<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2011-12-01</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Leah Yurasek</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist: x Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate x Add DIV TYPEs, validate x Review structure, use BODY or rarely GROUP x Check PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N="" x Proof title page(s) x Check HEAD TRAILER ARGUMENT EPIGRAPH OPENER CLOSER SIGNED SALUTE BYLINE x Check ^, oe, abq, italic I / J, _Initals, &amp;c. x Check &num; # @ -- UNCLEAR LB FIGURE x Check q; startq endq Q&#62; x Correct illegibles from proofsheet x Check illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs x Final validate Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ]. Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible". DONE</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A28639">
<STC T="W">B3549</STC>
<STC T="C">R12920</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">11828070</BIBNO>
<VID>49708</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A GUIDE TO HEAVEN.</P>
<P>Containing the MARROW OF THE <HI>Holy Fathers,</HI> AND <HI>Antient Philo&s;ophers.</HI></P>
<P>Written in Latine by <HI>John Bona,</HI> a Ci|&s;tercian Abbot: and in Engli&s;h, by <HI>T. V.</HI> a Benedictine Monk.</P>
<P>Printed in the Year 1672.</P>
<PB REF="2">
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>modern bookplate</FIGDESC>
<HEAD>Ex libris Bibliothecce Dome&s;ticce <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> TOWNELEY de Towneley <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Lanca&s;tren<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i Armigeri Anno Aetatis: 73 Anno Domini 1702</HEAD>
</FIGURE></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A PREFACE TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Am here to tell you two things, <HI>Courteous Reader,</HI> in the Fron|ti&s;piece of this little Book: For in the fir&s;t place, I fear
<PB REF="3">le&s;t &s;ome will accu&s;e me of Impudence and Ra&s;hne&s;s, &s;aying, <HI>How pre&s;ume&s;t thou to lead men to Hea|ven, who art totally ty'd to the Earth?</HI> Or with what Confidence can&s;t thou undertake to de&s;cribe Vir|tue to others, who thy &s;elf do&s;t not practi&s;e it? More|over, what New Thing do&s;t thou bring us in this thy Compo&s;ition? Surely thou fastidiou&s;ly and rude|ly repeate&s;t the &s;ame Old Matter, which hath been
<PB REF="3">already Learnedly and E|legantly treated of, by al|mo&s;t a numberle&s;s number of Writers; and by a proud Lye, make&s;t O&s;tentation of other mens Riches, as if they were thy own.</P>
<P>By the&s;e and &s;uch like expre&s;sions, &s;ome will per|chance &s;trive to undervalue my endeavours: But fir&s;t of all, I will excu&s;e my &s;elf with that Prudent mans &s;aying; <HI>I take upon me the property of a Whet|&s;tone, which although it
<PB REF="4">&s;elf cannot cut, can &s;har|pen the Iron.</HI> Then I will make u&s;e of another Wi&s;e mans Words; <HI>I am not &s;o pre&s;umptuous, as being my &s;elf Sick, to under|take the Cure of others; but as one lying in the &s;ame Ho&s;pital, I di&s;cour&s;e with you concerning our common Di&s;temper, and communicate my Reme|dies. Do you therefore &s;o hear me, as if I talk'd with my &s;elf; for I admit you into my &s;ecrecy.</HI> I
<PB REF="4">here profe&s;s my &s;elf a learning Di&s;ciple, in&s;truct|ing my own &s;elf, and not a teaching Ma&s;ter: for the&s;e are done mutually, and <HI>whil&s;t men Teach, they Learn.</HI></P>
<P>As to what is objected in the &s;econd place, I can no otherwi&s;e an&s;wer it, than by ingenuou&s;ly acknowledg|ing, that here is little of my own, much of others. I have heap'd many things together, either which I learn'd by my own Experi|ence,
<PB REF="5">or which I perceiv'd would profit me, as I perus'd the Writings of the Holy Fathers, and of the Anti|ent Philo&s;ophers. But after the manner of Bees, I re|duc'd the &s;everal Sweets into one Savour, intermix|ing &s;ome things in the pro|per Words of the Authors, and adding the re&s;t in my own &s;tile, which I de&s;ired &s;hould be facile, and de|void of ornament: for I here <HI>teach to Do, not to Speak.</HI></P>
<PB REF="5">
<P>You have then in this &s;mall Volume, a certain <HI>A|bridgment</HI> and <HI>Breviate,</HI> of all the Moral Instituti|ons delivered by the <HI>Holy Fathers,</HI> in order <HI>to live well</HI> and <HI>happily.</HI> You have the best Re&s;olves of <HI>Seneca, Epictetus, Anto|ninus,</HI> and the rest of the <HI>Sages.</HI> And I thought good to &s;et down in brief &s;uch whole&s;ome Admonitions, as I found efficacious in the Cure of my own Maladies, omitting the citation of the
<PB REF="6">places from whence I col|lected them. The&s;e are the <HI>Souls Remedies,</HI> not the <HI>Wits Recreations;</HI> nor do I here intend <HI>plea&s;ure,</HI> but <HI>profit.</HI> The &s;ick Per&s;on que&s;tions not who mingled his Potion, or where the Ingredients were gathered, &s;o long as they cure his di|&s;temper. I have omitted many things which I could have produced; many which I might have more &s;ubtily explicated: but 'tis better to have a few Precepts of
<PB REF="6">Wi&s;dom in a readine&s;s for pre&s;ent u&s;e, then to learn many, and not to have them at hand for your daily pract|ice. <HI>He hath learn'd much, who knows, how much is enough for his Salvation.</HI></P>
<P>God Grant, that this my labour, &s;uch as it is, may be highly profitable to all, but chiefly to my &s;elf; le&s;t my Sayings, not &s;econded by my Actions, may make me a&s;hamed.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="7">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>Page 10. l. 15. adde <HI>him.</HI></P>
<P>Page 46. l. 19. <HI>broke.</HI></P>
<P>Page 159. l. 7. <HI>anothers.</HI></P>
<P>Page 159. l. 8. <HI>theres,</HI> read <HI>there.</HI></P>
<P>Page 159. l. 11. <HI>apprehend,</HI> read <HI>reprehend.</HI></P>
<P>Page 159. l. 18. <HI>Wi&s;man,</HI> read <HI>Wi&s;e man.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="8">
<PB N="1" REF="8">
