at least, upon the practice of it ever since; and therefore there is no one point of wisdom, that is of a nearer importance to us,

than to purify this gross appetite, and restrain it within bounds, by lowering our high conceit of the things of this life, and our concern for those advantages which misled the Jews. - To judge justly of the world, - we must stand at a due distance from it; which will discover to us the vanity of its riches and honours, in such true dimensions, as will engage us to behave ourselves to them with moderation. — This is all that is wanting to make us wise and good; that we may be left to the full influence of religion; - to which christianity so far conduces, that it is the great blessing, the peculiar advantage we enjoy under its institution,

that it affords us not only the most excellent precepts of this kind, but also it shows us those precepts confirmed by most excellent examples. -A heathen philosopher may talk very elegantly about despising the world, and, like Seneca, may prescribe very ingenious rules to teach us an art he never exercised himself: for all the while he was writing in praise of poverty, he was enjoying a great estate, and endeavouring to make it greater. — But if ever

we hope to reduce those rules to practice, it must be by the help of religion. — If we would find men who by their lives bore witness to their doctrines, we must look for them amongst the acts and monuments of our church,

amongst the first followers of their crucified Master; who spoke with authority, because they spoke experimentally, and took care to make their words good,- by despising the world, and voluntarily accounting all things in it loss, that they might win Christ. —O holy and blessed apostles! - blessed were ye indeed, - for ye conferred not with flesh and blood, for ye were not offended in him through any considerations of this world; -ye conferred not with flesh and blood, neither with its snares and temptations. Neither the pleasures of life nor the pains of death laid hold upon your faith, to make you fall from him. — Ye had your prejudices of worldly grandeur in common with the rest of your nation;-saw, like them, your expectations blasted; - but ye gave them up, as men governed by reason and truth. As ye surrendered all your hopes in this world to your faith with fortitude,

so did ye meet the terrors of the world with the same temper. -Neither the frowns and discounte