can befal any Man but it must be useful for his inftruction or prevention. 4. That the beft of Men deferve far worse at the hands of God, than the worst afflictions that ever did or ever can befall any Man in this life. 5. That there have been examples of greater affliction, that have befallen better Men in this life: Witness Job, and that excellent pattern of all Patience and Goodnefs, even as a Man, our Lord Chrift Jefus. 6. That thefe afflictions are fent for the good even of good Men; and it is their fault and weakness, if they have not that effect. 7. That in the midst of the fevereft afflictions, the favour of God to the Soul, discovering it felf like the Sun fhining through a Cloud, gives light and comfort to the Soul. 8. That Almighty God is ready to fupport them, that believe in him, and to bear them up under all their afflictions, that they fhall not fink under them. 9. That whatsoever or how great foever the afflictions of this Life are, if the name be blafted with Reproaches, the Eftate wafted and confumed by fire from Heaven, if Friends are loft, if Hopes and Expectations disappointed, if the Body be macerated with pains and diseases, yet Faith presents to the Believer fomething, that can bear up the Soul under thefe, and many more preffures, namely, that after a few years or days are pent, an eternal ftate of unchangeable and perfect happiness fhall fucceed: that death the worst of temporal evils will cure all thofe maladies, and deliver up the Scul into a state of endless comfort and bleffednefs: And therefore he bears all this with patience and quietnefs, and contentedness, and chearfulness, and difappoints the World in that expectation, wherein its ftrength in relation to this condition, lies, namely, it conquers all impatience, murmuring, and unquietnefs of mind.

2. As to the fecond part of this Providential World, namely Profperity, which in truth is the more dangerous condition of the two, without the intervention of the Divine Grace, the foils that the World puts upon Men by this condition, are commonly Pride, Infolence, carnal Security,Contempt or Neglect of Duty and Religion, Luxury, and the like. The method whereby Faith overco

H. 3

meth

meth this part of the World, and those evil confequences that arise upon it, are thefe: 1. Faith gives a Man' a true and equal estimate of this condition, and keeps a Man from over-valuing it, or himself for it; lets him know it is very uncertain, very cafual, very dangerous, and cannot out-laft this life: Death will come and fweep down all thefe Cob-webs. 2. Faith affures him, that Almighty God obferves his whole deportment in it, that he hath given him a Law of Humility, Sobriety, Temperance, Fidelity, and a Caution not to truft in uncertain Riches; that he muft give an account of his Stewardship alfo to the great Mafter of the Family of Heaven and Earth, that he will duly examine all his Items, whether done according to his Lord's Commiffion and Command; and it lets him know that the more he hath, the greater, ought his care to be, because his account will be the greater. 3. Faith lets him know that the abundance of Wealth, Honour, Friends, Applaufe, Succeffes, as they laft no longer than this fhort tranfitory life, and therefore cannot make up his Happiness no nor give a Man any ease or rescue from a fit of the Stone, or Colick: So there is an Everlasting State of Happiness or Mifery that muft attend every Man after Death. And on the one hand, all the glory and fplendor, and happinefs, that this inferior World can afford, is nothing, in comparison of that Glory that fhall be revealed to, and enjoyed by them that believe and obey. 1. Nothing in refpect of its duration; if a man fhould live a thousand years, yet that muft have an end, and the very pre apprehenfion of an end is enough to dash, and blaft, and wither any happiness even while it is enjoyed; but that happiness that fucceeds after death is an everlasting happiness. 2. Nothing in refpect of its degree; there is no fincere, compleat, perfect happiness in this World: It is mingled with evils, with fears, with viciffitudes of forrow and trouble; but the happiness of the next life is perfect, fincere, and unmixed with any thing that may allay it: And upon thefe accounts, Faith (which is the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen, and there fore by a kind of anticipation gives a prefence to the Soul