<HEAD>A GUIDE TO HEAVEN. CONTAINING The Marrow of the Holy Fathers, and of the Antient Philo&s;ophers.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. I.</HI> Of Mans la&s;t End. What an Evil it is, to &s;werve from it. The Means and Method to come to it.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. MY de&s;ign is, to direct you, (who&s;oever you are that read this) <HI>to Heaven;</HI> to that good (I &s;ay) which being obtained, you can de&s;ire no more. This is the main
<PB N="2" REF="9">Mark and Butt, at which all mens Vows are by a natural propen&s;ion levelled. All have a will to be happy: but through the fault of the fir&s;t Parent, many becoming purblind, have left the true and prime good, and unfruitfully applied them&s;elves to the pur&s;uit of fal&s;e and &s;ophi&s;ticated Ob|jects. And the&s;e mi&s;taken per&s;ons, fancy|ing the <HI>chief Good</HI> to con&s;i&s;t in wanting No|thing, have given this Name to Riches; others, placing the <HI>chief Good</HI> in greate&s;t Power, &s;trive either to King it them&s;elves, or to get near to them who Govern. And &s;ome there are, who de&s;cending to &s;ordid matters, imagine it the highe&s;t happine&s;s to wallow in plea&s;ures, mea&s;uring the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Supreme Good,</HI> by the Ell of Carnal delights, and Gluttony: So ba&s;e|ly do the&s;e men judge of <HI>Beatitude.</HI> Thus labouring in vain, and wandring as it were in a labyrinth, by how the &s;wiftlier they ha&s;ten to Good, by &s;o much the farther they are from it; in this mo&s;t unhappy, becau&s;e they know not their unhappi|ne&s;s.</P>
<P N="2">2. This is the thing, mi&s;erable man, which involves thee in great evils, that thou indeed de&s;ire&s;t to <HI>live happily,</HI> and to <HI>dye happily;</HI> but art fooli&s;h and blind in &s;eeing what true happine&s;s is, and how it
<PB N="3" REF="9">may be had, vainly &s;eeking it by many by|wayes. What&s;oever thou doe&s;t, what&s;o|ever thou de&s;ire&s;t, what&s;oever thou endea|voure&s;t is again&s;t thee. For thou eye&s;t not that <HI>immen&s;e Good,</HI> wherein thy Will &s;hould re&s;t, becau&s;e there is nothing above the highe&s;t: but thou roame&s;t abroad without de&s;ign, like the Ants creeping up and down among&s;t the Shrubs, climbing up to the top, and then de&s;cending empty to the bottom. God the maker of all things, created thee of Nothing, that thou &s;houlde&s;t love him only, &s;erve him only, with thy whole inten|tion, with thy whole affection: As 'tis ne|ce&s;&s;ary for him <HI>to be,</HI> &s;o 'tis nece&s;&s;ary he &s;hould <HI>be thy la&s;t End.</HI> Think &s;eriou&s;ly how great a part of thy life thou give&s;t to him, to whom thou &s;hould&s;t give the whole. Thy Studies and Coun&s;els erre, if they are not to him directed. As the end of thy Journey is the place to which thou tende&s;t, whither being arrived thou repo&s;e&s;t; &s;o the end of thy life is <HI>God,</HI> to whom thou art to referr what&s;oever thou thinke&s;t, what&s;o|ever thou &s;peake&s;t, what&s;oever thou acte&s;t, till <HI>he</HI> being obtained, all thy tendencies are compleated. What&s;oever withdraws thee from this thy <HI>la&s;t End,</HI> draws thee to eter|nal de&s;truction.</P>
<P N="3">3. As in a Sea-voyage, if perchance the
<PB N="4" REF="10">Ship &s;topping, thou leape&s;t overboard to refre&s;h thy &s;elf on the &s;hoar, and there in the mean time gathere&s;t Shells or Bull|ru&s;hes; yet thy mind will &s;till be &s;olici|tou&s;ly attentive to the Ship, le&s;t the Gover|nour &s;hould call thee away; for then quit|ting all, thou mu&s;t &s;peedily repair to the Ve&s;&s;el: Even &s;o thou mu&s;t behave thy &s;elf in thy Life: Having thy Mind evermore fix'd upon <HI>God,</HI> thou art to u&s;e external things in &s;uch &s;ort, as never to let them touch thy heart, nor divert thy attendency to thy <HI>propo&s;ed End:</HI> They &s;erve thee, that thou may&s;t &s;erve <HI>God.</HI> Otherwi&s;e falling from the <HI>Divine &V;nity,</HI> thou art &s;catter'd abroad among&s;t many not nece&s;&s;ary things, and wor&s;hippe&s;t as many Idols, as there are creatures which thou adhere&s;t to, with a di&s;ordered affection. The&s;e are thy Gods, to whom by a foul Sacriledge thou &s;acri|fice&s;t not an Oxe, not a Goat, but thy &s;elf, and thy Salvation. The law of Love per|mits not any thing to be belov'd <HI>with God,</HI> but only <HI>in God,</HI> and <HI>for God.</HI> 'Tis the highe&s;t dammage, to deflect from the <HI>chiefe&s;t Good,</HI> and adhere to the Crea|tures.</P>
<P N="4">4. That which the Prince of Phy&s;icians pronounces of impure Bodies, <Q><HI>By how much the more they are nouri&s;hed, by &s;o much
<PB N="5" REF="10">the more they are endamaged,</HI></Q> is to be &s;aid al&s;o of Souls: For they who begin to pa&s;s from a bad cu&s;tom to a better condition, mu&s;t fir&s;t vomit up the Venome of their wicked life, and then inge&s;t into their pu|rified Minds, the &s;olid Aliments of Virtues. And this Purgation is thus to be performed: All committed &s;ins are to be expiated; all affections towards them are to be bani&s;hed; all vitious Cu&s;toms are to be eradicated; all evil Propen&s;ions and immoderate Appe|tites, are to be &s;ubjected to the Empire of Rea&s;on: The Fle&s;h is to be cha&s;ti&s;ed: Cor|poral Nece&s;&s;ities are to be reduc'd to a ju&s;t moderation: The Tongue and Sen&s;es are to be bridled: what&s;oever may put a &s;top or delay to the &s;peedy a&s;cending to the mountain top of Virtue, mu&s;t be totally exterminated. What dreade&s;t thou, and why do&s;t thou fancy the <HI>way</HI> &s;hew'd thee <HI>to Felicity,</HI> to be &s;o full of difficulties? Thou may&s;t make thy &s;elf happy; he &s;upplying thee with &s;trength, who is <HI>thy Beginning</HI> and <HI>thy End.</HI> But thou mu&s;t go forth of thy &s;elf, that thou may&s;t get to him. Thou wilt be to him &s;o much the nearer, by how much thou art from thy &s;elf more remote.</P>
<P N="5">5. The fir&s;t thing thou art to propo&s;e to thy &s;elf, is, <HI>What thou de&s;ire&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Whither
