fore that value themselves or their Caufe the better for this, feem not to understand the World, but to be meer Strangers to the Inclinations of Human Nature; for did they confider that, they would quickly perceive, that this does not reflect any Credit upon their Caufe, but rather upbraids the levity and weakness of Mankind; and is no argument that they themselves are Wife, but only that other Men'are Fools.

Laftly, from the Caution it felf, we may 3. juftly infer; that the Cenfure of Precifenes and Singularity,which the Men of this World commonly charge upon good Men, and the Hatred and Spite wherewith they profecute them upon that very account, are both of them utterly fenfelefs and extreamly abfurd: This has been an old Grudge. Thus the Sinners in the Book of Wisdom, Wifd. 2. Let us lie in wait for the Righteous, because he is not for our turn, and he is clean contrary to our doings: He upbraideth us with our offending the Law, and objecteth to our Infamy the tranfgref fings of our Education. And again, He was made to reprove our Thoughts; He is grievous to us even to behold, for bis Life is not like other Mens, his Ways are of another Fashion. A very high Charge indeed, and as notable an Inference; he lives otherwife and better than we do, and therefore we must hate and perfecute him. But this, I fay, is a very ab

furd

furd and unreafonable way of proceeding; for the ground of the bufinefs, if fifted to the bottom, comes to no more than this. They are angry with a Man for not loving their Company fo well,as to be content to be Damned for the fake on't. But I think, we may with great Civility beg their excufe in this matter; if they will have us do as they do, then let them take care to do as they bould do. But, for a Man to make himself a Beast, utterly unfit to be convers'd with, and then to call me Singular and Unfociable, because I won't keep him Company; is hard meafure.

And, as thefe Men are guilty of an unreafonable Charge, fo fhall we be guilty of an inexcufable Folly and Weaknefs, if we depart from our Duty and our greatest Intereft, upon fuch a trifling inconfiderable Difcou ragement: For then 'tis plain, that we are of the number of those low and unconfidering Spirits, that love the Praife of Men, more than the Praife of God.

Let us not therefore, be led away with Noise and Popularity; nor be frighted from our Duty by thofe empty-Anathema's of the Multitude, the Cenfure of Unfociableness, Preciseness and Singularity. Let us be fure by doing our Duty, to fatisfy our own Confciences; whatever others do or think. Let us not be carried away in the Polluted tor

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rent of the Age, nor be Fools for Company. Let us for once dare to be Wife, and be guilty of the great Singularity of doing well, and of acting like Men and Christians; and then, if we can have the liking and approbation of the World, well; if not, the comfort is, we fhall not much want it : And we fhall gain fomething by our Singuilarity, which the others cannot by their Numbers, the Favour of God, and deliverance from the Wrath to come.

A

A Discourse concerning the Excellency of Praife and Thankf giving.

Preach'd in All-Souls College Chappel in Oxford, upon the Founder's Commemoration Day.

Pfal. 50. 23. Whofo offereth Praife, glorifieth me; Or, as in the other Tranflation,

Whofo offereth me Thanks and Praife, he bonoureth me.

Th

O Honour and Glorifie God, as 'tis the End of the whole, fo is it the Duty and Priviledge of all the Rational and Intellectual part of the Creation. God indeed has made all things for his Glory, and he fails not to glorifie himself one way or other by all things that he has made; but there are fome things which he has made to glorifie him by free and proper acts of Worship and Homage. And these as he has more inabled,

fo

fo has he more obliged to the Performance of this Divine Office, by diftinguishing them as well by Favours and Benefits, as by Order of Being, and degrees of natural Éxcellence from the reft of the Creation.

Among these is Man, who though at prefent not fo capable of this Divine Imploy,as fome of the other Intellectual Orders; yet he has as much, perhaps more Obligation to it than any of them all; fince God has not only favour'd him with peculiar Benefits, fuch as the Grace of Repentance, the Honour of being Perfonally united to the Di vinity, . but has alfo placed him in fuch a Sphere, where he is the only Creature that can acknowledge and pay Religious Service to the common Creator. All other Creatures Praise God only Paffively, as far as they carry in them the Characters of the Divine Perfections; which must be confidered and acknowledged, before they redound to the actual glory of the Creator. Like a Lute, which though never fo Harmonically Set and Tuned, yields no Mufick, till its Strings be artfully touched by a Skilful Hand. But Man can freely command and ftrike the Strings of his own Heart and Affections, and is the only Creature here below that can Actively Praife and Honour his great Maker and Benefactor. Man therefore is concern'd to Honour and Glorifie God,both

for