z 3o The Life of leJùs Ghri_11 Vol. and difficult, full of Trouble and Danger, it is not enough to bid Men go on ; but he that bids them, mutt go before them, and take them by the Hand, and give them an Example to follow his Steps; without this, Rulesand Precepts are very dry Things, and give but faint and cold Encouragement. C.éfar's Example prevailed much more upon his Soldiers, than hisWord of Com- mand. No Man ever difcours'd better of Magnanimity and Greatnefs of Mind, in great Dangers and Calamities, than Tully does ; and yet when i eame to the Trial, no Man ever behaved himfelf more faintly, and (hewed greater Dejeetion of Mind, than he did ; fo that it is hard to fay, whether his DiCcourfes are more apt to mire, or his Example to damp a Man's Spirit. Seneca writes with won- derful Wit and Smartnefs, with great Finenefs and Force of Argument about the Contempt of the World and Wealth ; but then to confider howhe flowed in Wealth himfelf, and how intent he was to heap up Riches beyond Meafure, would make a Man more apt to defpife him, than the World. So neceffary is it that Precepts, efpecially of great Difficulty, (hould be back'd and enforc'd by Example, and that fevere Rules (hould be mollified, and made eafie by the Pra&ice of thofe who prefcribe them. And this our Lord tookparticular Care to do in thofe Precepts of his, which feem to offer the greaten Violence to the common Bent and Inclination of Humane Nature. And fo he did likewife in thofe Virtues which are fo difficult upon the Ac- count of Temptation from without, as well as of Inclination from within. Not to infift upon his firm Refinance of all the Temptations to Ambition, which made not the lean Impreffion upon him > the Offer of the Kingdoms of the World, and the Glory of them, had no Influence upon him. He was fometimes iii great Favour with the People, and mightily applauded,by them, for peaking as never Manpake, and doing fuch Things, as no Man ever did: But he was as little moved by their Applaufe, as he was dejeûed by their Reproaches. When the People would have made him King, to qualifie him the better, as they thought, to be the Menlo's, he would not take fo much Notice of the Offer, as to refufe it, but fluently withdrew himfelf, that they knew not where to find But that whichI Ihall particularly take Notice of under this Head, is his great. Meeknefs, which is a very difficult Virtue; if we confider the Peevifhnefs and Infirmity of Humane Nature, and the frequent Temptations to Pafiion and An- ger, which occur in Humane Life, and thefe very fudden and furprifing, fo that there is nothing wherein wife Men do often betray their own Weaknefs, than in the Matter of fudden Anger. Mofes, the greatenof all the Prophets that had been, and who it feems was naturally of a meek Temper, having this Te- ftimony given him by the Spirit of God, that he was the meekeft Man upon Earth; yet he mifcarried in this Matter, and not being able to bear the continual Perverfenefs of that People, loft his Temper, and fell into an irregularPafliion. But our Blefléd Lord, whofe Temper was perpetually aflàulted with the higheft Provocations in all Kinds, Hill maintained the Evennefs and Meeknefs of his Spirit. The Dulnefs and Slownefs of his Difciples, to underhand and believe what he had fo plainly taught, and fo often inculcated upon them, was a great Trial of Patience ; which yet provok'd him no farther, than to a juft Rebuke of their Fault. The harden Words he ever gave them, were, 0 unwire andJiow of Heart to believe ! How long(hall Ififer you ? And when he was in the height of his Sorrow and Trouble, and his Difciples were fo uncoucern'd for him, as to fall afleep, in the fame Breath that he reproves their Drowfinefs, he makes an Excufe for it : Can ye not watch with me one Hoar ? The Spirit indeed is milling ; bat the Fi' is is peak. This Carriage from his Friends and Followers, when he flood in moll Need of their Comfort and Affinance, and his Soul was exceed- ing f rrowful, even to the Death, was a great Temptation to Anger, efpecially fal- ling upon a fore and afHil ed Mind ; and yet it was fo far from provoking his Anger, that it rather moved his Pity toward them. His
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