ly by his being a fenfual gluttonous man, a name that every one abhors? Days have been, wherein fome have been rigid oppreffors, and raised wealth to themfelves that way; while others were patient under their oppreffions. There have been great and honourable men in the world, fome of them fitting on a throne, who lived in whoredom, perfecution, blood, and murder; while others have Chriftianly fubmitted to be pent up in prifons, fhot, hanged on gibbets by their orders; they are all gone now, the oppreffors and perfecutors, as well as the oppressed and perfecuted. I appeal to the conscience of every one, which of their names is most favoury now, and which of the two would ye chuse for yourselves if ye could?

Laftly, The good name will go farther than the best and most favoury things of the earth. Mary pours a box of precious ointment on Chrift, which no doubt fent its favour through the whole house; but Christ paid her for it with the good name, that should fend its favour through the whole world, Matt. xxvi. 13. "Verily I fay unto you, Wherefoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there fhall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." But ye may think, we can have no hope that ever our good name will go that wide. That is a mistake; for if we raise ourselves the good name, it will certainly be published before all the world at the laft day, Rev. iii. 5. and we will carry it over the march betwixt the two worlds into the other world, ver. 12. The name of kings, princes, nobles, gentlemen, &c. will go no further with people than this world: there will be an abfolute levelling of mankind in the other world; these great names will not take place there, but the good name will, and make the only difference.

I come now to the improvement of this subject. USE I. Of information. This doctrine informs us that, 1. There is a way to get the vanity and mifery of this life balanced even for the prefent; fo that one

may

may get a fufficient fweetening to all the bitternefs of it, that they may not quite weary of life, but patiently wait their change. This difcovery fhould be very acceptable, because it is feasonable, to all; and all should fet themselves to the improving of it, as needing it.

2. That way is only the way of a religious life, in faith and holinefs. By fuch a courfe, and no other, can the good name be raised. It is not being great, but good; not being high, but useful, that will raife it. In vain do men think to make themselves a name by their wealth and honour, while they are not careful to improve thefe to the glory of God and the good of others; for all they will get thereby will be but a blaze of a name, that will foon go out with a stink; or to balance the miferies of life, by the chace of worldly profits and pleasures; but these they will find attended with vanity and mifery. But faith and holinefs will make a lafting good name.

3. People ought to be concerned for a good name as a moft precious thing; and therefore both to be and appear good, both to have a holy practice and a holy profeffion; the latter as well as the former being neceflary to raise it, and the former as well as the lat

ter.

A holy practice without a holy profeffion is a contradiction; for the one is a neceffary part of the other, which is a light that muft needs difcover itself, Matth. v. 16. Pfalm ii. 15. 16. A holy profeffion without a holy practice is Pharifaical and hypocritical; and the name it will raife being without a root, will be but for a moment, and that before men only.

4. The right improving of life is the way to the good name. It is the way to obtain it, and fecure it. Thus every one has accefs to it, Ifa. lvi. 4, 5. "For thus faith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my fabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant," &c. Sons and daughters muft die themselves, and their name be extinct; flourifhing families may foon be rooted out. But a life

rightly

rightly improved will leave a favoury name when it is at an end; and will keep up the name of those that have neither fon nor daughter, and that for ever. USE II. Of reproof to,

1. Those who are in no concern for a good name. It is pitiful trifling indeed for men to hunt for an empty name before the world, in the way of vain-glory, Matth. vi. 2. But they that live careless of a wellgrounded good name, being careless of their name, are careless of their fouls too. They value not what he thought or faid of them never so truly, so that they can but please themselves, and fatisfy their own lufts for the prefent; that is the life of brutes concerned only for the present times, not for the time after death. It is a fad life, to live a life of fin, and afterward to leave our name for a curfe.

2. Those who set up for a name, but are in no concern to improve their life for the honour of God and good of mankind. They will never get the good name that way; they may get a vain name, or an ill name. Faith and holiness are the only pillars to rear up the good name upon.

