§. I. BU

UT fuch excess in apparel and pleasure was not only forbid in fcripture, but it was the ground of that lamentable meffage by the prophet Isaiah to the people of Ifrael: Moreover the Lord faith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with ftretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet; therefore the Lord will fmite with a fcab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their fecret parts; in that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and their cauls (or net-works, in the Hebrew) and their round tires like the moon; the chains and the bracelets, and the fpangled ornaments; the bonnets, and the or<naments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the ⚫ tablets, and the ear-rings, the rings and nofe jewels; the changeable fuits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins; the glaffes, and the fine linen, and the hoods and the veils: and it fhall come to pass, that instead of sweet smells, there fhall be a ftink; and inftead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well-fet hair, baldness; and instead of a • ftomacher, a girding of fack-cloth, and burning in* ftead of beauty: thy men fhall fall by the fword, and thy mighty in the war; and her gates fhall lament and mourn, and fhe, being defolate, fhall fit upon the ground. Behold, O vain and foolish inhabitants of England and Europe, your folly and your doom! Yet read the prophet Ezekiel's vifion of miferable Tyre, what punishment her pride and pleasure brought upon her; and amongst many other circumftances these are fome; These were thy merchants in all forts of things; in blue clothes and broidered work, and in chefts of • rich apparel, emeralds, purple, fine linnen, coral and agate, fpices, with all precious ftones and gold, horfes, chariots, &c.' For which hear part of her doom,

Ifa. iii. 16 to 26.

• Thy

Thy riches and thy fairs, thy merchandize, and all thy 'company, which is in the midst of thee, fhall ⚫ fall into the midst of the fea, in the day of thy ruin; and the inhabitants of the ifles fhall be astonished at C thee, and their merchants hifs at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and fhalt be no more '.' Thus hath God declared his displeasure against the luxury of this wanton world. Yet farther the prophet Zephaniah goes, for thus he speaks: And it fhall come to pass, in the day of the Lord's facrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all fuch as are clothed with ftrange apparel.' Of how evil confequence was it in those times, for the greatest men to give themselves the liberty of following the vain customs of other nations; or of changing the ufual end of clothes, or apparel, to gratify foolish curiofity?

§. II. This did the Lord Jefus Chrift exprefly charge his difciples not to be careful about; infinuating that fuch as were, could not be his difciples: for, fays he,

Take no thought, saying, what fhall we eat? or what 'fhall we drink? or wherewithal fhall we be clothed? (for after all these things do the Gentiles feek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things; but feek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things fhall be added unto you.' Under which of eating, and drinking, and apparel, he comprehends all external things whatsoever; and fo much appears, as well because they are opposed to the kingdom of God and his righteoufnefs, which are invifible and heavenly things, as that thofe very matters he enjoins them not to be careful about, are the most neceffary, and the most innocent in themselves. If then, in such cases, the minds of his difciples were not to be folicitous, much lefs in foolish, fuperftitious, idle inventions, to gratify the carnal appetites and minds of men: fo certain it is, that those who live therein, are none of his followers, but the Gentiles; and (as he elsewhere fays) the naC Zeph. i. 8. 4 Mat. vi. 31, 32, 33. ⚫tions

Ezek. xxvii.

tions of the world who know not God.' If then the diftinguishing mark between the difciples of Jefus, and those of the world, is, that one minds the things of heaven, and God's kingdom, that ftands in * righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft',' (being not careful of external matters, even the most innocent and neceffary) and that the other minds eating, drinking, apparel, and the affairs of the world, with the lufts, pleasures, profits, and honours that belong to it; be you intreated for your fouls fakes, O inhabitants of England, to be ferious, to reflect a while upon yourselves, what care and coft you are at, of time and money, about foolish, nay, vicious things: fo far are you degenerated from the primitive Chriftian life. What buying and felling, what dealing and chaffering, what writing and pofting, what toil and labour, what noife, hurry, bustle, and confufion, what study, what little contrivances and over-reachings, what eating, drinking, vanity of apparel, most ridiculous recreations; in fhort, what rifing early, going to bed late, expence of precious time, is there about things that perish? View the streets, fhops, exchanges, plays, parks, coffee-houses, &c. And is not the world, this fading world, writ upon every face? Say not within yourselves, How otherwife fhould men live, and the world fubfift? the common, though frivolous objection there is enough for all; let fome content themfelves with lefs: a few things plain and decent, ferve a Christian life. It is luft, pride, avarice, that thrust men upon fuch folly: were God's kingdom more the exercife of their minds, these perishing entertainments would have but little of their time or thoughts.

