reason I ought to bear fome love to them; but I must remember it is but a derivative and a fubordinate good, and therefore I must love them with this referve and qualification, that if God pleafe to call for them, I muft quietly part with them; for as I have them under that condition, fo the love I owe to God, the fupreme good, engageth me to fubmit to his will, and to obey it; for if I love him beft, I must be pleafed with what his will is pleafed; for I judge him the best good, and therefore his will the best will; and the good pleasure of his will must be the rule of my fubjection, otherwife his love hath not the pre-eminence.

3. That we make a right, a due comparison between good things of feveral kinds, and give that the preference in our love, which upon a due judgment ought to be preferred; and this concerns and principally discovers itself in the competition of several good things, and of our affections to them. The merchant loves his goods well, but in a storm, to fave his life, is content to throw his goods over-board. And the exercife of wisdom in this kind, principally confifts in the due weighing the feveral values of good things of feveral natures, and ranging of them in their feveral ranks; and alfo in the diligent confideration of the several circumftances that accompany feveral things: for many times fome good things that are in themselves preferable before others, receive an abatement and allay by circumftances; and others lefs preferable, receive an advance by the circumstances that attend them. 1. Therefore touching the different ranks of things themselves, in matters of my own private concernment. I am to prefer my foul, and the good thereof, before all my external advantages; for what shall a man give in exchange for bis foul? I am to prefer the good of my health, beforet he good of my wealth. Again, in things relating to myself and others, I am to prefer the fafety of the state wherein I live, before my wealth, yea and before

VOL. I.

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before my own fafety; becaufe I am fure when the whole is in danger, I must needs be in danger, and many more; I am to prefer a great good that may accrue to many, before a fmaller good, nay poffibly an equal good that may accrue to myfelf; nay, I am to prefer an apparent greater good to any perfon than a fmall and inconfiderable good to myself. But above all, I am to prefer the honour and glory of God, before my own honour, reputation, eftate, contentment, or life itfelf; becaufe he is the greatest good, and moft to be loved, and the love to his honour is but the refult of my love to him. Again, in things relating to others, I am to prefer a greater good that may accrue to one, before a fmaller good to another; the good of our neighbour's foul before the good of another's eftate, where the one, but not both, are juftly in my power; I may prefer an equal good to a relation, before an equal good to a ftranger, where the concernment or condition of both are equal; because I have juft reafon to love a relation before a stranger. Again, 2. As there are different ranks of good, fo different circumstances make one good preferable before another. If I fee two men in danger, and I can relieve but one of them, both being equal to me, I am to prefer the relief of him whofe danger is greater and more imminent, before the relief of him whofe danger is lefs or more remote; and herein prudence and integrity of heart must be the director of my love, and of the emanations of it, always provided that nothing unjust or dishonest be mingled with what I do.

4. That as among goods of different fizes or degrees I am to prefer the beft; fo among good things that at leaft feem equal, I do prefer the most lafting and durable; for laftingness and durableness is a special part of the goodness of any thing; nay oftentimes a good, that in its prefent degree or extent is greater; yet if it be lefs durable, is not fo valuable as a lefs but more lafting good; as the greater wealth, that must be spent

in

in a year, is truly lefs valuable than a fmaller portion that lafts two years..

5. That we obferve that general rule, before given, namely, That we never give our affection of love leave to run out alone, without judgment and confideration going before it, and going along with it: That we fuffer not our paffions to deal out their own meafures, but our judgment and deliberation: That we always keep this affection efpecially under difcipline and government, and fuffer it not to run away from us, as an unruly beaft without a chain; for it is certain, the due government of this affection governs all the reft..

And now if we look abroad into the. world, or indeed but strictly and impartially obferve ourfelves, we fhall easily obferve a marvellous want of moderation of this affection. For not to mention the mifplacing of this affection upon what we fhould really hate, we may fee a great irregularity in the measure and order of exerting this affection about things, that we may in their meafure and kind love: we talk indeed, of loving God above all, and of the great value we fet upon our fouls and everlafting life, and of felfdenial, and against the loving of the world, and how vain and contemptible a thing the world is; but for the most part they are but words and fpeculations; when we come to practice and life, there appears nothing, or very little that anfwers thefe notions and fpeculations; little of that moderation that thofe notions import. We love the world, the wealth, the honours, the pleasures, the profits of it, with all our fouls; we make it our principal bufinefs to attain and enjoy it; we account it our greatest calamity when we are croffed or disappointed in it. One man fets his whole heart upon his greatness, another upon his wealth, another upon his pleasure and recreations, anoupon his preferment, another upon the favour of great men, another upon the applaufe of his learning or eloquence, another upon the beauty of a miftrefs or fer

ther

2 B 2

vant:

vant: nay, so childish we many times are, that we are enamoured on very toys, as fine clothes, handsome furniture, a fine house, fplendid entertainments, a fine head of hair, or mad antic poftures, or compliments, affected words, geftures or phrases, apifh imitation, plays and gaming, new fashions; that many there are that make fuch feathers as thefe the principal object of their love, the business and study of their lives, and are as much concerned in their disappointment herein, as if they were undone. Thefe are prepofterous, and want moderation in their affection, because they have no true judgment or estimate of things according to their true values.

THE

THE VANITY AND VEXATION

THAT ARISETH FROM

WORLDLY HOPE and EXPECTATION.

It is T very evident to every man's experience, that hope and expectation of Good, is the great wheel, or rather weight, that moves man to all actions and undertakings. The ploughman ploughs in hope; and the merchant adventures in hope; and the fcholar studies in hope; and the foldier fights in hope; and fo for all human actions. And thus it must needs be ; for in hope or expectation there are thefe ingredients: 1. Some end that a man hath in profpect, which carries a complacency and fuitablenefs to the mind; as to be rich, or powerful, or learned, or applauded. Thefe are the ordinary ends of ordinary men; but there are ends of a nobler condition, as to be everlastingly happy, &c. But of these nobler and higher ends I do not now fpeak.

2. That end is alfo reprefented as an end possible and attainable.

3. That there be alfo a means propofed probably conducing to the attaining of that end; and the hope or expectation of that end is the fpirit of life that puts a