EXHORTATIONS, &c. EXHORTATION I. and all that we are, are but mere dreams; and if we are not sensible of this truth, it is because we are still asleep: none but minds WERE I allowed to speak freely what I that are awake can discern it; they, and sincerely think of most of the affairs of hu- they only, can perceive and despise these ilman life, even those that are accounted of lusions of the night. In the mean time, the highest importance, and transacted with nothing hinders us from submitting to these, the greatest eagerness and bustle, I should and other such customary formalities, provid be apt to say, "that a great noise is made ed our doing it interfere not with matters of about the merest trifles :" but if you should much greater importance, and prospects of a take this amiss, as a little unseasonable upon different and more exalted nature. What is the present occasion, and an insult upon your it, pray, to which, with the most ardent wishsolemnity, I hope you will the more easily es, you have been aspiring, throughout the forgive me, that I place in the same rank whole course of these four last years? Here with this philosophical convention of yours, you have a cap and a title, and nothing at all the most famous councils and general assem- more. But, perhaps, taking this amiss, you blies of princes and great men; and say of secretly blame me in your hearts, and wish their golden crowns, as well as your crowns me to congratulate you upon the honour you of laurel, "that they are things of no value, have obtained. I cheerfully comply with and not worth the purchasing."+ Even the your desire, and am willing to explain mytriumphal, inaugural, or nuptial processions self. These small presents are not the prinof the greatest kings and generals of armies, cipal reward of your labours, nor the chief with whatever pomp and magnificence, as end of your studies; but honorary marks well as art, they may be set off, they are, and badges of that erudition and knowledge after all, so far true representations of their wherewith your minds have been stored by false, painted, and tinsel happiness, that, the uninterrupted labours of four whole while we look at them, they fly away; and, years. But whatever attainments in learn in a very short time, they are followed ing you have reached, I would have you seby their funeral processions, which are riously to reflect, how inconsiderable they are, the triumphs of death over those who have and how little they differ from nothing; nay, themselves triumphed during their lives. if what we know, is compared with what we The scenes are shifted, the actors also dis- know not, it will be found even vastly less appear; and, in the same manner, the great- than nothing: at least, it is an argument of est shows of this vain world likewise pass little knowledge, and the sign of a vain and away. Let us, that we may lop off the luxu- weak mind, to be puffed up with an overbearriant branches of our vines, take a nearer ing opinion of our own knowledge: while on view of this object, and remember, that what the contrary, it is an evidence of great prowe now call a laurel crown, will soon be fol- ficiency in knowledge, to be sensible of our lowed by cypress wreaths: it will be also ignorance and inability. "He is the wisest proper to consider how many, who, in their man," says Plato, "who knows himself to time, were employed as we are now, have be very ill qualified for the attainment of long ago acted their parts, and are now con- wisdom."+ Whatever be in this, we often signed to a long oblivion; as also, what vast find the sciences and arts which you cultinumbers of the rising generation are following us at the heels, and, as it were, pushing us forward to the same land of forgetfulness; who, while they are hurrying us away, are at the same time hastening thither themselves. All that we see, all that we do, Magno conatu magnas nugas. + Καπνου σκιας ουκ αν προκείμενο vate, to be useless, and entirely barren, with regard to the advantages of life; and, generally speaking, those other professions that are illiterate and illiberal, nay even unlaw. ful, meet with better treatment, and a great * Εμπαιγματα. † Ουτος σοφωτατος όστις εγνωκεν ότι ουδενός άξιός εστι Teos ofiar. Philo, apol. Socr. er encouragement, than what we call the li- torment themselves in vain; nor is our rest beral arts. "He that ventures upon the sea, to be found among these enjoyments of the is enriched by his voyages: he that engages world, where all things are covered with a in war, glitters with gold: the mean parasite deluge of vanity, as with a flood of fluctualies drunk on a rich bed; and even he, who ting, restless waters; and the soul, flying endeavours to corrupt married women, is re- about, looking in vain for a place on which warded for his villany. Learning alone it may set its foot, most unhappily loses its starves in tattered rags, and invokes the a- time, its labour, and itself at last, like "the bandoned arts in vain." birds in the days of the flood, which having long sought for land, till their strength was quite exhausted, fell down at last, and perished in the waters.' 