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but refign up ourselves, and all our cares, to the good pleasure of God, and the difpofal of his wife providence; and leave it to him, who made the world, to govern it; for no doubt he understands it much better than we.

SUNDAY II. CHAP. II.

I. Humility, or fubmiffion to the will of God. II. Dependence on God. III. Of Pride. IV. Of Sincerity. V. Honour due to God. VI. In his Houfe. VII. By Prayer. VIII. In his Minifters. IX. In keeping the Lord's day. X. In obferving the Feafts and XI. Fafts, of the Church.

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Humility,

or

Umility and lowliness of mind is an entire refignation to the will of God; and dependence upon him in all dangers that relate either to our bodies or fouls: confifting in the true knowledge of ourfelves, and the understanding our own weak and finful condition, taking to ourselves the shame and confufion due to our follies; and giving God the glory of all the good we receive, or are enabled to do. For he who defires to be truly humble, and cloathed with humility, muft avoid the publication of his own praises, or to beg the praises of others, by giving them a handle to commend him : must not place too much pleasure and fatisfaction in hearing the good things that are faid of him, because they are often rather the effect of civility, than what we deferve: Muft do nothing on purpose to draw the eyes and good opinion of men, but purely to please God: Must bear the reproaches, the injuries and affronts of bad men with patience and meekness, the reproofs of friends with thankfulness: Muft not contemn others, tho' inferior to him in fome advantages of body or mind, but be ready to give them that honour and praise they justly deserve: Muft pity and ftrive to reform the fins and follies of his fellow-christians, it being the effect of God's grace that he is not overcome by the fame temptations: Muft carry himfelf with great refpect to

C 4

all

all fuperiors, with courtesy and affability to all inferiors, and fubmit to the lowest offices for the service of his neighbour : Muft receive from the hands of God all afflictions and trials without murmuring against his juftice, as an offender under the hand of juftice. So that

Submiffion

The fubmiffion of a christian confists in a firm to God's perfwafion of mind, that nothing happens to us but by the will and permiffion of God. That he Difpofals and loves us better than we do ourselves, and knows

commands. the best methods of making us happy. And that therefore we should be content in every state and condition of life, let whatever befal us, how contrary foever to our own inclinations; and how much foever contradicting those propofals of happiness and enjoyment which we have framed within our own breafts. And,

on God,

II. The dependence of a chriftian upon God, Dependance confifts in expecting in all dangers temporal and fpiritual, by a serious and diligent discharge of our own duty, relief of his almighty power, which is able to help us; and from his infinite goodness which has promised to affift us: And therefore not to difquiet ourselves with the difmal forefight of dangers and calamities that may never happen; or if they do, may, by the affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, turn to our real benefit.

How per

Both which parts of chriftian humility are perfected. fected by a contempt of the world. And the contempt of the world is fhewn by looking on all worldly enjoyments as little and inconfiderable, in comparifon of that happiness which God hath prepared for those that love him. In being content with that portion of the good things of this life, which the wife providence of God hath allotted to our fhare; without purchafing the enjoyment of them by the committing of any wilful fin; without being anxioufly concerned for the increase of them, or extreamly depreffed when they make themselves wings and fly away; in a moderate use of all thofe lawful pleasures, which relate to the gratification of our fenfes, and fleshly appetites; as becomes perfons, who expect their portion, not in the pleafures of this world, but in the happiness of the next; in a

low

low esteem of riches and honour; being ready to forsake them whenever they come in competition with the performance of our duty to God: in bearing the afflictions and calamities of this life with patience and conftancy; looking unto Jefus, who for the joy that was fet before him defpised the cross; and confequently in fixing our minds upon our chiefest good, and earnestly defiring and longing for the enjoyment thereof.

Which humble, refigned, and depending frame of mind,

is the proper difpofition for devotion, and the pa- It's fruits.

rent of religious fear. 'Tis the feed-plot of all

christian virtues. It makes us ready to receive the revelations of God's will to mankind, and as careful to practise what he enjoins. It makes us greateft in the kingdom of God, either as that fuppofesus to be members of Chrift's church here upon earth, or our being members of the church triumphant, in poffeffion of eternal happiness hereafter.

It reftrains the immoderate defire of honour, by teaching us not to exalt ourselves, nor to do any thing through ftrife or vain-glory. It makes us rejoice in the excellencies of our brethren, and, in fine, fincerely congratulates those abilities that entitle them to a greater share of value and esteem than we can pretend to.

