Object embarraffes and overfets the Under- SERM. I.

tanding; too little an one eludes and escapes it. It is God alone, whofe Almighty Power, nothing is fo great that it can encumber; whofe infinite Wisdom, nothing is fo little that it can escape. Prefumptuous Man! wouldst thou understand the Manner in which three Perfons exist in the fame unbounded Effence? Before thou ftriveft to fathom the Nature of the Greateft of all Beings; firft, if thou canft, comprehend how the leaft of Beings exift Animals a hundred Times less than a Mite, Myriads of fuch Animals, as can only be discerned by the Help of Glaffes. If the whole Body be fo minute, as to be undiscoverable by the naked Eye; how much less the Limbs, of which that whole Body is compounded? How much less ftill the Nerves, the Veins, the Blood in thofe Veins, the animal Spirits in that Blood; till we approach to the very Borders of Nothing? For thefe Animals contain, in Miniature, all thofe Parts which we have in larger Dimenfions. In short, for one Thing, that we can plaufibly account for in the Book of Nature, there are Millions of Things, of which we can give no Account:

C 4

Yet

SERM. I. Yet we, who find almost all Things fo puzzling and unaccountable in the Book of Nature, expect that every Thing in the Book of Grace, which proceeds from the fame Author, fhould be plain and level to our Capacities.

True Knowledge is one of the strongest Fences against Pride. When good Senfe and Reason speak, they come, like their great Author, God, in the fill Small Voice, without any empty Noise or Loquacity, or over-bearing Pretenfions. And those who keep the best. Senfe within, feldom hang out the Sign of Knowledge. Men of this Stamp will own their entire Ignorance in many Things, and their imperfect Knowledge in all the reft. Whereas the Ignorant are fometimes peremptory and pofitive in Matters quite above their Sphere, and, like fome Creatures, are the bolder for being blind. In a Word, the Ingenuous will confefs the Weakness of their Reafon; and the Prefumptuous betray it by their being fo.

If we are born without an Aptitude to learn, and a Genius for Knowledge; we may resemble the Woman in the Gospel, who had Spent all he had upon Phyficians, and yet grew no better, but rather worfe. All the Tutors

and

and Inftructors in the Universe will avail No. SERM. L thing: For they cannot open the Eyes of those, that are born blind. But, granting the utmost Happiness of natural Parts, yet he, who confineth himself to one Province of Know'ledge, cannot understand even that throughly. Because there is that Harmony and Alliance between the feveral Branches of Science, that one reflects Light upon another. He on the other Hand who grafps at every Part of Knowledge, is only a fuperficial Smatterer in All; and is too general a Trader in the Republic of Letters to become rich. A Man of a flow Capacity is apt to fit down under a Defpondency of making any Advances in Literature: Men of quick Parts are fometimes distracted with Variety of Purfuits. So many Thoughts are continually rifing in their Minds, that, like Trees overladen with Fruit, they feldom bring any to it's juft Perfection.

After All, what fignifies all the Learning in the World, without a juft Discernment and Penetration? And what is the Refult of our Penetration, but that we fee through the Littleness of almost every Thing, and our own especially? That we difcern, and are difgufted with, several Follies and Abfurdities, which are hid

from

SERM. I. from Perfons of a flower Apprehenfion? So that our fuperior Sagacity refembles the pretended Second-Sightedness of fome People, by which they are faid to fee feveral uncomfortable and dismal Objects, which escape the rest of the World. This Man ranges the Circuit of the Heavens, knows the Laws by which the Planets revolve; fees every Thing regular; then defcends into himself, and finds, by furveying the World within, that Man alone is irregular and eccentric. He can account for the Uses of Tempefts, Earthquakes and Thunder; and perceives, that all Storms and Tempests, except thofe in a Man's Breast, fulfil the Word of God and obey his Will.

Some may perhaps value themselves upon the Strength of their Genius, the Largeness of their Heart, even as the Sand upon the Sea Shore, and the Brightness of their Parts. Alas! the Strength of the Paffions, and the Quickness of the Appetites, generally keep Pace with the Brightness of the Imagination. And hence it comes to pafs, that those who have, with an uncommon Compafs of Thought, inculcated excellent Rules of Morality in their Writings, have sometimes broke through them all in their Practice :

The

The Brightness of their Parts enabling them SERM. I. to lay down fine Precepts, and the Strength of their Paffions tempting them to tranfgrefs them. A Man may discourse admirably well upon Oeconomy, who never was Master of it in the Conduct of Life: Because he may take a Pleasure in difcourfing upon Oeconomy, or any other Subject, upon which he can display a beautiful Fancy; but to look carefully into his Affairs, to balance his Accounts, and to proportion his Expences to his Income, is a Drudgery, to which he cares not to ftoop. There is not a greater Inlet to Vice and Mifery, than to have (which is generally the Cafe of Men of Wit, and the Cause of the Irregularity of their Conduct) too much Spirit to confine one's Self to the common Business of Life and too much Fire and Paffion to relish the calm Satisfactions of it. For this Temper puts a Man always in Queft of fomething tranfporting, and every Way fitted to an high Tate. To a Man of ftrong Senfations every Delight, that is gentle, feems dull; and every Thing, but what is high seasoned, flat and taftelefs. The Confequence of which is, that disdaining common Bleffings, and not able to enjoy himself without some

;