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• David fays; It is better to fall into the Hands of God, than of Men. For we have no dif" pute whether we fhou'd humble our felves before God or no; But the difficulty of doing this to Men, creates us all our uneafinefs. If Perfons are Impoverish'd, or Sick, or fuffer from Heaven, they feem to have no Religion, if they are not capable of Confolation; but if they groan under the Yoke of an Imperious Man, and are Chain'd to him as his Slaves, they must have the highest top and perfection of Religion to admit of comfort; fince the last Vice, which Religihas to difpoffefs and Conquer, is Pride. Job felt all the Blows of Heaven, with an unwounded Soul; and the reafon is because the Stroakes of Heaven drive us to humble our felves before God, dethrone Pride, and calm the Soul. But the perpetual Grateings of an ill natur'd infulting Man, whom you must every day fee, and yet with dread and boyling of Heart; this ftirs up our natural Choler, foments and awakens Pride,and renders our Mifery infupportable. 'Tis the Boiling of Cholerick Humours in our Body,with which our Soul is fo tenderly touch'd, and fo nearly fympathizes; that is the Sting of all Affliction, and this is Pride.. " This is the fatal Ferment, that no confideration can allay. O Lord, my God, grant that I may purge out this old Leaven, even the Leaven of Pride and Malice; and then whatsoever Afflictions, Difeafes, Troubles, befal me, I fhall find Peace: Peace with my

felf, Peace with Men, and Peace with Thee 'for the Yoke of my humble and meek Saviour, does indeed bring Rest and Peace to the Soul. Amen.

In another place, he gives the following reafon, why moft People resent Injuries, at the rate they do.

We ftomach (fays he) Injuries that we think are done to us; we fling and throw under them: But it is not the Injustice done us, that we fo much refent; as that the Pride of our Hearts makes us think our felves fo Confiderable, that no Body ought to disturb our Repofe. Alas, if we lay it afide, we shall fee reafon enough, why the juft Providence of God fhou'd give constant Disturbance to our Repose; and that we fhou'd not ftomach, nor be angry at it; but meekly, compofedly, and thankfully ac'cept it.

The fame reafon he affigns why fo many are continually finding fault with the Publick management of Affairs, as why they resent and ftomach Injuries done to themselves. To this purpose I find the following Remark among his Writings. Neceffity feldom makes Men Mutiny fo much as Pride. Because they are not honoured by being admitted to the Councels of others, therefore they diflike their measures, and endeavour to draw others after them. The meek and humble Man is rarely a Mutineer, he choofes rather to fuffer with others, than be clamorous by himself.

And

And how conftantly he endeavour'd after a meek and mortify'd Spirit, will still farther appear from the following Meditation.

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How happy is it to practice Mortification of Mind and Will! But of all fuch Mor'tifications; thofe, of our own choofing, are nothing comparable to our meekly accepting those which God fends. For still the lefs of our own Will in any thing, the betNow what a Mortification is it, to find our felves flighted and difefteem'd; for 'thofe very Actions, Behaviours, and Speeches, which we thought fine, and valu'd our felves upon? What a Mortification is it to have fome of our Defects, Infirmities, and 'Weaknesses, difcover'd and made known to the World? What a Mortification is it to be guilty of Indifcretions, and Inadvertencies, which expofe us to Men? And fhall we love and delight in thefe? I'm fure we have great reafon; for Refpect and Esteem do but puff us up with an uneafie Tympany, and fill us with bloated and undue Fancies of our felves; so that when we meet with any Disrespect or Affront, our Breasts Boil, and we are tortur'd with Refentment, for want of having meek and fober thoughts of ⚫ our felves. In both these cafes we make Idols of our felves, and our Thoughts run inceffantly on our felves; in the first cafe, C with Pleasure; in the laft, with Difquiet. Ought not a Pious Soul to defire and pray earnestly, to be freed from thefe Affaults, and to love any thing, that comes to it with

a fea

His Patience.

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a feasonable Relief? St. Bafil pray'd to be freed from the Head-ach, and then Luft came; and then he pray'd for the return of his Head-ach again. Surely we ought to love thofe Mortifications, which keep us free from the Affaults of Pride and Anger, as well as any other Temptation: Aflaults, which are continually dogging us, and upon every occasion starting up to moleft us. We ought to love them, not only as they keep us fober minded, and make us think duly and meekly of our felves; but as they are · more certain marks of Gods favour, than those things that exalt us in the World, • and procure us Refpect and Esteem: For these things may do our Minds a great deal of Hurt, but the others do them certainly Good. Let us then accept of fuch Mortifi cations, embrace and love them, upon ac< count both of God and our own Souls. And may our gracious God fill all his faith< ful Servants with true Meekness; and fuch habitual Humility, as may make us love Difrefpects from the World, when he fends them; and in all things, render us like to to our great Mafter.

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As few Men had greater Tryals of Patience, from frequent, and violent returns of Sickness; so none cou'd bear it, with a more compofed Spirit, and a more chearful Submiffion to the Will of God. His Papers are full of pious Meditations upon the Advantages of Sufferings; God's End, in afflicting us with

Pain; and the Ufe we ought to make of it. Thus in one place, he argues with himfelf.

Shou'd a Man, lying under an Indifpofition of Body, fay to his Phyfician, who was also his Friend; O my Friend, how fweet foever your Love has been to me heretofore, I cannot now please my self in it; it gives me no Savour, or Relish, as it ufed to do. I hope you will excufe me, for I have the fame Refpect for you, but not the fame Love. Wou'd not the other reply; Alas! I know you cannot. I have given you that, which for the prefent indifpofes you, and makes you unable to do it: But it was, because your Health, or your 'Life was in danger. I have indifpofed you < to love me, by this Medicine, that I might not be entirely deprived of your Love, by your Death. Have Patience, and this will ' over,and you will love me again, better than

ever.

O my Soul! This is no feigned Cafe, but the real Truth. Thy true Physician 'who loves thee, and whom thou woud'st love; hath indifpos'd thee, by the Phyfick, which he hath given thee; that he might not lofe thee for ever: This will foon be over, and thou fhalt love him again; either here, or hereafter; for he knows, that this is thy Defire, as well as it is his: Even his,who loved us fo, that he defpis'd Glory and Shame, Life and Death; that he might fill • Heaven

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