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ftrictness of devotion, it is his great business. He has always had too many important things in his head, his thoughts have been too much employed, to fuffer him to fall either into any courfes of rackery, or to feel the neceffity of an inward folid piety. If Negotius was asked, what it is which he drives in life, he would be at a loss for an answer. He has feveral confufed notions in his head, viz. That it is something great, to have more bufinefs than other people; to grow continually richer and richer, and to raise an immense fortune before he dies. The generality of people, when they think of happiness, think upon Negotius, in whofe life every inftance of happiness is supposed to meet: fober, prudent, rich, profperous, generous and charitable. Let us now therefore look at this condition in another, but truer light. Let it be fuppofed, that this fame Negotius was a painful laborious man, every day deep in variety of affairs; that he neither drank, nor debauched; but was fober and regular in his bufinefs; that he grew old in this course of tradeing; and that the end and defign of all this labour was only this, that he may die poffeffed of more than an hundred thousand pair of boots and fpurs, and as many great coats. Let it be fuppofed, that the fober part of the world fay of him when he is dead, that he was a great and happy mann, a thorough master of business, and had acquired an hundred thoufand pair of boots and fpurs, when he died. Now if this was really the cafe, I believe it would be readily granted, that a life of fuch bufinefs was as poor and ridiculous as any that can be invented: But it would puzzle any one to fhew, that a man that has spent all his time and thoughts in business and hurry, that he might die, as it is faid, worth an hundred thoufand pounds, is any whit wiser than he, who has taken the fame pains to have as many pair of boots and fpurs, when he leaves the world; for, if the temper and state of our fouls be our whole ftate; if the only end of life be to die as free from fin, and exalted in virtue as we can; if naked as we came, fo naked we are to return, and to ftand a trial before Chrift, and his holy angels, for everlafting happiness or mifery; what can it poffibly fignify,

what

what a man had or had not, in this world? What can it fignify, what you call those things, which a man has left behind him; whether you call them his, or any one's elfe; whether you call them trees or fields, or birds, or feathers; whether you call them an hundred thoufand pounds, or an hundred thousand pair of boots and fpurs? I fay, call them; for the things fignify no more to him than the names. Now it is easy to see the folly of a life thus spent, to furnish a man with such a number of boots and fpurs. But yet there needs no better faculty of feeing, no finer understanding, to see the folly of a life spent in making a man poffeffor of ten towns, before he dies; for, if when he has got all his towns, or all his boots, his foul is to go to his own place amongst separate spirits, and his body be laid by in a coffin, till the laft trumpet calls him to judgment; where the inquiry will be, how humbly, how devoutly, how purely, how meekly and charitably we have fpoke, thought and acted, whilst we were in the body; how can we fay, that he who has wore out his life in raifing an hundred thousand pounds, has acted wifer for himself, than he who has had the fame care to procure an hundred thousand of any thing else. But farther: Let it now be fuppofed, that Negotius, when he first entred into bufinefs, happening to read the gospel with attention, and eyes opened found that he had a much greater bufinefs upon his hands, than that to which he had ferved an apprentiship; that there were things, which belong to man of much more importance than all that our eyes can fee; so glorious, as to deserve all our thoughts; fo dangerous, as to need all our care; and fo certain, as never to deceive the faithful labourer. If Negotius believing these things to be true, had entirely devoted himself to God, at his first setting out in the world, refolving to purfue his business no farther than was confiftant with great devotion, humility and felf-denial; and for no other ends, but to provide himself with a fober fubfiftance, and to do all the good that he could to the fouls and bodies of his fellowcreatures. Now, had this been the Chriftian fpirit of Negotius, can any one, who is truly in his fenfes, fay he

