people believe me any whit the more for swearing, but I render my felf ridiculous, and make People think me difhoneft, perfidious, and treacherous, who make fo little confcience of what I fay: How can any Man trust me, that hears me abuse the best and dearest Friend I have? Or, what credit can any Man give to me, that fees me fo treacheoous to God, to whom I owe all I have? How fhall any Man be fure, that I am honeft, that fees me deal fo difingenuously with him, who gives me my Meat in due feafon? How can any Man believe, that I will be faithful to him, that cannot be faithful to him who hath laid the greatest obligations upon me? Have I no other way to prove my felf a Gentleman,but by this fordid courfe? Is this it, that will bring reputation to my Family? Is this it, that must give me credit among Perfons of my own Rank? Cannot I be a Cavalier, except I am uncivil to my God? Muft I buy the favour of Men at fo dear a rate? Is it worth no less than the displeasure of him, who fills Heaven and Earth with his Presence? Can there be greater ingratitude in the World, than I am guilty of by this fin? The Air I breath in, the Earth I tread upon, the Ground which nourishes me, the Fire that warms me, are all the Gift of God; and is this the return I make, to take his Name in vain, that fupports and maintains me? Do I make nothing of God's threatnings? How often doth he manifeft his Displeasure against this Sin in his Word! And can I think, I am not concerned in the Commination? What hope can I have that Chrift's Blood will fave me, when I fwear it away, and thrust it from me with both Arms? How

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juftly may God damn me, that do so often with for it! and is there any thing in nature fo barbarous to it felf, as I am in praying to God, as it were, to deliver me up into the clutches of the Devil? No Devil would with himself fo ill, as I do my own Soul; and is there nothing in the inhumanity and horror of the Sin, to discourage and terrifie me from it? Nay, I do hereby teach others to Sin, inftru&t thofe that hear me, to follow my Example; I do fo fin, and spread the Contagion, infect my Neighbour, give an ill Example to others; and is this agreeable to the Character of a Chriftian, that is to walk in Wifdom toward them that are without, and to give no occafion to the Adversary to speak reproachfully?

Did the Swearer but ruminate of these diffuafive Arguments, how would it cool his courage! But neglecting that, he neglects his restorative, and fpeaks, as if he would be revenged on his Maker for giving him a Tongue.

How foon would the Bladder of Pride break, did the proud Man but confider that he is Duft, and what a wretched finful Creature he is, and how much worse than other Men, and how much he forgets the Humiliation of the Son of God, who, being in the Form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, but made himfelf of no reputation, becoming obedient to the Death of the Crofs; how odious this lofty Spirit is in the fight of God; how amiable Humility; howGod detefts the one,and embraces the other; how Pride keeps out the Operations and Influences of God's Spirit, and how the Holy Ghost

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refuses to come and lodge in that Soul, which fwells with vain conceits of its own worth; how Pride keeps him a ftranger to himself; how it makes his Neighbour hate him, raises him Enemies, and makes him an object of Contempt and Scorn; how all the Gifts, and Bleffings, and Privileges he enjoys, are but the effects of God's Charity; how the ftately Fabrick, which his Soul doth animate, muft fhortly return to the Earth from which it was taken; what condefcenfion God ufes towards him; how God, who commands Heaven and Earth, becomes an humble Suitor to his Creatures, and inftead of confuming, courts them to yield to his Requests and Injunctions; how noble and gene rous it is to imitate him, who is Eternally happy in himself. O my God! can I look upon the great Example of thy Condefcenfion, and fwell into contempt of others! Can I fee Heaven bow to Duft and Ashes, and fuperciliously fcorn him that stands on even ground with me! What have I that I have not received? Why then fhould I boaft, as if I had not received it? Ó God! I fee thee content to be born in a Stable, tolye in a Manger, to be cloathed with Rags, and to submit to the hardest ufage: Am I thy Servant, and do I refuse to transcribe thy Lowliness in my Mind and Behaviour? Hell is the Kingdom of Pride, and fhall I become a Subject of that Empire? Shall I make Lucifer my Teacher? Or fhall thofe Spirits who watch my Ruin, be my Tutors? Can I fee my God approach my Soul in an humble posture, and look high? Can I see the best of Beings lay by his Grandeur, to

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converse withCreatures infinitely below him,and beloth to make my Fellow Chriftians, that are of a lower rank, my Companions? Alas! what is it that I boast of? What is it that puffs up my Mind? Shall a Cloud, a Vapour, a drop of the Bucket, a Grafhopper, a Worm, grow into lofty conceits of his own Dignity; a wretched Sinner, who hath deferved to be eternally miferable, and must own it as a fingular character of God's Compaffion, that he hath not long ago affigned me my Portion in the Region of Torments? Can a few rich Cloaths make me a better Man than my Neighbour? Let Providence ftrip us both naked; and will it not appear that we have the fame Flesh and Blood about us? Because I have more Bags of Money in my Coffer than another; am I therefore a wifer Man than he? What pitiful, childish conceits are these? I do but beg my daily Bread of God, and shall a Beggar exalt and forget himfelf? And when I carry about me a Body fubject to a thousand Diseases and Difafters without number, a Fabrick, which the least Disorder can break and shatter; fhall fo weak, fo poor, fo inconfiderable a thing,the Mocking-stock of every Wind and Weather, diftend its Plumes, and fall in love with its own Beauty?

Were this but seriously confidered, and how in the Grave all diftinétions die; how unfit that Person is to be a Chriftian, that is a stranger to Meeknefs and Humility; how those that have domineer'd in this World, and trampled upon Men, and have thought it their Interest and Glory to defpife their Equals and Inferiors, are now roaring in the burning Lake; how they

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that were Servants heretofore, do now reign like Kings in Heaven, and thofe that domineer'd over others heretofore, do wish now, that they were in their Servants condition, and how they would now be contented to be the pooreft, meaneft, and most contemptible Creatures in the World, provided that they might but be freed from that never-dyiug Worm that gnaws their Souls; and how fhortly this Pride and Haughtiness, if not seriously and timely repented of, will end in weeping, and gnashing of Teeth:

Were but these things rightly and seriously pondered,it would cause a very strange alteration in the lofty cenforious Man's defign and refolutions; but while thefe Obfervables are paffed by as things out of his Element, no marvel if he Idolizes himself, and like a Hedge-hog, wraps himself up in his own foft Down, and turns his Prickles to all the World befides.

Let the Soul that's careless of God's Service, and lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, but try it, and reflect; Lord! and is this a Service fit for him, that is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity! Is this flovenly Devotion a fit Present for him, who fearches the Hearts and the Reins! Should my Servants ferve me, asl do God, how ill fhould I resent it! And dare I offer the Blind and the Lame to God, which I would fcorn to accept of from my Slaves and Vaffals! I would have my Prayers heard, and answered, but how can I hope they'll pafs for acceptable Sacrifices in Heaven, when they want the Fire of the SanAuary to give them Flame! Will God mind a

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