of vanity in the world to come? Darest thou say, when thy thoughts are roving to the ends of the earth in duty, when thou scarce mindest what thou sayest or bearest; now, Lord, I am sowing to the spirit, now I am providing and laying up for eternity, now I am seeking for glory, honour and immortality, now I am striving to enter in at the strait gait, now I am taking the kingdom of heaven by an holy violence? O such a consideration as this, should make the multitudes of vain thoughts, that press in upon thy heart in duty, fly seven ways before it. And thus I have shown you how to keep your hearts in the times of duty.

7 Season. The seventh season, calling 'for more than common diligence to keep the heart, is, when we receive injuries ' and abuses from men. Such is the de'pravidness and corruption of man in his collapsed state, that one man is become a wolf, a tyger to another; they are, as 'the prophet complains, Hab. i. 14. as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping 'things, that have no ruler over then. And, as wicked men are cruel and op( pressive one to another, so they conspire together to abuse and wrong the people of Gol, as the same prophet complains, ver. 13. The wicked devoureth the man

that is more righteous than he. Now, when we are thus abused and wronged, it is hard to keep the heart from revengful motions; to make it meekly aud quietly to commit the cause to him that judgeth righteously; to exercise no other affection but pity towards them that abuse us. Surely the spirit that is in us lusteth to revenge: but it must ¿ not be so; you have choice helps in the "gospel to keep down your hearts from 'such sinful motions against your enemies, and to sweeten your imbettered spirits.' The seventh case then shall be this, ..

7 Case. How a christian may keep his heart from revengeful motions under the greatest injuries and abuses from men ?

The gospel indeed allows a liberty to vindicate our innocency, and assert our rights, but not to vent our corruptions, and invade God's right; when therefore thou findest thy heart begin to be inflamed by revengeful motions, presently apply the following remedies; and the first is this,

Rem. Urge upon thy heart the severe prohibitions of revenge by the law of God. Remember that this is forbidden fruit, how pleasing and luscious soever it be to our viciated appetites. O saith nature, revenge is sweet, O but, saith God, the

ven

no

13:

m/

No effects thereof shall be bitter : how plainly hath God interdicted this flesh pleasing sin? Prov. xx. 22. Say not, I will recompense evil. Prov. xxiv. 29. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me. Rom. xii. 27. Recompense to no man evil for evil; and ver. 19. Avenge not your selves, but rather give place to wrath': nay, that is not all; but, Prov. xxv. 21. If thine enemy hunger, feed him: If he fr thirst, give him drink. The word feed him, as critics observe, signifies to feed theerfully and tenderly, as birds do their young ones the scripture is a great friendto the peace and tranquility of human societies, which can never be preserved, if revenge be not deposed. It was wont to be an argument urged by the christians to prove their religion to be supernatural and pure, that it forbids revenge, which is so sweet to nature; and verily it is a thousand- pities such an argument should be löst. Well then, awe your hearts with the authority of God in these scriptures; and when carnal reason saith, mine enemy deserves to be hated, let conscience reply, but doth God deserve to be disobeyed? Thus, and thus hath he done, and so he hath wronged me; but what hath God done, that I should wrong him? If he dare be so bold to break the peace, shall I

be so wicked to break the precept? If he fears not to wrong me, shall not I fear to wrong God? O let the fear of God's threatnings repress such sinful motions.

2 Rem. Set before your eyes the most eminent patterns of meekness and forgiveness, that your souls may fall in love with it.

This is the way to cut off those common pleas of the flesh for revenge; as thus, no man would bear such affront. Yes, such and such have borne as bad and worse. I shall be reckoned a coward, a fool, if I pass by this: no matter, as long as I follow the examples of the wisest and holiest of men. Never did any suffer more and greater abuses from men than Christ did, and never did any carry it more peaceably and forgivingly, Isa. liii. 7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, &c. This pattern the apostle sets before you for your imitation, 1 Pet. ii. 21, 22, 23. For even hereunto are you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that

judgeth righteously. To be of a meek

forgiving spirit, is Christ like, God like ; then shall you be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise upon the evil, and upon the good; and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust, Mat. v. 45. How eminently also did the spirit of Christ rest upon his apostles? Never were there such men upon earth for true excellency of spirit none were ever abused more, or suffered their abuses better: being reviled, (said they) we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we intreat, 1 Cor. iv. 12, 13. Mr. Calvin, though a man of a quick spirit, yet had attained such a degree of this Christ like forgiveness, that, when Luther had used some opprobrious language of him, the good man said no more but this, "al"though he should call me devil, yet I "will acknowledge him to be an eminent "servant of Jesus Christ."

I have often heard it reported of holy Mr. Dod, that when one, inraged at his close convincing doctrine, picked a quarrel with him, smote him on the face, and dashed out two of his teeth; this meek servant of Christ spat out the teeth and blood into his hand, and said, see here, "you have knockt out two of my teeth,