13. Dirca, Defign bonefly as well as deal bonups,, i, e, have honeft fingle ends before you in chooting and following a Trade or Calling, the molt pare are prompted meerlie with a profpect of worldlie advantages and expectations, never confulting God in their propofals or undertakings for clearing and direction anent a flated calling or inflitution of life in the world, neither are they concerned feriouffie to foreca how they may be moft fervicable to God in their Atation and generation. Prov 3. 6. The wife man advifeth well, Acknowledge the Lord in all thy ways, and he shall direct thy paths, And there is very good reafon for it that we should own & feek God in all our concerns fpecialite of weight and confe. quence, for though the Lot may be calt into the lap of man, yet the whole difpofing thereof is of the 2 Lord, Prov, 16. 33. and we have a faying which is turned to be proverbial, man propofes, but Got dispar fes. So then, I fay, propofe God as the ultimate end of thy actions, I Cor. 10. 31. and propose other he neft approvable defigns in all thy butiness and eme ployments, and therefore I will inform you of fome pecial Ends that a Merchant fhould have before him in his Trading.

1. End. With dependence on God to bless your awfull labours, ye thould eye the providing an hos eft comfortable livelibood for your felves, fpecially Confidering Gods Order and Conflitution that every nan fhould profefs fome honeft Trade, Tit, 3. 14, marginal reading) and that in the fweat of bis face he fhould eat his bread, Gen. 3. 19 to our fpirito merchant by maintaining Trade with Chrift

men may live most comfortablie; but we have touched this before,

2. End. A Merchant may allowably propofe lay. ing up fomething in Stock and Store for the time to conte, for the fupply of his Araits under the miseries of old age; fo our fpiritual Merchant treasures up experiences, and lays up in ftore a good foundation for the time to come, laying hold on eternal Life, Tim 6. 19,

3. End, A Merchant may allowably propofe pros viding for his pofterity, that they be not miferable when be is gone;did ever any man yet hate his owR Alefh, but rather nourished it, Eph. 5. 29, 2 Gor, 11. 14. Parents ought to lay up for their Children, 1 Tim.5. 8. He is worse than an Infidel who provides not for his own Houfe. Even fo Chriftians fhould do all they can for tranfmitting to Pofteritie the plentie & pu ritie of Gofpel ordinances, and they fhould fee to their Education in the knowledge of the Myfteries of Religion, that they may be skilled in managing their fpiritual concerns in their day. Gen. 18, 19. I know that Abraham will command his Children & his Houthold after bim, and they fhall keep the way of the Lord, to do Juftice and Judgement, See all Deut. 6.7. Pfal. 78.5, 6.

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4. End. A Merchant should propofe the Interest of the Commonwealth, as well as his own private commoditie, non nobis folum Nati fumus, faith Gict ro. Likewife our Spiritual Merchant may fay, men nobis folum renatifumus, and therefore fhould be fo much of a publick spirit, as to promove the peace & Ceritie of Sion, and feek the good of the Houfe ord for ever, Plsl. 122, 5. "End

5. End. A Merchant should propose both in the purchase and improvement of his ettate,that he may be thereby fervicable to God, and ulefull to His poor Saints, Honour the Lord with thy fubftance, and with the firft fruits of all thine increafe, fo fhall tby barns be filled with plentie, and thy prefles shall barft out with new wine, Prov, 3.9, 10, & 2 Tim. 6. 17, 18. Charge them that are rich in this world,tha they truft not in uncertain riches, but that they do good, that they be rich in good works, readie to dißribute, willing to communicate. O but the mes morie of fome opulent Merchants be favourie and bonourable to this day, and will be for ever, for their charitable large beftowances to pious ufes, both in their life & at their death by Mortifications and Provisions for the Poor, and for encouraging Learning, &c.

14. Dired, Frequentlie look into your Countbooks, & take a furvey of the fate of your affairs, examine your own felves, prove your own felves, & ftudie to know what fpirits ye are of, how affected to God, how affected to fin, how affected to dutie; O what unfpeakable advantage may accrew to the ferious Chriftian by accomplishing a diligent inqueft this way; I advised you before to keep Count books, for noting down and pofting all the particulars of your Soul-concerns, and that for this purpofe, that ye may the more readilie view your profit and lofs, and fo understand if your flock grows or decreases, and what is your true & free eftate For accomplish.. ing whereof, I advife you at certain feafons to vife your faid Spiritual records, fuch asthe and Seafons following,

1. Seaf. After fome foul and notable Fall, this may alarm you to look into your Books, to know it ye have been guiltie of the like Fault before, if ye bave repented of the like and other Faults fo duelie and deeplie as ye fheald have done.

2. Senf. After the receipt of fome lignal mercie, that you may take occalion to compare with former receipts, and try if ye have been thankfull, or have walked worthie of the Lords loving kindnesses.

3. Seaf. Before ye take the Sacrament of the Lords Supper,this dutie of Self-examination fheald be molt exactlle & defignedlie fet about the ApeAle makes it a prerequifite qualification for admillion to the Table of the Lord, that a Communicant bave not onlie a competencie of knowledge, to be able to examine himself, but a competencie of pras tical confcience too,actually to difcbarge this needfall dutie,& that under the certification of the moft terrible penaltie that can be inflicted, 1 Cor. 11,28. But let man examine himself, (it is not enough that the Minister or anie other examine him ) and so let him eat of that bread; &c. (i, e, being fo qualified) for he that cateth and drinketh unworthily, cateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not difcerning the Lords body.

4. Seaf. When anie grievous temptation affaults vou, then try if you have met with fach an on-fet before, how ye behaved onder it, how ye got the victorie,and what kind of iffue and out gate ye had, that thus ye may be wifed how to carrie in the pre fent juncture and exigence.

When ye are under anie outward afflicti

on

on or bodily fickneís, take an account of your affairs and let your house in order, for immediatlie upon the diffolution of your earthlie Tabernacle, ye will be fitted before God, and there friclie examined both as to fins committed, duties omitted, and mercies received, fo that if ye have not your counts cleared, O bow pale and perplexed will ye ftand before the Judge of all Fleth.

6. Seaf, It were not amifs in preparation for the Sabbath and the Work of it, to examine your felves, what good ye bave got of Ordinances before, what ye need, how ye are fitted or in frame for meeting with God in the San&uarie, c,

7. Seaf. It would prove of great Read & advan tage to you everie day to examine your felves; the ofter the better, for short counts makes long Friends, when manie times delays and lingring breed great confufions & inconveniences: I cannot pass what Seneca fays to this purpose, De Ira lib 3. Cap. 36. Quid pulchrius &c, that is, O what can be more pleas fant than the dailie practice of self-examination? O what fort of fleep is it I have after this folitarie exercife yea how quiet, how found, how kindlie is my reft when I fearch my confcience about my manners, and fecret actions, I either commerd or ingenuouffie admonish my felf; thus I review the whole day, thus I confider my works & my words, I bide nothing from my felf, I pass nothing without some remark, O religious words from a Pagans pen!