them so many enemies. All satan's temptations and the world's allurements and vexations, and all their disappointments here, and all the scorns and mocks of the ungodly, and the censures and slanders of wicked tongues, and often bitter persecutions, what are they but the bitter medicines of God (permitted and ordered by him, though caused by the devil and wicked men), to save the servants of the Lord from the sin and danger of being lifted up? Do you say, that their honour will make them proud? Why, you that thus oppose them and despise them, are curing them of their pride, and do not know it; as scullions scour the rust off the vessels for their master's use; and as leeches draw out the blood that causeth the disease; and as the Jews by their sin promoted the redemption of the world by the death of Christ. When God seeth his servants in danger of being lifted up above measure, he oft sendeth a messenger of satan (who may be an executioner of God's chastisements) to buffet them (2 Cor. xii. 7.), sometimes by slanders, sometimes by reproaches, sometimes by imprisonments, or greater sufferings, and sometimes by horrid troublesome temptations.

9. The very foresight of death itself is a humbling means, and the last enemy death is yet unconquered, and our bodies must corrupt in dust and darkness, and be kept in the grave as common earth, till the resurrection, that the soul may not grow proud that hath such a body.

10. And the day of judgment is so described to us in the Scripture, as tends to keep the soul in awe and in humility. To think of such a day, and such a reckoning, before such a God, methinks should humble us.

11. And our absolution and glorification at that day, is promised us now but conditionally, (though God will see that the condition be performed by all that he will save.) And therefore the poor soul is oft so far to seek about the certain sincerity of his own faith and repentance, that most of the godly are kept in fears and doubtings to the death. Yea, and humility and self-denial are part of this condition; and all their honour and glory with Christ is promised to the humble only. Humility is commanded them in the precept; humility is it that they are exhorted to by the ministers; and pride is threatened with everlasting wrath, and described as the devil's image. So that holiness hath all the advantages against pride that can be here expected.

12. To conclude; the godly know that as they have nothing but from God, so they have nothing but for God: so that their own honour is for him, more than for themselves; and it is essential to their holiness, to make God their end, and set him highest, and refer all to his pleasure and glory. So that you see now that we may honour them that fear the Lord (Psal. cxv. 4.), without being guilty of making them proud, and that we must not deny them the honour that God hath given them as their due, for fear of their being proud of it. Though this, as all things else, must be prudently managed to particular persons, according to their various states.

And therefore let me here warn all you that profess the fear of God: take heed lest you be proud of any thing that God hath honoured you with; for if you be, you see what an army of reasons and means you sin against; and consequently how great your sin will be. And your consciences and the world shall be forced to justify God and his holy ways, and to prove against you, that it was not long of them that you were proud, and that none in the world was more against it than God and holiness; and that it was not because you were so religious, but because you were no more religious. And if pride of knowledge, gifts, or whatsoever, be unmortified in you, it will certainly prove that you are none of the sanctified; when your profession of sanctity will never prove that sanctity was a cause or confederate in your sin.

And now I have shewed you the honour of godliness, let us briefly (and but briefly,) consider of your honour that reject it, and see then whether the godly or ungodly are more honourable.

1. Ungodly men have the basest master in the world. Would you know who? Let Christ be judge; "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do;" John viii. 44. They are " taken captive by the devil at his will" (2 Tim. ii. 26.); that is, to do his will. It is he that stirreth you up to filthy talking, to speak against godliness, to curse and swear, and you do his will. His will is that you should neglect a holy life, and you do his will. His will is that you live not after the Spirit, but after the flesh, and you do his will. O poor souls! do you think it is only witches that expressly covenant with him, that are his miserable ser

vants? Alas! it is you also, if you do his will. For (if you will believe either God or common reason)" to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness;" Rom. vi. 16. The godly themselves were the servants of sin, till they "obeyed from the heart the doctrine of the Lord," ver. 17. And are you not come to fair preferment, to be the devil's drudges? Though he should clothe your bodies with purple and fine linen, and feed you sumptuously every day, yet indeed you are no better, as the case of that miserable man may tell you, Luke xvi. It is the greatest baseness to have so base a master.

