darling fins,as David was croft in his beloved Abfalon, Abfalon in his Kingdome, Amnon in his Tamar. So the covetous are croft in their greatest confluence of riches, Thofe very things which they have purfued with the strongest affections, prove unto them the moft bitter afflictions. Hereupon Reverend Latimer inculcates Latimer in his this leffon againe, and againe, beware of Covetousneffe, beware of Sermons. Covetoufneffe. Of all other fins,Luther confeft that he found his heart lealt inclined to covetoufneffe: when fome bad ftop his mouth with preferment, another answered, hem Germana ista bestia non curat au

rum: So Melchior Adamus in his life. Hence Seneca very divine- Melchior Ada. ly: Breviffima ad divitias per contemptum divitiarum via, the con-musin vitâ Lutempt of riches is a price paid to purchase them.

theri. Seneca de Bre vitate vita.

4thly and Laftly, not to multiply any more inftances: Others' propofe unto themselves mirth, and jollity, these are their great fourth man things: Many have thoughts of Heaven, they promife to redeeme propofab mirth their time, as Elimelech promif'd to redeeme the inheritance, but. when there came a condition, thou must take Ruth with it, then he fly'd off: Icannot redeeme it, left I marre mine own inheritance, Ruth. 4.6. So men are apt to fay, O if I fhould take a precife course of life, Ifhould marre my hopes, then farewell all pleasures, and comforts: whereas indeed if we had the spirit of difcerning, we should fee, that there's no reall pleasure but in the waies of godlineffe: The waies of wisdome are waits of ple afantnesse, and her pathes are peace, Prov.3.17. of all other pleafures, I may fay, inter amplexus ftrangu lant. What's all the mirth, and jollity of the world but madneffe, as Selomen concluded by wofull experience: I faid of laughter it is mad, and of mirth what doth it? Ecclef. 2.2. All the mirth of the wicked is like the crackling of thornes, but a blaze,and extinguished. Their hearts are full of gravell, there's a dampe upon their confciences. The terrors of God afright them amidst all their mirth, and jollity. The Epicure makes his belly his God. Clemens calls his vice by two words which expreffe them to the life ægría, yaspinary lar, belly phrenfy: the brutish drunkard makes his his Idols: Hee's mighty to powre in ftrong drinke, but he confiders not, that cups of trembling will follow cups of healthing, and carousing, and that the time will come, when he fhall be cald to a fevere accompt for those cups,which he hath powred down his own throate, and for thofe (which he least thinks of) that he hath forc't

E 3

cups

upon

Clemens Alex:

Auguft, Con fcfion.

upon his brother. O thinke upon this in your most fad, and compofed thoughts, you who ever you are, that are addicted to your pleasures, that make your recreation your profeffion, and imployinent, who eat and drinke, and rife up to play: when cards and dice (to fay noworfe) fhall be more exercif'd then the booke of God: when men can have time enough for vaine, and unprofitable pa ftimes, and can have mony enough to spend upon a base luft, yer if they be requir'd to fet upon a bufineffe of weight and confequence, then they complaine of want of time, and if they be entreated to extend their bowels of compaflion to any of Christ's afflicted members, then they plead poverty; where there are fuch fymptomes as thefe, you may gueffe what's the difeafe of the illaffected parts, and the iffue will be lamentable. I have read of a young man, who food by St Ambrofe, and faw his excellent death, he presently faid to fume of his boone companions, O that I might live with you, and die with him. So many we have who with Balaam would faine die the death of the righteous, but take no care to live the life of the righteous. What wilt not thou foregoe a pleafure, a beloved finne for Chrift? Chrift will one day fay to thee: could I be content to part with my blood, and could'it not thou be content to part witha luft? Angustine in his confeffions bath this notable expreffion: Quàm fuave mihi fubito factum eft carere fuavitatibus nugarum? How Jweet is it to mee of a fudden to want thofe Sweet vanities! One drop of a racking confcience fwallowes up an ocean of ungodly joy. Onely foule delights leave a fweet rellifh in the fpirit, but carnall pleasures leave a fting in the confcience. By thefe inftances ye may gueffe at the rest: fuffèr me to make a briefe recapitulation of the premiffes. Suppofe reft, and quietneffe, be the great things fought after, whilst we pursue then greedily, vexations, troubles, difquietneffe of fpirit come in thick, and threefold, and dafh all. Promotions, and preferments if they be the great things we feeke after,they refemble Jonah's gourd,which in one night had it's originall, and it's period. Riches and wealth, if they be the great things fought after, these fly away, they prove Egyptian reeds, wells without water, and they start afide like broken bowes. Admit pleasures, and carnall joility be the great things fought after, however the prologue may promife a comedy, yet the Epilogue will difcover a fatall tragedy,

