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Show Ad vice to Children. VoL. I. I6g9. them, and that will provoke cb_em to Dil~gence for Love rather than Fear, ~ which is the uueft and heft Mouve to Serv1ce. In fhort, as you find them, Chap. fl. fo keep, ufe and reward r"hem, or difmifs the~. . §. 4+ Diftruft ia of the Nature of Jealoufte, and muft be wanly enret· tain'd upon good Grounds, or it is injurious to ~thert, and i~ftead of fafe, uoublefome ro you. If you rrufi little, you wtll have hut lmle Caufe to dillrull. Yet I have ofren been whifper'd in my felf of Perfons and Things adirft Sjght and Motion, that hardly ever fa tied to be ~rue; though by negleCting the Senfe, or fuffering my felf to be ar&ued or Importuned from it, 1 have more than once failed of my ExpeClauon. Have t~erefore a moft render and nice Regard ro rhofe firfr fudden and unpremeditated Sen· fat§io. ns. . fi ' d . h h I C fi f 45'. For your ConduEhn your Bu me1s an 1n t e w o e our e_o your Life tho' what I have faid to you, and recommended you to, m1ght be fuffi~ient · yet I will be more parricular as to thofe good and gracious Qua· ]ification;, 1 pray God Almighty to feafon_ ~np accompH!h you with, to his Glory and your Temporal and Eternal FeliCity. CHAP. III. §; J, BE Humble. h becomes a Creature, a de~nding an~ b~rrov.:ed Being, that lives not of lt felf, but breaths 10 anoth~rs Atr, With another's Breath, and is' accountable for every Mo~ent of T1me, and can call nothing it's own, but is ahfolutly a Tenant at.,_Wlll of the great Lor~ of Heaven and Earth. And of this excellent Qualify you canno.t be wanttng, if you dwell in the Holy Fear of the Omniprefent and Allfeemg God; F~r that will !hew you your Vilenefs and his Excellency, yourMeannefs a~d his Ma'efty and withal, the Senfe of his Love ~a fuch poor Worms, m the Tertimo'niea he gives of his daily Care, Mercy and Goodnefs; that you cannot but be abafed, laid low and Humble. I fay, the Fe:~r and Love of God begets Humility, and Humility fits you fo_r God_ and Men. You can· not fiep well amifs if this Virtue dwell hut nchly 111 you; for then God will teach you. The Humble he teacheth his_Ways, and they are all plea· fant and peaceable to his Children: Yea, he g1vetb Grace to tbe H11mble but rejiflttb tbe Proud Jam. 4- 6. 1 Pet, 5· 5· lie regardttb the Proud af.ar off. Pfal. 138. 6. They !hall not come near him, nor will he hear them 10 t~e Da.y of their Diftrefs, Read Prov. 11. 2, c. I). B· c. 16. IS, 19. Humt· lity feeks not the laft \Vord, nor fitft Plac~ ; She offends none, bu~ prefer~ O• thers, and thinks lowly of her felf; is not ro?gh or felf-conceJted, h1~h loud, or domineering; BlcWed are they that enJOY he:. ~e~rn of me, fatd Chtift, for I am meek and lowly in Heart. He wa~t hlS Dt~c!ples Feet, John 13 indeed himfelf was the greateft Pattern of It, Humthty goes hefo~e R~nour, Prov. 18. 1 2. Thel'e is nothing fhines more c~ea_rly through Chnfiianity than Humility; of this the Ho~y Author of lt IS the gr_eateft In· fiaRce. He was humble in his lncarna_non; for he that thought It no rob· bery to be equal with God, humbled ~1mfclf to be~om~ :1 _Man; and rna· ny Ways made himfelf of no Reputation .. A_s firfi tn h1s Bath or Defcenr, it was not of the PJinces of Judah but a Vtrgtn of low Degree, the efpouf· ed of a Carpenter; and fo fhe acknow~edges in her heavenly Anthem, or Ejaculation, Luke r, 47, 4S, 52. fpeakt~g of the grea.t Honour C.od had done her: And my Spirit barb rejoyu.d 1n God my Sav1our, for ~e hrltb rlgarded the low Ejlate of bH Hand·t~uudtn; be btU p11t down the mtgbty fr~lll their Seats, and exalted tbem of /OflJ Degree. Secondly, _he was. huSt·le 1R .his Life: He kept no Court but in Deferts and MoJ,lntat~s and tn o Jtary Places; neither was he ferv'd in State, his Attendants bemg of the Mecha· nick Size. By the Miracles he wrought we may underftand the FoCJd he cat, viJ:. Barley~ Bread and Fifh; and it is not to be thoug_hr thc!e was an~ Curiofity in dreffing them. And we have Reafon to belteve hts App~~s Ad vice to Chlldren: .9o3 • was as moderate as his Table. Thirdly, he was humble in his Sufferfngs' 1699- and Death: He took all Affr9nts pat!CJnly, and in our Namre triumphed ~ over. Revenge: He was defp1fed, fplt upon, buffeted, whipt, and finally Cb~p. IlL· Gruc1fied between Th1eves, as the greateft MalefaClor ; yet he neve:r revil· ed them, but anfwered aU in Silence and SubmiRion, pit.Ying loving and: dying fo.r .thofe by whom he was i~nominioufly put to Death.' 