effeminacy, and made them only companions for the beaft that perifhes: witness thofe famous men, Anaxagoras, Socrates, Plato, Ariftides, Cato, Seneca, Epictetus, &c. who placed true honour and fatisfaction in nothing below virtue and immortality. Nay, fuch are the remains of innocence among fome Moors and Indians in our times, that they do not only traffic in a fimple pofture, but if a Chriftian, (though he must be an odd one) fling out a filthy word, it is customary with them, by way of moral, to bring him water to purge his mouth. How much do the like virtues and reasonable inftances accufe people, profeffing Christianity, of grofs folly and intemperance? O, that men and women had the fear of God before their eyes; and that they were fo charitable to themselves, as to remember whence they came, what they are doing, and to what they must return: that fo more noble, more virtuous, more rational and heavenly things might be the matters of their pleasure and entertainment; that they would be once perfuaded to believe how inconfiftent the folly, vanity, and conversation they are mostly exercised in, really are with the true nobility of a reasonable foul; and let that juft principle,. which taught the Heathens, teach them; left it be found more tolerable for Heathens than fuch Chriftians, in the day of account. For if their fhorter notions, and more imperfect fenfe of things could yet difcover fo much vanity; if their degree of light condemned it, and they, in obedience thereunto, difufed it; doth it not behove Chriftians much more? Christ came not to extinguish, no, but to improve that knowledge; and they who think they need do lefs now than before, had need to act better than they think. I conclude that the fashions and recreations now in repute, are very abufive of the end of man's creation ; and that the inconveniencies that attend them, as wantonnefs, idlenefs, prodigality, pride, luft, refpect of perfons (witnefs a plume of feathers, or a lace coat in a country village, whatever be the man that wears them) with the like fruits, are repugnant to the duty, reason, and true pleasure of man, and abfolutely inconfiftent with that wisdom, knowledge, manhood, temperance, and induftry, which render mantruly noble and good. f. IX. Again, these things, which have been hitherto condemned, have never been the converfation or practice of the holy men and women of old times, whom the fcriptures recommend for holy examples, worthy of imitation. Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, were plain men, and princes, as graziers are, over their families and flocks. They were not folicitous of the vanities fo much lived in by the people of this generation, for in all things they pleased God by faith. The first forfook his father's houfe, kindred, and country; a true type or figure of that felf-denial all must know, that would have Abraham to their father. They must not think to live in thofe pleasures, fashions, and customs they are called to leave; no, but part with all in hopes of the gre recompence of reward, and that better country which is eternal in the heavens." The prophets were generally poor mechanics; one a thepherd, another an herdfman, &c. They often cried out upon the full-fed wanton Ifraelites to repent, to fear and dread the living God, to forfake the fins and vanities they lived in; but they never imitated them. John Baptift, the meffenger of the Lord, who was fanctified in his mother's womb, preached his embaffy to the world in a coat of camel's hair, a rough and homely garment. Nor can it bet conceived that Jefus Chrift himself was much better apparelled, who, according to the flesh, was of poor defcent, and in life of great plainnefs; infomuch that it was ufual in a way of derifion to fay, Is not this, Jefus, the carpenter, the fon of Mary? And this Jefus tells his followers, That as for foft raiment, gorgeous apparel and delicacies, they were for king's courts implying, that he and his followers were not to feek after thofe things; but feems thereby to exprefs the great difference that was betwixt the lovers of the fafhions and cuftoms of the world, and thofe whom he had chofen out of it. And he did not only come in that mean and despicable manner himself, that he might ftain the pride of all flesh, but "therein became exemplary to his followers, what a felf-denying life they must lead, if they would be his true difciples. Nay, he further leaves it with them in a parable, to the Heb. xi. 26. 15. n Mat. iii. I, 2, 3, 4. Rom. v. I. P Luke vii. 25 • end that it might make the deeper impreffion, and that they might fee how inconfiftent a pompous worldly-pleafing life is with the kingdom he came to establish and call men to the poffeffion of: and that is the remarkable story of Dives, who is reprefented first, as a rich man;1 next as a voluptuous man, in his rich apparel, his many dishes, and his pack of dogs; and lastly, as an uncharitable man, or one who was more concerned to please the luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life, and fare fumptuously every day, than to take compaffion of poor Lazarus at his gate: no, his dogs, were more pitiful and kind than he. But what was the doom of this jólly man, this great rich man? We read it was everlasting torment; but that of Lazarus, eternal joy with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. In fhort, Lazarus was a good man, the other a great man: the one poor. and temperate, the other rich and luxurious: there are too many of them alive; and it were well, if his doom might awaken them to repentance. §. X. Nor were the twelve apoftles, the immediate meffengers of the Lord Jesus Christ," other than poor men, one a fisherman, another a tent-maker; and he that was of the greateft, though perhaps not the best employment, was: a cuftom-gatherer. So that it is very unlikely, that any of them were followers of the fafhions. of the world: nay, they were fo far from it, that, as became the followers of Chrift, they Luke xvi. 19, &c. Mat. iv. 18. and ix. 9.. Acts xvi кб lived poor, afflicted, self-denying lives; bidding the churches to walk as they had them for examples. And to fhut up this particular, they gave this pathetical account of the holy women in former times, as an example of godly temperance," namely, that, first they did exprefsly abstain from gold, filver, plaited hair, fine apparel, or fuch like; and next, that their adornment was a meek and quiet spirit, and the hidden man of the heart, which are of great price with the Lord: affirming that fuch as live in pleasure, are dead whilft they live :* for that the cares and pleafures of this life choak and destroy the feed of the kingdom, and quite hinder all progrefs in the hidden and divine life. Wherefore we find, that the holy men and women of former times were not accuftomed to thefe pleasures and vain recreations; but having their minds fet on things above, fought another kingdom, which confifts in righteoufnefs, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; who having obtained a good report, and entered into their eternal reft; therefore their works follow, and praise them in the gates. Y Phil. iii. 1, 7. Luke viii. 14. ↑ Pet. ii. 21. Ron, xiv. 17. Ibid. iii. 3, 4. * 1 Tim. v. 6. Heb. xi. 2. & iv. 9. Rev. xiv. 13 CHAP. XV. §. 1. The judgments of God denounced upon the fews for their luxury; all ranks included. |