tophel and others; and as we fhould not be proud of our gifts, because we may be denuded of them, fo the rather because often it is our pride that occafi ons the deprival of them; as the Wife man fays, pride goes before deftruction, and a baughty fpirie before afall, Prov, 16, 18. Ere I pass from this Point, I will give you lome Marks of them who are Proud of their Gifts and Graces. 1. Mark. They readily entertain a boundless high conceit of their own imaginary excellencies, and will whiles be tickled with the fancifull pleasure they have from their groundless conceits; but not feldom felf-conceit iffues in felfedeceit, 2. Mark. Proad Profeffors are apt contemptu oufly enough to vilipend others whom they imagine to be either graceless or below themselves in grace and experience, O with what a fupercilious diidainfull countenance do fome carry, fo that their morofe pridefull behaviour becomes no fmall fear and fcandal to Religion, many real good Folk have hins dered much good with their peevishnefs & imprus dence. if not impertinencies. ye may remember who faid come and fee my zeal for the Lord, is thins heart as my heart, yet for all this was Jeha rottenhearted, 2 King 10 15, 16. 31. and the Lord by the Prophet leiab hath a fad faying with refpe& to fuch, Ifa. 65. s. They fay and by thy felf, come nea near unto me, for I am love than thou: theft are a Smock in my nose, a fire that burn th all the day. 3. Mark Proud Profeffors are ready to carp others, with a great deal of cynical indifce fometimes they make Faults where there are M and cenfure fmall ones with so much immoderation in of paffion, that they themselves become greater cri minals than they whom they reprebend, & whiles they are not only content to criticize upon words and actions, but even upon geftares with a bold bits ternefs as if the defiling of every body were the way to make themselves clean; but farely thefe do not duely confider their own infirmities and failzures, 6 and how much God hath born with in them. 4. Mark, Though fuch fevere Criticks take on them roughly to cenfure others, yet of all men they themselves are the moft impatient of difrefpect or reproofs from others, if you medle with them, you may as well take an angry Dog by the Ears, who will be fare to foarl and fnatch at you. 5 Mark, Proud Profeffors many of them are ins tollerably magisterial in impeling upon others their own private Sentiments and Opinions, they would bave all men moulded after the plateform of their fhallow pate, elfe they are fo peevith as prefently to judge them wrong, wicked, or ignorant; certain By fuch a bomour has often proven the Mother of much mischief and difcord, for all men have not alike measure of light, & what light some pretend to have (fpecially about leffer, debatable points in religion) they are not forthwith to give it out for fuperna tural and extraordinary, for when all hath comete all,fame fuch Folks light, has been found to be deep darknels, and alfo it hath been obferved, that the Lord hath left them to walk in the light of their oVE and in the fparks that they bave kindled. If by the conduct whereofthey have been led into temptations & fnares; but I would have fuch as are of this peremptory divifive difpofition to confider what the Scripture fays, Rom. 14, 22, Halt thou Faith, have to thy felf before God. Art thou pers fwaded in thy own private judgement that fuch a particular is a truth, or is a duty, or is a lin, content and folace thy felf with thine own faith and perfwas fion, & trouble not the Church of God,to urge upon others the efponfal of thy Faith or Sentiments, bu Atill entertain communion, charity & concord, wait ing if it may be the fame God who hath given thee light, may be fo good as to difplay a beam of light apon other Fellow-chriftians alfo,for what thou haft light and clearnefs about more than others, either it is neceffary to be known, or it is not, if it be not ne ceffary but circumftantial only to religion, thou doft not well to disturb & break the peace of the Church for any thing not neceffary; and if it be neceffary, it is hard to fuppofe, that our gracious heavenly Fas ther will reveal Himfelf only to one or two of His Children, and hide neceffary things from the many thousands of His Ifrael, fpecially feeing the Promise is made in common to all, Jer. 31. 34. 1 Job. 2. 273 To which purpafe I would have you to meditate upon a notable paffage as it is Phil. 3. 15, 16. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded, and if in any thing ye be otherwife minded, God shall reveal even this unto you, nevertheless where to we have already attained, let us walk by the fame rule, let us mind the fame thing, as if we heard the Apostle faying, O Philippians, I understand ye are not all of the fame mind, ye bave not all arriv them, Numb. 11, 27, 28, 29. So if God pour a large meature of His Spirit onhers, ye should with He may de lo to all, and that every body may abound and be ftrong in the Grace that is in Chrift, To our purpose is the following Tetraftich. Si vigeat Socios for profperitate fecundâ 9. Caution, O Chriftian Merchants if you are fal. Jen on a way of Trading with Chrift, beware that ye change not your Trade again; baving put your hand to the Plough, look not back again, let every man abide in the fame Calling, wherein he was called, for if any man draw aback My Soul fhall have no plea fure in him, faith the Lord, a Cor.7, 10. Heb, 10,38, Chrift would take it very ill out, if we rue our Bar gaining with Him who floups fo infinitly low,as to come inte trading or treating terms with us, special ly feeing in His Juftice He might have fuffered os to perish in poverty. Let us hear what are the pica and pretences that fome make for changing of their Trade, and fee how they hold in the Case of 8piritual Merchandizing. 1. Some change their trade on the account of the dangers, toil, & travel that they undergo in follow> ing it, & therefore betake themselves to an easier, or lefs hazardfull one. Hence fays Horace, Sat. 1. sace Eris tu qui modo miles Mercator.cs i, e. Souldier who earned his bread of life amidst dangers of death, before the mouth of Musket Musket & Canon, he tus Merchant, to live more fecurely & quietly: barely none can juftly bring in this plea against the trade of Religion, which you may manage to great advantage, and with greatest eafe in your fecret chamber receffes, where freeft of moleftations and divertisements; you may there be as near Heaven, & get as clear prospect of it, as in the top of the bigheft Mountain, and as for the tbreng & care of businefs that fome imagine Reli. gion will creat to them, this is but an airie imagina tion that will foon evanifh, if you duely weigh and Seriously believe that His Commands are not gries vous, that His Yoke is eafie, and that His Ways are ways of pleasantness,& all His Paths are peace, Prov. 3.17.I dare fay there cannot an inftance be given of iny who ever really bought of Chrifts Wares, that hought the coaft did overgo either the pleasure or the profit, or that forfook this trade for the cumber of it; yet I doubt not but on the contrare,the trade offin & our worldly employments have much more vexation fatigue and perill therein; are there not many who weary themselves to commit iniquity, Jer. 9. 5. and do not they who build Towns, & establish Cis lies by iniquity, labour in the very fire, and weary themelves for very vanity, Hab. 2. 12, (3, do not fome nen make wearitome nights to themselves, by de. vifing upon their beds how they may get their ini quous covetings fatisfied, c. compare together Micah 2.1.1. Prov.4 16, 17, Pfal. 127. 2. Job 25 20. 2. Some change their Trade as not being fo lafe enough in regard the things they deal wear out of fashion, which is very chang |