2. And it is but an ignoble, base design that the ungodly carry on in the world. What is it but to provide for, and please their flesh? It aimeth at nothing beyond this life. And a beast can eat, and drink, and sleep, and play, and satisfy his lust, as much as they. A swine can carry a mouth full of straw to his lodging, and a bird can build a nest for her young ones. And what do ungodly men more in the world, whether gentlemen or beggars, the flattered gallants or the poor day-labourers, if they be not such as first seek heaven, and live to God, what do they but make a pudder in the world, about a little dirt or smoke? and find themselves somewhat to do that is next to nothing, instead of that for which they were created? and busy themselves about nothing till their time is gone, and the night is come when none can work? If you would judge of a man's designs, foresee his attainments. If you can tell what end it is that they come to, you may know how to judge of their intentions and their course. Their corpses, you know have no greater a happiness, (after a few foolish merry hours) than to lie in the earth as filth or dust. You can see no honour attained there. It is a child indeed that thinks a gilded monument over a rotten carcase, is any great matter of honour or benefit to it. And if you look after the soul, (by the prospective of the word of God,) alas, it goeth to fa greater dishonour. And is this it that worldlings mak such a stir for?

3. The work also that they are employed in, is like th design. Sin, which is the basest thing in the world, is thei employment. The work of a scullion, or the basest hones trade you can imagine, is a thousand times less dishonour:

ble than sin. Yet flattered gallants believe not this, when they can please their flesh without losing the reputation of worthy gentlemen! Nor will our common ungodly people be persuaded of it, that are more ashamed to be found praying than sinning, and to be called Puritan than a good fellow or a swearer; and that think they are as good men as others, when up to the ears in the drudgery of the devil: as if the filth of sin were no dishonour to them, which nothing but the Spirit and blood of Christ is able to wash out. These are the men that Paul mentioneth with weeping, that mind earthly things, "whose god is their belly, and who glory in their shame;" Phil. iii. 18.

4. Moreover, it is a base disposition that ungodly men are possessed with. Though their natures are essentially noble, as being the work of God, and capable of most glorious things; yet have they made them dispositively vile : they are fleshlyminded, earthlyminded, ignorant of heavenly things, not savouring the things of the Spirit, but like the serpent, crawling on earth, and feeding on the dust. Grass is sweeter to a horse than junkets; and a little money or vainglory is sweeter to a fleshly mind than God and glory, and all the treasures of saints and angels. A swine never thinks of God or heaven, but of his draff and sty. Ease, and good cheer, and money, and the flattery of men, are the god and the heaven of sensual men. And are not these men of base, dishonourable spirits? Unworthy men! might you have an everlasting life, and will you prefer a few days fleshly pleasure? As sure as you may know the baseness of a swine or dog by what they feed upon, so surely may you know the baseness of a carnal mind, by the baseness of its desires and delights.

5. It is also a base society that ungodly men are members of. They are in the "kingdom of darkness;" Col. i. 13. Acts xxvi. 18. And are "dead in sin, in which they walk according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom they have their conversation;" Eph. ii. 1-3. Devils are their invisible companions, and wicked men their visible; but they have none of the presence and favour of the Lord, nor any communion with him in the Spirit.

6. The greatest dishonour of the ungodly is, that the God

of heaven refuseth to honour them; yea, he despiseth them, yea he dishonoureth them with the most contemptuous titles. And certainly God knoweth what he saith of them; and it is impossible that he should do them wrong. Yet doth he call them the seed of the serpent,' that stand at enmity with his flock; Gen. iii. 15. He calls them his enemies, and accordingly will use them; Luke xix. 27. He calls them dogs and swine, and the children of the devil; John viii. 44. Matt. vii. 6. They dishonour and despise him, and he will dishonour and despise them, and hath resolved that their very names shall rot; Prov. x. 7.

7. But it is the everlasting shame that will tell us what was the honour of the ungodly. When Christ shall be ashamed of them before his Father and the heavenly angels (Matt. viii. 38.), and shall tell them that he never knew them; Matt. vii. 23. When all their former pomp and splendour will be turned into perpetual shame and sorrows, then where is the honour of the ungodly world? Where then are their flatterers? Who boweth to them, and calleth them Right Honourable and Right Worshipful any more? Where now are their sumptuous houses and attendance? Now they have other kind of servitors, and other language, and other usage than they had on earth. And the poor wretches that stormed at a faithful minister for foretelling these woeful changes to them, and speaking so dishonourably of them, as to tell them of their sin, are at last saying a hundredfold worse of themselves, than ever we did say against them. Then they shall need none to call them fools, and vile, and wretches, but their own consciences, that will speak it out, and speak it again ten thousand times, and never be bribed to forbear. O how base a despicable generation will the ungodly then be (that now speak so stoutly and look so high) when God shall everlastingly frown them into contempt and misery, and the glorified saints shall look down upon them without compassion, even praising the justice that for ever doth torment them! Then let the kings and nobles of the earth maintain their ancient honours if they can. Or let them take comfort in the remembrance of their former dreams, and try whether this will be to them instead of a drop of water.

Well, sirs, I have faithfully told you from the word of God, of the honour of the godly, and the baseness of the ungodly, that you may be resolved, which is the better part