ment, as hath been thown above And. Job, who is fuppofed to have lived feveral hundred Years before him, did not. fare a Jot better. In the 29th Chapter of Job, we have à large Account of the Deference that was paid him in his Profperity, by the Aged, by the Noble, by the Princes, and by every body that knew him: And in the laft Chapter of the fame Book, after 'tis fignified that God raised him out of the Afflictions which he had ́ brought upon him, and gave him twice as much as he had before; it immediately follows most emphatically; that THEŃ there came unto him all his Brethren, and all his Sifters, and all they that had been of his Acquaintance before; and did eat Bread with him in his Houfe; and they bemoaned him, and comforted him, over all the Evil that the Lord had brought upon him, every Man also gave him a Piece of Money, and every one an Earing of Gold. But how did they treat him when he was ftript of his Glory? When the Crown was taken from his Head? When the Hand of the Lord laid heavy upon him, and covered him with Mifery and Shame? He tells us himself in the 19th Chapter; My Kinsfolks, faith he, have failed, all my inward Friends abborred

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borred me, I am forgoten by my familiar Friends, and mine Acquaintance are serily eflranged from me.

b. Thus it appears, how common, how general, how ancient the Practice is, of neglecting and forlaking Acquaintance, when they are reduced from a flourifli ling Condition to the contrary. And certainly it can be no fmall Grievance to thofe who are fo ferved; if they were their open Enemies who did them this Diflonour, they might more easily bear it; if their Adverfaries magnified themselves against them, difregarded their Troubles, or flighted them for their Sake; it would be no more than they might reafonably expect. but to be neglected, defpifed, and difowned by their former Acquaintance, Companions, and familiar Friends, must needs be a confiderable Aggravation of their Mifery, a vaft Addition to their other Calamity. And fo much may ferve for our first Obfervation; which was, that Men, when reduced to mean Circumftances, are generally neglected and forfaken by their former Acquaintance.

The fecond Obfervation is, that Men, when, reduced to mean Circumstances, are generally villified and rediculed by their Enemies. I was, faith David in

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my Text, a Reproach among all mine Enemies; and in another Place, he fays, they jefted upon me, they that fit in the Gate Speak against me, and the Drunkards made Songs upon me, Juvenal allo in his third Satyr, takes Notice of this Practice as a very great Hardfhip: There is nothing, fays he, more grievous in Poverty, than that it expofeth Men to the Scorn and Ridicule of others.

Riches do for the moft Part fecure Men from the open Affronts of their Enemies, who are ufually backward enough in giving foul Ufage to thofe, by whom they think they fhall be paid in their own Coin; but when Men have loft their Wealth, their Courage is commonly fuppofed to be loft with it; from hence their Enemies conclude, that they may abuse them without any Danger of meeting with Reprifals; and this Conclufion emboldens them fo to do, by ufing their Endeavours upon all Occafions, to make their Perfons vile and ridiculous.

Accordingly we find, that when Men are minifhed and brought low, through Oppreffion, through any Apiction or Trouble, they are presently bereft of their Reputation, loaded with Infamy, and made the vericft Villians in the World. Their

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Their Misfortunes are imputed to the Judgment of God upon them, for fome great tho' Secret Wickednels of their Lives; their Piety pafles for Hypocrify; if they have been Liberal, they are branded with Prodigality; and all other Vir, tues which they were, or are eminent for, go by the Names of their oppofite Vices. Though they did not walk in the Counsel of the Ungodly, nor fland in the Way of Sinners, they are nevertheless punished with the Jeers of the Scornful, whole barbarous Diverfion it is, to laugh at their Calamities, and mock at the Alflictions which are come upon them.

Thus having difcourfed upon the Obfervations arifing from the Text, touching the ill Treatment which Men meet with, when they are reduced to mean Circumftances: I fhall now go on in the

Second Place, To point at fome of the Caufes of this ill Treatment.

Now this ill Treatment is partly owing to Intereft in fame, and to Malice in others, and in moft, to a proud and haughty Difpofition of Nature.

And First, The ill Treatment we have been taking Notice of, is partly owing to Interest. This is the Compass by which moft Men steer their Actions, and what

foever feemeth likely to leffen it, is as carefully fhunned and avoided by them, as the Rocks and Quicklands are by the Mariners. Such felfifh, narrow-foul'd Wretches can't endure the Thoughts of parting with any of their Wealth; and therefore to prevent any Occafion of doing fo, they neglect and forfake their Acquaintance whenever the World frowns on them. Should they continue to be familiar with them as before, the Perfons diftreffed might poffibly expect their Affiftance, if not implore it; but to grant this to Men whole prefent Circumstances can't enable them to make a Requital, they think would be no other than robbing themfelves of fome of their Riches; and upon this Reflection, they become quite Strangers to them; reasonably fuppofing that Men will have no Heart to afk Relief, where they fee no Hopes of gaining it, and where they find themfelves already tacitly denied it.

Thus do felf-interested Perfons defert their unfortunate Acquaintance, for fear of losing a little of that Money which they doat upon; thus do they facrifice their Friends to that Golden Calf which they themselves fall down to, and worship. Secondly, Another Caufe of the ill Treat