instance of wisflom and innocency was in our Saviour : wlicn the Jews came to him with an ensnaring question, Mark xii. 14., *' Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not ?" Christ answers wisely, v. 17., " Ren- der to Caesar the things that are Csesar's, and to God the things that are God's," — de- ny not Ciesar his civil right, nor God his religious worship, — let your loyalty be mix- ed with piety ; here he shewed the wisdom of the serpent. And would you see Christ's innocency ? 1 Pet. ii. 22., " There was no guile found in his mouth ; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again," — he opened his mouth in praying for his enemies, but not in reviling them ; behold here the inno- cency of the dove.
The second thing I am to speak of is the dove : " be harmless as doves." The dove is an excellent creature ; it was so accep- table, that in the old law, God would have the dove offered in sacrifice. The Holy Ghost, when he would appear in a visible shape, assumed the likeness of a dove, Mat. iii. 16. We should be as doves in three respects: 1. In respect of meekness; 2. In respect of innocency ; 3. In respect of pu- rity.
1. In respect of meekness. The dove is the emblem of meekness. It is sine felle^ without gall; we should be as doves for meekness ; we must avoid unruly passion, which is hrevis insania, a short frenzy ; we must be without the gall of bitterness and revenge ; we must be of mild spirits, pray- ing for our enemies : so Stephen, Acts vii. 60., " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." This dove-like meekness is the best jewel and ornament we can wear, 1 Pet. iii. 4., " The ornament of a meek spirit, which is in the sight of God, of great price." Pas- sion doth disguise, meekness adorns.
2. We should be as doves for innocency. The innocency of the dove is seen in two things: 1. Not to deceive; 2. Not to hurt.
(1.) Not to deceive. The dove is, as without gall, so without guile; it doth not deceive or lie at the catch : thus we sliould be as the dove, without fraud and ciaft. There a is holy simplicity commendable, Rom. xvi. IJ)., "I would have you simple concerning evil ;" to be a bungh-r at sin, not to have the art to beguile, this is a good
simplicity; as Nathaniel in whose spirit there is no guile, John I. 47. Where al- most is this dove-like innocence to be found ? We live in an age wlierein there are more foxes than doves ; persons are full of guile, they study nothing but fallacies, so that one knows not how to deal with them, Ps. xii. 2., " With a double heart do they speak."
(2.) Not to hurt. The dove hath no horns or talons to hurt, only wings to de- fend itself by flight ; other creatures are commonly well-armed; the lion hath its paw, the boar its tusk, the stag its horns, but the dove is a most harmless creature, it hath nothing wherewith to oifend: thur we should be as doves for harmlessness, — we should not do wrong to others, but rather suffer wrong. Such a dove was Samuel, 1 Sam. xii. 3., " Whose ox have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I defrauded ?" He did not get men's es- tates into his hands, or raise himself upon the ruins of others. How rare is it to find such doves ! Sure they are flown away I How many birds of prey are there ! Micah vii. 2., " They all lie in wait for blood, they hunt every man his brother with a net;'* these are not doves, but vultures ; they travail with mischief, and are in pain till they bring forth.
3. We should be as doves for purity. The dove is the emblem of purity ; it loves the purest air, it feeds on pure grain ; the raven feeds on the carcass, but the dove feeds pure. Thus let us be as doves for sanctity. Cleansing ourselves from all pol- lution both of flesh and spirit, 2 Cor. vii. 1. Christ's dove is pure, Cant. v. 2., " My dove, my undefiled." Let us keep pure a- mong dregs, 1 Tim. v. 22., " Keep thyself pure." Better have a rent in the flesh, than a hell in the conscience ; the dove is a chaste, pure creature ; let us be doves for purity.
Use 1. See here the nature of a good Christian ; he is wise and innocent ; he hath so much of the serpent, that he doth not forfeit his discretion, and so much of the dove, that he doth not defile his conscience. A godly man is looked upon by a carnal eye as weak and indiscreet, as having some- thing of the dove but nothing of the ser- pent ; to believe things not seen, to choose
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sufFerinors rather than sin, this is counted folly ; but the world is mistaken in a belie- ver,— he hath his eyes in his head, — he knows what he doth, — he is prudent, as well as holy ; — he is wise that finds the pearl of price, — he is wise that provides for eternity, — he is the wisest man that hath wit to save his soul, — he is wise that makes him his friend who shall be his judge. The p:odly man acts both the politician and the divine ; he retains his ingenuity, yet he doth not p.art with his integrity.