910 But as sometimes the learned meet with a better fate, you, young gentlemen, I imagine, entertain better hopes with regard to your fortune; nor would I discourage them, O! how greatly preferable to these bushyet I would gladly moderate them a little by es, and briars, and thorns, are the delightful this wholesome advice; lean not upon a fields of the gospel, wherein pleasure and probroken reed, neither let any one who values fit are agreeably mixed together, whence you his peace, his real dignity, and his satisfac- may learn the way to everlasting peace, that tion, give himself up to hopes that are un- poverty of spirit, which is the only true richcertain, frail, and deceitful. The hues, that purity of heart, which is our greatest man race are, perhaps, the only creatures beauty, and that inexpressible satisfaction, that by this means become a torment to which attends the exercise of charity, humithemselves; for, as we always grasp at fu- lity, and meekness! When your minds are turity, we vainly promise ourselves many stored and adorned with these graces, they and great things, in which, as commonly will enjoy the most pleasing tranquillity, even happens, being for the most part disappoint- amidst the noise and tumults of this present ed, we must, of necessity, pay for our fool-life; and you will be, to use the words of ish pleasure with a proportionate degree of Tertullian, candidates for eternity; a title pain. Thus, the greatest part of mankind infinitely more glorious and sublime, than find the whole of this wretched life chequer- what has been this day conferred upon you. ed with delusive joys and real torments, ill-And that great and last day, which is so grounded hopes, and fears equally imagi- much dreaded by the slaves of this present nary amidst these, we live in continual suspense, and die so too. world, will be the most happy and auspicious to you; as it will deliver you from a dark, dismal prison, and place you in the regions of the most full and marvellous light. Let us pray. But a few, alas! a few only, yet some who think more justly, having set their hearts upon heavenly enjoyments, take pleasure in despising, with a proper greatness of mind, and trampling upon, the fading enjoyments of this world. These make it their only study, and exert their utmost efforts, Most exalted God, who hast alone creatthat, having the more divine part of their ed, and dost govern this whole frame, and composition weaned from the world and the all the inhabitants thereof, visible and invisiflesh, they may be brought to a resemblance ble, whose name is alone wonderful, and to and union with the holy and supreme God, be celebrated with the highest praise, as it is the Father of spirits, by purity, piety, and indeed above all praise and admiration. Let an habitual contemplation of divine objects: the heavens, the earth, and all the elements, and this, to be sure, is the principal thing, praise thee; let darkness, light, and all the with a noble ambition whereof I would have returns of days and years, and all the varieyour minds inflamed; and whatever profes-ties and vicissitudes of things, praise thee; sion or manner of life you devote yourselves let the angels praise thee, the arch-angels, to, it is my earnest exhortation and request, and all the blessed court of heaven, whose that you would make this your constant and very happiness it is, that they are constantly principal study. Fly, if you have any re- employed in celebrating thy praises. We gard to my advice, fly far from that contro-confess, O Lord, that we are of all creatures versial, contentious school-divinity, which, in the most unworthy to praise thee; yet, of all fact, consists in fruitless disputes about words, others, we are under the greatest obligations and rather deserves the name of vain and to do it; nay, the more unworthy we are, foolish talking. our obligation is so much the greater. From Almost all mankind are constantly catch-this duty, however unqualified we may be, ing at something more than they possess, and we can by no means abstain, nor indeed • Qui pelago credit, magno se fœnore tollit : ought we. Let our souls bless thee, and all • Quæsitisque diu terris ubi sistere detur, çases, who deliverest our souls from destruc- and take a near and exact survey of all the tion, and crownest them with bounty and different stations of life that are set before you. tender mercies. Thou searchest the heart, If you enter upon any of the stations of active O Lord, and perfectly knowest the most in-life, what is this but jumping into a bush of timate recesses of it: reject not those prayers thorns, where you can have no hope of enwhich thou perceivest to be the voice and joying quiet, and yet cannot easily get out the wishes of the heart: now it is the great again ? But if you rather choose to