him not; and, in this cafe, fometimes withstands thee. Say not, my horfe STUMBLES, and therefore I fmite him: but confider that, whilst You ride, your Horse goes a-foot: and a fixed ftone or hillock, a fharp flint, or a pinched and uneafy fhoe might cause even Yourself to stumble if you were to travel on foot; and you would think it hard to be chaftifed for an involuntary or forced trip. Do not then unto others as you would be unwilling should be done unto you. Say not, my horse STARTS, and therefore I fmite him; and I correct him, because he is timorous but confider that You have your paffions, as well as your Horfe. Elfe, why the blood in thy face? or, why thy paleness of coun

tenance on thefe occafions? The paffion of anger, or the paflion of fear, do then predominate in thyfelf. Learn firft to fubdue the fudden emotions of thine own paffions, and then endeavor to correct his fears. I will grant, if you please, that his paffion of fear may be foolish; but fo is your paffion of anger: and your folly is greater than his, if what you sometimes fay is true, that a Man has more Reason than a Horse. You have reason, and use it not; your Horse has no reason, therefore he cannot use it. Your Horse has not reason to conquer his fears, whilft You have both reason and power to fubdue your own paflion. Your horse offends and cannot help it; You offend, and

may

I leave it to your | may help it. own judgment to determine, whether You or your Horse deserves moft to be corrected. In short, to fmite your horse because he ftumbles or starts, is irrationality and weakness. And, if you will not allow your boafted reason to correct the fear of your horfe by gentleness, forbearance, or skilful management; but think to overcome his fears by whip, fpur, and barbarity, you expose yourself to the juft and severe correction of the Angel, who withstands thee, because thy way is perverfe before him*. And inftances are not uncommon, when his juft anger is fo provoked at the cruelty of Man in this cafe, that though he doth not * Num. xxii. 32.

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open the mouth of the beaft to reprove his rider, (as he once did, and which there is no occafion to do a fecond time), yet he appoints the injured beaft to plead his own cause another way, in being the inftrument of punishment, and fometimes the executioner of death, without allowing a moment's leifure to make the short confeffion of Balaam, I HAVE SINNED. The inference is obvious, that to lofe life by the prancing or unrulincfs of a horse, excited thereto by barbarity, because he may have ftarted or ftumbled, is to die in an ACT OF SIN.

We are told by the prophet MICAH, that when Balaam, who

had finned, in thus paffionately fmiting the Afs, was afterwards confulted by Balak the King of Moab (at whose request he had undertaken this journey) how he might know the righteousness of the LORD; that is, how he might recommend himself to, and best please JEHOVAH the God of Ifrael, whose power he was now fenfible of, and whofe favor he defired to obtain; Balaam gives this inftruction unto the King,-He hath fhewed thee, O Man, what is Good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Micah vi. 8.

In this advice to the King, Balaam feems to allude to the three great duties of Juftice, Mercy,