for Infidelity can be perfuaded in good earnest to fet about the Amendment of their Lives, the beft Arguments for Christianity will avail but little upon them; while they do not endeavour to bring up their Lives to the Christian Principles, it is no great wonder if they strive to bring down their Principles to their Lives. May your Lordship go on with Succefs in the Service of the Christian Faith; and may the numerous Clergy, over whom you prefide, animated with your good Conduct and Example, adorn their holy Profeffion with an exemplary Care and Diligence both in their Life and Doctrine.

My Lord, as I am now, I believe, the oldest of all the Plantation Miffionaries, and have endeavoured, I hope, to lay a good Foundation of practical Chriftianity in these remote Parts of the World; I think myself obliged to acknowledge, with all Gratitude, the Countenance and Support I have all along had, during my seven and forty Years Ministry in this Country, from the eminent Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England; more particularly from your Lordship, and your worthy Predeceffors; in whofe Service, as Commiffary, this is now the Forty-third Year my poor Labour has been employed. It is time for me to be an emeritus Miles; O that I could fay with St. Paul, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; benceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufness, &c. I am,

My LORD,

Your Lordship's most humble, most obedient, and most obliged Servant and Commiffary, James Blair.

PREFACE.

S

OME, I doubt not, will think it very ftrange, after the Labours of fo many, both Ancient and Modern Commentators on this excellent Sermon on the Mount, that an obfcure Perfon, and from an obfcure Corner of the World, fhould pretend to any further Discoveries on fo well cultivated a Subject. It may reasonably be prefumed, that all fuch a one can fay must be the fame Thing over again, perhaps with a little new Turn of Thought, and Variation of Method and Expreffion. This I confess is frequently the Cafe with Writers on the Holy Scriptures, and therefore I must expect, upon this Prefumption, the far greater Part of Students, and others, will never fo much as vouchsafe to look into thefe Writings. But if they do, they will quickly be undeceived; infomuch that I am afraid they will then accufe me of a contrary Error, namely of giving myself too much Liberty to step out of the common Road; and will be perfectly furprized in fuch a practical Part of Scripture, where one might expect all Things plain, and no Room left for different Interpretations, ta find fo many Things that have a new Air, and da really in many Points give a different View of this Text, from the Generality of thofe that have hitherto past upon the World. This has been no fmall Matter of Admiration to myself in thefe Meditations and I fhall endeavour to give fome Account of it to my ingenuous Reader, fuppofing him to be fuch a one,

whole

whofe Understanding is not ftrongly byaffed by any Party; far lefs by an implicit Faith, jo bound up to their Sentiments, as to think it a Fault upon good Reasons to differ from them. For though it is confelfed that this is a very practical Portion of Scripture, as any is in the whole Bible; I cannot grant that the Practical Parts of Scripture are all fo plain, that he who runs may read them. It is neceflary for apprehending the Meaning of Them, as well as of Texts of Controversy; that the original Phrafes be rightly understood, together with the Coherence and Connexion of the Words; and the Scope and Defign of the whole Difcourfe. Let any Man try it, not only in the Holy Scriptures, but in any other ancient Author, and he shall find that it requires a good deal of Pains to find out the Scope, and of Skill and Attention, to apprehend the right Senfe and Meaning. As far as I have had Opportunity to obferve, of all the Texts of Seripture, it is the Practical ones which want the most Industry and Diligence to cultivate and improve them: For befides Skill in Languages and Criticisms, there is a fuitable Frame of Heart, and an experimental Knowledge of the Chriftian Virtues in the Life and Converfation, requifite to the right apprehending of them: And how rarely are thefe two, this and Criticifm I mean, in Conjunction? And yet both very neceffary for understanding aright the great Duties of the Gospel? Our Adverfaries too have driven us to a nice Search into the Meaning of Texts of Controverfy: But we have often, I doubt, allowed our felves a greater Latitude in practical Texts, where we had no Enemy to fear, and have been much less upon our Guard; efpecially where it has been the Custom to Lecture daily upon great Portions of Scripture

Scripture (as was the Custom of fome of our Reformers:) This has laid Men under the Temptation of taking for the true Senfe whatever prefented itfelf first to their Thoughts; baving no Time to enquire curiously and nicely into the Difficulties that occurred, which would have often required a Week's hard Study to clear one or two of them; whereas they have flightly run over twenty of them in an Hour's time. Some have done yet worfe; adventu ring purely ex tempore in their Houfes or Churches to expound or lecture, and in their Lectures to speak whatever came firft into their Thoughts, taking that for the Suggestion of God's Holy Spirit. And it is not to be believed, where Men have thus, right or wrong, fuddenly or premeditately uttered their Opinion, how ftiffly they adhere to it; and what a Bias they give thereby, to all that are governed by their Authority and Example. I have really been amaxed to fee what a mighty Influence one great Name has had, to obtrude fome of his crudest and leaft Studied Interpretations upon whole Churches, not only of that, but of the fucceeding Generations. If it has been my Fortune to difcover many of these rafh Interpretations, and at last finding how often Commentators have been misled with Names and Authority; if I have found it neceffary to take nothing upon Trust, but to examine Matters with Diligence, and without Prejudice or Partiality; and if upon this Score I am Jometimes fingular in my Thoughts, and leaving the common Road, have sprung fome new Game; while every thing advanced is found and orthodox, and has a good Tendency to Piety; I hope I fhall not, for fo doing, incur the Cenfure of the learned World; but rather deferve their Thanks, for helping to extricate them from the Power and Prevalency

valency of vulgar Errors; and for retrieving fome very useful Truths, which I humbly fubmit to the equitable Judgment of all, who have any Genius for thefe facred Studies; being not only willing, but defrous that the fame Freedom, which I have used with others, may be used with me; and that nothing I have here advanced may have any further Credit, than the Grounds and Reafons of it (which I have always taken care to fet down, as often as I differ from others) will justify and fupport. The chief Thing I have aimed at, and hope in fome measure to have attained, is a juft and true Explication of the literal Senfe of the Words, and the giving right Notions of the Chriftian Duties therein defcribed, with a ferious Recommendation of the Practice of them. Though I have been large, efpecially on fome less cultivated Subjects, the Reader will find I have not allowed myself the leaft Liberty of wandring from the Text, or of running out into the Common-Place. I have occafionally explained divers other Texts, where I found they caft Light upon what I had under my Confideration. And in the whole have, I think, obferved many things, which are ufually over-look'd, tending to a fuller and clearer Opening of this excellent Treasure of Chriftian Morals. One thing further it may be necessary to advertise, is, that after thefe Sermons were compofed and preached, the Labours of the late Learned Bishop of Exeter on the fame Subject came to be published: So that I hope the Reader will not think it ftrange, that nothing is borrowed from that Work; and will believe, that where this Performance rejects fome of thofe Opinions there efpoufed, I could have no Eye to that Right Reverend Author, or any the leaft Defign to difparage his Work, which was

(b)

then