to cut off all the fons of violence, all difturbers of the public peace and quiet. And, in so doing, he has followed the fame reafon in both cafes, namely, that the righteous may be preferved and protected: in one cafe, preferved from the violence of the wicked; in the other, from the contagion of their punishment. In a word, offences against men must be corrected and difcouraged by prefent punishment, or else this world will be a scene of great woe and mifery to the best men: violence will prevail, and the meek, far from inheriting the earth, will be rooted out of it. Offences against God, though of a deeper die, yet have not in them the fame call for immediate vengeance: for God fuffers not from the wickedness of men; the ends of justice are best ferved by the delay, and his goodnefs is at present difplayed in his forbearance; and his honour will foon be vindicated in a more public theatre than that of this prefent world, in the fight of all the dead, as well as of all the living.

DISCOURSE XLI.

MATTHEW Xxvi. 41.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

FOR the better understanding of these words, L muft defire you to reflect a little upon what occafion they were spoken, and in what circumftances our Saviour was, when he made this exhortation to his difciples. The time of his crucifixion was now near at hand, and he had foretold his difciples that they should all be offended because of him; upon which St. Peter made a very forward profeffion of conftancy, as did likewife all the difciples. But it does not appear that they clearly understood our Saviour, or were apprehenfive that they fhould for foon lofe their Mafter; if they had, they could not have been so fupinely negligent and unconcerned for his welfare, as immediately to fall afleep, as we read they did. But our Saviour, as he had a different sense of what he was to undergo, fo was he differently affected: he began to be forrowful, and very heavy; and expreffed himself to his difciples, that his foul was exceeding forrowful, even

unto death. He began to feel the weakness and infirmities of human nature upon the approach of death, and the terror and apprehenfion of it increased fo faft, as to draw that petition from him,

O my my Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pass from me. In which prayer he was fo earnest, and his agony fo great, that the fweat fell from him like drops of blood.

No one was ever more willing to fulfil the will of God than he was: he came into the world to do the will of his Father, and was ready to finish the work fet before him. But yet, in this laft and sharp trial, he found how great the weakness of the flesh was, and how powerful impreffions it had upon him from whence probably arose the reflection mentioned in the text, The fpirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak; which he makes the ground of his exhortation to his difciples, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. When he returned from prayer to them, he found them afleep, and, after expoftulating with them for the unconcernednefs it betrayed towards him in his diftrefs and affliction, he exhorts them rather to employ their time in watching and praying; for, though they' had made a very forward and bold refolution rather to die with him than deny him, yet he knew that a refolution and willingness to obey were not a fufficient fupport against the weaknefs of human nature, but that they stood in need of all the advantages that might be reaped from watchfulness and prayer. If he himself found difficulties from the weakness of the flesh, he might well conclude how unable his difciples would be, when their time of

trial fhould come. So that the words of the text, The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak, feem rather founded on what our Saviour experienced in his late agony, than from any thing that was criminal in his difciples. They were afleep indeed, which was an unkind part, when they faw in how great distress their Master was, but otherwise it was not faulty in itself. They did not apprehend the imminent danger their Lord was in; if they had, their fear and anxiety would have interpofed to difturb their reft. Nor did our Saviour blame their fleep otherwife than as unfeasonable at that time, when the danger that attended them required them to be otherwife employed. There was a great ftorm ready to break, in which he forefaw they muft bear a part, as well as himself; and therefore there was a neceffity they fhould arm, and prepare themselves against it. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: which is a warning for them to ftrengthen themselves against future evil; and he does not much blame their carriage as yet, but rather tacitly acknowledges the great forwardness they expreffed to fuffer with him, and for him ; The Spirit indeed is willing. But then he knew the greatness of the temptation they were to undergo, and had lately himfelf experienced the weakness and inability of human nature, and therefore recommends watchfulnefs and prayer to them, becaufe the flesh is weak.

The words thus explained contain a very proper and fuitable exhortation to the feafon in which they were spoken, and to all men in general and the reafon of them is a powerful excitement to us