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immediate ends of both, I do not exclude any other which may be involved in thefe, or refult from them. Nor, of what importance these two things are, I need not fhew. For fince all fin is diftinguished in fcripture into the filthiness of the Spirit and the flesh, it is plain, that the pride of the heart, and the luft of the body, are the two great causes of all immorality and uncleanness. And therefore these are the two great ends which the wife and good have ever had in their eye in all their acts of felf-denial and mortification. This is fufficiently attefted by the example of David, Pfal. cxxxi. Lord, I am not high-minded, I have no proud looks. I do not exercife_myfelf in great matters, which are too high for ; me: But I refrain my foul, and keep it low, like as a child that is weaned from his mother; yea, my foul is even as a weaned child. And from that other of St. Paul, 1 Cor. ix. 25. 26, 27. And every one that ftriveth for the maftery, is temperate in all things: Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore fo run, not as uncertainly; fo fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into fubjection; left that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself fhould be a caft-away. Whoever thus mortifies the pride of the heart, whoever thus brings under the body, will foon find him

felf

félf truly fet free, and master of himself and fortune: he will be able to run the way of God's commandments, and to advance on fwiftly towards Perfection, and the pleafure and happiness that attends it.

And to attain these bleffed ends, I do not think that we need enfnare our fouls in the perpetual bonds of monaftick vows; I do not think that we are to expose our felves by any ridiculous or fantaftick obfervances: there is, I fay, no need of this; for we may, as oft as we fhall fee fit, retrench our pleasures, abate of the fhew and figure of life; we may renounce our own wills to comply with theirs who cannot fo well pretend either to authority or difcretion and if these things cannot be done in fome cirumftances, without becoming fools for Chrift; that is, without that tameness, that condefcenfion, that diminution of our felves which will never comport with the humours and the fashions of the world; here is ftill the more room for mortification, and for a nearer and more eminent imitation of the bleffed Jefus: provided still we decline all affectation of fingularity; and when we practife any extraordinary inftance of felf-denial, we be ever able to justify it to religious and judicious perfons, by the propofal of fome excellent end. Fafting indeed is plainly defcribed in fcripture; and tho' the obligation

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to it, with respect to its frequency and measure, be not the fame on all, yet all fhould fome time or other practife it, as far as the rules of Chriftian prudence will permit. And I have often thought, that fafting fhould generally confift, rather in abftinence from pleafing meats, than from all; not the food which nourishes our ftrength, but that which gratifies the palate, miniftring most directly to wantonnefs and luxury.

For the better regulating of voluntary difcipline, I propofe, by way of advice, three things. 1. I do not think it beft to bring our felves under any perpetual and unalterable ties in any inftance of felf-denial: there is a virtue in enjoying the world, as well as in renouncing it; and 'tis as great an excellence of religion to know how to abound, as how to fuffer want. Nay, what is more, all voluntary aufterities are in order to give us a power and dominion over our selves in the general course of a profperous life. And, laftly, I very much doubt, when once a man has long and conftantly accustomed himself to any rigour, whether it continue to have much of mortification in it, or whether it fo effectually tend to promote our fpiritual liberty, as it would if we did return to it but now and then, as we faw occafion. 2. We must not multiply unneceffary feverities;

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and that no man may think more needful than really are, I obferve here, that as there are very few who have not in their nature very confiderable infirmities, fo are there as few who have not in their fortune very confiderable inconveniences: and if they would apply themselves to the mastering of both thefe as they ought, they would ftand in lefs need of the difcipline of arbitrary aufterities There are many things too trifling to be taken notice of, which yet do prove fufficient to disturb the quiet of moft, and betray them to many paffions and indecencies: nay, the weakneffes of good men are fometimes fed by temptations of very little moment. Now, to furmount thefe temptations, and to frame and accommodate the mind to bear the little fhocks and juftles which we daily meet with, without any difcompofure or dif plea fure, is a matter of great ufe to the tranquillity of life, and the maturity of virtue. To be able to bear the pride of one, and the ftupidity of another; one while to encounter rudeness, another while neglect, without being moved by either; to fubmit to noife, diforder, and the distraction of many little affairs, when one is naturally a lover of quietnefs and order, or when the mind is intent upon things of importance; in a word, to diget the perpetual difappointments which

we meet with, both in business and pleafure, and in all the little projects, which not the elegant and ingenious only, but people of all stations and all capacities purfue; to fuffer all the humours and follies, the errors, artifices, indecencies, and faults of those we have to do with, with that temper we ought, that is, with a calmnefs which proceeds, not from an unconcernment for the good of others, but a just dominion over our own spirits: this is a great height; and to train our selves up to it daily with much patience, vigilance, and application of mind, is the best difcipline: tho' I do not mean hereby to exclude all voluntary impofitions; for, in order to mafter the evils which we cannot avoid, it may be of good ufe now and then to form the mind by voluntary tryals and difficulties of our own chufing. 3. Laftly, We must ever have a care not to lofe the fubftance for the fhadow; not to reft in the means, and neglect the end; being much taken up in difcipline, without producing any fruit of it. For this is taking much pains to little purpose; travelling much without making any progress. But much more muft we take care in the next place, that the difcipline we put our felves upon, do not produce any ill fruit. To which end, we must carefully observe three things. 1. That we keep to that mo

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