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self-conviction and fhame; but few are fo happy to be provoked into felf-reformation by fuch rare patterns. I fee it is much eafier to pull up many weeds out of a garden, than one corruption out of the heart; and to procure an hundred flowers to adorn a knot, than one grace to beautify the foul. It is more natural to corrupt man to envy, than to imitate the fpiritual excellencies of others.

A

MEDIT. II.

Upon the pulling up of a Leek.

White head and a green tail! How well doth this refemble an old wanton lover, whose green youthful lufts are not extinguished, though his white head declares that nature is almoft fo! Gray hairs fhould be always matched with grave deportments; and the fins of youth fhould rather be the griefs than pleafures of old age. It is fad when the fins of the foul, like the diseases of the body, grow ftronger, as nature grows weaker and it recals to my mind that ancient obfervation of* Menander:

:

"It is the worst of evils, to behold

"Strong youthful lufts to rage in one that's old."

It is a thousand pities, that thofe who have one foot in the grave, fhould live as if the other were in hell! that their lufts fhould be so lively, when their bodies are three parts dead! Such finful practices bring upon them more contempt and fhanie, than their hoary heads, and reverend faces can procure them honour.

"Gray hairs, and aged wrinkles, did of old

"Procure more reverence than bags of gold †.”

But alas! how little respect or reverence can the hoary head obtain amongst wife men, except it be found in the way of righteousness? I think the loweft efteem is too much for an old fervant of the devil; and the higheft honour little enough for an ancient and faithful fervant of Chrift.

PA

MEDIT. III.

Upon a heedless tread in a curious Garden.

ASSING through the fmall divifions of a curious knot, which was richly adorned with rare tulips, and other beautiful flowers;

* Γέρων ερατης εσχάτη κακη τοκη

Senex amore captus, ultimum malum. Menand.
Magna fuit capitis quondam reverentia cani,
Inque fuo pretio ruga fenilis erat. Ovid. 5 Fast.

I was very careful to fhun thofe flowers, which indeed had no other worth to commend them, but their exquifite colour; and unadvifedly trode upon and spoiled an excellent choice herb, which, though it grew obfcurely, yet had rare phyfical virtues in it.

When I was made fenfible of the involuntary trefpafs I had committed, I thought I could fcarcely make the owner a better compenfation, than by telling him, that herein (though against my will) I did but tread in the footsteps of the greateft part of the world, who are very careful (as I was) to keep their due distance from splendid, though worthless gallants, mean while trampling upon, and crushing under foot the obfcure, but most precious fervants of God in the world. As little do they heed these most excellent perfons, as I did this precious herb.

Summa ingenia in occulto fæpe latent, faith Plautus.

Rare wits, and herbs, fometimes do fculk and fhrink
In fuch blind holes, as one would little think.

For my own part I defire to tread upon no man with the foot of contempt and pride, much lefs upon any good man; and that I may not, it concerns me to look before I ftep; I mean, to confider before I cenfure: had I done fo by this rare herb, I had never hurt it.

MEDIT. IV.

Upon a withsred Pofy taken up in the way.

INDING in my walk, a pofy of once fweet and fragrant, but now dry and withered flowers, which I fuppofe to be thrown away by one that had formerly worn it: thus, faid I, doth the unfaithful world use its friends, when providence hath blafted and withered them; whilft they are rich and honourable, they will put them into their bofoms, as the owner of this pofy did, whilft it was fresh and fragrant, and as eafily throw them away as ufelefs and worthlefs things, when thus they come to be withered. Such ufage as this * Petronius long fince complained of.

"Are they in honour? Then we fmile like friends;
"And with their fortunes all our friendship ends.”

But this loose and deceitful friend ftinks fo odiously in the very noftrils of nature, that a + heathen poet feverely taxes and condemns it as most unworthy of a man.

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""Tis bafe to change with fortune, and deny

"A faithful friend, because in poverty."

And is this indeed the friendship of the world? Doth it thus ufe them whom once it honoured? Then, Lord! Let me never feek its friendship. O let me esteem the fmiles and honours of men lefs, and thy love and favour more! thy love is indeed unchangeable, being pure, free, and built upon nothing that is mutable; thou never ferveft thy friends as the world doth its darlings.

B

EING with

my

MEDIT. V.

