self to the bottom, and thou shalt find enough to humble thee. Dost thou glory in the favour of a prince? the frown of a prince determines it. Dost thou glory in thy strength? a poor ague betrays it. Dost thou glory in thy wealth? the hand of a thief extinguishes it. Dost thou glory in thy friends? one cloud of adversity darkens it. Dost thou glory in thy parts? thy own pride obscures it. Behold, my soul, how like a bubble thou appearest, and with a sigh break'st into sorrow! The gate of heaven is strait; canst thou hope to enter without breaking? The bubble that would pass the floodgates, must first dissolve. My soul, melt then in tears, and empty thyself of all thy vanity, and thou shalt find divine repletion; evaporate in devotion, and thou shalt recruit thy greatness to eternal glory.

HIS PRAYER.

AND can I choose, O God, but tremble at thy judgments? Or can my stony heart not stand amazed at thy threatenings? It is thy voice, O God, and thou hast spoken it: it is thy voice, O God and I have heard it. Hadst thou so dealt by me, as thou didst by Babel's proud king, and driven me from the sons of men, thou hadst but done according to thy righteousness, and rewarded me according to my deservings. What couldest thou see in me less worthy of thy vengeance than in him, the example of thy justice? or, Lord, wherein am I more incapable of thy indignation? There is nothing in me to move thy mercy but my misery. Thy goodness is thyself, and hath no ground but what proceedeth from itself, yet have I sinned against that goodness, and have

thereby heaped up wrath against the day of wrath; that insomuch, had not thy grace abounded with my sin, I had long since been confounded in my sin, and swallowed up in the gulf of thy displeasure. But, Lord, thou takest no delight to punish; and with thee is no respect of persons: thou takest no pleasure in the confusion of thy creature, but rejoicest rather in the conversion of a sinner. Convert me, therefore, O God, and I shall be then converted: make ine sensible of my own corruptions, that I may see the vileness of my own condition. Pull down the pride of my ambitious heart; humble me, thou, O God, and I shall be humbled: wean me from the thirst of transitory honour, and let my whole delight be to glory in thee: touch thou my conscience with the fear of thy name, that in all my actions I may fear to offend thee. Endue me, O Lord, with the spirit of meekness, and teach me to overcome evil with a patient heart: moderate and curb the exorbitances of my passion, and give me temperate use of all thy creatures. Replenish my heart with the graces of thy Spirit, that in all my ways I may be acceptable in thy sight. In all conditions give me a contented mind, and upon all occasions grant me a grateful heart, that honouring thee here in the church militant before men, I may be glorified hereafter in the church triumphant before thee and angels; where, filled with true glory, according to the measure of grace thou shalt be pleased to give me here, I may with angels and archangels praise thy name for ever and

ever.

56

THE OPPRESSOR.

HIS PLEA.

I SEEK but what is my own by law: it was his own free act and deed: the execution lies for goods or body, and goods or body I will have, or else my money. What if his beggarly children pine, or his proud wife perish? They perish at their own charge, not mine; and what is that to me? I must be paid or he lie by it, until I have my utmost farthing or his bones. The law is just and good; and being ruled by that, how can my fair proceedings be unjust? What is thirty in the hundred to a man of trade? Are we born to thrum caps, or pick straws? and sell our livelihood for a few tears, and a whining face? I thank God they move me not so much as a howling dog at midnight. I'll give no day, if Heaven itself would be security; I must have present money, or his bones. The commodity was good enough, as wares went then, and had he had but a thriving wit, with the necessary help of a good merchantable conscience, he might have gained perchance as much as now he lost; but howsoever, gain or not gain, I must have my money. Two tedious terms my dearest gold hath lain in his unprofitable hands. The cost of suit hath made me bleed above a score of royals, besides my interest, travel, half-pennies, and bribes; all which does but increase my beggarly defendant's damages, and set him deeper on my score; but right is right, and I will have my money, or his bones. Fifteen shillings in the pound composition! I'll

hang first. Come, tell not me of a good conscience: a good conscience is no parcel of my trade; it hath made more bankrupts than all the loose wives in the universal city. My conscience is no fool. It tells me that my own's my own; and that a well-crammed bag is no deceitful friend, but will stick close to me when all my friends forsake me. If to gain a good estate out of nothing, and to regain a desperate debt, which is as good as nothing, be the fruits and sign of a bad conscience, God help the good! Come, tell not me of griping and oppression: the world is hard, and he that hopes to thrive must gripe as hard: what I give I give, and what I lend I lend. If the way to heaven be to turn beggar upon earth, let them take it that like it! I know not what ye call op. pression. The law is my direction; but of the two it is more profitable to oppress than to be oppressed. If debtors would be honest and discharge, our hands were bound; but when their failing offends my bags, they touch the apple of my eye, and I must right them.

BUT, ha! what voice is this that whispers in

mine ear,

The Lord will spoil the soul of the oppressor. Prov. xxii. 23.

Rob, not the poor because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate; for the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. Prov. xxii. 22.

The people of the land have used oppression, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. There

F

fore I have poured out my indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Ezek. xxii. 19.

Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother, and oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, nor the stranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his brother. But they refused to hearken; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Zach. vii. 9.

HIS SOLILOQUY.

Is it wisdom in thee, O my soul, to covet a happiness, or rather to account it so, that is sought for with a judgment, obtained with a curse, and punished with damnation-and to neglect that good which is assured with a promise, purchased with a blessing, and rewarded with a crown of glory? Canst thou hold a full estate a good pennyworth, which is bought with the dear price of thy God's displeasure? Tell me, what continu. ance can that inheritance promise that is raised upon the ruins of thy brother? Or, what mercy canst thou expect from Heaven, that hast denied all mercy to thy neighbour? O my hard-hearted soul! consider, and relent. Build not an house whose posts are subject to be rotted with a curse. Consider what the God of truth hath threatened against thy cruelty: relent, and turn compassionate, that thou mayest be capable of his compassion. If the desire of gold hath hardened thy heart, let the tears of true repentance mollify it; soften it with Aaron's ointment, until it become wax to take the impression of that seal which must confirm thy pardon.