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JESUS AND MAHOMET.

173

weights upon the cause of revelation: but what is become of them, and their doctrine? they are vanished, and their place is not to be found. What pretence is there then to set up these revelations? Is God grown so weak and impotent, that we may suppose these to be His revelations, and intended for the use of the world, had He not been baffled at first setting out? If God intends a law for the use of the world, He is obliged, if I may use the expression, to publish the law to the world and, therefore, want of such publication evidently shews that God was not concerned in them, or at least did not intend that we should be concerned in them and therefore it is absurd to instance in such pretences as difficulties in our way, which in truth are not in our way at all.

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And thus the case of revelation stood, and the gospel had no competitor, till the great and successful impostor Mahomet arose. He, indeed, pretended a commission to all the world, and found means sufficient to publish his pretences. He asserts his authority upon the strength of revelation, and endeavours to transfer the advantages of the gospel evidence to himself, having that pattern before him to copy after. And, should we say that the alcoran was never promulged to us by persons duly commissioned, it may be answered perhaps, that the alcoran is as well published to us as the gospel is to them, which has some appearance of an answer, though the fact is indeed otherwise; for even the alcoran owns Jesus for a true prophet.

But with respect to this instance I persuade myself it can be no very distracting study to find reasons to determine our choice. Go to your natural religion: lay before her Mahomet and his disciples arrayed in armour and in blood, riding in triumph over the spoils of thousands and tens of thousands, who fell by his victorious sword: shew her the cities which he set in flames, the countries which he ravished and destroyed, and the miserable distress of all the inhabitants of the earth.

When she has viewed him in this scene, carry her into his retirements: shew her the prophet's chamber, his concubines and wives; let her see his adultery, and hear him allege revelation and his divine commission to justify his lust and his oppression. When she is tired with this prospect, then shew her the blessed Jesus, humble and meek, doing good to all the sons of men, patiently instructing both the ignorant and perverse. Let her see Him in His most retired privacies: let her follow Him to the mount, and hear His devotions and supplications to God. Carry her to His table to view His poor fare, and hear His heavenly discourse. Let her see Him injured but not provoked: let her attend Him to the tribunal, and consider the patience with which He endured the scoffs and reproaches of His enemies. Lead her to His cross; and let her view Him in the agony of death, and hear His last prayer for His persecutors: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"

When natural religion has viewed both, ask, Which is the prophet of God? But her answer we have already had; when she saw part of this scene through the eyes of the centurion who attended at the cross; by him she spoke and said, "Truly this man was the Son of God."

ARCHBISHOP SECKER.

Not so rhetorical as Sherlock, but much more evangelical, the sermons of Secker possess an element of more enduring interest in the eminently practical topics to which most of them are dedicated. As chaplain to the king, and rector of St James's, he had for his auditors the foremost in the ranks of wealth and fashion, and feeling the great importance of his opportunity, he sought to meet it with all the resources placed at his disposal. "Though he neither possessed nor affected the artificial eloquence of an orator, yet he had that of an

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honest man who wants to convince, of a Christian preacher who wants to reform and to save those that hear him. Solid arguments, manly sense, useful directions, short, nervous, striking sentences, awakening questions, frequent and pertinent applications of Scripture; all these following each other in quick succession, and coming evidently from the speaker's heart, enforced by his elocution, his figure, his action, and above all, by the corresponding sanctity of his example, stamped conviction on the minds of his hearers, and sent them home with impressions not easy to be effaced.*”

Thomas Secker was born in 1693, at Sibthorp, in Nottinghamshire. His father, a gentleman farmer, was a Dissenter, and educated his son with a view to the Nonconformist ministry; but, in some degree influenced by the example of his friend and fellow-student, Butler, he joined the Church of England. His first preferment was Houghton le Spring, in the diocese of Durham, from which he was transferred, in 1733, to the rectory of St James, Westminster. In the following year he was promoted to the see of Bristol, and in 1758 he was elevated to the primacy. He died August 3, 1768.

Antidotes to Anger.

One is, that we avoid forming refined and romantic notions of human perfection in anything. For these are much apter to heighten our expectations from others, and our demands upon them, than to increase our watchfulness over ourselves and so every failure provokes us more highly than it would have done else. A sense of things, too delicate for our nature and the state in which we live, is no accomplishment, but an infirmity. And overstrained notions of friendship and honour, or any virtuous attainment, constantly do harm. For if we fancy ourselves arrived at these heights, we shall resent it as

"Porteus's Life of Secker," p. 28.

profanation, when the rest of the world treat us as being nearly on the level with them, which yet they certainly will. And if we go to measure those around us by these ideas, we shall look on persons, whenever we have a mind to do so, as monsters not to be supported, who, in a reasonable way of thinking, would appear very tolerably good people. We should therefore endeavour, by frequent reflection, to form a habit of judging with moderation concerning our neighbours and ourselves. Man is a fallen being, defective in his understanding, and depraved in his inclinations; placed in circumstances, in which many things call him off from what he should do, many things prompt him to what he should not do; and often, before he hath well learned to distinguish one from the other, or too suddenly for him to apply the distinction rightly. . . . .

Almost every one is apt to join some notion of peculiar dignity to his own person, and to imagine that offences are greatly aggravated by being committed against him; that his character and concerns, his family and friends, his opinions and taste, ought to be treated with a singular degree of regard. But then really we should remember, that multitudes besides may just as allowably think the same thing of theirs; indeed, that all men are as dear to themselves, as we can be to ourselves: which brings us back so far upon the level again. And the serious consideration of it must surely convince us, that our common interest, as well as our duty, is to think and act mildly; that "pride was not made for man, nor furious anger for them that are born of a woman" (Ecclus. x. 18).

Other directions must be given more briefly. One is not to indulge ourselves in any sort of over great niceness and delicacy: for it hardly ever gives real pleasure, and it furnishes perpetual occasions of disgust and fretfulness. Another is, to avoid inquisitiveness after materials for anger to work upon. It is better not to hear of every little wrong thing that is done about us, or said of us. And therefore we should never en

HELPS TO EQUANIMITY.

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courage persons in the officiousness of acquainting us with them needlessly: but always have some suspicion of such as are peculiarly forward in it. For innumerable are the friendships and agreeable acquaintances that have been broken off, and the resentments and animosities raised, by tales and insinuations of this kind, either wholly or in part false; or idle and trifling, though true. Two other important rules, and closely connected, are: first, never to engage by choice in more business than we can easily manage; for that, by causing hurry and frequent miscarriages, will certainly cause vexation and peevishness: then, to preserve a steady attention to what we do engage in. Men are often grossly negligent of their affairs; and afterwards furiously angry at those disorders in them, for which they themselves are almost, if not quite, as much to blame, as others. Now, regular care would have prevented mismanagement, which alternate fits of remissness and rage will never do. Indeed, we should obviate, as far as we can, everything that we find apt to ruffle our minds, and carry the precaution down even to our diversions and amusements. For some of these have often so very bad an effect upon the temper, that not to apply so easy a remedy as laying them aside is really inexcusable. Another material thing to be shunned, is familiarity with passionate persons; not only for the very plain reason, lest they should provoke us, but also lest their example should infect us. "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul." But to converse with those who are of mild dispositions, to observe how they take things, and be advised by them how we should take them, will be of unspeakable service.

These are preparations before danger. When it approaches near, the main point is, to recollect how dreadful it would be to give way and lose ourselves, and to resolve that we will not. Towards keeping this resolution, we shall find it one great pre

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