Senn. 16. ßnd in what not ? Prov. r 1 24. and Parents often towards children, Fathers provoke not your children, left they be difccuraged, Colof. 3.21. And as great need of Superiors moderating their pafiion towardsInferiors,fo great need of thefe ufing prudence towards thefe and their equals Rebuke not (therefore faith Paul to ?Timothy, i Ephef.5. I.) an elder , but intreat him as a Father, and the younger men as Brethren. 2. We rnnft moderate our contefts with others according to equity. Sci; long as fin, Sathan and meson 6- tunrn, thine and mine, are in the World , there will be ftrife and contention about the things of the World. And where interefl ingages us , we are fubjed. to be byaR thereby, and drawn away by our pflions from all equality. Great need therefore of Moderation here. I. In confidering the matter that it be of mot1tent,,:nd the per/on we have to do withal whether faulty and not a- bout toys, and rafhly with any that's next us we tt ink upon 'the Muth guilty, enter the lifts of contention and ftrife. Go not forth haflily ('faith Solomon) to flrive left thou knowefnot what to do in the end there - of,when thy neighbour bath put thee to fbame,Prov.25.8. 2.If fo,fn trying by all fair means the obtaining thy right, whether of efta'e,good name, honour, or the like, by arguments and perfwafons,by feeking accom- modation, by willingly referring it to the equal judgment and deter-. , mination of others or the like. Agree (faith our bleffed Saviour, Nlatth, 5.z5.) with thine Adverfary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; (i.e. to the 11lagiftrate, as Luke expounds it, 1 2.58.) left' at any time the Adverfary deliver thee to the 7ud e, and the yudge deli- ver thee to the Officer, and thou be caft into prifon. 3. If thefe will not prevail for thy right, In voluntary yielding fozne part thereof rather than conteft. It mutt he thy own right thou muff yield, not anothers (ex_. cepc thou be intru{led therewith,and fo far forth as he confents there- to,) for this being a gift, mua be of Inch things as are our own, which thou oughteft to do tor peacefake,How eminent was Abraham for this, (Gen.L3.8,9.) who flood not upon his terms of fuperiority with Lot, though his Unkle and Guardian formerly and Governor,nor his right, nor his Nephews firR feeking to him and the like, but that there might be no firife, offers him his choice of the Land; if thou wilt take the left hand, thenI will go the right; or if thou depart to the right hand then 'will go to the left ; and performs accordingly. How far are we from following our Father Abraham's example I how many that will not yield others any of their right but by compulfion of Law! how few that yields their own right voluntarily ! How far or how much we mull yield our own and thofe we deal with; cit'cumílancesbell deter.. mine..
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