of

of those future joys, renders the beft happiness this World below can yield, but languid, and poor, like the light of a Candle in the prefence of the Sun. On the other fide, the mifery that after death attends the mis-spent prefent life, over-balanceth all the good that this life can yield, both in its degree and duration; and therefore with the pre-apprchenfion of it, it fowrs and allays all the good that is in the greatest happiness of this life. 4. Faith doth affure every believing Soul that as fure as he now liveth, and enjoyeth that worldly felicity it hath, fo furely, if he, in belief and obedience to the Will of God, revealed in and through Chrift, fhall ufe his Stewardship thereof foberly, faithfully and obediently, he fhall enjoy that everlafting happiness that thus out-weigheth the beft temporal felicity: And on the other fide, if he fhall ufe his profperous condition vainly, proudly, infolently, unfaithfully, intemperately, this fhort felicity, that he hath here, fhall be attended with an endlefs and exceffive mifery unto all eternity. And now thus upon thefe accounts and methods, Faith overcometh this World of external profperity. The corruption in the heart, and the temptations of the evil one, and of evil Men, would prefently improve this condition to make the Man proud, infolent, intemperate, luxurious, fecure, trufting in uncertain riches, forgetful of God and of Religion: But by the means before mentioned, Faith conquers the World herein, difappoints the corruption of the heart, the fubtilty of the Devil, the temptations of evil Men, and brings the Man into a low efteem of his own external happiness; keeps him in a high and juft valuation of Heaven; keeps him temperate, fober, watchful, humble, faithful, juft; makes him mindful of his account, and ftudious and induftrious for the attaining and fecu: ing of an everlasting state of happiness, and that when death fhall render all his wealth, and honour, and applaufe, and succeffes, and glory, to be poor, empty, infipid things, yet he may have and enjoy a fixed, permanent, everlafting tate of bleffednefs and glory with the ever glorious God, the bleffed Redeemer, the holy Angels, and the Spirits of juft Men made perfect.

H. 4

Of

Of HUMILITY: its Oppofite Vices, Benefits, and Means to acquire it.

Prov. iii. 34. Jam. iv. 6. 1 Pet. v. 5.

God refifteth the Proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

PRide

Ride and Humility are two oppofite habits or difpofitions of the mind: and therefore the difcuffion and examination of the latter, will of it felf give us a difcovery of the former; and the difcovery of the benefits and advantage of the virtue of Humility, will give us alfo an account of the mifchiefs and inconveniences of Pride, that is its oppofite vice.

In the examination of the true nature of Humility, we muft take notice that there are two extreams, and between thefe the Virtue of Humility is placed.

The two Extreams are in the excefs, which is Pride, and in the defect, Bafenels of mind.

Fride arifeth from an over-valuation of a Man's felf, or a want of a due fenfe of his dependency upon Almighty God. And, though all Pride be an extream foolish diftemper of the mind, yet fome kind of Pride is far more unreasonable and vain than other; namely, that kind of Pride, that arifeth from fuch Objects, that are lefs valuable in themfelves, or lefs his own that grows proud of them.

It is a foolish thing for a man to be proud of the Endowments of his Mind: As Wit, Memory, Judgment, Prudence, Policy, Learning, nay, of a Man's Goodness, Virtue, Juftice, Temperance, Integrity: For though thefe be moft a Man's own, yet he hath them by the bounty and goodness of that God, to whom he owes his being; What haft thou which thou hast not received? Thefe are matters indeed to flir up the gratitude to the Giver of them, but not fufficient grounds to make thee proud. Again, though the things themfelves be excellent, and more thine own than any other outward thing, yet thou art but a temporary owner of them; a violent Fever, or a fit

of

of a Palfie, or Apoplexy, may rob thee of all these endowments, and thou mayft poffibly over-live thy Wit, thy Parts, thy Learning; and if thou cicapeft thefe Concuffions, yet if thou live to old age (a thing that naturally all Men defire) that will abate, if not wholly antiquate, thy Wit, Learning, Parts; and it is a foolish thing for a man to be proud of that which he is not fure to keep while he lives, and must lose at laft in a great measure when he dies, even by reason of that very Pride which accompanies them here. Again, that very Pride, which accompanies thofe excellent parts and habits, is the very thing that either poils, or very much debafeth, and difparageth them both in the fight of God, and Man ; it. is like the dead Flie in the Confection, the Worm at the bottom of the Gourd, that taints and withers thefe Excellencies, and renders them either contemptible or at least much less valuable. The more a Man values himself for thofe things, the lefs he is valued by others, and it is a thousand to one that this foolish vain humour of Pride mingles fome odd, fanciful, ridiculous, or unfavoury ingredient in the actions or deportments of fuch Men, though of eminent parts and abilities? fo that they receive more reproach or cenfure by their Pride, than they receive applaufe by their Parts: For as God refifts the Proud, fo doth mankind alfo, and their very pride gives their adverfaries advantage.

And as Pride of Parts, and Habits of the Mind, is a foolish thing; fo Pride of Bodily Endowments is yet more foolish and vain; because it is raifed upon a thing of a bafer allay than the former; fuch as are Beauty, Stature, Strength, Agility; for though these are a Man's own, yet they are things that are, not only fubject to more cafualties than the former, but they are but of an inferiour

nature.

Again, yet more vain and foolish is that Pride that is raifed upon things that are, either purely Adventitious or Foreign, or in the meer power of other Men, as Pride of Wealth, of Honour, of Applaufe, of Succeffes in Actions, of Titles, gay Cloaths, many Attendants, great

Equipage,