0 Mirrour of Humtluy! Let your Eyes be conttnually upon it, that you may fee your felves by it. ln~eed his whole Life was one continued great Act of Self-denial : And becaufe he needed it not for himfelf, 'he mutt needs do it for us; thereby leaving us an Example that we !hould fol1ow his Sreps, 1 Pet. 2. 2.r . • And as he was we fhould be in 1his World acoording to the beloved Difc1ple 1 John 2. 6. So what he did for us was not to excufe but excite our Humility. For as he is like God, we muft be like him and that the froward, the contentious, the revengeful, the ftriker, the Du~llert fJ'c. cannot be faid to be of that Number, is very evident. And the more to illuftrate this Vint!e, I would have you confider the Fo11y and Dan~er of PriJe h 's oppo~t: For this it w:a~ that tbre"Y the Angels out of Hea\'en, Man out of Parad1fe, deftroyed Cities and Nanons, was one of the Sins of Sadom, &e!r.. 16. 49· the DellruElion of Affyria and lfrae!, !fa. l· 16. and the Reafon given by God for his great Vengeance upon Moab and A111111on Z epb. 2. 9, 10. Bdides, Pride is the vaineft Paffion that can rule in Man, be~ gufe he has nothing ef his own to be PI:Oud of, and to be proud of ano-ther's, fhews want of Wit and Honeft)' too. He did not on!y not make himfelf, but is bOrn the nakedeft :rnd' moft helplefs of almoft all Crel ture!. Nor can he add to his Days or Srature, or fa much as make one Hair of his Head white or black. He is fo abfolurely in the Power of another, that as I have often faid, h'~ is at heft but a Tenant at Will of the grear Lord of all, holding Life, Health, Subftance, and every Thing at his So· vereign Difpofal; and the more Man enjoys the lefs Reafon he has to be freud, becaufe he is the mOre indebted and engaged to Thankfulnefs and Humility. · Wherefore avoid Pride as you would avoid the Devil; temcmbring you muft die, and confequently thofe Things muft die with you, rhar could be any Temptation to Pride; and that there is a Judgment fotJows, at which you muft give 3n Account both for what you have enjoy'd and done. §. 2 From Humility fprings Meeknefs. Of ~11 Jhe rare Qualities, of Wifdom, Learning, Valour, etc. with which Mofe.r was enqued, he was denominated by his Meeknefs: This gave the reft a Lufti'e they muft otherwife have wanted. The diH'erence is not grelt between rhefe excellent Graces; yet the Scripture obferves fame. God will teach ihe Humble hii Way, and guide the Meek in Judgment. It feems to be Humility perfe~ ly~ digefied, and from a Virtue become a Nature. A meek Man is one th<tt is not eafily provoked, yet eafily grieved; not peevifb or tefty, but foft, gentle, and inoffenfive. 0 bleffed will you be, my dear Children, if this Grace _adorn. you I There are div~rs great and. preciou.s Promif~s to th• ~cek 10 Scnpture. T!iat God will clothe the Meek wah SJl\'atton; and ~leffed are they fot they !hall inherit the Earth,: Pfal. 37· 11. Mar. 5· ;. Chrift preifes it in his own l::xample, Learn OJ mt f or I am Meek, &c. .Mat. 11. 29. And requires his to becofl_le as l!t~le. Children in ~rder .to Sal· varian, Mat. IS. 3· and a meek and qutet Spmt ts of great Pnce wuh the i.ord 1 Per. f. 4· It is a Fruit of the Spirit, Ga/: S'· 22, 23, exhorted tO Eph: 4· 2. Col. 3· 12. Tit. 3· 2. and many Placell mpre to the fame Effe~. §. 3- Patienc( is an Effe8: of a Meek Spirit and flow• from it: It ts a bearing and.fuffering Difpofition:; not cholerick or foon mov'd to ~ratb, or VindiEl:ive:; but ready ro hear and endure roo, rather l.han -be fw1ft and hafty in Judgment or A8:ioR. Job is as much famed for thts,. a~ was Mojer for the other Virtue: Without it there is no running the Cbri/ltan !<ace, or obtaining the heavenly Cro~n s without it there can be n.o Expeuence of the Woik of God, Rom. 5'. 3, 4, 5· For Patience wor/urb, fait~ the Apoftlo, Experience; nor Hope of an iternal Recompenfe, for Exptrllntt wor~h~~ |