requ thing in yo à dit y fer your ties And że it, can ledge migh Laza there a lit King an opportunity in your hands of attaining a matter as a hundred pounds a year) but dom, aglorious and never-fading King continue in your ignorance, stubbornne, Lineffe, flighting the Directions that as you for the attaining thereof, and neglecting and difregarding them Grace. And fo, after you have lived here, to be everlastingly miferable hereafte a poor Cottage, to go down to a dung nele, to a lake of fire and brimstone, tormented with the Devil and his Angel. You think may be because you ar not book learn'd, that God will you: But do not flatter and delude God will require of you according to Grace he affords you. Though you are the would not your Minifter inftruct you? orinifol ne neighbours that you may ask, and learnt who Salvation from? Do you think you are efoule from feeking after knowledg? from Family Reces from a confcionable & conftant attendanger publick Ordinances? Do ye think it will be liz cient excufe, when you come to stand upon you you at Gods Tribunal, to plead, you wanted hair and therefore could not come to the publik ing when 'tis well known you bas die felves in a tollerably decent manner (at any ind to go to a dinner? There is an abfolute nece Por must be inftructed, and get knowledge wind nances; ext all things that concern your Salvation, or you will die in your fins. And believe it, you had better die in à ditch, than die in your fins. Were you fufficiently fenfible of the great and weighty concernments of your foules, you would wrestle against all difficulties, and feek after knowledge with all ferioufneß. And if you would fet your felves in good earnest to it, you might quickly attain much more than you can imagine; you might foon grow rich in knowledge and Grace Though you are poor here, you might be heirs of Heaven, and when you die, with Lazarus, be received into Abrahams bofom. oh herefore beftir your felves! You labour hard to get little money here; Ohtake fome pains to get a Kingdom that is offered to you on very fair terms. Labour to be fenfible of your spiritual poverty, of be vileneffe of your natural condition, and the maifold fins of your life; Seek for help from Christ, where help onely is to be had) Give up your ules to him, and beg of him pardon and Grace : eceive him for your Lord, as well as your Savir; beg his Spirit to fanctifie you, and be willing live in obedience to his Laws and Precepts. And ® you be once thus united unto him, being rich in aith and the fruits thereof, you are heirs of the ingdom, even the Kingdom of Heaven, and all shortly enter into your inheritance glorionfly d triumphantly: Oh therefore though you are or in this world, yet labour to be spiritually rich: ind not only the prefent, but fecure your future LI Stare prov not mea have ever ofic him State. And not only look to your felves, be to d be t 2. their poor Prov feed and d I be vain by f fteal othe tend jez ind VI. Those that are poor should be for careful to avoid these four temptatis they are in great danger of. 3 1. Let them take heed of diftrahem when they are in ftraits. Let them on mind and meditate on our Saviours Mat.6 from v.25. to the end. Let the der, God provides for Creatures, the Ind Ind provide for themselves. Beafts fleep quietly not knowing nor thinking where they shall get meat the next day. Ifyou fay, 'tis because they have no reafon nor forefight; confider, whether ever God gave us reafon to make no other use ofit, than for our vexation and dishonouring himself. 'Tis a high injury and dishonour to God, to diftruft his care and providence over us, seeing he takes care of bruit Creatures. 2. Let them take heed of stealing, or putting their hands to any indirect courfes. Theft is the poor mans danger, as the wife man intimates Prov.30.8,9. Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me, least I be full and deny thee, and Jay who is the Lord? and left I be poor and steal, and take the Name of my God in vain. Let them not think to excufe themselves by faying they are poor, and he from whom they teal is rich: For who made them dividers of ther mens goods? Let them not think to preend, 'cis a mall thing they steal; the more abet finners they, who will defile their Confciences or a trifle. Though the world should be hard, nd men fhould afford them no help, let them ot make themselves uncapable of Gods help. Lec hem remember, 'tis better to fuffer than to 3. Seeing the poorer fort ufually live together, nd generally are apt to be envious, malicious, nd extreamly quarrelfam, flandering and reviling Lla one one another; and (upon small provocÍ curfing, and using dreadful imprecations each other, and fomtimes alfo again they do not relieve them, or not fo liberal defire; let all these wickedneffes be cre voided and abandoned by them, if ever tend to fee Gods face with comfort. 4. And lastly, feeing poor people t part depend on rich men that employ thereupon are apt to flatter them them, and bring tales to them, and them, even in finful courses, and to after their example, and ufually bas Godlineß it felf, if they fee it difrelie Therefore it fhould be the care of all to decline these courses, and by fidelity, and integrity to commend themfelves o that employ them; and walking hamb confcientiously before the Lord in their p calling, they need not doubt of b Providence over them, of his favour 15 will to them. 100 Ifa.45.9. Wo unto him that striveth with Ch ر Ph Ja A Pro P Pf Ma V V |