Direct. 3. Study your own natures more, and whatever evil you behold in other men's practices, labour to see the same in your own nature.

There is the seed of all sins; of the vilest and worst of sins, in the best of men. When thou seest another drunk, thou mayst see the seed of that sin in thy own nature. When thou seest another unclean, the seeds of uncleanness thou mayest see in thy own nature. And in that thou dost not act uncleanness as others, it arises not from the goodness of thy nature, but from the riches of God's grace. Remember this, there is not a worse nature in hell, than that that is in thee; and it would discover itself accordingly, if the Lord did not restrain it; it would carry thee to those horrid acts that are against the very light of nature.

There was one that was a long time tempted to three horrid sins, to be drunk, to incest, and to murder his father. Being a long time followed by these horrid temptations, at last he thought to get rid of them, by yielding to that he judged the least, and that was to be drunk; but when he was drunk, he did both commit incest, and murder his father. Why, such a hellish nature is in every soul that breathes! and did God leave men to act according to their natures, men would be all incarnate devils, and this world be a perfect hell. Such is the corruption of our nature, that propound any divine good to it, it is entertained as fire by water; but propound any evil, and it is like fire to straw; it is like the foolish satyr that made haste to kiss the fire; it is like that unctuous matter, which the naturalists say, sucks and snatches the fire to it, with which it is consumed.

There was a holy man that rarely heard of other men's crimson sins, but he usually bedewed the place with his tears, considering that the seeds of those very sins were in his own nature. In thy nature thou hast that which would lead thee, with the pharisees, to oppose Christ; and, with Judas, to betray Christ; and, with Pilate, to condemn Christ; and, with the soldiers, to crucify Christ. O, what a monster, what a devil wouldst thou prove, should God but leave thee to act suitably to that sinful and woful nature of thine.

Direct. 4. Dwell much upon the imperfection that follows and cleaves to thy best actions.

O the wandering! O the deadness, the dulness, the fruitlessness, of thy spirit in religious duties! Man is a creature apt to hug himself in religious services, and to pride himself in holy duties, and to stroke himself after duties, and to warm himself by the sparks of his own fire, his own performances, though he does lie down in sorrow for it. Whenever thou comest off from holy services, sit down and look over the spots, blots and blemishes that cleave to your choicest services. The fairest day has its clouds, the richest jewels their flaws, the finest faces their spots, the fairest copies their blots; and so have our finest and fairest duties.

Plutarch tells of a private soldier of Julius Cæsar, who fought so valiantly in Britain, that by his means he saved. the captains, who otherwise were in great danger of being cast away, being driven into a bog, then marching with great pain through the mire and dirt; in the end he got to the other side, but left his shield behind him. Cæsar, wondering at his noble courage, ran to him with joy to embrace him: but the poor soldier, hanging down his head, the water standing in his eyes, fell down at Cæsar's feet, and besought him to pardon him, for that he had left his shield behind him. You know how to apply it. He had done gallantly, yet he falls down at Cæsar's feet, after his brave service, with tears in his eyes, upon the sense of his leaving his shield behind him; when we have done our best, we have cause to fall down at Jesus' feet, and with tears in our eyes, sue out our pardon.

Direct. 5. In the day of thy prosperity, forget not thy former poverty.

In the day of thy present greatness, forget not thy former meanness. Humble Jacob, in the day of his prosperity, remembers his former poverty; With my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. And so David, in his prosperity, remembered that his sheep-hook was changed into a sceptre, and his seat of turf into a royal throne. And when Joseph was a royal favourite, he remembered that he had been an imprisoned slave. And when Gideon was raised to be a Sa

viour to Israel, he remembered how God took him from the threshing floor, Judges vi. 11; and how God changed his threshing instrument of wood, into one of iron to thresh the mountains, as God himself phrases it, Isaiah xli. 15.

Primislaus, the first king of Bohemia, kept his country shoes always by him, to remember from whence he was raised. Agathocles, by the furniture of his table, confessed that from a potter he was raised to be a king of Sicily.

We live in times wherein many a man has been raised from the dunghill to sit with princes. And O, that such were wise to remember their former low and contemptible beings, and to walk humbly before the Lord! Otherwise who can tell but that greater contempt shall be poured forth upon them, than that which they have poured upon princes.

