LET the royal apparel be brought which the king ufeth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is fet upon his head; and let this apparel and horfe be delivered to the hand of one of the king's meft noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring bim on horfeback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus fhall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

HERE you fee the fum total of worldly honours.

AN ambitious Haman cannot think of any thing greater to ask; Ahasuerus, the greatest monarch in the world, has nothing greater to give to his greateft favourite; powerful as he is, he can only give fuch honours as these.

YET it is to be obferved, that if a poor nurfe was to please her child, fhe muft talk to it in the fame language; the muft please it with the fame fine things, and gratify its pride with honours of the fame kind.

YET these are the mighty things, for which men forget God, forget their immortality, forget the difference betwixt an eternity in heaven and an eternity in hell.

THERE needs no great understanding, no mighty depth of thought, to fee through the vanity of all worldly enjoyments; do but talk of them, and you will be forced to talk of gugaws, of ribbons and feathers.

EVERY man fees the littleness of all forts of ho nours, but those which he is looking after himself.

A PRIVATE English gentleman, that is half diftracted till he has got fome little diftinction, does at the fame time defpife the highest honours of other countries, and would not leave his own condition to poffefs the ridiculous greatnefs of an Indian king. He fees the vanity and falfenefs of their honours, but forgets that all honour placed in external things, is equally vain and falfe.

HE

He does not confider, that the difference of greatness is only the difference of flowers and feathers; and, that they who are dreffing themselves with beads, have as just a taste of what adorns their perfons, as they who place the fame pride in diamonds.

WHEN We read of an eastern prince that is too great to feed himself, and thinks it a piece of grandeur to have other people put his meat into his mouth, we defpife the folly of his pride.

BUT might we not as well despise the folly of their pride, who are afhamed to use their legs, and think it adds to their ftate to be removed from one place to another by other people.

FOR he that thinks it ftately to be carried, and mean to walk on foot, has as true notions of greatnefs, as he who is too haughty to put his meat in his own mouth.

AGAIN, It is the manner of fome countries in the burial of their dead, to put a staff, and fhoos, and money, in the fepulchre along with the corpfe.

WE juftly cenfure the folly and ignorance of fuch a poor contrivance to affift the dead; but, if we did but as truly understand what life is, we should fee as much to ridicule in the poor contrivances to aflift the living.

FOR how many things in life do people labour after, break their reft and peace to get; which yet, when gotten, are of as much real use to them, as a staff and fhoos to a corpfe under ground? They are always adding fomething to their life, which is only like adding another pair of fhoos to a body in the grave.

THOU mayst hire more fervants, new paint thy rooms, make more fine beds, eat out of plate, and put on richer apparel; and these will help thee to be happy, as golden ftaves, or painted fhoos, will help a dead man to walk.

SEE here therefore the true nature of all worldly fhew and figure; it will make us as great as thofe are, who are dreaming that they are kings, as rich as those who fancy that they have eftates in the moon, and as

happy

happy as thofe, who are buried with ftaves in their hands.

Now this is not carrying matters too high, or impofing upon ourselves with any fubtilities of reafoning or found of words; for the value of worldly riches and honours can no more be too much leffened, than the riches and greatness of the other life can be too much exalted. We don't cheat ourselves out of any real happiness, by looking upon all worldly honours as bubbles, any more than we cheat ourselves by fecuring honours that are folid and eternal.

THERE is no more happiness loft by not being great and rich as thofe are amongst whom we live, than by not being dress'd and adorn'd as they are who live in China or Japan.

THOU art no happier for having painted cielings and marble walls in thy houfe, than if the fame finery was in thy ftables; if thou eatest upon plate, it maketh thee just as happy as if thy horfes wore filver fhoos.

To difregard gold, jewels and equipage, is no more running away from any real good, than if we only defpifed a feather or a garland of flowers.

So that he who condemns all the external fhew and ftate of life as equally vain, is no more deceived, or carried to too high a contempt for the things of this life, than he that only condemns the vanity of the vaineft things.

You don't think yourself impofed upon, or talked out of any real happiness, when you are perfuaded not to be as vain and ambitious as Alexander.

AND can you think that you are impofed upon, or drawn from any real good, by being perfuaded to be as meek and lowly as the holy Jefus ?

THERE is as much fober judgment, as found fenfe, in conforming to the fulness of Chrift's humility, as in avoiding the height and extravagance of Alexander's vanity.

DON'T therefore think to compound matters, or that it is enough to avoid the vanity of the vainest

men.

men. There is as much folly in feeking little, as great honours; as great a mistake in needlefs expence upon thyfelf, as upon any thing elfe. Thou must not only be less vain and ambitious than an Alexander, but practife the humility of the bleffed Jefus.

IF thou remembereft, that the whole race of mankind are a race of fallen fpirits, that pass through this world as an arrow paffes through the air, thou wilt foon perceive that all things here are equally great and equally little, and that there is no wisdom or happinefs, but in getting away to the best advantage.

IF thou remembereft that this life is but a vapour, that thou art in the body, only to be holy, humble, and heavenly-minded; that thou ftandeft upon the brinks of death, refurrection, and judgment; and that thefe great things will fuddenly come upon thee like a thief in the night, thou wilt fee a vanity in all the gifts of fortune, greater than any words can exprefs.

Do but therefore know thyfelf, as religion has made thee known, do but fee thyfelf in the light which Christ has brought into the world; and then thou wilt fee that nothing concerns thee, but what concerns an everlasting Spirit that is going to God; and that there are no enjoyments here that are worth a thought, but fuch as may make thee more perfect in those holy tempers, which will carry thee to heaven.

CHAP. II.

Christianity requires a change of nature, a new life perfectly devoted to God.

C

HRISTIANITY is not a fchool for the teaching of moral virtue, the polifhing our manners, or forming us to live a life of this world with decency and gentility.

IT is deeper and more divine in its defigns, and has much nobler ends than thefe; it implies an entire change of life, a dedication of ourselves, our fouls and bodies unto God, in the ftricteft and higheft fenfe of the words.

OUR bleffed Saviour came into the world not to make any compofition with it, or to divide things between heaven and earth; but to make war with every ftate of life, to put an end to the defigns of flesh and blood, and to fhew us, that we muft either leave this world to become fons of God, or, by enjoying it, take our portion amongit devils and damned fpirits.

DEATH is not more certainly a feparation of our fouls from our bodies, than the Chriftian life is a feparation of our fouls from worldly tempers, vain indulgences, and unneceffary cares.

No fooner are we baptiz'd, but we are to confider ourselves as new and holy perfons, that are entered upon a new state of things, that are devoted to God, and have renounced all, to be fellow-heirs with Chrift, and members of his kingdom.

THERE is no alteration of life, no change of condition, that implies half fo much, as that alteration which Christianity introduceth.

Ir is a kingdom of heaven begun upon earth, and by being made members of it, we are entered into a new ftate of goods and evils.

ETERNITY