enter request of our hearts, unless they always de- upon some new branch of science, alas! what ceive us, that they may be weaned from all a small measure of knowledge is to be thus earthly and perishing enjoyments; and if obtained, with what vast labour is even that there is any thing to which they cleave with little to be purchased, and how often, after more than ordinary force, may they be pull- immense toil and difficulty, will it be found, ed away from it by thy Almighty hand, that that truth is still at a distance, and not yet they may be joined to thee for ever in an in- extracted out of the well! We indeed beseparable marriage-covenant; and, in our believe that the soul breathed into man when half, we have nothing more to ask. We he was first made, was pure, full of light, only add, in behalf of thy church, that it and every way worthy of its divine original: may be protected under the shadow of thy wings, and every where, throughout the world, watered by thy heavenly dew, that the spirit and heat of worldly hatred against it may be cooled, and its intestine divisions, whereby it is much more grievously scorched, extinguished., Bless this nation, this city, and this university, in which we beg thou wouldst be pleased to reside, as in a garden dedicated to thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. EXHORTATION II. WOULD you have me to speak the truth with freedom and brevity? The whole world is a kind of stage, and its inhabitants mere actors. As to this little farce of yours, it is now very near a conclusion, and you are upon the point of applying to the spectators for their applause. Should any superciliously decline paying this small tribute, you surely may, with great ease, retort their contempt upon themselves, merely by saying, "Let your severity fall heavy on those who admire their own performances; as to this affair of ours, we know it is nothing at all :" for I will not allow myself to doubt but you are very sensible, that there is indeed nothing in it. but ah! Father of mankind, how soon, and how much was he changed from what he was at first! He foolishly gave ear to the fatal seducer, and that very moment was seized upon by death, whereby he at once lost his purity, his light or truth, and, together with himself, ruined us also. Now, since that period, what do you com mouly meet with among men of wisdom and learning, as they would wish to be accounted, but fighting and bickering in the dark? And while they dispute, with the greatest heat, but at random, concerning the truth, that truth escapes out of their hands, and instead of it, both parties put up with vain shadows or phantoms of it, and, according to the proverb, embrace a cloud instead of Juno. But, since we are forced to own, that even the most contemptible and minutest things in nature, often put all our philosophical subtlety to a nonplus, what ignorance and foolish presumption+ is it for us to aim at ransacking the most hidden recesses of divine things, and boldly attempt to scan the divine decrees, and the other most profound mys. teries of religion, by the imperfect and scanty measures of our understandings! Whither would the presumption of man hurry him, while it prompts him to pry into every secret and hidden thing, and leave nothing at all unattempted! As for you, young gentlemen, especially those of you that intend to devote yourselves It would, to be sure, be very improper, to theological studies, it is my earnest adespecially as the evening approaches, to de- vice and request to you, that you fly far tain you and my other hearers with a long from that infectious curiosity which would and tedious discourse, when you are already lead you into the depths of that controversial, more than enough fatigued, and almost quite contentious theology, which, if any doctrine tired out, with hearing. I shall therefore at all deserves the name, may be truly termonly put you in mind of one thing, and that ed, "science falsely so called." And in a few words. Let not this solemn toy, that you may not, in this respect, be imhowever agreeable to youthful minds, so far posed upon by the common reputation of impose upon you, as to set you a-dreaming acuteness and learning, I confidently affirm, of great advantages and pleasures to be met that, to understand and be master of those with in this new period of life you are enter-trifling disputes that prevail in the schools, ing upon. Look round you, if you please, •Reavor. † Εμπαιγμα. * Εκ του βυθού ή αληθεια. † Αυθάδειας. is an evidence of a very mean understanding; hast inspired, which owe entirely to thine while, on the contrary, it is an argument of a unmerited favour all that they are, all that genius truly great, entirely to slight and de- they possess, and all that they hope for, spise them, and to walk in the light of pure forbear praising thee, their wise and bountiand peaceable truth, which is far above the ful Creator and Father? Let our souls, dark and cloudy region of controversial