Direct. 6. Look upon all that you have received, and all that you shall hereafter receive, as the fruit of free grace

Look upon thy adoption, and write this motto, This is the fruit of free grace.' Look upon thy justification, and write this motto, 'This is the fruit of free grace.' Look upon all thy graces, and write, 'These are the fruits of free grace. Look upon thy experiences, and write, 'These are the fruits of free grace.' Look upon thy strength to withstand temptation, and write, This is the fruit of free grace. Look upon divine power to conquer corruptions, and write, 'This is the fruit of free grace.' Look upon the bread thou eatest, the beer thou drinkest, the clothes thou wearest, and write, These are the fruits of free grace.' Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as though thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. iv. 7. Who maketh thee to differ? Episcopius, an insolent Armenian, answered, 'I make myself to differ, to wit, by the improvement of nature.' This age is full of such proud monsters: but a humble soul sees free grace to be the spring and fountain of all his mercies and comforts; he writes free grace upon all his temporals, and upon all his spirituals.

Direct. 7. Meditate much upon these two things-First, the great mischief that sin has done in the world.

It cast angels out of heaven, and Adam out of paradise. It has laid the first corner-stone in hell, and ushered in all the evils and miseries that are in the world. It has thrown down Abraham, the best believer in the world; and Noah, the most righteous man in the world; and Job, the uprightest man in the world; and Moses, the meekest man in the world; and Paul, the greatest apostle in the world. O, the diseases, the crosses, the losses, the miseries, the deaths, the hells, that sin has brought upon the world.

Bazil wept when he saw the rose, because it brought to his mind the first sin from whence it had the prickles, which it had not while man continued in innocency, as he thought. O, when he saw the prickles, his soul wept! So when we see, hear, or read, of the blood, misery, wars, and ruins that sin has brought upon us, let us weep, and lie humble before the Lord.

Secondly, meditate much on this, that many wicked men take more pains to damn their souls and go to hell, than thou dost to save thy soul and go to heaven.

O what pains do wicked men take to damn their souls, and go to hell! Lactantius says of Lucian, that he spared neither God nor man. He took pains to make himself

twice told a child of wrath.

It is said of Marcellus, the Roman general, that he could not be quiet, neither conquered nor conqueror. Such restless wretches are wicked men. The drunkard rises up in the morning, and continues till midnight, till wine inflame him. The unclean person wastes his time, and strength, and estate, and all to ruin his own soul.

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Theotimus being told by his physician, that if he did not leave his lewd courses, he would lose his sight; answered, Then farewell sweet light.' What a deal of pain does the worldling take! He rises up early, and goes to bed late, and leaves no stone unturned, and all to make himself more miserable in the close.

Pambus, in the ecclesiastical history, wept when he saw a harlot dressed with much care and cost, partly to see one take so much pains to go to hell; and partly be

cause he had not been so careful to please God, as she had been to please a wanton lover. O sirs, what reason have you to spend your days in weeping, when you look abroad, see what pains most men take to damn their souls, and go to hell; and then consider what little pains you take to escape hell, to save your souls, and go to heaven.

Direct. 8. Get more internal and experimental knowledge and acquaintance with God.

If ever you would keep humble, no knowledge humbles and abases like that which is inward and experimental. It is a sad thing to be often eating of the tree of knowledge, but never to taste of the tree of life. We live in days wherein there is abundance of notional light. Many professors know much of God notionally, but know nothing of God experimentally. They know God in the history, but know nothing of God in the mystery. They know much of God in the letter, but little or nothing of God in the spirit; and therefore it is, that they are so proud and high in their own conceits; whereas he that experimentally knows the Lord, is a worm and no man in his own eyes. As the sun is necessary to the world, the eye to the body, the pilot to the ship, the general to the army; so is experimental knowledge to the humbling of a soul. Who more experimental in their knowledge, than David, Job, Isaiah, and Paul? And who are more humble than these worthies?

Seneca observed of the philosophers, that when they grew more learned, they were less moral: so a growth in notions will bring a great decay in humility and zeal, as is too evident in these days. Remember this, a drop of experimental knowledge will more humble a man, than a sea of notional knowledge.

Direct. 9. Look up to a crucified Christ for special power and strength against the pride of your hearts. It is sad in these knowing times to think how few there are that know the right way of bringing under the power of any sin. Most men scarcely look so high as a crucified Christ for power against their powerful sins. One soul sits down and complains, 'Such a lust haunts me; I will pray it down.' Another says, 'Such a sin follows me and I will hear it down, or watch it down, or resolve it down;' and so a