nually upon the Trouble, as well as Pleasure, that I am like to meet withal in every Change: That fo I may be modeft in my Defires, and purfue what I defire with an indifferent Mind, and enjoy what thou beftowest on me with a thankful and charitable Heart, and with a quiet and undisturbed Spirit refign it back into thy Hands, when thou calleft for it. O Bleffed Jefus, as thou haft made thy Self my Example, fo be pleased to be my Guide. Infpire me with the fame Thoughts, Inclinations, Defires and Refolutions, which were in thy blessed Nature. Help me to place my Satif faction there, where thou liveft in perpetual Peace, amidst all the Troubles and Vexations of this Life. Raife my Spirit to that great and fublime Good, which none can touch, much less remove; that remaining in an unfhaken Poffeffion of thy Love, and being lifted up in noble Hopes of the Glory to which thy Love will promote thy faithful Servants, I may not feel my felf altered by any of the Changes which are in the Things that are under my Feet. Difpofe my Mind, O God, to the fweetest and most gentle Compliance with thy Providence. And make me so perfectly in Love with thy Will, that all that is great, or glorious, or delightful in this World, I may enjoy in a pure and clear Confcience, void of Offence to wards thee, and towards all Men. O the Delicioufnefs of thofe Pleafures! O the Divineness of thofe Foys! Blefs me daily with a stronger Tafte of them and Satisfaction in them, till I come to enjoy that Reward of well-doing, which exceeds all Thoughts and Defires, through our Lord and Saviour Chrift Jefus, &c. Amen. SER

And having Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content.

L

II.cococoET us now proceed to confider the Things which we are as defirous to want, as we are to enjoy those ses of which I have already difcourfed. The evil and afflictive Things, I mean, that here we are forced to endure; the Prefence of which perhaps prove more troublesome and grievous to us, than the Abfence of the other. I faid before, that fince we may lofe that which we desire to poffefs, we had as good difpofe our felves to be contented without it now, as without it afterward. But fome will reply, How shall we rest contented with fuch Loffes: That is the Thing which troubles us; that we lofe our Health, or our Liberty, or our Goods, or our Friends, or our Reputation. Who can fupport themselves under fuch Croffes? Would not thefe put any Man

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into a Disorder? And do we not well to complain of fuch Affliction ?

My Answer. fhall confift of thefe Two Confiderations: One of which contains more under it, than can be easily comprized in one Ser

mon.

First, That if the former Discontent can be cured, (as I have shown there is Reason it shou'd) then the Caufe of this is taken away also. If we can patiently want that which we have not, then fo may we bear again the Want of that which we once had. We are now but as we were before. We knew that these Things were not to ftay, and therefore it is no wonder that they are gone. We took them with the Condition of leaving them. They have broken no Promife, as I faid, and therefore there is no Fault to be found. If we promifed to our felves that which we ought not, it was our Folly, of which their Departure from us is the way to cure us. And befides all this, in the Enjoyment of them we could not but find, that Contentment was not in them, but fomewhere elfe; and therefore our Contentment (if we had any) is not taken away together with them, but they leave that ftill entire behind them. But it may be replied, that I faid it is easier to want a thing, and never have it, than having enjoyed it, again to want it. I anfwer, Yes, fo it is, unlefs we rightly understand where our Contentment lies, and apply our felves to that great Good. Which if we have Poffeffion of, we fhall then be rather thank

་

thankful that we had those Things at all, if they could do us any Pleafure, than repining and difcontented that we do not continue in their Enjoyment. That's but a Piece of Ingenuity to God that gave them to us at all; nay, it is but good Manners to thank him for the leaft Favour of which we did not deserve to tafte. This hath been always held a Piece of great Wifdom; first, non tam angi, &c. not fo much to grieve for the Evils that we fuffer, as to rejoice that they were not (as they might have been) more grievous; and fecondly, when any good Thing leaves us, non tam spectare rem deperditam, quam cum voluptate poffeffam *, not fo much to confider its Lofs, as the Pleasure with which we possessed it. By this means, Wife Men have tempered their Sorrows, and brought them to Moderation. Confidering how full the World is of Troubles, they gave God Thanks, that no greater Number of them had fallen to their Share, and that they had any Taste of Joy and Pleasure: But this Confideration will not reach, all Cafes; therefore, for your fuller Satisfaction, confider with

me,

Secondly, That all thofe afflictive Things which we may here endure, are not fuch Evils, but that there is a great deal of Good in them. They are pure Evils only to thofe that think them fo, and difpofe not themfelves to receive any Benefit from them; for if we please, they may

* Gaffend. in vita Peiresk.

be exceeding useful to us, and deserve a better Name than Evils and Afflictions.

The best Way to Tranquillity fome of the Ancient Philosophers thought (after they had tried all others was to judge nothing at all concerning what befel them: neither to pronounce any thing good, nor to esteem it evil. This was the Method of the Scepticks, as we read in Sextus *; who difcourfes very well a good way, till he come at this Point: "It is "impoffible, faith he, for us to be donzo, free " from all Moleftation or Difturbance. We cannot but feel Cold, and Hunger, and Pain, and "fuch like Sufferings. But in thefe Cafes, the "Vulgar feel two Things; firft, the Impreffion ແ "of Cold, and Hunger, and Things that caufe "Pain; and then, fecondly, the Opinion of "their own Mind about these Impreffions, "which concludes them to be abfolutely evil. "Whereas a Wife Man feels no more but one thing, viz. the former of these Inconvenienand by not adding any Opinion of his own about them, but fufpending his Judgment of them, he escapes these Things, Teder, with less Suffering, and with a more "moderate and equal Temper than other Men.

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ces;

By this means they fought to preserve them"felves in an untroubled State of Mind, in the "midft of the Troubles of Life; and to make a Calm within, whilft they were toffed up and "down in a tempeftuous World. And fo far

.

L. 1. Hypot. Pyrrh. cap. 4, & 12.

they