<PB N="6" REF="11">thou tende&s;t;</HI> Then the <HI>way</HI> is to be con&s;i|dered, by which thou may&s;t obtain that <HI>chief Good;</HI> and in thy journey thou wilt under&s;tand what progre&s;s thou daily make&s;t. Take a &s;erious &s;urvey of thy Con|&s;cience, and opening thy dim eyes, &s;ee im|partially what thou art, and what thou oughte&s;t to be. 'Twill be too late to di&s;co|ver the deceit, when thou can&s;t not avoid it. Learn by what <HI>Remedy</HI> the <HI>madne&s;s</HI> of <HI>Cupidities</HI> is <HI>tamed;</HI> with what <HI>Bridle</HI> the <HI>cruelty</HI> of <HI>Fear</HI> is <HI>curbed.</HI> Practi&s;e the con|tempt of earthly things, and depart freely from what thou can&s;t not long po&s;&s;e&s;s. Leave all, before thou art left by all; that when death &s;hall come, it may find nothing in thee, which it can de&s;troy: But be &s;ure to imploy thy chief care upon thy Soul, and let not that which is fir&s;t in excellency, be the la&s;t in thy &s;olicitude; <HI>What avails it for a man to gain the whole world, and &s;uffer &s;hip|wrack of his Soul?</HI> There's no Gain, where there is a lo&s;s of Salvation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="7" REF="11">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. II.</HI> Who &s;o de&s;ires to live well, mu&s;t make choice of an In&s;tructer. What manner of man this ought to be. The Duties of a Di&s;ciple.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>NOthing</HI> is more nece&s;&s;ary to one be|ginning to <HI>&s;erve God,</HI> than to per|mit him&s;elf to be <HI>governed</HI> and <HI>directed</HI> by a <HI>di&s;creet Ma&s;ter.</HI> For who adventures upon an unknown Journey, without a Guide? Who can learn a difficult Trade, without a Teacher? Thou &s;halt find very few, who without any ones help, have rais'd up them&s;elves to the height of <HI>Virtue.</HI> What ought generally to be done by all, may be communicated to per&s;ons who are ab&s;ent, and tran&s;mitted to po&s;te|rity by Writings: but when and how each particular thing is to be practi&s;ed, cannot be directed at a di&s;tance; deliberation mu&s;t be made with the things them&s;elves. A Phy&s;ician cannot by Letter pre&s;cribe to his Patient the ju&s;t mea&s;ure of his Diet, and time of taking his Potion: the Vein mu&s;t be touch'd, and the Pul&s;e felt. So al&s;o in curing the Souls maladies, there are certain Symptoms which cannot be perceived but
<PB N="8" REF="12">by one pre&s;ent. St. <HI>Paul,</HI> the de&s;igned <HI>Doctor of the Gentiles,</HI> after he was con|verted by <HI>Christ,</HI> was directed to <HI>Ananias,</HI> that he might learn from him the <HI>way of life.</HI> Thou ha&s;t undertaken a hard and laborious task, to conquer the perver&s;ity of Nature, to wre&s;tle with <HI>Spiritual wickedne&s;&s;es,</HI> and to bring thy &s;elf to <HI>Virtue,</HI> amid&s;t &s;o many impeding ob&s;tacles: it therefore behoves thee to call in &s;ome charitable Neighbour to thy aid, who may lend thee his helping hand, who may &s;hew thee the dangers, who may di&s;cover the deceits, and in the doubtful day of battel in&s;truct thee how to gain the victory. But whom (&s;ay&s;t thou) mu&s;t I call in to my help? Surely a man both <HI>Faithful and Prudent;</HI> one who is both willing and able to a&s;&s;i&s;t thee; one who&s;e pre&s;ence thou reverence&s;t, not dread|e&s;t; one who will not cha&s;ti&s;e thy failings, but redre&s;s them; one who&s;e life is more approv'd on by the Eyes, than by the Ears. <HI>He commands ill, who commands and acts not.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Make choice of him for thy Helper, who will not flatter thee; who intrudes not into vulgar conver&s;ation; who fre|quents not the Rich mens Fea&s;ts, nor the Princes Courts; who hath in his Life and Manners &s;ome &s;uch thing as the Gold&s;mith
<PB N="9" REF="12">hath in his moneys, &s;o that he can &s;ay, &s;hew me any Coyn, I can di&s;cern it; bring be|fore me any Affection, I will judge and cen|&s;ure it: who like a well-experienc'd Phy|&s;ician, can di&s;cover internal di&s;ca&s;es, and apply proper Remedies to redre&s;s all the Souls di&s;tempers. Let him be &s;uch a one, as can by a &s;ubtle &s;crutiny di&s;cern the &s;e|crets of all Spirits, di&s;tingui&s;h between <HI>Virtues and Vices,</HI> accommodate him&s;elf to every ones manners, dive into all the Re|ce&s;&s;es of thy Interiour, is free from all de|praved affection, aiming only at thy <HI>Spiri|tual advancement.</HI> One (I &s;ay) who in the <HI>Spirit of Meekne&s;s</HI> knows how to in&s;truct and allure, how to detect and elude all the Devils crafts and &s;trata|gems; and finally, one to whom thou need&s;t not be a&s;ham'd to lay open all the &s;ecrets of thy heart and &s;oul. <HI>'Tis a great part of thy Happine&s;s, to find out &s;uch a Friend.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. With him di&s;cour&s;e willingly; and commit to his prudent examination, and di&s;cu&s;&s;ion, what&s;oever thou ha&s;t within thee of perver&s;e propen&s;ion, and not only what&s;oever thou do&s;t ami&s;s, but al&s;o what|&s;oever good thou performe&s;t, and what&s;o|ever thou conceite&s;t to be communicated unto thee <HI>from Heaven.</HI> Intreat him ear|ne&s;tly,
<PB N="10" REF="13">that if he ob&s;erves in thee any tur|bulent affection, he will vouch&s;afe to &s;hew it unto thee; and that he will plea&s;e to do it frequently and freely, not di&s;&s;embling thy Vices, out of &s;hamefac'dne&s;s or fear of reproving thee. But if he denies to &s;ee in thee any thing worthy his &s;everer cen|&s;ure, beware le&s;t thou thereupon fancy thy &s;elf inculpable: For he is &s;ilent, either as apprehending thy hatred, or as de&s;pairing of thy amendment. Then do thou urge him with greater in&s;tance and vehemency; and &s;hew by thy actions, how much thou de&s;ire&s;t to profit by his reprehen&s;ions. Begin to depo&s;e with thy imperfections, and compo&s;e thy Life according to his Pre&s;cript. Rejoyce that he reviles thy im|piety; and depart alwayes from him either &s;ound, or in the way to it. <HI>Amongst &s;o many maladies, 'tis &s;omething to have a Will to be cured.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. The&s;e are the mutual offices, of the <HI>Teacher</HI> and of the <HI>Learner,</HI> that the one &s;hould have <HI>a will to profit,</HI> the other <HI>a de|&s;ire to practi&s;e:</HI> That the <HI>In&s;tructer</HI> &s;hould not profit, &s;carcely any thing can hinder, but the refractorine&s;s of the <HI>Di&s;ciple,</HI> who may want <HI>patience to learn,</HI> or a <HI>capacity to be cured.</HI> For &s;ome there are, who relying upon their own prudence, refu&s;e to follow