The difficulty of this virtue proceeds from that felf-love, which is planted in our nature, and when indul

felf-love.

ged, will be too apt to deceive us in the judgment Oppofite to we form concerning ourselves. And

Acknow

ledgeth

God's glo

From humility proceed many other christian virtues; it makes us ready to believe what God reveals, and to pay our due obedience to him, from the sense of our own meannefs and his excellency and by removing the great hindrance of our faith; which y isa vanity to distinguish ourselves from the unthinking crowd. How can we believe, when we receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour that cometh from God only? It makes us put our hope and confidence in God, because being weak and miferable of ourselves, without him we can do nothing. It increases our love to God, by making us fenfible how unworthy we are of

Our own

corruption.

the

neighbour.

the least of those many favours we receive from him. It teaches us to rejoice in the profperity of our neighbour, by Teacheth the infufing the moft favourable opinion of his worth. love of our It difpofes us to relieve thofe wants, and compaffionate thofe afflictions which we ourselves have deferved. It makes us patient under all the troubles and calamities of life, because we have provoked God by our fins. Neither prayers nor fafts will find acceptance, unless they proceed from an humble mind, and our best works will ftand us in little ftead, if they with pride and boafting of our own ftrength.

It's ufe and

benefit.

are stained

III. The folly of which fins appears, in that we The folly of value ourselves, very frequently upon things that add no true worth to us, that neither make us bet

pride and

vain-glory.

ter nor wifer; that are in their own nature perishable, and of which we are not owners but ftewards. Or if the things be valuable in themselves, they are God's immediate work in us; and to be proud of them is the fureft way to lose them.

vented.

Hence to overlook our defects hinders us from How pre- making any further improvement, and the being poffeffed with an opinion we deferve more than we have, eats out all the pleasure of our prefent enjoyments. Befides, the proud man miffes the very end he aimed at, for inftead of honour and applaufe, he meets with contempt and fhame. Therefore

The way to avoid pride and to attain to humiliOvercome. ty, is to remember that all the advantages, we enjoy either of body or mind, above others, are not the effect of our merit, but of God's bounty: That those whom we are apt to contemn, are valuable in the fight of God, the only fountain of true honour: That by having confented to fin, we have committed the most shameful action imaginable, the moft contrary to justice and right reason, and to all fort of decency; and that as long as we are cloathed with flesh and blood, we are still liable to the fame offences against the majefty of heaven and earth: To fupprefs all proud and vain thoughts when they firft arife in our minds, and efpecially never to fuffer them to take poffeffion of our imagination: To

keep

keep a conftant watch over our words and actions, that we may check the first inclinations to pride and vain-glory. And, ÍV. Again, without fincerity it is impoffible for us to make our obedience acceptable to God, integrity of mind Of fincerity. being the highest character and commendation of

Examined.

How to be

attained.

a good man. It implies both the reality of our in- Why neceftention in God's fervice, or our performing it truly fary. for God's fake, as we pretend to do; and alfo the uncorruptnefs of it, or our performing it for his fake more than for any thing else whatsoever; and without any regard to any other advantages of our own, but fuch as are allowed by God. And The most certain rule to examine our fincerity by, is the integrity of our obedience. For he that obeys God at all times, and in all inftances, cannot but ferve him in spirit and in truth. And the best method to attain that fincerity which is fo neceffary in God's fervice, is to confider that all our religious actions are of no value in the fight of God, except they are performed with a refpect to his authority, and out of obedience to his holy will; and that by defigning other by-ends, as our own profit, or the praise of men, we lofe our title to that reward which he has promifed. To poffefs ourselves likewife with the belief of God's prefence always with us; that all our ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and that he pondereth all our goings which with devout prayer for his affiftance, will keep us upright before him, defigning God's glory as the great scope of our actions.

So that a ftudious concern to approve ourselves to him in our whole conduct, is neceffary to promote true godlinefs. This is a temper arifing from the confideration of God, as the being with whom principally we have to do; by whose sentence, not only our prefent lot must be ordered, but our condition to all eternity. We fhould be concerned for his approbation in all things, because he constantly observes all our actions, and fees the fecrets of our hearts. It fhould be a frequent turn of thought with us, thou, O God, feeft me; thou understandest my thoughts afar off; there is not a word in my tongue, but thou knoweft it altogether: And therefore,

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