YPIRÍTGAL PEACE AND COJIrORT. 345 lust or unjust anger, or worldly desires, or pride within him; and that no vain word might pass his lips : all this he would do, but he cannot. Striving against these unavoidable infirmities, is con- quering. But though we cannot keep under every motion of concupis- cence, we can forbear the execution. Anger- will stir up provoca- tions ; but we may restrain it in degree, that it set us not in a flame, and do not much distemper or discompose our minds. And we can forbid our tongues all raging, furious, or abusive words in our anger; all cursing, swearing, or reproachful speaking. If an en- vious thought against one brother do arise in our hearts, because he is preferred before us, we'may hate it and repress it, and chide our hearts for it, and command our tongues to speak well of him, and no evil. Some pride and self -esteem will remain and be stir- ring in us, do what we can ; it is a sin so deeply rooted hi our cor- rupt natures. But yet we can detest it, and resist it, and meet it with abhorrence of our self-conceited thoughts, and rejoicings in our own reputations and fame, and inward heart-risings against those that undervalue us, and stand in the way of our repute; and we may forbear our boasting language, and our contestings for our credit, and our excuses of our sins, and our backbitings and secret defaming of those that cross us in the way of credit. We may for- bear our quarrels and estrangements, and dividings from our breth- ren, and stiff insisting on our own conceits, and expecting that oth- ers should make our judgments their rule, and say and do as we would have them, and all dance after our pipe ; all which are the effects of inward pride. We cannot, while we are on earth, be free from all inordinate love of the world, and the riches and hon- ors of it; but we may so watch against and repress it, as that it shall neither be preferred before God, nor draw us to unlawful ways of gain, by lying, deceit, and overreaching our brethren ; by stealing, unjust or unmerciful dealings, oppressing the poor, and insulting over those that are in the way .of our thriving, and crushing them that would hinder our aspiring design's, and treading them down that will not bow to us, and taking revenge of them that have cross- ed or disparaged us, or cruelly exacting all our rights and debts of the poor, and squeezing the purses of subjects or tenants, or those that we bargain with, like a sponge, as long as any thing will come out. Yea, we may so far subdue our love of the world, as that it shall not hinder us from being merciful to the poor, compassionate to our servants and laborers, and bountiful to our power in doing good works ; nor yet shut out God's service from our families and closets.; nor rob him of our frequent, affectionate thoughts, espe- cially on the Lord's day. So for sensuality, or the pleasing of our flesh more immediately ; we shall never on earth be wholly freed VOL. I. 44
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