honour,to which they have no title; and they are as much exalted with it, in their own vain conceit, as if they had gained fome real worth or power; as their haughty looks, their infolent and scornful behaviour plainly fhew: which verifies the wife man's obfervation, a man's attire, exceffive laughter, and gate, fhew what he is. Gay apparel has ever been obferved to corrupt men, putting those upon extravagancies, who are otherwife fober and induftrious; and tho' fome are so much mafters of themselves as to retain their innocence with it, yet frequently it tempts to fin, kindles Tempts to luftful defires, and is too often worn for that very defign. fin. The outward things we enjoy are appointed by providence for the relief of our neceffity, and for our eafe and comfort under the burthens of life; and we are to receive them thankfully: but we may not use them intemperately, or fet our hearts upon them; take no thought for the body what you fhall put on, fays our Saviour. Our apparel will foon decay; moth and ruft corrupt the richeft ornaments, and thieves or misfortunes deprive us of them; is not the body itself more than raiment? and yet we must shortly put it off: instead then of making fuch useless provifion for it, how much better is it to adorn ourselves with piety and the good works of the gospel. ous. The over-curious in adorning the body commonly neglect their better parts; tho' they fhine Is dangerin the eyes of men, their foul remains in darkness, in grofs ignorance of their duty, or defiled with pride, and all manner of uncleannefs. They not only employ their thoughts, but their time also, in this vanity; they spend fo much of it at the glass, or in the dreffing-room, or in making a fhew of themselves to company, that there is none to fpare for performing the offices of religion and virtue. Pride and discontent in whatever inftance foever it begins to fhew itself, is checked by contentedness and refignation: wherefore we should learn to fuffer need, as well as to abound. For, if we believe every man's portion to be allotted by God's providence, and that all things fhall work together for good to them that fear How to be avoided. him, him, we shall easily be fatisfied with the condition he has put us into, and fhall like every thing that is fuitable or belonging to it: for what God has appointed must be the best for us; and how mean foever it be, we have no reason to be afhamed of it, fince he is the great Lord and fole difpofer of all things that we can enjoy. Our conditi on. Mean and plain apparel is as becoming in a low Sets us above eftate, as a richer drefs would be in a higher ftation: he who difdains the one, would be as proud of the other; put him in the garb he is fo ambitious of; and as he was afhamed of that which fuited his condition, fo you will find he will be as much ashamed of his old friends and acquaintance, nay of his parents, relations, and best benefactors, even of them that clothed him: he takes every thing as a reproach that discovers the poverty and meannefs, which he is defirous to hide from the world. Why to be avoided. Therefore let us not mind high things, but if we be of low eftate, let us condefcend to men of low degree; that is, conform our way of living to our circumstances; be content and boaft not of gay clothing nor raiment; confider there is nothing in them to value ourfelves upon they anfwer well the ufes which God defigned them for; to defend us from the weather, or to cover our nakedness; but it is folly to boast of that, which owes it value to our shame, weakness or natural neceffities; and let us make this juft obfervation, that tho' the best apparel is of no use, unless it be to distinguish men of rank and degree from the meaner fort, yet this end of it is fo abufed and perverted, that there is no paffing any true judgment thereby. Now fhould we to fuch confiderations add these reflections more, that the nature of the body, for which all this provifion is made, is but a house of clay, whose foundation is the duft: that it is always fubject to painful and loathfome difcafes, and that they who fet it off fo glorioufly, are, for aught we know, at that very time infefted with them; and that it may of itself be very offenfive, even when it fills all places with the smell of its coftly perfumes; that it haftens to decay all the while we are adorning it: old age and death are ftealing upon us, and that face and shape, which we admire fo fo much, will shortly become a prey to worms; the grave will confume it. And it would be well for fome was this their final end: but this is not the worst of it, for we must rise again, and appear in thefe very bodies, at Chrift's tribunal, to answer for the talents committed to our charge, particularly for the use we have made of our time, and of our wealth, and of all the opportunities of doing good *according to our abilities. SUNDAY XVII. CHAP. XVII. I. Of Fortitude, Patience, and Impatience. II. Of Selfdenial. III. Of final Repentance, or Preparation for Death. Difregard of the World, Refignation, Truft in God, &c. IV. Of DEATH; its Time. V. Advantages. VI. Influence on us. VII. How to Number our Days. VIII. And compofe the Mind for Death. IX. Of the Shortness of Life, and its Improvement. X. Of the Middle-ftate. XI. Of the Dangers of a mifpent Life. XII. We can die but once. XIII. Of the Fear of Death. XIV. How to be