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The Soul's Expoftulation.

ND now, O my Soul, why shou'dft thou Difquiet thy felf for the lofs of that which is not worth the keeping? If the Poffeffion of it cou'd add nothing to thy Happiness, what haft thou to complain of, now 'tis loft? Is it not better to enquire what juft Title thou hadft to it, than to repine at the lofs of it? If thy Honour was the Reward of Vertue, it is ftill thy own; for whilft the Caufe continues, (which is Vertue) the Effect cann't ceafe; and then thou haft no reason to complain: But if thy Honour came from any other Caufe, thou truly never hadft any real Honour, it only was an empty Name, and nothing else: For it is Vertue is the Life and Soul of Honour. Thou oughteft therefore, O my Soul, to look well before thou leap'ft into the Chair of Honour; or else the higher thou climbeft, the lower thou falleft: If Vertue prefer thee, then Vertue will preferve thee; But if Gold or Favour do

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advance thee, thy Honour is but pinn'd upon the Wheel of Fortune, and when that Wheel shall turn, thy Honour falls, and thou remain’st an everlafting menument of thy own Ambitious Folly If therefore thou defire, O my Soul, to purchase Honour with thy Wealth, confider firft how that became thine: If thy Labour got it, let thy Wifdom keep it; if Oppreffion found it, let Repentance reftore it; and if thy Parents left it, let thy Vertues deserve it. For if thou art a Pa-lace, Honour (like the Sun-beams) will make thee more Glorious; but if thou art a Dunghil, the Sun may shine upon thee, but it cannot sweeten thee: Thy Prince may give thee honour, but not make thee honourable. The best way therefore, O my Soul, is to defpife that empty Nothing which the World calls Honour; and feek after that Honour which none can Rob thee of, or take away; and that is, in a word, to feek the Honour which GOD gives: For they that honour Him, He has promis'd to honour, whereas they that despise Him shall be lightly eftected.

A PRAYER.

Almighty and moft gracious Lord God, who alone ruleft in the Kingdoms of Men, and fuffereft one to be plucked down, and another to be fet up, as best feemeth good in thy fight: Thou giveft, and thon takeft away, bleffed by thy boly Name for ever. O Lord be pleafed in Mercy to look down upon an unworthy Sinner now before thee; and graciously Support me under the prefent Difpenfation of thy Providence, and quiet my Soul under thy Wife and Soveraign Difpofal of all Affairs; and make me willing to fuffer whatever it fball pleafe thee to inflict upon me; O Lord, make me fenfible that thon haft dealt favourably with me, and haft punish'd me lefs than mine Iniquities deferved: I do confefs I have been too much puffed up with that Honour which comes from Man, which therefore I am juftly deprived of; and O that now thou wouldst help me to take shame to my felf, and henceforth to fee after that Honour which comes from God only. That C

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So unfainedly turning to thee by true Contrition and Amendment of Life, Thon alfo mayft graciously return unto me, with Mercy and with Loving-kindness. Hear, O Lord, and help, and Answer, for the fake of Jefus Chrift thy bleffed Son, and my alone Saviour: To whom, with thee, O Father, and the holy Spirit, be afcribed all Honour, and Glory, and Power, henceforth and for ever more. Amen. Our Father, &c.

Meditation II.

On the Uncertainty of Riches.

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HERE is nothing in the World more certain than the Uncertainty of Riches; therefore it is that the Apoftle St. Paul calls 'em Uncertain Riches, bidding us not to trust in Uncertain Riches, but in the Living GOD. And tho' there be many in the World that make Wings for Riches, I mean, that Study and Contrive how to spend it, as thinkthey fhall never be poor; yet they need

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not be fo much concern'd about that, and might well fave themselves that Labour, for whether they make them Wings or no, Solomon tells us that Riches will make themselves Wings, and fly away; yes, fays he, they will fly fo far as never to return any more, for they will fly as an Eagle towards Heaven: Riches are fuch Volatile things, as he compares them to NonEntities; Wilt thou, fays he, fet thy Heart on that which is not? Riches are like Quickfilver, fo Volatile, there's no fixing of em; for they fly away, when their Poffeffors think themfelves as fure of 'em (having them close Prisoners in Bags and Bolts, under Lock and Key) as the Romans thought themselves of the Goddess Victoria, when they clipt her Wings, and Wall'd her within their City. And tho' in this refpect alfo our own Experience is more convincing than a Thousand Witneffes, yet will it not be amifs to recite fome Examples of the Uncertainty and Emptiness of Worldly Riches; and the rather, that we may fee there is nothing has befallen us in the late Revolution,