SER M. man. X. And fo therefore we may justly conclude them to be; fo finishing the firft grand advantage this prefent confideration affordeth us in order to that wisdom, to which we should apply our hearts. I fhould proceed to gather other good fruits, which it is apt to produce, and contribute to the fame purpose; but fince my thoughts have taken fo large fcope upon that former head, fo that I have already too much, I fear, exercifed your patience, I fhall only mention the reft. As this confideration doth, as we have feen, Firft, difpofe us rightly to value these temporal goods, and moderate our affections about them; fo it doth, Secondly, in like manner, conduce to the right eftimation of temporal evils; and thereby to the well tempering our paffions in the refentment of them; to the begetting of patience and contentedness in our minds. Alfo, Thirdly, it may help us to value, and excite us to regard thofe things, good or evil, which relate to our future ftate; being the things only of a permanent nature, and of an everlasting confequence to us. Fourthly, it will engage us to hufband carefully and well employ this fhort time of our prefent life: not to defer or procraftinate our endeavours to live well; not to be lazy and loitering in the difpatch of our only confiderable bufinefs, relating to eternity; to embrace all opportunities, and improve all means, and follow the best compendiums of good practice leading to eternal blifs. Fifthly, it will be apt to confer much toward the begetting and preferving fincerity in our thoughts, words and actions; caufing us to decline all oblique defigns upon prefent mean interefts, or base regards to the opinions or affections of men; bearing fingle refpects to our confcience and duty in our actions; teaching us to fpeak as we mean, and be what we would feem, to be in our hearts and in our clofets, what we appear in our out. ward expreffions and converfations with men. For confidering, that within a very short time all the thoughts X. thoughts of our hearts shall be disclosed; and all the S ER M. actions of our lives expofed to publick view (being strictly to be examined at the great bar of divine judgment before angels and men) we cannot but perceive it to be the greatest folly in the world, for this fhort present time to difguife ourselves; to conceal our intentions, or fmother our actions. What hath occurred (upon thefe important fubjects) to my meditation, I muft at prefent, in regard to your patience, omit. I fhall clofe all with that good Collect of our Church. Almighty God, give us grace, that we may caft away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jefus Chrift came to vifit us in great bumility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rife to the life immortal, through him, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, now and ever. Amen. SERMON SERMON XI. On the Confideration of our latter End. PSAL. XC. 12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. N difcourfing formerly upon these words (ex-S ER M. pounded according to the moft common and XI. paffable interpretation) that which I chiefly observed was this: That the ferious confideration of the Job xiv. 14. All the days fhortnefs and frailty of our life is a fit mean or ra-of my aptional inftrument fubfervient to the bringing our will I wait, pointed time hearts to wisdom; that is, to the making us difcern, till my change attend unto, embrace, and profecute fuch things, as according to the dictates of right reason are truly best for us. I pounded according to most common (and 1. The truth of which obfervation I largely declared from hence, that the faid confideration difpofeth us to judge rightly about thofe goods (which ordinarily court and tempt us, viz. worldly glory and honour; riches, pleasure, knowledge; to which I might have added wit, ftrength, and beauty) what their juft worth and value is; and confequently to moderate our affections, our cares, our endeavours about come. XI. SER M. about them; for that if all thofe goods be uncertain and tranfitory, there can be no great reason to prize them much, or to affect them vehemently, or to fpend much care and pains about them. 2. I fhall next in the fame fcales weigh our temporal evils; and fay, that alfo, The confideration of our lives' brevity and frailty doth avail to the paffing a true judgment of, and confequently to the governing our paffions, and ordering our behaviour in refpect to all thofe temporal evils, which either according to the law of our nature, or the fortuitous course of things, or the particular difpenfation of Providence do befal us. Upon the declaration of which point I need not infist much, fince what was before discoursed concerning the oppofite goods doth plainly enough infer it; more immediately indeed in regard to the mala damni, or privationis (the evils which confift only in the want, or lofs of temporal goods) but fufficiently alfo by a manifeft parity of reafon in respect to the mala fenfus, the real pains, croffes, and inconveniences that affail us in this life. For if worldly glory do hence appear to be no more than a tranfient blaze, a fading fhew, a hollow found, a piece of theatrical pageantry, the want thereof cannot be very confiderable to us. Obfcurity of condition (living in a valley beneath that dangerous height, and deceitful luftre) cannot in reafon be deemed a very fad or pitiful thing, which fhould difpleafe or difcompofe us: if we may thence learn that abundant wealth is rather a needlefs clog, or a perilous fnare, than any great convenience to us, we cannot well efteem to be poor a great infelicity, or to undergo loffes a grievous calamity; but rather a benefit to be free from the diftractions that attend it; to have little to keep for others, little to care for ourselves. If these present pleasures be difcerned hence to be only wild fugitive dreams; out of which being foon roufed we fhall only find bitter regrets to abide; why should not the wanting opportunities of enjoying them be rather accounted |