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difpofe us to be without them or to part with them) that there is no Affurance of them. But he hath promised us himself, and Forgiveness of Sins, and his holy Spirit, and his Grace to fanctify every Condition to us, and his Power to help and fupport us, and his good Angels to be miniftring Spirits to us, and eternal Life to be the Reward of contented Patience, and the greatest Reward to those who not only do, but quietly fuffer his Will. And therefore these we should earnestly defire and moft heartily feek; because we may certainly have them, and the having them will certainly give us Contentment and Satisfaction. For, First, by haveing them, we fhall have fo much of the other, which are not abfolutely in our Power, nor in his Promifes, as he Sees on all Occafions to be fit and needful for us. And, Secondly, By having them, we fhall alfo be able to be without the other, when he doth not fee them needful.

But fome will fay, perhaps, How fhall we bring our Defires to this Moderation? Here we muft have Recourfe back again to to our Mind. And,

IV.

Study the Ufe of all thofe Things which we defire, before we engage our felves too much in the Purfuit of them. This will, in great Part, anfwer that Queftion. We muft ask our felves, on all Occafions, What are thefe Things good

for,

Epift. ad

eam.

for, and what fhall we do with them? and then we fhall foon fee whether there be fuch Reafon, as we imagine, to be fo careful for them. This was the Rule, which Philip King of Macedon gave to his Wife Olympias, de πρότερον των χρῆσιν, ἢ τὰ κτήσιν τῶν ἀγα θεν σκοπεῖν We ought firft to mind the Ufe of all good Things, before we mind the Getting or Poffeffion of them. And it is founded in a great deal of Reason: Because all Things are defirable for their Ufe, otherways we may as well be without them. Apply it then to all Manner of Things, that you long after, and cannot be fatisfied (as you think) without their Enjoyment. Why do Why do you defire fo much Money, for Inftance; to what Ufe do you intend to put it? Is it to buy you Food? A great deal lefs will ferve that Purpose. Is it to buy you Clothes? They may be provided also with fmaller Sums. Is it to lay up, and to purchase the Reputation of wealthy Perfons? That is to no Ufe at all. Is it to fare de liciously and delicately every Day? There is no need at all of that neither: many have lived happily, without fuch Superfluities. What is it then that we would do with them? Why, do we defire fuch Abundance of Wealth? Is it to do much Good in the World? That is a worthy Defire indeed, But God will accept of our good Will, if we have not the Means to do it. Let us not torment our felves about this; for that's the Way to hinder us from doing what Good we can in our prefent Condition. We

are

are bound to do much Good, when God beftows much Plenty upon us: but till then, he expects no more from us than we are able to do, and a pious Difpofition to be bountiful when we are better able. That which can most reasonably be pretended, in this Business, to countenance our bold Defires, is the Regard we ought to have to Pofterity; that they may be well provided for, when we are Dead and can take no further Care of them. But they may be happy enough hereafter, without our being miferable at prefent. It is Abfurd to pefter our felves with innumerable Cares, that they may live without Care when we are gone. And, perhaps, moft Men can fatisfy themselves in this Point, by reflecting how God hath gracioufly provided for them and fucceeded their honeft and religious Endeavours, though they had but very flender Provifion made for them by their Parents. This is a Thing therefore that will justify our Diligence, but not our extream Solicitude and Carefulness.

In like manner, when we defire to come to fuch Preferments, we fhould ask our felves again the Ufe of them, before we be fo eager for their Poffeffion. Is it not commonly that we may live, more fplendidly, or have more Applaufe, or gain a greater Name among our Neighbours, or Some fuch unneceffary Thing? Why should we net then rather bid our Souls not be fo defirous of them? Let us remonstrate to them the true State of Things; and they will presently confefs that they are carried after

that

that which either they do not need, or have no great Ufe of: and therefore thofe Defires may be difcharged, as unprofitable. Which was the Thing I was to direct you unto, as one Way to Contentment. Another is this, To

V.

Live in the Exercife of the other Parts of Sobriety, which I have lately treated of; and they will help us to this. They were these two, you know; Temperance, and Humility.

1. As for Temperance or moderate Ufe of all pleafant Things, it doth most effectually teach: Contentment; because it shows how little will ferve the Turn. It weans us alfo from the inordinate Love of fenfual Things: which Love is the only Cause that makes the Want or the Lofs of them, so troublesome. It makes Room likewife for fober Thoughts. And in fhort, it is a constant Exercife of Contentment in one Particular, which muft needs difpofe us the better to practise it in all other Inftances. The more fparingly we taste of these fleshly Enjoyments, the better pleased we shall be in any other Estate, even when we cannot have them. It is no great Matter to be deprived of that, which we have often forbidden to our felves. We cannot feel the Mischief fo fore, when we are denied thofe Things, which we were wont before to deny to our own Ufe. We want nothing, but what we could want whilft we had it. We are not merely neceflitated to

be

be without thefe Things: for we chofe before not to enjoy fo much of them as we might. So that in Truth we may fay, as Seneca doth, Hoc eft præoccupare tela fortuna; this is to be ready prepared against the Blows of Fortune, as they called the Changes that are in the World. We are beforehand with any Alteration, and have prevented its Affault. Nothing can give us any Wound, that fhall fmart fo much as otherwife it would, for we have tryed already what the Want of fuch Things can do upon us. Occupa vi te fortuna, (faid Metrodorus,) atque cepi, omnefque aditus tuos interclufi: I have got before thee, whatsoever Thing thou art which mayft come; I have taken thee, and have thee in my Hands, I have intercepted all thy Approaches, and thou canft not touch me. Nothing can come, but what is here already. I know the worst of all Things; for I have inured my felf unto them.

They do very ill certainly, who defire to live a contented Life, that ftudy how to make much of themselves, and how to fare delicioufly every Day. They are the Enemies of their own Happiness, who love to fwim in all Manner of Pleasures, and to gulp down as much as they can of these fenfual Delights. They do but prepare for themfelves the ftraiter Prifons, while they take fo great a Liberty: And render themselves too tender and apt to fhrink at the smallest Prick of a Pin, while they indulge themselves all Manner of Delicacies. They would not be fo miferable hereafter if they did

not

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