remedied, XV. In what Chriftian Perfection conffts. I. 1TH in well-do HE heathens have placed fortitude among Chriftian the cardinal virtues, and revelation tells fortitude, or us our present ftate is or resembles a warfare, perfeverance which is a loud monition and demand upon us ing. to be arined with patience and courage. Patience is exercised in bearing prefent evils, or waiting for future good, and in the chriftian cafe, waiting for the future bleffed ftate of immortality. It is not that mistaken boldness of mind, or an infenfibleness of present evils, or an indifference for future good, which the heathens, and fome heathenish christians call fortitude: for, no affliction for the present is joyous, but grievous. Jefus was fenfible of his fufferings, and *See the duty of a wife, page 207. expreffed expreffed his fenfe of them in most moving terms. But it is a difpofition of mind which keeps us calm and compofed in our frame, and steady in the practice of our duty under the fense of afflictions, or in the delay of our expectations. And It is this patience with which Chrift exhorts his difciples to poffefs their fouls, after he had foretold them the sufferings and dangers they would be expofed to in the course of their ministry and christian warfare; and in them inftructs us, that in every circumftance that tends to difcompofe us, we must always fhew ourselves men, by permitting reafon and grace to have the upper hand. From whence we may Its use. ob ferve, what in fact we find true, that smart trials or the deferring men's hopes, make their hearts fick, or mafter and enslave the mind: fo that violent fwelling transports of paffion carry them away. The foul is guarded against this by patience, which preferves it fo eafy and composed, that unreasonable paffions and refentments may not deftroy our inward peace, nor the folid grounds of religion may be loft in the fcuffle of paffion, nor clouded by events, which have no connexion therewith; that we may not lose the enjoyment of the bleffings we have, because of fome evils we feel; and that we may still be able clearly to difcern our present duty in any turns which providence hath ordained. By this we poffefs our fouls in a trial of patience, continue in even frame, and keep off all impreffions, which would ruffle our minds, or put us out of humour. By this are prevented all hafty and rash conclufions. Human nature is prone to make hafty judgment of things from prefent appearances, against which patience fortifies the foul. It is too ready to charge God foolishly, or call in question the truth of his promises, if he do not accomplish them in our way and time, or to fufpect his mercy and goodness, because of trials: but patience teacheth us to reft in God's declarations of favour to the upright, and fuppreffes any hafty furmifes to the difhonour of God. It is indeed the infirmity of man to entertain hard thoughts of religion, when it expofes us to fuffering, and the recompences of it are out of fight: but patience will fix us in this reckoning; that the recompences in profpect are worth not only waiting but fuffering for alfo. And tho' we fear the fuc cefs, cess, when we think of the strength or fubtlety of our enemies, the variety of our work and our own weakness, patience will fupprefs every wandering opinion. It is the work of patience to fortify against unlawful methods for accomplishing our deliverance or defires. Whofoever are burthened feek how they may help themselves, or confult means to obtain what they wish for: but patience restrains us from any finful expedient, which may promife relief, confirming and establishing that good refolution, rather to bear any trouble than to feek for relief, or deliverance from our affliction, by unlawful means; and never to apply to any doubtful course, much less to venture upon any known fin, to haften our fatisfaction and release. So that it is the work of patience to difpose a man to go on in the way of his duty, whatever discouragement may arife from the weight of his troubles, or the deferring of his expectations. Whereas the impatient are faint and weary in their minds, become remifs in their work, and tired out by sharp and continued trials. All have fome exercise of patience in this life; and chriftians fhare in the common lot of their Why chrifti ans have need of pa fellow-creatures. For, they are no more exempt- tience. ed than others, from the uncertainty of the present life. Difeafes, pains, lofs of friends, ingratitude, disappointments in their affairs, and all the various troubles to which man is born, fall to the lot of the good as well as the wicked. So that they muft, as well as others, continue hoping for many outward comforts they defire to enjoy. Befides, God has chofen them through Jefus Chrift to be his peculiar people zealous of good works; he would have them to be examples to the reft of the world, in the exercise of patience under the fame circumstances with themfelves. Moreover, christians have more need of patience than others; together with the infirmities of nature, and disappointments of life, they undergo many fufferings of one kind or other for the fake of Chrift. And again, many of the conftant duties of the christian life, as prayer, and reading, and hearing God's word, cannot be performed without pains: and are a weariness to the flesh, not to be fupported without patience, ef pecially |