ll. acquiefce in adoring the abfolute Sovereignty of the Firlt : And by obferving the Mutations of .Affi.ir~ here below, may· be taught to repofc our fclvcs in him who on.. Iy is immutable. Thus God adminHters the various Occurrences of the World ac~ carding to the Counfel of his own \V ill ; and m:.1kes the inconibncy of it, ferve both for his Delight and our Admonition. · It is in vain therefore to expect Happinefs from what is fo uncertain. All theComforts ofitare but like fading Flowers, that while we are looking on them, and fincl.. ling to them, die, and wither in our Hands. Is it Pleafiues we fcck? . Thcfe muft var.y: .For: where thcr.c is not an intermiffion, it is not Plea{hrc but a glut and fi1rfeit. And hence it is that they who arc ufed to ha-rd!bips, ta:fte more fwectnefs in fome ordinary Pleafures, than thofe who are accuftomed to a voluptuous Life, do in all their e'xquifite and inyented DeliEhts. Do you purfucHononr and Applaufe in theWorld? This hangs Upon the wavet"mg Tongues of the Multitude: To follow this, is but to purii.tc a puff of Wind, and of all Winds in Nature the mort fickle and changeable. The People's Hofanna, and 9rucify, are oft pronounced in the fame .. ' E;::t1Yc1'~1 Sh«t ~ breath. And belides th,at it is* no great matter that thofe fhonld · ;~er;;<¥¥ Tei~ n;, ;/;et d.rrrr.. l think or fpeak well of thee, who have but too much reafon to think Y.J.71Lcg.pJtJ,,Ant•l. 8.St8. 41· ill of themfclves; belides this, c-onfider how foon publick .Fame groWs out of breath. Poffibly an Age or two may talk of thee, but this Bruit is but like focceffiveEccho's, that render theVoice ftillweaker and weaker, till at length it vanHheth into filence. Yea, conld'ft thot~ fill wholeChronicles with thy Story,yet Time ot Moths will eat thee 9t1t: And the·{· frelher t'n{ dl:':!m.t«-""-ttli<¥' 3_,._. remembrance of other Mens Atl:ions will bury th ine in Oblivion. llruf tmpot~""Jt;~~'Wf~.,., ~ Is it Riches you defire~Thefc too are trncertain; I Tim.6.I?· Char{e ~~~· .::;t' 'T~ E~~i~ t~cm that they trufl,no~ in "'nce~tllin Rlclfes. Uncertain they arc in gCt- .;;v ;(:191 h,g,liV~P::rn. Jd.J. 7 • tmg, and uncenam 111 kcepmg when got.. All our T.reafitres :1re s. 'l.J. V like Qpickfilver, which flrangcly flips between our Fingers when we thi,nk we hold it fafleft. Riches(* faith the wifeMan) make them- .. Prov. :q. ~ - fchm Wings, and fly aWf1)' .fS 11n Eagle tQWa;ds Heav~n ; an.d it were a · , moft fl:rangc foJly-{- to fall paffionately m love with a B1rd upon his m!olC::!~:~r~ ~c~~: Wing, who is free and nnconfined as the Air in which he flies, and ')2'i7ol ~ ,;.' l!J\J i~ Q?3u.ll~! will not ftoop to thy Call or Lnre. How much better were it, fince .imhuhv~v. kt U6. 6.Sm. they will fly, for thy felf to direct their flight towards Heaven, by 1 '·The !:~.me with that of So· relievi n& the ncceffitous Servants and Members of Jefus Chrift? lo~t~on, Wzlt th1u fit rhint E;·u The11 wt\1 their flight he happy and glorious, \v1:1en they c1rry on UpM that which is nut: &c. their Wings the Prayers and Bleffings of the Poor, whofc Bowels . thou haft refrcfued. This is to lay up treafi.tre in Heaven, to remit thy Monies to the other \V'orld, where they fuall be truly paid thee with abundant Intereft. This is to lay up a Stock for hereafter, that thou maycft have where. on to live fplendidly and glorioufly to all Eternity. And thus to lay out, is to lay ur, to lay up uncertain Riches in a fafe Repofitory: God's Promifes Ihall be thy fecurity, and every Star in Heaven, a Seal fer upon the TreaiiJry-dqor which none can break or violate. Thus you fee how mutable and inconftant all worldly Things arc. So that we may truly apply that which the Pfalmift fpeaks of the Earth in another fenfe, That ff~t. z~.~- God hatb founded it upon the Sea, and eflablijh'd it upon the FioodJ. Such is the waving, and fluCtuation of all things here below, that they are no. more conftant, than if they were meerly built upon the ebbing and flowing of the T1dc. X. Laftly; The Vanity of theWor'ldappears in this, That it is altogether unfatisfactory. That muft needs be Vain, which when we enjoy it in its greateft abunda nce, can give us no real nor folid content. Such an empty thing is the whole World. You may as foon grafpa bun{ile of Drean'Is, or take up an Armful of your own Sh:tdow, as fill the vaftandboundlefsdefiresof yourSoul.s w,ith thefe earthly Enjoyments. And therefore the Pfalmift [peaking of profperous Sinners, fets forth their ftatc by the moft thin· and empty things imaginable; Pfa/m. 73• 30. As a Drett~ when one awakes, fo, 0 Lord, thou jhalt de{pi[t their Image. The Images and ReprcfentatlOOS that a Dream makes, feem very brisK and livel y; bu.t when_ we reflect upon them with 0~1r waking Thoughts, we fi.nd them confufed a·nd 1mpcrunent. Such IS all the profpcnty of this World, it is but as the Image and Fiction of a Dream. *As
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