fume his body, but careless of his soul; the one shall have many hours, the other not so many minutes; this shall have three or four new suits a year, but that must wear its old clothes still.

If he be to receive or see a great man, how nice and anxious is he that all things be in order; and with what respect and address does he approach and make his court? But to God, how dry and formal, and constrained in his devotion.

In his prayers he says, "Thy will be

done;" but means his own; at least acts so. It is too frequent to begin with God, and end with the world. But he is the good man's beginning and end, he is Alpha and Omega.

LUXURY.

Such has now become our delicacy, that we will not eat ordinary meat, nor drink small palled liquor; we must have the best,

and the best cooked for our bodies, while our souls feed on empty or corrupted things.

In short, man is spending all upon a bare house, and hath little or no furniture within to recommend it; which is preferring the cabinet to the jewel, a lease of seven years before an inheritance. So absurd a thing is man, after all his proud pretences to wit and understanding.

INCONSIDERATION.

The want of due consideration is the cause of all unhappiness man brings upon himself. For his second thoughts rarely agree with the first; which pass not without a considerable retrenchment or correction. And yet that sensible warning is, too frequently, not precaution enough for his future conduct.

Well may we say, "Our infelicity is

of ourselves;" since there is nothing we do that we should not do, but we know it, and yet do it.

DISAPPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION,

For disappointments, that come not by our own folly, they are the trials or corrections of Heaven; and it is our own fault, if they prove not our advantage.

To repine at them does not mend the matter: it is only to grumble at our Creator. But to see the hand of God in them, with an humble submission to his will, is the way to turn our water into wine, and engage the greatest love and mercy on our side.

We must needs disorder ourselves, if we only look at our losses. But if we consider how little we deserve what is left, our passion will cool, and our murmurs will turn into thankfulness.

If our hairs fall not to the ground, less do we, or our substance, without God's providence.

Nor can we fall below the arms of God, how low soever it be we fall.

For though our Saviour's passion is

over, his compassion is not. That never fails his humble, sincere disciples. In him they find more than all that they lose in the world.

MURMURING.

Is it reasonable to take it ill, that any body desires of us that which is their own? All we have is the Almighty's and shall not God have his own when he calls for it?

Discontentedness is not only in such a case ingratitude, but injustice for we are both unthankful for the time we had it, and not honest enough to restore it, if we could keep it.

But it is hard for us to look on things in such a glass, and at such a distance from this low world; and yet it is our duty, would be our wisdom and our glory, to do

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CENSORIOUSNESS.

We are apt to be very pert at censuring others, where we will not endure advice ourselves. And nothing shows our weakness more, than to be so sharp-sighted at spying other men's faults, and so purblind about

our own.

When the actions of a neighbor are upon the stage, we can have all our wits about us, are so quick and critical we can split a hair, and find out every failure and infirmity; but are without feeling, or have but very little sense, of our own.

Much of this comes from ill nature, as well as from an inordinate value of ourselves : for we love rambling better than home, and blaming the unhappy, rather than covering and relieving them.

In such occasions some show their malice, and are witty upon misfortunes; others their justice, they can reflect apace;