§. III. This felf-denying doctrine was confirmed and enforced by the apostles in their example, as we have already shewn; and in their precepts too, as we shall yet evince in those two moft remarkable paffages of Paul and Peter; where they do not only tell us what should be done, but also, what fhould be denied and

e Luke xii. 22 to 36.

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£ Rom. xiv. 17.

avoided.

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avoided. In like manner I will, that women adorn ⚫ themselves in modest apparel: (what is that?) with • fhame-facedness and fobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or coftly array, [then it seems these are immodeft] but, which becometh women profeffing godlinefs, with good works: absolutely implying, that thofe who attire themselves with gold, filver, broidered hair, pearls, coftly array, cannot in fo doing be women profeffing godlinefs; making thofe very things to be contrary to modefty and what is good; and confequently that they are evil, and unbecoming women profeffing godlinefs.' To which the apostle Peter joins another precept after the like fort, Viz. • Whose adorning, let it not be that outward • adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on apparel: (what then?) but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet fpirit, which is in the fight of God of great price.' And as an inducement, he adds, for after this manner in the old time, the holy women, who <fo trusted in God, adorned themfelves.' Which doth not only intimate, that both holy women were fo adorned, and that it behoves fuch as would be holy, and truft in the holy God, to be so adorned; but also, that they who used thofe forbidden ornaments, were the women and people in all ages, that (for all their talk)

*

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were not holy, nor did truft in God.' Such are fo far from trusting in God, that the apostle Paul exprefsly fays, that he that liveth in pleasure is dead

(to God) whilft fhe liveth":' and the fame apostle farther enjoined, that Chriftians fhould have their converfation in heaven, and their minds fixed on things ⚫ above: walk honeftly as in the day, not in rioting and ⚫ drunkennefs, not in chambering and wantonnefs, not • in envy and ftrife: let not fornication, uncleannefs,

8 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10.

*Note, not a word of men, as if this vanity belonged not to the fex; let them obferve that. h1 Tim. v. 6.

< or

would they have? They that have trades, have not time enough to do the half of what hath been recommended. And as for those who have nothing to do, and indeed do nothing, which is worse, but fin, which is worst of all, here is variety of pleasant, of profitable, nay, of very honourable employments and diverfions for them. Such can with great delight fit at a play, a ball, a masque, at cards, dice, &c. drinking, revelling, feafting, and the like, an entire day; yea, turn night into day, and invert the very order of the creation, to humour their lufts. And were it not for eating and fleeping, it would be past a doubt, whether they would ever find time to ceafe from thofe vain and finful paftimes, till the hafty calls of death fhould fummon their appearance in another world. Yet do they think it intolerable, and hardly poffible for any to fit fo long at a profitable or religious exercise.

§. VI. But how do these think to pass their vast eternity away? for as the tree falls fo it lies *.' Let none deceive themselves, nor mock their immortal fouls, with a pleasant, but most falfe and pernicious dream, that they fhall be changed by a constraining and irresistible power, juft when their fouls take leave of their bodies: no, no, my friends, what you sow, that 'fhall you reap':' if vanity, folly, vifible delights, fading pleasures; no better fhall you ever reap than corruption, forrow, and the woful anguish of eternal disappointments. But alas! what is the reason that the cry is fo common, Muft we always doat on these things? why, most certainly it is this, they know not what is the joy and peace of speaking and acting as in the presence of the most holy God: that paffes fuch vain understandings, darkened with the glories and pleasures of the god of this world; whofe religion is fo many mumbled and ignorantly devout-faid words, as they teach parrots; for if they were of those whose hearts are set on things above, and whofe treasure is in

* Eccl. xi. 3.

1 Gal. vi. 4 to 9. Eph. v. 6.

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heaven,