<PB N="11" REF="13">any other mans <HI>dictamen:</HI> All the&s;e things (&s;ay they) which you inculcate, I know already: What avails it then to tell me what is before manife&s;t? Yes, <HI>very much:</HI> For thou &s;ometimes <HI>knowe&s;t,</HI> but do&s;t not <HI>attend, reflect, con&s;ider.</HI> This new Admo|nition intends not to inform thy <HI>&V;nder|&s;tanding,</HI> but to excite thy <HI>Memory.</HI> The Mind oft-times di&s;&s;embles things which are apparent, and therefore the know|ledge of things mo&s;t known, mu&s;t be often &s;ugge&s;ted unto it: For <HI>Virtue</HI> is crected when 'tis touch'd and pre&s;&s;ed. A filly &s;hamefac'dne&s;s with-holds &s;ome; which is &s;urely a Childi&s;h Vice, and unworthy a man: Others, as if they were frantick, &s;uppre&s;s their inward maladies by a per|tinacious &s;ilence, and grow angry at the <HI>Phy&s;ician</HI> who goes about to cure them. This noxious taciturnity, proceeds un|doubtedly from the per&s;wa&s;ion of the Internal Enemy, hoping to hurt &s;o long as he lurks undi&s;covered. And &s;urely thou blu&s;he&s;t not to expo&s;e thy bodily wounds to the open view of &s;uch beholders as may cure them; but thou indu&s;triou&s;ly covere&s;t thy Souls Ulcers, as if to conceal them, were to cancel them; and yet it can hard|ly be avoided, but that notwith&s;tanding thy endeavours to the contrary, they will be|tray
<PB N="12" REF="14">them&s;elves. <HI>Who &s;o covers his wound, can never be cured.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Doth the Phy&s;ician injure thee, if he &s;hews thee thy infirmity? If he tells thee, Thou art dangerou&s;ly &s;ick, Thou ha&s;t a Feaver, Thou mu&s;t this day ab&s;tain from &s;uch and &s;uch food, this day thou mu&s;t drink water: This plain dealing is e&s;teem'd a favour, and thanks are given him for his freedom. But if any one tells thee, Thy Appetites are exorbitant, Thy Opi|nions are vain, Thy Affections are immode|rate, thou pre&s;ently exclaime&s;t, O affront not to be endured! Unhappy man! what dammage or detriment doth this <HI>zealous Admoni&s;her</HI> and <HI>In&s;tructer</HI> bring unto thee? That &s;urely, which a Looking-gla&s;s doth to a deformed Face: It &s;hews thee what thou art. Correct then what he reproves, amend thy manners, &s;cour off thy fil|thine&s;s. Thou may&s;t ea&s;ily, if thou wilt, render thy &s;elf to all beholders eyes, <HI>irreprehen&s;ible.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="13" REF="14">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. III.</HI> Of Purgation from &s;in. All affection to &s;in is to be laid a&s;ide, and Vice is to be rooted out. No remedy is more efficacious again&s;t Vice, than the con&s;ideration of Death and Eternity.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. MAn deviates from his la&s;t end, when he commits Sin, which is the cau&s;e of all Evils. From this &s;eed, &s;prings all that torments us: with this Poy&s;on the whole world is infected. It lies clo&s;ely hidden whil&s;t it is doing, but when 'tis done, thou wilt under&s;tand how bad it is. Some there were, who joyn'd the bo|dies of dead men to the living, to torment them with the &s;tench: A like puni&s;hment befalls &s;inners; their torment is fa&s;t ty'd to them, they know not wither to fly from it: Unle&s;s thou wilt endure &s;omething that thou may&s;t not do evil, thou wilt endure much becau&s;e thou ha&s;t done it. A bad action is &s;carcely conceiv'd, and pre&s;ently it becomes the Parent of its own puni&s;h|ment. From thence Death derives its birth, from thence Hell-fire is enkindled. The Con&s;cience is therefore to be clean&s;ed
<PB N="14" REF="15">from all crimes, by <HI>Contrition, Confe&s;&s;ion,</HI> and <HI>Satisfaction.</HI> Nor are the more grie|vous faults only to be avoided, but the very lea&s;t and lighte&s;t, which though they bring not Death, yet by degrees they di&s;&s;olve the &s;trength, and in&s;en&s;ibly di&s;po&s;e to mortal impiety: And what's the diffe|rence in a Shipwrack, whether the Ve&s;&s;el is overwhelm'd with one wave, or whether the water &s;oaking in drop after drop, and carele&s;ly let alone, fills it at la&s;t, and &s;inks it to the bottom? And the&s;e give by &s;o much a greater blemi&s;h to our manners, by how much they might more ea&s;ily have been avoided. The weaker the Enemy is, the greater is the &s;hame to be overcome by him.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou wilt never be able to plant Virtues in thy mind, and to re-e&s;tabli&s;h thy &s;elf in thy former &s;tate of Liberty, unle&s;s thou putte&s;t off all affection towards Sin, although the very lea&s;t: le&s;t thy body being in the wilderne&s;s, thy mind &s;hould be in <HI>Egypt.</HI> It fares ill with thee, if after thou ha&s;t di&s;mi&s;&s;ed all injuries, after thou ha&s;t abandoned all bea&s;tly loves, thou yet give&s;t ear to bad di&s;cour&s;es, and art yet delighted with earthly beauties. For the evil habits of Vices, which &s;till remain, though the fault is remitted, mu&s;t be entirely rooted
<PB N="15" REF="15">out, as being the bad progeny of thy for|mer prevarication. If thou only loppe&s;t off the <HI>Branches,</HI> the <HI>Root</HI> will again put forth new <HI>Scions</HI> of <HI>Iniquity.</HI> Thou &s;ay&s;t, thou wilt cut off Vices: 'Tis fal&s;e, for thou &s;hutte&s;t not the door again&s;t them, but only putte&s;t it too. Thou &s;ay&s;t, thou art offended at the foulne&s;s of thy former life; I believe it, for who is not offended at it? Bad men both love and hate their Vices; yea, they dete&s;t them even when they do them: But what avails it to <HI>reject them in words,</HI> and <HI>in deeds to embrace them?</HI> No man hath a Con&s;cience &s;o &s;eared, but that he &s;ometimes loathes his Vices, and yet he &s;oon after &s;hakes hands with them. But he who is truly converted to God, applies the Hatchet to the Root, and pares away the &s;malle&s;t hairs of his Vices: And then reflecting upon his frailty, he indu&s;triou&s;ly &s;huns all occa&s;ion of &s;inning; and at every object of evil, he tremblingly leaps back and ab|horrs it.</P>
<P N="3">3. Why do&s;t thou vainly trifle, and oppo&s;e&s;t the infirmity of Nature to God, commanding the extermination of Vices? None better knows the mea&s;ure of thy forces, than he who freely be&s;towed them: Why then do&s;t thou not pre&s;ently obey, &s;ince not the Commanders profit, but thy