2. Thofe who, under the vanity and misery of life, feek for this and the other comfort of the world to fupport them, but never fet themselves to a Chriftian improvement of life to balance their afflictions and hardships. That is to be folicitous for cure, and yet to stand off from the fovereign never-failing remedy.

USE ult. Of exhortation. Let the vanities and miferies attending this prefent life move and engage you to improve life for raifing up to yourselves the good name, as the best thing to balance them for the prefent. Seriously confider the vanity and mifery of life, and let the view of them be a spur to a Christian improvement. And for this cause confider,

1. What a vain and miferable thing your life on earth is, if you make not fomething of it for an after life, Psal. xxxix. 6. It is a fleeting, paffing vanity, a vapour, a puff of wind that will foon be away

The bloom of youth foon fades, its vigour decays, and man goes as faft down as ever he rofe up, and fometimes is pulled down fuddenly. Every age and condition is attended with fo many miferies thereto allied, that there is no reft in any part of it.

2. There is no cure for the vanity and mifery of life to drive them away. Men are ftill working at that indeed; but in vain, Eccl. i. 15. "That which is crooked cannot be made ftraight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered." Ye may as well think to turn the winter into fummer, and clear the air of midges flying about in a warm fummer-day. The removal thereof is referved for the other life in the other world; but while men live in this world, there will be vanity and mifery attending them."

3. The only thing valuable in this life, is, that it is an opportunity for raifing a good name, that may pafs with us into the other world. That is an advantage of this life that is not in the other, Eccl. ix. 10. Ifa. xxxviii. 19. Take it by this handle, and you have it as a valuable good among your hands; a feed-time for eternity, an apprenticeship for heaven, a tide for Immanuel's land.

4. Every piece of the vanity and mifery of this life, that comes on you, is a providential call to you to improve it as fuch an opportunity. The language thereof is, "Arife, depart, this is not your reft," Cant. iv. 8. "Come with me from Lebanon, my fpoufe, with me from Lebanon; look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions dens, from the mountains of the Leopards.". Every thorn of uneafinefs you find in life, is a warning to you to leave feeking your fatisfaction in the empty creation, and to take up your fouls reft in God.

5. To improve it fo will give a prefent eafe and relief under the burden; though it will not take it of your back, it will ftrengthen you, and make you go more lightly under it, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. It will

give you more effectual confolation under them, than all the comforts of the world can. Though ye will ftill be in life but as pilgrims, yet it will give you fong in the houfe of your pilgrimage.

a

6. It will fecure you a happy life in the other world, where none of thefe vanities and miferies fhall ever have place any more for ever. Thus ye will lay up treasure in heaven which cannot be loft, Mat. vi. 19, 20. Now is the feed-time, then will be the eternal reaping of what is now fown, Gal. vi. 8.

Lastly, If ye do not fo improve it, you will never taste the happiness of life. You will lofe the prefent life as to any true happiness therein, though you may deceive yourselves with the fhadow of happiness therein; yet the truth is, you have no fufficient ba lance for the vanity and mifery of life, which you can not mifs. And then your life in the other world will be a life of unmixed misery, a thousand times worse. To help you to this improvement,

(1.) Take fome time to confider, what name you bear, and how your name favours, in heaven and earth. It will be of little value, to be favoury on earth, if it be not so in heaven too, Rev. iii. 1. But if it be favoury in heaven, it will in spite of malice be favoury on earth too, in the confciences of men, 2 Cor. iv. 2. Now this will be according to your fouls ftate before the Lord, and the habitual bent and courfe of your life and actions, 2 Cor. ii. 15. "For we are unto God a fweet favour of Chrift, in them that are faved." John xv. 14. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

(2.) Addrefs yourselves to the living a life of faith and holiness, as the proper work of this life while it lafts, Ifa. xxxviii. 19. "The living, the living, he fhall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the children fhall make known thy truth." Dream away life no longer, trifling away precious time; but open your eyes, roufe up yourselves to mind and ply the end of

your