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Men do not think that God hath as much Wisdom and Care as a common Physician : Who going to adminifter to a Man's Body, though he be a Prince that fends for him, doth not regard the brave Front of the Houfe; nor ftands to look upon the noble Porch and Walks; or the fine Pictures in his Gallery, as he goes along; or the numerous Attendants, and the Servants that wait to receive him: but goes ftraight to the Bed-fide of his Patient; and not regarding what the Curtains or Coverings are made of, or any Thing elfe, applies himfelf presently to his Bufinefs. And fometimes haftily throwing all afide, when there is great Danger, he lays his Hand directly upon his Pulfe to feel how it beats; and fometimes goes further and feels his Breaft, or his Belly, and his Legs, that he may know exactly in what Condition he is. Nay, he throws off all the Clothes, perhaps, as if he was in a Paffion, that he may make a speedy Application to his Feet or fome other Part, where he thinks it will be moft effectual, Which may make ignorant People think that he is rude and uncivil; a Man that understands not the Reverence he ought to have to that great Person and those that are about him. But he knowing very well what the Neceffity is, goes on with his Work, and not regarding their Cenfures, administers what he thinks moft fit. Perhaps he lances, or cuts, or burns the Flefh, if the Cafe require it. Is it not eafy to accomodate this to our prefent Purpose? There is no wife Man

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who profeffes τω ἰατρικων τῆς βασιλίδα ψυχής, the Cure of that great Princess the Soul of Man, but he contemns all thofe Things, which the foolish Opinion of the World, after the manner of blind Folk, is wont to be amazed at. He fearches into the Soul; He touches the very Heart to feel if it beats with unequal and hafty Motions of Anger. He touches the Tongue to fee if it be rough and prone to Evilfpeaking, or if it be lafcivious or too talkative; He feels the Belly, if it be unfatiable in its Appetite; And fo all the rest of the Paffions and Perturbations and Difeafes of the Mind, he examines them ftrictly leaft the Man fhould perish. Whereas, on the contrary, people that are aftonished at the outward Splendour of Things ever live in Error. They never come to the Mind, which is the reigning Part in Man but they stay without Doors. They ftare upon the Porch, and all the Things without the Gate of Vertue; fuch as Riches, Glory, Power, Health, and all the reft of that Kind. These they admire; and these they imagine not only all Men, but God himself alfo fhould take the principal Notice of, and provide for their Prefervation and Increase. But it must not be fo. The Method of God I have defcribed before in the Practice of wife Men. He hath the greateft Regard to the Soul, as the Physician I told you, hath to his Patient's Body. As he is little concerned for all the outward Ornaments of it, but looks after the Man himfelf: fo we should believe the most high God

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doth; who knows the Mind is moft a Man's felf. The Body is but an external Thing; and as much beneath the Soul, as the fine Houfe and garden, and all the reft I mentioned are below the bodily Health. If the Soul be but fafe all is well. To this he directly makes his Applications, paffing by the other as lefs confiderable, when this is in great hazard. Nay, perhaps he throws all Things elfe afide, like as the Phyfician doth the Bed Cloaths, as if he was displeased. He ftrips us naked, and lays Affliction upon our Loyns and puts us to great Pain, and all to do a Cure upon the more excellent Part. If we be rid of all its inward Difeafes, it is no Matter how the Cure be wrought; though it be, as I have shown heretofore, at the Expence of our Bodies and worldly Eftates.

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Greg. Naz.

If it were not for fear of being too tedious, I would have added the Words of a Chriftian Writer: But I fhall only give you the Summ of them, which is this. We fufpect Almighty Providence, becaufe we behold as we think many Irregularities. Whereas that very Irregularity, Edua, hath fomething equal and regular in it, in Orat. 16. the Sight of God. Juft as you fee the feveral Materials of a Piece of Work, which afunder feem to have no Beauty, no Order at all in them, when they are all put together by the Artificer, appear a very elegant Structure. We must not therefore conclude that God is TEX, without Art or Skill in his Govern

ment,

1

ment, because we are rude and unskilful our felves, nor think that he manages Things without Order, because we understand not the Reafon. The Truth of it is, we are like to those who have a Swimming in their Head, or are fick at Sea, who think all Things turn round, when they are giddy themfelves. Let us remember that he is God and we are Men. Let us acknowledge that as he is the Builder of the World: So he is the Supervifor of his own Work. And especially let us acknowledge that he takes care of us; and though contrary Things govern our Life, let us not queftion his Providence; for perhaps they are unaccountable to us, that we may admire that Supream Reafon the more. Ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν ῥαδίως ληπτὸν ἅπαν ουκαταφρόνητον, &c. For that which is eafily apprehended, is generally defpifed: But that which is above us, the harder it is to compafs, the more admirable it appears. And therefore let us not admire all Health, nor nauseate every Disease. Let us not fet our Hearts on Riches, and, as it were, give them a Part of our Souls; nor think Poverty deteftable, and turn our Minds with utter Averfation from it. But let us without any difputing or folicitous Care to refolve all Queftions that may be afkt, believe this (as Arnobius, another of the Ancients Speaks) that Nibil a deo principe quod fit no

Lib. 2.

cens atque exitiabile proficifci, &c. adv. Gentes. Nothing comes from the most high God which is hurtful and deftruEtive. This we hold, this we know, in the Know

Knowledge of this Truth we ftand, that there is nothing done by him, but what is falutary to all; nothing but what is fweet, and most full of Love and Joy and Gladness; which hath infinite and incorruptible Pleasures attending on it.

And therefore why fhould we be difcontented with that which comes from fo good an Hand? It would be impoffible we fhould be fo, were we from the very firft bred up to these Thoughts, and had not our Minds been poifoned with other pernicious Opinións. If Christians had alwayes been as careful as fome Heathens were to preferve worthy Notions of God, the World would be more happy and at a better Pass than now it is. Good Thoughts of God could not chufe but breed in us good and chearful Difpofitions of Mind whatsoever befalls us. And therefore Plato very difcreetly takes fpecial Order in the Government of his Common-wealth, that Children fhould be taught Nothing out of the common Fables, that paffed up and down the Country in thofe Dayes, which represented God not to be good, or to be the Caufe of Evil. For God, faith he, can do no Evil, nor hurt his Creatures; but fome other Caufe must be found out of all the Evils that are in the World. This ought therefore to be the Law, faith he, by which Poets and Fablemakers fhould regulate their Difcourfes, that God is αίτιον μὴ πάντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, The Cause and Principle only of good Things.

Lib. z. de

Repub.

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