<PB N="16" REF="16">own is intended? O blind, and impious temerity! Thou dare&s;t ca&s;t dirt in Gods face, by affirming that to be hard which he enjoyns; as if he &s;hould impo&s;e Precepts upon thee, which thou can&s;t not perform, and &s;eem by commanding thee, not to have intended thy Salvation, but thy puni&s;h|ment: Such is mans perver&s;ity, to de&s;erve ill of God, and to feign to him&s;elf <HI>labour in his Precepts.</HI> But if thou wilt make tryal of thy &s;trength, thou &s;halt find thy &s;elf able to do more then thou imagined&s;t: Not be|cau&s;e the conte&s;t is difficult, thou dare&s;t not; but becau&s;e thou dare&s;t not, the con|te&s;t &s;eems difficult: Many things which be|fore &s;eem'd terrible, have by u&s;e been made ea&s;ie and familiar. Begin and do not un|dervalue thy &s;elf. God de&s;erts not his Soul|diers. Thou &s;halt have as much &s;trength as thou de&s;ire&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4. Thou wilt ea&s;ily vanqui&s;h all Vices, if thou believe&s;t every Day to be the la&s;t of thy Life. What is it that fa&s;tens thee to this world? 'tis that thou &s;eldom con|&s;idere&s;t how &s;oon thou mu&s;t leave it. Dead Carka&s;&s;es pa&s;s daily to the Graves before thy eyes, which force thee, who forgette&s;t thy Mortality, to look upon Death: And yet thou, amid&s;t the&s;e frequent Funerals, thinke&s;t of nothing le&s;s, than thine own
<PB N="17" REF="16">departure: Thou beholde&s;t nothing more commonly, and forgette&s;t nothing more ea&s;ily: But the day will come which will &s;eparate thee from the <HI>fellow&s;hip of thy &s;tink|ing Belly:</HI> This cloud will then be di&s;per|&s;ed; and thou wilt then perceive thou <HI>lived&s;t in darkne&s;s,</HI> when thou <HI>beholde&s;t the light.</HI> Produce, if thou can&s;t, of &s;o many elap&s;ed years, one only day to witne&s;s thy &s;incere Virtue, which was not blemi&s;hed with &s;ome defect: Thy <HI>Younger Age</HI> was &s;pent among&s;t <HI>Play-games, Nutts,</HI> and <HI>Nifles;</HI> thy <HI>Youthfull dayes</HI> among&s;t <HI>Lu&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Fopperies;</HI> thy <HI>Manly time</HI> among&s;t <HI>greater crimes,</HI> and <HI>wickedne&s;&s;es:</HI> and after all <HI>the Years,</HI> which have flow'd from thy <HI>Cradle</HI> to thy <HI>gray Hairs,</HI> nothing now re|mains but the <HI>&s;ad fruits of Iniquity.</HI> Ah! what &s;traits wilt thou be in, when what is pa&s;t will &s;hame thee, and what is to come will affright thee? What will thy Riches then profit thee, got with &s;uch &s;weat, kept with &s;uch &s;olicitude? What fle&s;hly and filthy Plea&s;ures, what the vain and empty Names of <HI>Honours</HI> and <HI>Dignities,</HI> what <HI>Purple Robes, Scepters,</HI> and <HI>Crowns?</HI> O, were it permitted to return to thy Childi&s;h Innocence, and to begin the &s;pinning of a new Thread, how much better would&s;t thou behave thy &s;elf? But
<PB N="18" REF="17">the&s;e vows and wi&s;hes are un&s;ea&s;onable in that fatal moment. If thou wilt make u&s;e of time, begin even now: and for&s;ake &s;uch things, as thou wilt then wi&s;h thou had&s;t for&s;aken. 'Tis a &s;mall matter to renounce momentary trifles, for the obtaining of eter|nal Trea&s;ures.</P>
<P N="5">5. Ask, if thou plea&s;e&s;t, of a dying per|&s;on, what he thinks of his pa&s;t life: thou &s;halt hardly find one, who hath not then a far different opinion of <HI>Riches, Dignities,</HI> and <HI>Worldly Vanities,</HI> then he had whil&s;t he was healthy: At that time all things are weighed in a more equal Ballance, and are judg'd of as they truly are. Thus their <HI>over-late wi&s;dom</HI> may turn to thy <HI>great pro|fit,</HI> if thou wilt learn by other mens Errors to correct thy own. Thou may&s;t now &s;ail &s;afely, why &s;taye&s;t thou till the weather grows tempe&s;tuous? Thou may&s;t during the calm, withdraw thy &s;elf from calamity, why do&s;t thou re&s;erve thy &s;elf for ex|treme danger? <HI>Precaution</HI> is too late when thou art <HI>drowned,</HI> and <HI>Prudence</HI> is to no purpo&s;e when thou art already <HI>peri&s;hed.</HI> The greate&s;t and holie&s;t Men, having put away all impediments, and bid adiew to them&s;elves and to the whole world, made it their only &s;tudy, during the remainder of their Earthly Pilgrimage, to learn <HI>how to live</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="17">and <HI>how to dye:</HI> and yet many of them pro|fe&s;&s;ing their ignorance, departed this life; &s;o difficult a matter it is to under&s;tand this Art. And wilt thou delay till Old Age the laying hold of whole&s;ome Coun&s;els, and there begin thy life, where few have pro|duced theirs? 'Tis a great Folly to begin then to live, when we mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily cea&s;e to live.</P>
<P N="6">6. Whither do&s;t thou throw thy &s;elf, unwary man? Do&s;t thou believe thus, and do&s;t thou thus live? Thy time is the pa&s;&s;ing-by of a &s;hadow, thy life is a Point, and can any thing be le&s;s than a Point? Scarcely born, thou cea&s;e&s;t to be. Stop one only day, forbid one only hour from flow|ing, command time to make only a &s;hort &s;tay: Vain is thy endeavour; for it will &s;ooner &s;natch thee along with it, then cea&s;e to run mo&s;t &s;wiftly to the de&s;truction of thee and all other things wha&s;oever. And do&s;t thou preferr this moment before Eter|nity which hath no period? O <HI>Folly!</HI> O <HI>Phren&s;ey!</HI> thou omitte&s;t not to get for thy Body, which is quickly to peri&s;h, what appertains to it, and there is no end of thy acqui&s;ition: but for thy Soul, which never dyes, thou make&s;t no provi&s;ion for the fu|ture, as if it were none of thine? Thy Body langui&s;hes, and thou art ready to
<PB N="20" REF="18">undergo any danger to cure it: Thy Soul langui&s;hes, and thou neglecte&s;t it, and art in&s;en&s;ible of its &s;ickne&s;s? When was it told thee, Hoi&s;e thy &s;ails le&s;t thou peri&s;h, and thou delayed&s;t to do it? Take this bit|ter Phy&s;ick, and thou refu&s;ed&s;t? God en|joyns ea&s;ie things, that thou may&s;t live for ever, and wilt thou not obey? Had&s;t thou a Law-&s;uit, all thy thoughts, all thy di&s;|cour&s;es would be imployed about it, nor would&s;t thou omit any means, whereby the Judge might be moved to give &s;entence on thy &s;ide: and the la&s;t Judgment drawing near, upon which an Eternity depends, do&s;t thou laugh, do&s;t thou trifle, do&s;t thou &s;in, being to peri&s;h eternally? Ah! leave at la&s;t to be mad, and getting forth of the Puddle of thy impieties, put thy &s;elf daily in &s;uch a po&s;ture, as if thou wert arrived at the la&s;t end of thy life. This is true Philo&s;ophy; to lead this &s;oul out of the body with all po&s;&s;ible &s;ecurity.</P>
