But what, is thy Servant? a Dog; that be fhould do this great thing? How is it poffible, that I, fo mean and inconfiderable a Perfon, fhould ever attain to the Power of doing fo great Matters, as you mention? But had I now the Power, how were it poffible I should commit fuch barbarous and fuch brutish Outrages? Account me not, I pray thee, a Dog, and fo inhuman. And Elisha anfwered-The Lord bath fhewed me, that thou shalt be King of Syria. Thou wilt, by that means, have the Power of doing all this Evil, and thou wilt change thy Mind with thy Condition; and then thy Will, will be the King of Syria's Will, which is to increase their Power, and to opprefs their Neighbours, to the utmoft: The inveterate Enmity that has long reign'd betwixt the Syrians and the Jews will be reviv'd, and carry'd by thee, to Extremity.

This is the Meaning of the Text, as in conjunction with the Hiftory. The Ufes of which, that I intend to make at prefent, will be thefe---

First, To obferve how little we know our own felves.

Secondly, To confider whether this Prediction of the Prophet, That Hazael fhall be King, will in any fort excufe the Means he used, to make himself fo. And, Laftly, To make what Application may be máy proper.

First, It is very obvious to obferve from hence, how little we know our own felves. There is no reason to think, that Hazael was not in good earnest, when he would not have the Prophet, (nor cou'd himfelf) believe he fhould, in time, commit fuch Cruelties, as were foretold. But Man is a reasonable Creature, and as God has made him capable of doing it, fo he has obliged

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him, to confider the Confequences of his Actions, and how naturally one thing follows from another. He who breaks down the Bank of a great Water,, occafions the Overflow, it may be, of a great deal of Ground, the Fall of a House, the Death of a Child, and the Drowning of many Cattle. Who would have thought it? is a Fool's Excufe, when things follow naturally, clofely, or eafily: And I intended no fuch Mischief, is as idle, where Mifchief was likely to follow, tho' you fhould intend never fo well. Men muft intend well, and do well, if they would be fafe, where Intentions have no immediate Influence on the Action or the Agent.

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Now if a Man, who actually intends well, fhall yet be answerable for the Mischief that is done, by an unreasonable and foolish choice of Means improper and unfit; we may conclude he fhall be accountable for the Evil he does, without any good Intention: If therefore I intend to do no Mischief, I must not put my felf in the way of doing any; I must avoid the Occafion and Temptation of entring into Evil, if I would be innocent. A Man knows his own Mind and Purpose at prefent, and fees how he ftands determin'd by his prefent Circumftances; he is now innocent, and likes the being fo, and finding it fo full of Eafe and Satisfaction, he refolves fo to continue: Let him then take heed of falling into any fuch Courfes, as will infenfibly draw him off from these good Purposes, and put him, by degrees, on Practices he now abhors. He is now poffefs'd with a religious Fear of God, and fantifies his Name, and reverences his Word, and will profane Neither; and fhould you tell him, he will be a common Swearer, an in pious execrable Man, and great Blafphemer, he would think it ftrange, if not impoffible; his Heart abhors fuch

fach Thoughts, he trembles at the Mention of fuch wicked Things, and would account himself a Dog, if he fhould do them. But, in a little time, he falls into fuch Company, as 'make no Difficulty of these Matters, and accuftom him to bear them patiently, at leaft in others; and he himself ventures a little, and then draws back with fome Confufion, remembers the good Principles that his religious Parents at firft inftill'd into him, and which his good Inftructors after cultivated carefully; and thefe Rebukes keep him, some time, in tolerable Order; he will not refolve to leave the Company, but will not be infected by it, nor be led by their Example: But thefe Refolves laft not long, in full force, but yield by little and little, to Cuftom and Example; He takes, in time, the manners of his Company, and becomes the Man, whose Image frightned him not long agoe. So People ftare at New Fafhions, and are, at firft, amaz'd to see things fo fantaftical and odd; but by degrees, they fall into them, and become, in a little time, Standards themselves. There is no

trufting to Ones prefent Mind, and Refolution, tho' never fo Reasonable and Good, unless we will take all care to avoid the Occafions, and Temptations, that will naturally change them. 'Tis no great matter, to refolve never to fall into the greateft Sins that Men can poffibly commit; the very apprehenfion of thofe huge Enormities, is hard and painful to the Mind; but, however, a Man is not fecure, who puts himself into the Way, that leads thither, tho' it be at great diftance. The Prefent defigns of Men have, it may be, no Eye or tendency, to fuch and fuch a Confequence; but however, Men must look to it; for when we are once out of the right Way, every Step we take, leads us but into farther wandrings, and we

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know not whither we are going. If One had ask'd of David, whether he, when he first gaz'd on Bathsheba, in her Retirements, intended to murther the bravest Man he had in his Kingdom, in the most vile and treacherous manner, with all the Circumftances of bafenefs, folly, and huge Wickedness, that can attend an Action? doubtlefs, he would have thought it utterly impoffible, that fuch a Villany fhould have ever found any place, in his great Heart. But yet we fee, that that adulterous look, ended in that ftrange Murther, and left a lafting blemish upon his Life and Honour. In vain do People think of going just to fuch a pitch of Wickedness, and no farther; either their hopes of gaining fome farther Security, or their fears of falling into greater Danger, engage them in new Defigns, whofe Confequences they attend not to; and when a Man is gone but half way, he looks back, and wonders often how he got fo far; but new neceffities arife, and carry him on he knows not whither. He commits a new Offence to juftifie a former, and this will require another to fecure it felf. A Man no more knows where to ftop in Sin and Error, than he can afcertain his Charge, in either Law or Building; he is train'd on, by new Emergencies, beyond what he at first propos'd, or defign'd, and all is loft, he thinks, if he goes not through with it; and at last he finds himself almoft undone, who at firit intended a little Pleafure or Convenience only, or to do himself fome Juftice, or his Adverfary a fmall ill turn. We find how we are carried unaccountably from things good and innocent, to things indifferent, and from thence to things fufpicious, and that want Juftification, and from thence to fuch as will not bear it; and much more certain are thefe wicked Confequences, when we begin with things unlawful, the

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wifeft Man alive, cannot tell where he is to end. The Heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it? We have therefore no Security against our falling into the very depths of Hell, but our great Care and Watchfulness to keep within the bounds of Innocence at firft, and to confider well the confequence of every Action, and Undertaking, and to truft but little to our prefent Mind and Refolutions, which every little accident, can and will alter. One may fafely fay, no Wicked Man, did ever intend, to arrive to the pitch he is now at of Wickedness; but gradually and by progreffion, one Sin drew on another; and he has loft his first Views; the Purposes of his Heart were daily chang'd, by new and fatal Opportunities, that, from one Commiffion to another, drew him to the miserable point he is now at. A Man can hardly think he is capable of doing, what in a little time, he will glory in having done; and juftify to Death, what he once would have chofen to dy, rather than do. So little do most People know what they are made of, or rather, what their Paffions may in time make them, without the greatest Care, Jealoufy, and Watchfulness over their own Hearts poffible, fo little do they obferve (till it be too late) how they are train'd from one thing to another, till they are loft, out of their Depth, and paft returning.

It cannot enter into Hazael's Heart, that he fhould ever have the Power of doing all these mighty Mischiefs, that the Prophet read in his bad Lines and Features with a Flood of Tears; or, that, fuppofing he were able, he fhould ever incline to commit fuch cruel and unheard of Outrages: Rip up the teeming Women, and dafh againft the Stones the innocent and unprovoking Children, forgetful of his Mother, and the Pledges of his Love at Home! How can fuch in

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