The Cause of Meekness is Love. It respects the future beauty and perfection of its Object. It is the most supernatural of all the Vertues. The Reasons and Grounds of this Vertue in the estate of Grace and Misery. Its manifold Effects and Excellencies. Of the Meekness of Moses and Joseph.

MEEKNESS is a Vertue of the Third estate, as well as Patience. Patience regards Calamities, Meekness Wrongs. The Injuries that we receive from others are its proper Objects. It springs from Love, and tends to its Continuance and Preservation. It hath something peculiar in it nature, because it gives Immutability to Goodness, and makes our Worth not to depend on other Mens Deservings, but our own Resolutions. It is fed by Charity, and like a grateful Off-spring of a Parent so amiable, helps in it greatest extremity to preserve it from its extinction. For all Love by Nature dies into Distaste, when its Object hath offended: because Approbation which is the first step to Esteem, and Esteem it self which is a degree to Love, have no other Object but something that is Amiable and fit to be beloved. And again every thing that is divested of all its excellence, is common, if not odious; and lost to our Affection, till Meekness comes in to rescue and save both our Love and it from its dismal Period. Its End is the Recovery of what has offended, Hope and Possibility are the foundation of its exercise, Prudence is the Guide by which it is conducted to the satisfaction of our desire in the restitution of Amity between us and our Adversary.

WHERE there is no hope that the Beauty of what we love may be regained, Meekness hath lost its Vertue, and with that its Existence. For if it be impossible that an evil Person should ever be reclaimed, it is to no purpose to be Meek. He that can never be delightful more, is utterly useless: Meekness therefore which derives its solidity and Power from its End, is in such cases utterly abolished. For this cause it is that we are to esteem our Saviours Blood the ground on which it stands: since all Nature without his Incarnation, Death, and Passion, could never restore a Sinner to the possibility of becoming Just and Amiable.