<P N="7">7. Let this be thy bu&s;ine&s;s, this thy Ce&s;&s;ation, this thy Labour, this thy Re&s;t, to withdraw thy &s;elf from Time and drown thy &s;elf in Eternity. That &s;tands alwayes fix'd and unmovable, which is a&s;&s;erted into the rights of Eternity. The covetous Glut|ton after &s;o many Ages, demands &s;till a
<PB N="21" REF="18">drop of water, and he &s;hall vainly ask it with a perpetual bellowing. Eternity is an evermore pre&s;ent duration, never to be named without a &s;igh and horror: 'Tis a Wheel alwayes turning: 'Tis a continued, unterminated, and &s;till commencing Be|ginning. The &s;erious thought of it, mixes Wormwood with the Worlds delights; and dejects a&s;toni&s;h'd, and (as it were) Planet-&s;trucken men with deadly &s;orrow. This tames the &s;tubborn Soul, and from the vain cares in which it lies &s;lumbring, row&s;es it up to <HI>Virtue:</HI> This &s;ea&s;ons hun|ger and thir&s;t, makes all labour &s;eem ea&s;ie, all &s;orrow &s;weet, all puni&s;hment plea&s;ant, and all difficulties of &s;hort durance. Let the va&s;t &s;paces of Heaven, as they are every where immen&s;ely extended, be fill'd with Numerical Notes; who be&s;ides God him|&s;elf, will be found able to expre&s;s this al|mo&s;t Infinite &s;eries of Numbers? Yet the&s;e innumerable Numbers are not &s;o much as the Beginning of Eternity. Let &s;o many Years, &s;o many Ages &s;lide away, as there are Unites in all tho&s;e Numbers, nothing yet is cut off from Eternity. Tho&s;e mo&s;t unfortunate Mortals, who lye perpetually frying in Hell-fire, are not yet arrived at the beginning of this a&s;toni&s;hing E|ternity. If thou tremble&s;t not at this
<PB N="22" REF="19">Con&s;ideration, if thou falle&s;t not upon a ferious amendment of thy life, thou &s;urely out-vie&s;t the harde&s;t Flint in ob|duracy.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. IV.</HI> Of Gluttony. Its Evils. Its Remedies. The &s;igns of its being conquered.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THe fir&s;t War thou art to wage, is again&s;t <HI>the vice of Gluttony,</HI> which furni&s;hes matter to the re&s;t. <HI>Gluttony</HI> gave a beginning to the death both of our Bodies and Souls: For our fir&s;t Parents by eating the <HI>forbidden Apple,</HI> &s;lew all men before they begot them. Now the Enemies of Souls make u&s;e of the &s;ame Bait, that by weakning all our vigour, they may worry us, and trample on us. Hence &s;pring <HI>Stupidity, Tepidity, Tediou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> hence <HI>Scurrility, Loquacity, Di&s;&s;olution:</HI> hence <HI>&V;neleanne&s;s, Brawls, Contentions:</HI> hence <HI>dulne&s;s of mind, drow&s;ine&s;s of &s;pirit, de|&s;truction of all vertue:</HI> hence <HI>profu&s;ion, po|verty,</HI> a long <HI>chain of di&s;ea&s;es,</HI> and <HI>death</HI> it &s;elf, ha&s;tned by an over-heavy burthen of undige&s;ted victuals. There are few infirm
<PB N="23" REF="19">per&s;ons, whom <HI>Gluttony</HI> drave not to their di&s;ea&s;es: For if the Body abounds not with bad humours, ingendred by the ex|ce&s;s of meat and drink, although it may be attempted by a &s;ickne&s;s, yet it cannot be &s;ubdued by it. <HI>Gluttony kills more than the Sword.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. O the ba&s;e &s;ervitude of the Belly! O in&s;atiable Cupidity! Nature has given thee no great body, and thou exceede&s;t the gree|dine&s;s of the greate&s;t and mo&s;t gluttonous Animals. A Bull is fed with the herbage of a few Acres: one Wood nouri&s;hes many Elephants: but the World &s;eems little to thee; what&s;oever flyes in the Air, what&s;o|ever &s;wims in the Sea, what&s;oever runs in the Forre&s;ts, do not &s;atisfie thy ravenous appetite. Ca&s;t an eye into Noblemens Kitchens, and contemplate the Cooks run|ning bu&s;ily up and down among&s;t tho&s;e many fires; look upon the &s;weating num|bers of Men and Maid-&s;ervants; con&s;ider the &s;laughters of the Fowl, and the Sawces &s;wimming in Wine; ob&s;erve with what indu&s;try they order the Plates, with what art they mar&s;hal the Me&s;&s;es, place the Di&s;hes, and execute their re&s;pective im|ployments: You would &s;carcely believe it were to feed one only Family, that the Wine of &s;o many <HI>Con&s;uls</HI> and <HI>Kingdoms</HI> is
<PB N="24" REF="20">drawn out, that the Table is furni&s;hed with &s;o great magnificency. I do not ad|vi&s;e thee to withdraw nouriture from thy Belly: It is froward, it may not be contra|dicted, it &s;tands in need of daily &s;u&s;te|nance: But a &s;ubtle and deceitful &s;nare of Concupi&s;cence lyes here concealed, which frequently fetters the Soul, and upon pretence of Nece&s;&s;ity, provides Fewel to foment Plea&s;ure. Wilt thou know with how little Hunger is extingui&s;hed? Count thy &s;elf, mea&s;ure thy body, con|&s;ult thy &s;tomach. Thou wilt find <HI>that</HI> not to be nece&s;&s;ary, <HI>which</HI> exceeds the mea|&s;ure. <HI>A little &s;uffices Nature, nothing &s;atis|fies Luxury.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Hunger</HI> is not ambitious, but is con|tent to leave off, not caring wherein it cea&s;es. The momentary judgment of the <HI>Pallat</HI> being pa&s;t, the precious reli&s;hes no better than that which is common, and good cheap. If thou art hungry, thou mu&s;t eat; if thir&s;ty, thou mu&s;t drink: but whether the Bread is made of ordinary Corn, or of the fine&s;t Flower; whether the Water is fetch'd from the next Foun|tain, or refre&s;h'd with cooling Snow, Na|ture is not at all concern'd. This one thing &s;he commands, that Hunger be appea&s;ed, that Thir&s;t be quenched; Fi&s;hes, caught in