Upon the fudden withering of a Rofe.

friend in a garden, we gathered each of us a rofe; he handled his tenderly, fmelled to it but feldom, and sparingly; I always kept it to my nofe, or fqueezed it in my hand, whereby in a very fhort time it loft both its colour and fweetnefs, but his ftill remained as fweet and fragrant as if it had been growing upon its own root. Thefe rofes, faid I, are the true emblems of the beft and fweeteft creature-enjoyments in the world, which, being moderately and cautioufly ufed and enjoyed, may for a long time yield fweetnefs to the poffeffor of them; but if once the affection feize too greedily upon them, and fqueeze them too hard, they quickly wither in our hands, and we lofe the comfort of them, and that either through the foul's furfeiting upon them, or the Lord's righteous and just removal of them, becaufe of the excefs of our affections to them; earthly comforts, like pictures, fhew beft at a due diftance. It was therefore a good faying of Homer, A. cdoxw, &c.

"I like him not, who at the rate

"Of all his might doth love or hate."

It is a point of excellent wifdom to keep the golden bridle of mo deration upon all the affections we exercife upon earthly things, and never to flip thofe reins, unless when they move towards God, in whofe love there is no danger of excess.

HO

MEDIT. VI.

Upon the fudden withering of beautiful Flowers.

WOW fresh and orient did these flowers lately appear, when being dafhed over with the morning dew, they stood in all their pride and glory, breathing out their delicious odours, which perfu

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med the air round about them, but now are withered and shrivelled up, andhave neither any defirable beauty or favour in them.

So vain a thing is the admired beauty of creatures, which so captivates the hearts, and exercises a pleafing tyranny over the affections of vain man, yet it is as fuddenly blafted as the beauty of a flower*.

"How frail is beauty in how short a time.

"It fades, like rofes, which have paft their prime.
"So wrinkled age the faireft face will plow,
"And caft deep furrows on the smootheft brow.
"Then where's that lovely tempting face? Alas!
"Yourselves would blush to view it in a glass."

If then thou delighteft in beauty, O my foul! chufe that which is lafting. There is a beauty which never fades, even the beauty of holiness upon the inner man; this abides fresh and orient for ever, and fparkles gloriously, when thy face (the feat of natural beauty) is become an abhorrent and loathfome fpectacle. Holinefs enamels and fprinkles over the face of the foul with a beauty, upon which Chrift himself is enamoured; even imperfect holinefs on earth is a rofe that breathes fweetly in the bud; in heaven it will be full-blown, and abide in its prime to all eternity.

MEDIT. VII.

Upon the tenderness of fome choice Flowers.

WOW much care is neceffary to preferve the life of fome flowers!

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they must be boxed up in the winter, others must be covered with glaffes in their springing up, the finest and richest mould must be fifted about the roots, and affiduously watered, and all this little enough, and sometimes too little to preferve them; whilst other common and worthless flowers grow without any help of ours: Yea, we have no lefs to do to rid our gardens of them, than we have to make the former grow there.

Thus ftands the cafe with our hearts, in reference to the motions of grace and fin. Holy thoughts of God must be affiduously watered by prayer, earthed up by meditation, and defended by watchfulnefs; and yet all this is fometimes too little to preserve them alive in our fouls. Alas! the heart is a foil that agrees not with them, they VOL. V. Dd

* Forma bonum fragile eft, quantumque accedit ad annos,

Fit minor, et fpatio carpitur ipfa fuo.

Nec femper viola, nèc femper lilia florent,

Et riget amiffa fpina relicta rofa

Tempus erit quo vos fpeculum vidiffe pigebit,

Jam veniunt rufe qua tibi corpus arent, Te. Ovid, de Art.

are tender things, and a fmall matter will njp and kill them. this purpose is the complaint of the divine Poet:

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To

HERBERT.

But vain thoughts, and unholy fuggeftions, thefe fpread themselves and root deep in the heart; they naturally agree with the foil: So that it is almoft impoffible, at any time, to be rid of them. It is hard to forget what is our fin to remember.

I

MEDIT. VIII.

Upon the frange means of preferving the life of Vegetables.

OBSERVE that plants and herbs are fometimes killed by frofts, and yet without frofts they would neither live nor thrive: They are fometimes drowned with water, and yet without water they cannot fubfift: They are refreshed and cheered by the heat of the fun, and yet that fun fometimes kills and fcorches them up. Thus lives my foul: Troubles and afflictions feem to kill all its comforts; and yet without thefe, its comforts could not live. The fun-blasts of profperity sometimes refresh me, and yet those fun-blasts are the likelieft way to wither me: By what feeming contradictions is the life of my fpirit preserved! what a mystery, what a paradox is the life of a Chrif

tian?

Welcome my health, this fickness makes me well.
Med'cines adieu.

When with difeafes I have lift to dwell,

I'll with for you.

Welcome, my ftrength, this weakness makes me able.
Powers adieu.

When I am weary grown of standing stable,

I'll with for you.

Welcome, my wealth, this lofs hath gain'd me more,
Riches adieu.

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