proud of his estate, ambitious in his views, or vain of his learning, to disregard his dress, and person, in such a manner as a truly humble man would do; but to suppose that he does so out of a true principle of religious humility, is full as absurd as to suppose that a cheat pays for what he buys, out of a principle of religious honesty.

As therefore all kinds of dishonesty destroy our pretences to an honest principle of mind, so all kinds of pride destroy our pretences to an humble spirit.

No one wonders that those prayers and alms, which proceed from pride and ostentation are odious to God; but yet it is as easy to shew, that pride is as pardonable there, as any where else.

If we could suppose that God rejects pride in our prayers and alms, but bears with pride in our dress, our persons, or estates, it would be the same thing as to suppose that God condemns falsehood in some actions, but allows it in others. For pride in one thing differs from pride in another thing, as the robbing of one man differs from the robbing of another.

Again, if pride and ostentation is so odious that it destroys the merit and worth of the most reasonable actions, surely it must be equally odious in those actions, which are only founded in the weakness and infirmity of our nature. As thus, alms are commanded by God, as excellent in themselves, as true instances of divine temper, but clothes are only allowed to cover our shame; surely therefore it must at least be as odious a degree of pride, to be vain in our clothes, as to be vain in our alms.

Again, we are commanded to pray without ceasing, as a means of rendering our souls more exalted and divine, but we are forbidden to lay up treasures upon earth; and can we think that it is not as bad to be vain of those treasures which we are forbidden to lay up, as to be vain of those prayers which we are commanded to make.

Women are required to have their heads covered, and to adorn themselves with shamefacedness; if therefore they are vain in those things which are 1 Cor. xi. 13. expressly forbidden, if they patch and

paint that part, which can only be a

dorned by shamefacedness, surely they 1. Tim. ii. 9. have as much to repent of for such a

pride as they have, whose pride is the motive to their prayers and charity. This must be granted, unless we will say, that it is more pardonable to glory in our shame, than to glory in our virtue.

All these instances are only to shew us the great necessity of such a regular and uniform piety, as extends itself to all the actions of our common life.

That we must eat and drink, and dress and discourse, according to the sobriety of the Christian spirit, engage in no employments but such as we can truly devote unto God, nor pursue them any farther than so far as conduces to the reasonable ends of a holy devout life.

That we must be honest, not only on particular occasions, and in such instances as are applauded in the world, easy to be performed and free from danger or loss, but from such a living principle of justice, as makes us love truth and integrity in all its instances, follow it through all dangers, and against all opposition; as knowing that the more we pay for any truth, the better is our bargain, and that then our integrity becomes a pearl, when we have parted with all to keep it.

That we must be humble, not only in such instances as are expected in the world, or suitable to our tempers, or confined to particular occasions, but in such a humility of spirit, as renders us meek and lowly in the whole course of our lives, as shews itself in our dress our persons, our conversation, our enjoyment of the world, the tranquility of our minds, patience under injuries, submission to superiors, and condescensions to those that are be-low us, and in all the outward actions of our lives..

That we must devote not only times and places to prayer, but be every where in the spirit of devotion, with hearts always set towards heaven, looking up to God in all our actions, and doing every thing as his servants, living in the world as in a holy temple of God, and always worshipping him, though not with our lips, yet with the thankfulness of our hearts, the holiness of our actions, and the pious and charitable use of all his gifts. That we must not only send up petitions and

thoughts now and then to heaven, but must go through all our worldly business with an heavenly spirit, as members of Christ's mystical body, that with new hearts, and new minds, are to turn an earthly life into a preparation for a life of greatness and glory in the kingdom of heaven.

Now the only way to arrive at this piety of spirit, is to bring all your actions to the same rule as your devotions and alms. You very well know what it is that makes the piety of your alms or devotions; now the same rules, the same regard to God, must render every thing else that you do, a fit and acceptable service unto God.

Enough, I hope, has been said to shew you the necessity of thus introducing religion into all the actions of your common life, and of living and acting with the same regard to God in all that you do, as in your prayers and alms.

Eating is one of the lowest actions of our lives, it is common to us with mere animals, yet we see that the piety of all ages of the world, has turned this ordinary action of an animal life, into a piety to God, by making every meal to begin and end with devotion.

We see yet some remains of this custom in most Chris tian, families; some such little formality as shews you that people used to call upon God at the beginning and end of their meals. But, indeed, it is now generally so performed, as to look more like a mockery on devotion, than any solemn application of the mind unto God. In one house you may perhaps see the head of the family just pulling off his hat, in another half getting up from his seat; another shall, it may be, proceed so far as to make as if he said something; but however, these little attempts are the remains of some devotion that was formerly used at such times, and are proofs that religion has belonged to this part of common life.

But to such a pass are we now come, that though the custom is yet preserved, yet we can hardly bear with him that seems to perform it with any degree of seriousness, and look upon it as a sign of fanatical temper, if a man has not done it as soon as he begins.

I would not be thought to plead for the necessity of

long prayers at these times; but thus much I think may be said, that if prayer is proper at these times, we ought to oblige ourselves to use such a form of words as should shew that we solemnly appeal to God for such graces and blessings as are then proper to the occasion. Otherwise the mock ceremony, instead of blessing our victuals, does but accustom us to trifle with devotion, and give us a hab it of being unaffected with our prayers.

If every head of a family was, at the return of every meal, to oblige himself to make a solemn adoration of God, in such a decent manner as becomes a devout mind, it would be very likely to teach him, that swearing, sensuality, gluttony, and loose discourse, were very improper at those meals, which were to begin and end with devotion..

And if in these days of general corruption, this part of devotion is fallen into a mock ceremony, it must be imputed to this cause, that sensuality and intemperance have got too great a power over us, to suffer us to add any devotion to our meals. But thus much must be said, that when we are as pious as Jews and Heathens of all ages have been, we shall think it proper to pray at the beginning and end of our meals.

I have appealed to this pious custom of all ages of the world, as a proof of the reasonableness of the doctrine of this and the foregoing chapters: that is, as a proof that religion is to be the rule and measure of all the actions of ordinary life. For surely, if we are not to eat, but under such rules of devotion, it must plainly appear, that whatever else we do, must in its proper way, be done with the same regard to the glory of God, and agreeably to the principles of a devout and pious mind..

CHAP. V.

Persons that are free from the necessity of labour and employ ments are to consider themselves as devoted to God in a higher degree.

A GREAT part of the world are free from the necessities of labour and employments, and have their time and fortunes at their own disposal.

But as no one is to live in his employment according to his own humour, or for such ends as please his own fancy, but is to do all his business in such a manner, as to make it a service unto God; so those who have no particular employment, are so far from being left at greater liberty to live to themselves, to pursue their own humours, and spend their time and fortunes as they please, that they are under greater obligations of living wholly unto God in all their actions.

The freedom of their state lays them under a greater necessity of always choosing and doing the best things. They are those, of whom much will be required, because much is given unto them.

A slave can only live unto God in one particular way; that is, by religious patience and submission in his state of slavery..

But all ways of holy living, all instances, and all kinds of virtue, lie open to those who are masters of themselves, their time and their fortunes.

It is as much the duty, therefore, of such persons to make a wise use of their liberty, to devote themselves to all kinds of virtue, to aspire after every thing that is holy, and pious, to endeavour to be eminent in all good works, and to please God in the highest and most perfect manner; it is as much their duty to be thus wise in the conduct of themselves, and thus extensive in their endeavours after holiness, as it is the duty of a slave to be resigned unto God in his state of slavery.

You are no labourer, or tradesman, you are neither merchant nor soldier; consider yourself, therefore, as