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Whilft, on the other fide," the heart of the wicked (as Solo"mon hath observed) is little worth," how much foever his cloaths be worth. Alas! it falls out too frequently among us, as it doth with men in the Indies, who walk over the rich veins of gold and filver ore, which lies hid under a ragged and barren furface, and know it not. For my own part, I defire not to value any man by what is extrinfical and worldly, but by that true internal excellency of grace, which makes the face to fhine in the eyes of God and good men: I would contemn a vile person, though never fo glorious in the eye of the world; but honour fuch as fear the Lord, how fordid and despicable foever to appearance.

MEDIT. V.

Upon the fight of a robin-red-breast picking up a worm from a mole-hill, then rifing.

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Bferving the mole working industriously beneath, and the bird watching fo intently above, I made a stand to obferve the iffue; when in a little time the bird descends, and feizes upon a worm, which I perceived was crawling apace from the enemy below that hunted her, but fell to the share of another which from above waited for her. My thoughts prefently fuggefted these meditations from that occafion: methought this poor worm seemed to be the emblem of my poor foul, which is more endangered by its own lufts of pride and covetoufness, than this worm was by the mole and bird: my pride, like the aspiring bird, watches for it above; my covetoufnefs, like this fubterranean mole, digging for it beneath. Poor foul! What a fad dilemma art thou brought to? If thou go down into the caverns of this earth, there thou art a prey to thy covetoufnefs that hunts thee; and if thou aspire, or but creep upward, there thy pride waits to enfnare thee. Diftreffed foul whither wilt thou go? Afcend thou mayeft, not by vain elation, but by a heavenly converfation, befide which there is no way for thy preservation; "the way of life is "above to the wife," &c.

Again, I could not but obferve the accidental benefit this poor harmless bird obtained by the labour of the mole, who hunting intentionally for herself, unburroughed and ferreted out this worm for the bird, who poflibly, was hungry enough, and could not have been relieved for this time, but by the mole, the fruit of whofe labour fhe now feeds upon. Even thus the Lord oft-times makes good his word to his people: "The wealth

" of the wicked is laid up for the juft." And again, "The "earth fhall help the woman." This was fully exemplified in David, to whom Nabal, that churlish muckworm, fpeaks all in poffefives." Shall I take my bread," &c. " and give it to

one I krow not whom ?" And yet David reaps the fruit of all the pains and toils of Nabal at laft. Let it never encourage me to idleness, that God fometimes gives his people the fruit of others fweat; but if providence reduce me to neceffity, and difable me from helping myfelf, I doubt not then, but it will provide inftruments to do it. The bird was an hungry, and could not dig.

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MEDIT. VI.

Upon the booting of two finches fighting in the air.

OW foon hath death ended the quarrel betwixt these two little combatants! had they agreed better, they might have lived longer; it was their own contention that gave both the opportunity and provocation of their death; and though living they could not, yet, being dead, they can lie quietly together in my hand.

Foolish birds, was it not enough that birds of prey watched to devour them, but they muft peck and feratch one another? Thus have I feen the birds of paradife (faints I mean) tearing and wounding each other, like fo many birds of prey, and by their unchristian contests giving the occafion of their common ruin; yea, and that not only when at liberty, as these were, but when ingaged alfo; and yet, as one well obferves, if ever Chriftians will agree, it will either be in a prifon, or in heaven ; for in a prison their quarrelfome lufts lie low, and in heaven they fhall be utterly done away.

But O what pity is it, that thofe who fhall agree fo perfectly in heaven, fhould bite and devour each other upon earth? That it fhould be faid of them, as one ingeniously obferved, who faw their carcaffes lie together, as if they had lovingly embraced each other, who fell together by a duel; Quanta amicitia fe invicem amplectuntur; qui mutua et implacabili inimicitia perierunt!

Embracing one another, now they lie,

Who by each other's bloody hands did die.

Or, as he faid, who obferved how quietly and peaceably the duft and bones, even of enemies, did lie together in the grave; Non tanta vivi pace conjuncti effetis; you did not live toge. ther fo peaceably. If confcience of Chrift's command will not, VOL. VI.

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the confideration of common fafety should powerfully per fuade to unity and amity.

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Upon the finging of a blind finch by night.

Dear friend, who was a great obferver of the works of God in nature, told me, that being entertained with a fight of many rarities at a friend's houfe in London; among other things, his friends thewed him a finch, whofe eyes being put out, would frequently fing, even at midnight. This bird, in my opinion, is the lively emblem of fuch carelefs and unconcerned perfons, as the prophet defcribes, Amos vi. 4, 5, 6. who chant to the viol, when a difmal night of trouble and affiction hath over-fhadowed the church. You would have thought it strange to have heard this bird fing in the night, when all others are in a deep filence except the owl, an unclean bird, and the nightingale; which before we made the emblem of the hypocrire. And as ftrange it is, that any, except the prophane and hypcritical, fhould fo unfeafonably exprefs their mirth and jollity; that any of Sion's children should live in pleafure, whilst The herself lies in tears. The people of God, in Pfal cxxxvii. tell us, in what poftures of forrow they fat; even like birds, with their heads under their wings, during the night of their captivity. "How thall we fing the Lord's fongs in a strange "land?" It is like enough, such as can fing, and chant in the night of the church's trouble, have well feathered their nefts in the days of her profperity; however, let them know, that God will turn their unfeasonable mirth into a fadder note; and those that now fit fad, and filent, fhall shortly fing for joy of heart, when "the winter is past, the rain over and gone, the flowers appear again upon the earth, and the time of the finging of birds is come."