dis- therefore, and all that is within us, bless thy putes. But, you will say, it is necessary, holy name; yea, let all our bones say, Ở in order to the defence of truth, to oppose Lord, who is like thee; who is like unto errors, and blunt the weapons of sophists. thee? Far be it, most gracious Father, Be it so; but our disputes ought to be man- from our hearts, to harbour any thing that aged with few words, for naked truth is most is displeasing to thee: let them be, as it effectual for its own defence, and when it is were, temples dedicated to thy service, once well understood, its natural light dispels thoroughly purged from every idol and image, all the darkness of error: "for all things from every object of impure love and earthly that are reproved, are made manifest by the affection. Let our most gracious King and light," saith the apostle. Your favourite Redeemer dwell and reign within us; may philosopher has told us, "That what is he take full possession of us by his Spirit, straight discovers both rectitude and obli- and govern all our actions. May he extend quity." And Clemens Alexandrinus has his peaceable and saving kingdom throughvery justly observed, "that the ancient phi- out the whole habitable world, from the losophers were not greatly disposed to dis- rising of the sun to the going down thereof. putes or doubting: but the latter philosophers among the Greeks, out of a vain desire to enhance their reputation, engaged so far in wrangling and contention, that their works became quite useless and trifling."+ Let the nations acknowledge their King, and the isles be glad in him, and particularly that which we inhabit, with those in its neighbourhood; and, that they may be truly blessed in him, may they daily submit, more There is but one useful controversy and perfectly and dutifully, to his golden sceptre, dispute, one sort of war, most noble in its and the holy laws of his gospel. Bless this nature, or most worthy of a Christian, and nation and city, and this our university; this not to be carried on against enemies at may it be continually watered with the dew a great distance, but such as are bred within of thy Spirit, and plentifully produce fruit our own breasts; against those it is most acceptable in thy sight, through Jesus Christ reasonable to wage an endless war, and them our Lord. Amen. it is our duty to persecute to death. Let us all, children, young men and old, exert ourselves vigorously in this warfare; let our vices die before us, that death may not find us indolent, defiled, and wallowing in the mire; for then it will be most truly, and to our great misery, death to us: whereas, to those sanctified souls, who are conformed to Christ, and conquerors by his means, it rather is to be called life, as it delivers them from their wanderings and vices, from all kinds of evils, and from that death which is final and eternal. Let us pray. EXHORTATION III. THIS day, which has been the object of your earnest wishes, throughout the course of four whole years, is now almost over, and hastening to a close. What has it produced for your advantage? Can he that has reaped most successfully of you all, say he has filled his arms with sheaves? Though pos sibly you would excuse me to express myself with great freedom on this occasion, yet I will not take the liberty to depreciate too ETERNAL GOD, who art constantly ador- much your past studies, the specimens you ed by thrones and powers, by seraphim and have given to-day of your abilities, and the cherubim, we confess that thou art most wor-degree that has been conferred upon you. thy to be praised; but we of all others are the This at least, I imagine, I may say without most unworthy to be employed in shewing offence, the most of those things we greedily forth thy praise. How can polluted bodies catch at, and labour most earnestly to obtain, and impure souls, which, taken together, are and consequently even your philosophy, is a nothing but mere sinks of sin, praise thee, real and demonstrative truth of that great the pure and holy Majesty of heaven? Yet, paradox, that there is a vacuity in the nahow can these bodies which thou hast won-ture of things. And, in truth, how great is derfully formed, and those souls which thou this vacuity, seeing even the human race is no inconsiderable part of it! Though this day is marked with more than ordinary solemnity, it is, after all, but the conclusion and period of a number of days that have moment. been idly spent, and is itself elapsing to little to live at that period of years to which a few or no purpose, as well as the rest. But O only attain ! how glorions must that blessed day be, As for you, young gentlemen, I heartily which all purified souls, and such as are wish you may think more justly; let your dear to God, earnestly long for throughout souls, as it were, retire into themselves, and the whole of this perishing life, and constant- dwell at home; and having shaken off the ly wait, with a kind of impatience, until it trifles that make a bustle and noise around dawn, and the shadows fly away! you, consider seriously, that the remaining I am, indeed, of, opinion, that those of part of your life is long only in one respect, you who think most justly, will readily own, (and in this indeed its length may be justly your attainments, hitherto, are of no great complained of,) that it is fraught with every But, possibly, henceforth you in-sort of misery and affliction, and has nothing tend to begin life, as it were, anew; you as- agreeable in it, but the study of heavenly wispire to greater matters, and entertain views dom alone; for every thing else is vanity."