whatever

whatever laughter was extorted, was but rifus Sardonicus. All the pleasures are but yung bitter-fweets, will there not in all these be bitterneffe in the end? Thus drawing an induction from these and the reft,I may hence collect an univerfall conclufion: That nothing under the funne is worthy of the labour, and purfuite of the fonnes of men. Thou then ex meliore luto fitus, who art fram'd ofa better mold, who art imploy'd in a more peculiar fervice for the God of Heaven, Otread not Antipodes, be not unfutable to thy Lord and matter: A fhame for a child to be fo

unlike his Father: Tu tibi ipfi queris grandia? doft thou, O Baruch, Baruch the perfeeke great things, thou for thy felfe, which is the perfon feeking, fon fecking. and now befpeaks the continuance of your patience.

This ftring founds harfh; It's ftrange that a man fo highly advanc't in the fervice of God fhould fo much forget himselfe. C. A Lapide

checks him thus: folus vis otiari, nil vis pati pro converfione & falute C.A Lapide, populi? would't thou enjoy thy reft alone, and venter nothing in Loc. for the converfion and fafety of the people of God? There's an Emphafis in the word, wilt thou feeke for thy felfe? As fuppofing the Church, and State fhould be put into one ballance, and thy life in another, would't thou defire to outweigh them both? Is thy life more pretious then fo many millions? Would'ft thou be advanc't when the Church is brought low? Would'ft thou warme thy felfe at home by thine own fire, when the temple of the Lord is a burning? Queftionleffe (my brethren) it's the duty of a child of God to haue a fellow-feeling of his brethrens calamities, to lay to heart their miferies, as if they were his own: Private interefts muft give place to publick miferies. Particular relations must be fwallowed up in the weale publick. Private affaires must cease and be fufpended,when mighty, and urgent bufineffe of Church and ftate require our helping hand. Good old Elyes heart trembled for the Arke of God, he could heare with patience the flight of Ifrael, and the flaughter of his fonnes, but as foone as the meffenger made mention that the Arke of God was taken, he fell from off the feat backward by the fide of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died, 1 Sam. 4.18. And his daughter in law Phineas wife bowed her felfe,and travailed, and called her child Ichabod, faying the glory is departed from Ifrael, because the Arke of God was taken, verf. 22. You heare how deeply these two were affected with the Churches mifery. It were a pru

