obtaining a Share in the Kingdom of the Meffiab, is there nothing requifite, as to this Beatitude, but that we abandon Wealth and Riches, and take upon us a voluntary Poverty, making ourselves deftitute of the Comforts and Conveniencies of Life. For answering this Objection, as I have made ufe of St. Luke for clearing the Meaning of St. Matthew, against such as would altogether exclude Poverty from the Bleffing here pronounced; fo I must again make ufe of St. Matthew for clearing this Doubt, which arifes chiefly from St. Luke's more compendious Relation of this Part of our Saviour's Difcourfe. That we may know, then, that the Bleffing doth not belong to all that are outwardly poor, nor the Imprecation to all that are outwardly rich; St. Matthew here fays, Bleffed are the Poor in Spirit; that is, Bleffed are they who have withdrawn their Minds, Hearts, and Affections, from this World, and have them fet on Heaven: So that if they are outwardly poor, they are contented; and if outwardly rich, they fet not their Hearts upon their Riches, but are humble and modeft, and diligent Seekers of God, and bestow their Wealth freely for the Services of Piety, Charity, Neceffity, Hofpitality, Conveniency, or whatfoever Occafions do offer for the Service of God or our Neighbour; as freely, indeed, as if it had no Place or Room in their Hearts at all. This is no conftrained, but a very natural Senfe, that they who do not treasure up the World in their Hearts, or fet not their Hearts on the World, should be The Poor in Spirit; for they neither admire nor feek after great Things in this World; and if it is their Fortune to poffefs a great Eftate, by their VOL. I. whole

I

whole Conduct and Behaviour they fhew that their Heart is not fet upon it. These are the Poor in Spirit, whatever be their outward State and Condition in this World. So that the Blef fing here pronounced, and the contrary Woe implied, belongs to no Man confidered only as in an high or low, rich or poor outward Condition in the World; but both to the one and t'other, according as their Hearts and Spirits do cleave to worldly Things, or are weaned from them. All that are poor in Purfe, are not poor in Spirit; (a) for many of them do inwardly enlarge their Defire as Hell, and are full of covetous and ambitious Aims and Projects, and their Hearts cleave as much to the World, as if their chief Felicity confifted in the Poffeffion of it: So, on the other hand, it is poffible for a Man to enjoy a plentiful Portion of the World, and to be rich in his outward State and Condition, and yet to fet his Heart fo little on thefe Things, and to have his Soul fo weaned from them, that he may be truly faid to be Poor in Spirit, tho' he is outwardly rich, and fo to have a Right and Title to the Bleffing here pronounced.

So much for the Defcription of the Poor in Spirit; from which we may fee, tho' it is not properly Humility, but a Spirit of Poverty, which is here directly meant, yet Humility will likewife fall in with this Defcription,, at least no Man can. be poffeffed of this Spirit of Poverty, but at the fame time he must be poffeffed of Humility. For as Poverty in Spirit denotes an Heart delivered from the inordinate Love of Riches, the fame bleffed Temper, wherever it is, cuts off the

(a) Hab. ii. 5.

Sinews:

Sinews of Pride, at least that fort of Purse-Pride which feeds on thofe outward Things that the covetous Mind feeks after. For let us put the Cafe in a Man outwardly poor, or outwardly rich, which you please, provided he be Poor in Spirit, as we have defcribed; and we shall find ftill a great deal of Humility neceffarily annexed to this Virtue: If the Perfon is outwardly poor, this Poverty in Spirit making him contented with his Fortune and Circumftances, cuts off all eager Defires of climbing to fatisfy Ambition, as well as of fcraping to fatisfy Covetousness. So that a Spirit of Humility, and a Spirit of Poverty, in fuch a Man, go Hand in Hand together. Again, if the Perfon is outwardly rich, this Poverty in Spirit keeping him from fetting his Heart on his Riches, doth by that very Thing cure him of that Pride and Vanity which commonly attends Wealth and Greatnefs, and likewise of that fupercilious Contempt of, and looking down upon his poor Neighbours, which is fo incident to unfanctified Wealth. His Heart being weaned from his Wealth, he has no more left to elevate him from the Confideration of his Fortune, than if he had it not; and confequently he is as modest and humble, as affable and courteous, as fenfible of the Vanity of the World, and the Uncertainty of Riches, in fhort, as free from Pride, as the pooreft Man living. Thus, as I faid before, by the right Notion of this Spirit of Poverty, the two different Opinions, concerning the Meaning of this Beatitude, may cafily be reconciled, namely, that which places it in Humility, and that which places it in a Spirit of Poverty, or an Heart weaned from the World; tho' this last seems to

me much more agreeable to the proper and literal Notion of the Words, and therefore I infift most upon it.

II. I proceed next to what I proposed to confider in the Second Place, namely, what is to be meant here by the Kingdom of Heaven. In general, the most common Notion of the Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven, which are both one in the New Teftament, is the fpiritual Kingdom of the Meffiah, or that evangelical State and Government of the Church, which the Meffiab was to fet up, with all the Benefits and Privileges of Grace and Glory annexed to it, which fhall be bestowed on them, who by Faith in him become true Members of this Kingdom, and are governed by his Laws. And therefore the Meaning of the Words in this Place, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, I understand, as if our Lord had faid, They are the fittest Persons to be admitted Members of Christ's Church militant on Earth, and of his Church triumphant in Heaven. This is the general Notion of the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, in the New Teftament; tho', according to the various Coherence and Connexion of the Words, by that Expreffion is fometimes denoted the Admittance of Chriftians into the Church, and fometimes their Confummation in Glory, and fometimes both; as, I believe, in this Place.

III. The third and laft Thing I proposed to confider, is, How this Kingdom of Heaven is Theirs, or what a neceffary Preparation and Difpofition this Poverty in Spirit is for the evangelical State here, and eternal Happiness hereafter.

In

In order to this, there are two Things I think to offer to your Confideration.

1. To fhew that it was fo in Fact, that the Chriftian Church, who were the Members or Subjects of this Kingdom, was made up of such Perfons whofe Hearts and Minds were moft difengaged from the World.

2. To fhew, from the Inconfiftency of the worldly Spirit, and the Spirit of the Gospel, that none but The Poor in Spirit are capable of either the Kingdom of Grace here, or the Kingdom of Glory hereafter.

1. That it was fo in Fact, that the Chriftian Church was made up of fuch Perfons whofe Hearts and Minds were moft difengaged from the World. Hearken, my beloved Brethren, faith St. James ii. 5. Hath not God chofen the Poor of this World, rich in Faith, and Heirs of the Kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him? And our Lord himself obferves to John Baptift's Dif ciples, Luke vii. 22. that it was the Poor who were evangelized; not only had the Gospel preached to them, as we render the Word; but were duly affected, and wrought upon, and brought over by the preaching of the Gofpel (b). Thus the great Men make their boaft, John vii. 48. Have any of the Rulers, or of the Pharifees, believed on him? But this People which knoweth not the Law, are curJed. And St. Paul fays, very appofitely to this Purpose, 1 Cor. i. 26. For ye fee your Calling, Brethren, how that not many wife Men after the Flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; but God bath chofen the foolish Things of the World to confound the wife, and God hath chofen the weak I 3

(6) Πτωχοὶ ευαγγελίζονται.

Things