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had

had loft any degree of true joy and happiness by thus conforming to the fpirit of Chriftianity: And yet I doubt not, but worldly Chriftians of every denomination will oppofe, and endeavour to difcredit fuch a representation of Chriftianity; but when you reprefent to your mind, how Chriftians ought to live unto God, and in what degree of wisdom and holinefs they ought to use the things of this life, you must not look at the world, which lies in wickedness, and whose wisdom is foolishness with God; but you muft look towards heaven. You muft with the eyes of faith penetrate into the invifible world, the world. of fpirits, and confider your order and condition among them; you must endeavour, by the help of grace, to put in practice the highest precepts of the gofpel: You must think, how departed fouls would live, if they were again to act the fhort part of human life, and what degree of wisdom and holiness you will wish for, when you are. leaving this world. Now, this is not propofing to ourfelves any needlefs perfection; it is but barely complying with the precepts of the gospel, which requires that we be holy in all manner of converfation, and with the advice given by the Apoftle, viz. Whatsoever things are true, whatJoever things are honeft, whatsoever things are juft, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praife, think on these things. For no one can come near the doctrine of this paffage, but he, that proposes to himself to do every thing in this life, as a fervant of God, and to make the wisdom and holinefs of the gospel the rule and measure of his defiring and using every gift of God. And as the holiness of Chriftianity confecrates all eftates and employments of life unto God, so are we more especially obliged to obferve this religious exactnefs in the ufe of our eftates and fortunes, becaufe, if we wafte them, we don't wafle a trifle, that fignifies little; but we wafte that, which might be made as eyes to the blind, as a husband to the widow, and as a father to the orphan; If a man had eyes, hands and feet, that he could give to thofe that wanted them; if he should either lock them up in a cheft, or please himself with fome needlefs and ridiculous ufe of them,

inftead

inftead of giving them to his brethren that were blind and lame; fhould we not justly reckon him an inhuman wretch, if he should rather chufe to amuse himself with furnishing his houfe with those things, than to entitle himself to an eternal reward, by giving them to those that wanted eyes and hands; might we not juftly reckon him mad? for after we have fatisfied our own fober and reasonable wants, all the reft of our money is like spare eyes and hands; fomething that can only be well used, by giving it to thofe that want it. Thefe tempers and this use of our worldly goods, is fo much the doctrine of all the New Teftament, that you can't read a chapter without being taught of it. I fhall only produce one remarkable paffage, which is fufficient to juftify what I have faid concerning this religious ufe of all our fortune. When the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he fit upon the throne of his glory. And before him fhall be gathered all nations; and he fall feparate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his Sheep from the goats: and he fhall fet the fheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then fhall the King fay unto them on his right hand, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was fick, and ye vifited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then fhall the righteous anfwer him, faying, Lord, when faw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When faw we thee a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee? or when faw we thee fick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King fhall answer, and fay unto them, Verily I fay unto you, Inafmuch as ye have done it unto one of the leaf of thefe my brethren, ye have done it unto me.And the righteous fhall go into life eternal. Matth. 25:31-46.

In an account of the life of the Lady Elizabeth Haftings we meet with an extraordinary inftance of the happy effect which Chriftianity has upon thofe, who by joining

with the calls of grace, become willing to give up their whole Hearts to follow its dictates. This pious Lady's firft principle appears to have been the Glory of God, and the purity of her own heart; next to this a continual folicitude and labour to hold all her capacities, all her power and all her fortunes continually upon ftretch for the good of all men, weeping with thofe that wept; rejoicing with thofe that rejoiced; given to hofpitality; diftributing to the neceffities of the faints, and to thofe that were lefs fo, having joy at the converfion of a finner, or the leaft appearance of it; but the care of all her cares was the tranger; the fatherless and the widow; the needy, and he that hath no helper; the lame, the halt and the blind. And in this place, fays the author of her life, what fhall I fay! or how can I expect to be believed! The bent of her spirit ever lay towards thefe: She had a fhare in all their fufferings; fhe would often converfe with them, and enquire into their hiftory, with as much poverty of fpirit, as they were in of outward condition; the would ftudy their particular cafes, and put them in the way of better welfare; fome of these were ever in her houfe, and frequently in great numbers; and it was no neglect of her's, if any one went away unrelieved with meat, phyfic, raiment or money; many of these that lived remote, had yearly allowances, and large fums frequently iffued out into diftant parts of the kingdom. Her ftill larger applications were fixed penfions upon reduced families, the maintenance of her own charityfchool, contributions to others, &c. &c. She was a great miftrefs of all parts of economy with refpect to what the laid out upon herself, her body, fhe knew, was the temple of the Holy Ghoft, which the believer muft poffefs in fanctification and honour, wherefore her support of it in meat, drink and fleep was ever bounded by neceffity; for they that walk in the Spirit, as this pious Lady did, die progreffively to every vanity, and dare not indulge the hurtful gratifications of the flesh, but labour to keep it under, as knowing it to be the feat and repofitory of their most dangerous and deadly enemy. Nevertheless fhe fought not her falvation by the force of her alms, highly