dent

dent and profitable course in fuch times as thefe wherein we live to read leasurely over the booke of Lamentations, that fo our hearts might be fram'd into a broken temper. And in the fayling of this. man of God, it fhould be our wifdome profitably to reflect upon our felves, and fee where's our fympathy in these times of nationall calamities. I feare most of our Confciences, if they be not cauterif'd, will give in evidence to the contrary: How many are there who grow worfe and worfe in these perillous times, adding dunkennesse to thirst,living in all manner of Epicurifme, and fenfuality? Now Gods judgments are abroad, how few are there that learne righteousneffe at home? Where's the man that makes fuch an excellent ufe of thefe diftractions as to labour to walke more closely with God, and to make his peace with him? Where's the man of feremies temper,who makes his head waters, and his eyes a fountaine of teares? Jer.9.1. Who eats no pleasant bread with Daniel?who with Job abhorres himselfe, and repents in duit and afhes?we have many water-breaches, and we may feare an innundation. It nearly concernes us to put in practise the prophet fols counfell: To turne unto the Lord with all our hearts, and with fafting, and with weeping, and with mourning, Joel 2. 12. would we were better acquainted that our Benonies will prove our Benjamins, our fons of forrow, the fons of our right hand:we should mourn with thofe that mourn, and fhare with our brethren in their fufferings. There's more comfort to be extracted out of one daies communion with the Saints of God, though in a fuffering condition, then in all the joviall fociety in the univerfe. It's ftoryed of Godfrey of Bullen, that he Hift of Godfrey refuf'd to be crownd at Jerufalem with a crowne of Gold, where of Bullen in Chrift was crown'd with a crown of thorns: A modest act that would Fullers Holy not admit fuch a vaft difproportion between him and Christ: and fhall we crown our felves with rose buds, abate nothing of our former delights amidst all these dangers, and perplexities? When one ask't Plato how he came to fuch a perfection of wisdome, he returnes this answer: plus olei confumpfi in lampade, quâm vini in calice, that he spent more oyle in the lampe, then wine in the cup. May the fame be verified of us all. And may not the complaint of the Prophet Ifaiah, If.22.12. find us guilty:and in that day did the Lord God of Hofts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldnesse, and to girding with fack-cloth, and behold, joy and gladnesse, slaying Oxen

Warr

and

and killing sheepe,eating flesh,aud drinking wine: Let us eat,and drinke, Magnificè tibi for tomorrow we shall die: (Bleffed be God) we have falting daies profpe&um is enjoyn'd by publick authority, but have not we juft caufe to fafti omnibus procellis &c. Ju for our fafting, and mourne, and be heartily forrow full that we nius in locum. have mourn'd, and forrow'd no more? what a fearfull woe is there pronounc'd against those that are at eafe in Zion: Magnificè tibi prospectum vis, & in omnibus procellis, ac tempeftatibus, tanquam è portu naufragium publicum profpectare? So Junius upon my text tells us, wilt thou fit at the haven, and fee others in a ship-wrack, and not beare a fhare in their fufferings? My brethren, we fit here in peace: our profeffion is a profeffion of peace: We are Ministers of the Gofpell, and the Gospell is a Gofpell of peace: How should we with united hearts pray for the peace of Jerufalem! our weapons fhould be preces & lachryma, prayers and teares are the best armour of proofe, most futable to men of our coats. The Apostles advise must be put in practise: study to be quiet, and to doe your own bufineffe, 1 Thef.4.11. Our eyes must be bedew'd with teares: Our foules must be afflicted with forrow, and with our indefatigable fupplications never give the Lord any reft,untill be make Jerusalem a praife in the earth, Ifay 62. 6, 7. Othen give not liberty to thy torfatisfie thy felfe to the utmost though in a lawfull pleafure: Labour for the practise of mortification, and learne the divine lef fon taught in the schoole of Chrift, to deny thy felfe. Labour to

bring thy felfe over to a sweet frame of refignation, that thou canft willingly part with thy choiceft pleasures, and comforts for Jefus Chrift: As thofe in the Revelations caft down their crownes, fo caft down thy chiefeft comforts at the feet of Chrift. It was an excellent fpeech of David, 2 Sam. 15. 25, 26. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back againe, and she me both it, and its habitation, But if he fay thus, I have no delight in thee behold here am I, let him doe to me as feemeth good to him: fo if it feeme good in the eyes of God, he can wholy take thy heart off thy comforts, or elle give thee them in greater mercy, in a more fanctified manner, and fo make thy comforts exceeding comfortable. What canft not thou foregoe any outward pleasure, any worldly delight now? how would't thou refift unto blood, undergoe the fiery tryall, if Chrift fhould call thee thereunto? If thou haft runne with thefectmen, and they have wearied thee then how canst thou contend

flesh