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MEDIT. VIII.

Upon the comparing of two birds nefts.

IS pretty to obferve the ftructure and commodiousness of the habitations of thefe little architects, who, though they act not by reafon and counsel, but only by natural instinct, yet reafon itself could hardly have contrived a neater building of fuch fimple materials. How neatly hath the thrush ceiled or plaftered his neft, with admirable art, and induftry! how warmly hath the finch matted his? And both well fenced a gainst the injury of the weather..

How comfortably hath nature provided convenient habitastions for these weak and tender young ones, who have warm lodging, and variety of provifions hourly brought them, without their care or pains? This trifling object fuggefts to my thoughts a more excellent and ferious contemplation, even the wonderful and unparalleled abasement of Jefus Chrift, who for my fake voluntarily fubmitted himself to a more deftitute and neglected state, than these birds of the air: For Matth. viii. 20. he faith, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have "nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

"The craggy rock to foxes.holes afford,
"The pleafant woods a refting-place to birds;
"For Chrift no fixed habitation's found,

" But what was borrow'd, or the naked ground *"

O melting confideration! that the glorious Son of God, John i. 14. "The Lord of glory," James ii. 1. "The brightness of his Father's glory," Heb. i. 3. "Who was rich," 2 Cor. viii. 9. " and thought it not robbery to be equal with God," Phil. ii. 6. who from all eternity was infinitely and ineffably "delighting and rejoicing in the bofom of his Father," Prov. viii. 30. that he, I fay, fhould manifeft himself in flesh, 2 Tim. ii. 16. yea, in the likenefs of finful flesh," Rom. viii. 3. that is, in flesh that had the marks and effects of fin upon it, as hunger, thirst, pain, wearinefs and mortality, and not only fo, but to chufe fuch a ftate of outward meannefs and poverty, never being poffeffed of a house in this world; but living as a ftranger in other mens houses, and ftooping in this respect to a lower condition than the very birds of the air, and all this for enemies. Olet it work both admiration and thankfulness in my foul! my body is better accommodated than the body of my Lord. "Dear Jefus! by how much the viler thou madeft thyfelf for me, by fo much the dearer thait thou be to me †.”

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Vulpibus in faltu rupes excifa latebras
Prabat, et aereis avibus dat filva quietem s
Aft hominis nato nullis fuccedere tectis

Eft licitum-

Heinf. in loc.

Quanto pro me vilior, tanto mihi charior. Bern.

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NEDIT. IX.

Upon the early finging of birds.

OW am I reproved of fluggishness by these watchful birds! which chearfully entertain the very dawning of the morning with their chearful and delightful warblings! They fet their little fpirits all a-work betimes, whilft my nobler fpirits are bound with the bonds of foft and downy slumbers. For fhame, my foul! fuffer not that publican fleep to feize so much of thy time, yea, thy beft and frefueft time; reprove and chide thy fluggish body, as a good bishop once did, when, upon the fame occafion, he said, Surrexerunt pafferes, et sternunt pontifices.

The early chirping Sparrows may reprove

Such lazy bifhops as their beds do love.

Of many fluggards it may be faid, as Tully faid of Verres, the deputy of Sicily, Quod nunquam folem nec orientem, nec oc cidentem viderat; that he never faw the fun rifing, being in bed after, nor fetting, being in bed before.

It is pity that Chriftians, of all men, fhould fuffer fleep to cut fuch large thongs out of fo narrow a hide, as their time on earth is. But, alas! it is not fo much early rifing, as a wife improving those fresh and free hours with God, that will enrich the foul; elfe, as our proverb faith, A man may be early up, and never the near; yea, far better it is to be found in bed fleeping, than to be up doing nothing, or that which is worse than nothing. O my foul! learn to prepoflefs thyself every morning with the thoughts of God, and fuffer not thofe freth and sweet operations of thy mind to be prostituted to earthly things; for that is experimentally true, which † one, in this cafe, hath pertinently obferved, that if the world get the start of religion in the morning, it will be hard for religion to overtake it all the day after.

MEDIT. X.

Upon the haltering of birds, with a grain of hair.

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were haltered and drawn in by a grain of hair cunningcait over their heads, whilft, poor creatures, they were bufily feeding, and fufpected no danger; and even whilst their con

+Mr. Cafe, in Epift. to the Morn. Lect.

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