<PB N="25" REF="20">the upper and lower Sea; &s;ought in the Lakes and Rivers; Birds, brought down from Heaven; Bea&s;ts, &s;urprized in the Woods and Forre&s;ts; &s;everal &s;orts of Ta&s;t|plea&s;ing Wines; and all the curious &s;ea|&s;onings of <HI>Apicius,</HI> are the torments of un|happy <HI>Luxury. Epicurus</HI> commends a &s;o|ber Diet, even for plea&s;ures &s;ake. Nothing is &s;o dainty, which &s;atiety renders not in|&s;ipid: nothing &s;o un&s;avoury, which hunger makes not delicious. Would&s;t thou be freed from all &s;uperfluous care of Meat and Drink? <HI>Con&s;ider thy end. Thou mu&s;t &s;hortly dye,</HI> and this Body pamper'd with &s;uch variety of curio&s;ities, mu&s;t &s;erve for food to filthy Worms. Ponder for what Gue&s;ts thou prepare&s;t a Fea&s;t; and &s;o nur|ture thy Fle&s;h, as not to oppre&s;s thy Mind. Make u&s;e of &s;uch meat as may ea&s;ily be had, and every where met withall, without impoveri&s;hing thy Patrimony, or prejudi|cing thy Health. A mannerly and well|tutor'd Belly, is a great part of Liberty. We under&s;tood not how many things are &s;uperfluous, till they began to be wanting. The Body &s;tands in need of nouri&s;hment, not of Junkets or Dainties.</P>
<P N="4">4. But there's no cau&s;e to prai&s;e thy &s;elf, if thou only de&s;pi&s;e&s;t &s;uperfluities. Then thou art prai&s;e-worthy, when thou con|temne&s;t
<PB N="26" REF="21">nece&s;&s;aries: when thou can&s;t per|&s;wade thy &s;elf, that brown Bread, and Wine weakned with Water &s;uffice for thy &s;u&s;tenance; when thou ha&s;t learn'd, that Herbs were not provided only for Bea&s;ts, but for men al&s;o. Then I admire thee, when in taking thy Refection, thou in|tende&s;t the bare nece&s;&s;ity of Nature, the only reparation of thy Forces, the &s;ole glory of God: when thou come&s;t unwillingly to the Table, and take&s;t thy meat as &s;ick per|&s;ons take a Medicine: when thou &s;trive&s;t to curb and moderate (&s;ince thou can&s;t not totally hinder) the plea&s;ure of thy Ta&s;t: when 'tis irk&s;ome to thee to admit any thing which is extraordinary, by rea&s;on of thy infirmity: when finally, thou ha&s;t ob|tain'd perfect purity both of Mind and Body. For the proof of Ab&s;tinence, con&s;i&s;ts not in the <HI>attenuation of the Body,</HI> but in the <HI>perfection of Cha&s;tity.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="27" REF="21">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. V.</HI> Of Luxury. How foul a vice it is. How ea&s;ie is the Relap&s;e into it, and how it may be avoided. The Plea&s;ure of the Mind, which is &s;olid, is to be &s;ought after.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. NO <HI>Vice</HI> is filthier then this, nor of which we may be more a&s;hamed. The very Name of it is not without <HI>igno|miny,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle intimated, when he commanded, that &s;uch matters &s;hould not &s;o much <HI>as be named amongst us.</HI> Hence proceeds that <HI>&s;hamefac'dne&s;s,</HI> which &s;eizes upon ingenuous and mode&s;t per&s;ons, if they &s;u&s;pect, that having committed any &s;uch crime of <HI>&V;ncleanne&s;s,</HI> it is come to the knowledge of others. Hence it is, that &s;ome conceal the &s;lippery Errors of their Youth, from the Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t in the Tribunal of <HI>Penance;</HI> chu&s;ing rather to undergo eternal torments with eternal di&s;grace after their Death, than the imaginary infamy of this <HI>Vice</HI> in their Life-time. He that is mir'd in this Puddle, &s;carcely gets loo&s;e from it. His Salvation is de&s;perate, who is infected with this di&s;ea&s;e. For what can
<PB N="28" REF="22">hurmane forces here do? <HI>No one can be Con|tinent, unle&s;s God gives it.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The fir&s;t <HI>Remedy</HI> therefore of this <HI>Malady,</HI> is <HI>fervent Prayer to the Divine Maje&s;ty;</HI> that <HI>he,</HI> who only hath the power, will plea&s;e to <HI>puri&s;ie</HI> and <HI>pre&s;erve thee.</HI> Then thou art to repre&s;s all <HI>impure ima|ginations</HI> in their very fir&s;t acce&s;s, with &s;uch &s;peed, as thou would&s;t &s;hake off a burning Coal from thy Garment. The Ca&s;tle is ready to be deliver'd up, when the Governour gives way to di&s;cour&s;e with the Enemy. All occa&s;ion of Evil is al&s;o to be cut off, proceeding from <HI>Idlene&s;s,</HI> from <HI>Gluttony,</HI> from all <HI>impure Objects,</HI> from the <HI>Society</HI> and <HI>Conver&s;ation of bad people;</HI> nor is there any thing to be neg|lected in this wre&s;tling conflict. There are certain Reliques of this <HI>Vice,</HI> remain|ing even in <HI>Ju&s;t men,</HI> which mu&s;t be en|tirely rooted out: There lyes hid a cer|tain hi&s;&s;ing Serpent, there are certain petty-affections, which although not ab|&s;olutely evil, yet they are <HI>Preludiums to Sin;</HI> to which, (if thou do&s;t not pre&s;ent|ly break them off) thy bewitched fancy will in&s;en&s;ibly adhere. Thou wilt never be|come Great, if thou &s;lighte&s;t the&s;e &s;mall things. <HI>Great matters take their beginnings from little occa&s;ions.</HI></P>
<PB N="29" REF="22">
<P N="3">3. Above all, thou mu&s;t beware, le&s;t an <HI>over-great Confidence in thy &s;elf deceives thee:</HI> Who&s;oever fears not, is already fallen. How many, and how great Men, after <HI>Confe&s;&s;ions</HI> and <HI>Conque&s;ts,</HI> after <HI>Signs</HI> and <HI>Wonders,</HI> have &s;uffer'd Shipwrack, by the unwary a&s;pect of a <HI>Woman?</HI> I produce not here the &s;o often &s;poken of Examples of <HI>Sam&s;on, David,</HI> and <HI>Solomon:</HI> There are others more recent and daily. And were there none abroad, thou ha&s;t within thy own brea&s;t enough to blu&s;h at, enough to teach thee not to be <HI>highly Wi&s;e, but to Fear.</HI> Is it not an extreme madne&s;s, among&s;t &s;o many documents of all Ages and Nations, yet to pre&s;ume, and not to &s;hun the dan|ger? But this is evermore the incredu|lity of <HI>Humane ob&s;tinacy,</HI> never to give credit to other mens fallings, till he &s;ees him&s;elf peri&s;hing. God made the <HI>Woman</HI> to be <HI>Mans helper;</HI> but by the <HI>Serpents cunning,</HI> &s;he acts the <HI>per&s;on of an Enemy.</HI> There's nothing in her but what &s;trikes, what &s;corches, what murders. There's no <HI>Hyaena,</HI> no <HI>Ba&s;ilisk</HI> can be compar'd with <HI>her</HI> Voice and Eyes. Ah, fly from <HI>her</HI> &s;ight, avoid <HI>her</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, who&s;oever thou art that de&s;ire&s;t thy <HI>own Salvation.</HI> She re|tains <HI>her</HI> old cu&s;tom, alwayes driving <HI>Man</HI> out of <HI>Paradi&s;e.</HI></P>
