers; fay with his Lordship, That the example of Chrift is much more peculiarly fit to be urged to Slaves than to Subjects? I hope I have faid enough upon this head, to make his Lordship re-confider, what he feems to affirm, that the example of Christ's fufferings, is never propofed in Scripture to Subjects, and always to Slaves.

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His Lordships third reason is, 3. That "the New Teftament it felf represents the humiliation, and low eftate of Chrift in "this world, by the condition of Slaves, "the lowest and most helpless part of man

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kind; and never once by the low estate, or

helpless condition of Civil Subjects, as "fuch which would have been, had they "been put, in the New Testament, in the "fame circumstances with Slaves."

By the condition of Slaves: Slaves you must remember are, in his Lordship's fenfe, fuch as are bought and fold in markets for the fervice of their Masters: and I do affirm, that the Scripture never thus represents the low eftate of Chrift. I will begin with defi

ring

ring the Reader to confider a passage in St. John, because our Saviour is there pressing his own example in one of the most fervile things that ever he did, upon all his Difciples. In the 13th of St. John we read, that our Savi-~ our rising from fupper laid afide his garmeuts, and took a towel and girded himself; then poured water into a bason, and washed his Difciples feet, and wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Here, if ever, we might expect to find our Saviour's low eftate reprefented by the condition of a Slave; but we shall find nothing lefs: This hiftory is introduced by the Apostle with an exprefs declaration of the great power and dignity of our Saviour, Jefus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God, . 3. He rifeth from fupper, and laid afide his garments, and took a towel, &c. 4-and after the work was over, our bleffed Saviour, in applying this very example to his Disciples, begins with reminding them of his own fuperiority over them: Te call me Master and Lord, and ye fay well, for fo I am, . 13. Is this like one whofe eftate the Scripture is to represent by the condition of a Slave? But let's hear the reft: If I then your Lord and Mafter have washed your

feet,

feet, ye ought also to wash one anothers feet, . 14. The reafon of which is expressed at y. 16. Verily verily I fay unto fay unto you, the Servant is not greater than his lord, neither he that is fent, greater than he that fent him. i. e. If I the greatest among you have not thought it below me to condefcend to wash your feet; let none of you who are confeffedly my inferiours, think much to do the fame office of love and humility: So that this example of our Lord in fo fervile an employment, is fo far from being founded in a representation of his eftate by the condition of a Slave, that it is really inconfiftent with it: For one who was to perfonate a Slave in washing of other's feet, though he might recommend his example of patience, and submiffion to his duty, yet he could not say as our Lord does; confider, what the greatest among you has done; what I your Lord and Mafter have done, not as bound in duty to you my fervants, but out of love and humility, and never think it below you to do likewife. This is an exhortation not fit for a Slave to make; a Slave cannot urge his great love or great humility in doing what his condition requires of him, nor can he plead his example as an argument to the highest, for condefcenfion towards the lowest. But thus

our

our Saviour pleads his example, not looking on himself as a Slave, but as a Lord and Mafter, as one into whofe hands the father had given all things. What fhall we fay then ; That the example of Chrift is much more peculiarly fit for Slaves than for Subjects? God forbid.

So again'; in the twentieth of St. Matthew, when there was indignation among the Dif ciples, occafioned by the petition of the Mother of Zebedee's children and her fons; our Saviour exhorts them all to humility, Whofoever will be chief among you, let him be your fervant, . 27. and then fets before them his own example, Even as the Son of man came not to be miniftred unto, but to minifter, and to give his life a ransom for many, . 28. where his Miniftry and his Death are not reprefented as the confequences of a flavish condition, but of a generous condefcenfion: And the force of the example here is expreffly founded upon this, that the Son of man was chief among them; he miniftred to them therefore not as one bought in the market for fervitude, but as chief among them, and doing the work not of ne ceffity, but of love.

From these two inftances (and there are more fuch) it appears, that the example of

Our