* worthy of human nature; you already begin Look about you and see, whether there is to live, and to be wise; you form desires, any thing worthy of your affection, and wheand conceive hopes of rising to arts, riches, ther every thing you see does not rather exand honours: all this is very well. Yet cite your indignation and aversion. At there is one consideration I would have you home are contentions and disputes; abroad, to admit among these ingenious projects and in the fields, robbers; clamour and noise at designs. What if death should come upon the bar; wickedness in the camp; hypoyou, and looking, with an envious eye, upon crisy in the church; and vexation or lamentthis towering prospect, put a stop to a project able mistakes every where. Among the that extends itself so far into futurity, and, rich and great there are false and inconstant like a spider's web, entirely destroy it with friendships, bitter enmities, envy, fraud, and a gentle breath of wind? Nor would this falsehood; and cares in great numbers, be any prodigy, or indeed an extraordinary flutter round the most stately and sumptuous event, but the common fate of almost all man- palaces. kind. "We are always resolving to live, What a considerable part of mankind are and yet never set about life in good earnest."* struggling with open and sharp afflictions! Archimedes was not singular in his fate; To whatever side you turn yourself, what do but a great part of mankind die unexpected- you commonly hear but lamentation and ly, while they are poring upon the figures mourning? How many complaints of the they have described in the sand. O wretch- poor, that are distressed for want of daily ed mortals! who having condemned them- bread, or drag a most wretched life under selves, as it were, to the mines, seem to make the grievous oppression of powerful tyrants! it their chief study to prevent their ever re- How frequent are the groans of the sick and gaining their liberty. Hence new employ- languishing! How great the multitude of ments are assumed in the place of old ones; those that lament their friends and relations and, as the Roman philosopher truly ex- carried off by death, and will themselves, in presses it, one hope succeeds another, one a short time, and for the same reason, be lainstance of ambition makes way for another; mented by others? And, to conclude, how and we never desire an end of our misery, innumerable are the miseries and afflictions but only that it may change its outward of various kinds, that seem alternately to reform." When we cease to be candidates, echo to one another! Can it be any wonder, and to fatigue ourselves in soliciting interest, then, that a life of this kind should somewe begin to give our votes and interest to times force, even from a wise man, such exthose who solicit us in their turn: when we are pressions of sorrow and concern as the folwearied of the trouble of prosecuting crimes lowing: "O mother, why didst thou bring at the bar, we commence judges ourselves; me forth, to be oppressed with afflictions and and he who is grown old in the management sorrows? Why didst thou introduce me into of other men's affairs for money, is at last a life full of briars and thorns ?"+ employed in improving his own wealth. But you are now philosophers, and amidst "At the age of fifty," says one, "I will re- these dismal calamities, you comfort yourtire and take my ease; or, the sixtieth [selves with the inward and hidden riches of year of my life shall entirely disengage me wisdom, and the sciences you have acquired. from public offices and business." Fool! The sciences! Tell us in what part of the art thou not ashamed to reserve to thyself earth they are to be found. Let us know, the last remains and dregs of life? Who pray, where they dwell, that we may flock will stand surety, that thou shalt live so thither in great numbers. I know, indeed, long? And what immense folly is it, so far where there is abundance of noise, with vain to forget mortality, as to think of beginning and idle words, and a jarring of opinions, Victuros agimus semper, nec vivimus unquam. † Spes spem excipit, ambitionern ambitio et miseriarum non quæritur finis, sod scheina tantum mutatur. * Τα δι αλλα τύφος. 1 Μητές, εμε, τι μ' ετικτές, έτσι πολυμόχθον επικτις, Τιττι με τῳδε βίω δωκας απανθοφορί |