<PB N="30" REF="23">
<P N="4">4. 'Tis a common thing here to pretend many excu&s;es of <HI>Nece&s;&s;ity,</HI> of <HI>Cu&s;tom,</HI> of <HI>Pure Intention:</HI> But <HI>great Evils</HI> lurk under the <HI>&s;hew of Good:</HI> For from thence bur&s;t out <HI>hurtfull liberties, unwary &s;peeches, light behaviours, a neglect of mode&s;ty, frequent gifts, and certain merriments;</HI> by all which <HI>purity</HI> is by degrees laid a&s;ide, and at la&s;t all <HI>&s;hame</HI> is quite put off. The&s;e things en|crea&s;e by internals; and he who blu&s;h|ingly abhorr'd the bare foot&s;teps of a Woman, now beholds her la&s;civious eyes, and her di&s;cover'd brea&s;t with a con&s;tant countenance; and the blandi&s;hing poy&s;on working within him, he fir&s;t &s;uffers the dammage, before he was &s;en&s;ible of the danger. Thus the eye of Rea&s;on begins by little and little to grow dim, and afterwards becomes totally blinded. Thus the Soul form'd for Heaven, is fa&s;tned to the Earth, unmindful of God, forgetful of its own good, till the flame of Concupi&s;cence is at la&s;t &s;wallow'd up in the Fire, which is to burn for all Eternity. <HI>O wretches!</HI> who&s;e loath&s;ome and momentary plea&s;ures, have &s;o &s;ad and lamentable an end! I think they are all drunk with the juice of <HI>Sardonian Herbs; they dye,</HI> and <HI>they laugh.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. What &s;eeke&s;t thou, Fond Man, de|void of coun&s;el at home, and de&s;pi&s;ing
<PB N="31" REF="23">that of others abroad! <HI>Plea&s;ures?</HI> God hath laid up eternal Plea&s;ures for thee in Heaven. Wilt thou have the deceitful ones of this world, and be excluded from the Eternal? Where's thy <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> where thy <HI>Prudence?</HI> Look into <HI>Heaven,</HI> and con|template all its mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed Inhabitants. They heretofore mingled their <HI>Bread</HI> with <HI>A&s;hes,</HI> their <HI>Drink</HI> with <HI>Tears.</HI> Thou might&s;t have &s;een them in the world oppre&s;s'd on every &s;ide with <HI>angui&s;hes,</HI> drown'd alwayes in <HI>Tears,</HI> evermore watchful in <HI>Prayer,</HI> &s;eparated from all earthly joy and plea&s;ure: They made their way to <HI>Heaven</HI> by <HI>Gibbets, Swords,</HI> and <HI>Cro&s;&s;es.</HI> Then ca&s;t an eye into <HI>Hell,</HI> and take a view of that de&s;perate crew of the damned, lying there buried in that dark dungeon of perpetually burning fires. The&s;e heretofore embracing the worlds fal&s;e Joyes, and following their fle&s;hly delights, now too late acknowledge how pernicious were all their plea&s;ures. Con|template &s;eriou&s;ly the&s;e things; and if thou believe&s;t, be afraid. <HI>That which delights, is momentary; that which torments, eternal.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. But if plea&s;ure is the thing thou look&s;t for even in this life: why do&s;t thou not rather embrace that which is <HI>pure, &s;olid,
<PB N="32" REF="24">&s;ub&s;tantial, permanent,</HI> proceeding from a well compo&s;ed mind, that &s;o thou may&s;t take delight in what is truly thy own? The <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> of the <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> is <HI>&s;oft, frail, farded, evermore moi&s;tned</HI> with <HI>Wine</HI> and <HI>Oyntments,</HI> and dreading to be publi&s;hed. Its &s;tation, the <HI>Stews, Taverns,</HI> and &s;uch places as fear the Cen&s;or. If it outwardly &s;hines, 'tis within mo&s;t mi&s;erable. When it begins, 'tis gone: and in the very u&s;e of it, it peri&s;heth. Whereas the peaceable, &s;ublime, unconquerable plea&s;ure of the Mind, is alwayes &s;ecure and permanent, neither accompanied with &s;atiety, nor fol|lowed with Repentance. No &s;hame waits on it, no &s;orrow pur&s;ues it, nor doth it ever for&s;ake its po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or. If thou de&s;ire&s;t to en|joy this, all Carnal allurements mu&s;t be con|quered. For <HI>true Plea&s;ure con&s;i&s;ts in de&s;pi|&s;ing all Plea&s;ure.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="33" REF="24">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. VI.</HI> Of Avarice. Its malice is &s;harply reproved. The compari&s;on between a Poor and a Rich per&s;on. The deceit and vanity of Riches.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THis is the greate&s;t impo&s;ture of <HI>Avarice,</HI> which thou art to fore|know, that thou may&s;t not be cheated: It hides it &s;elf; nor &s;halt thou find any one who will confe&s;s him&s;elf to be <HI>Covetous.</HI> That man gathers riches together, that he may make a provi&s;ion for him&s;elf and his Children: This man, that he may have wherewithall to help the <HI>Poor</HI> in their <HI>ne|ce&s;&s;ity:</HI> Another, that he may redeem his &s;ins by <HI>Works of Charity.</HI> But none of the&s;e di&s;tribute their <HI>heaps of Gold;</HI> on the con|trary, they make new additions daily unto the former, and whil&s;t time is &s;pent in the&s;e acqui&s;itions, their Life &s;lides away, for the &s;upport whereof the&s;e Riches were in|tended. As the water which the &s;ick per|&s;on beholds running down the River, doth not at all quench his thir&s;t, unle&s;s he puts his Mouth to it and &s;wallows it: So nothing can &s;atiate a Covetous man, becau&s;e his
<PB N="34" REF="25">Mind, in which Avarice re&s;ideth, can never be fill'd with his Gold and Trea&s;ures. <HI>A mind capable of God, can be fill'd with nothing but God.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Let all the Riches of the whole Earth, <HI>O Govetous man,</HI> be ca&s;t into thy clutches; let fortune rai&s;e thee far above <HI>Solomons</HI> plenty; hide the ground with Marble, the walls with Gold, the roofs with precious Stones; do not only po&s;&s;e&s;s, but trample upon Riches: Adde to this, all manner of <HI>Statua's, Pictures,</HI> and what&s;oever Art hath invented to plea&s;e <HI>Luxury:</HI> Thou wilt learn from the&s;e to covet more. Natural de&s;ires have limits, but they which &s;pring from an erroneous opinion, are Infinite. What matters it how much thou ha&s;t in thy Coffers, how much in thy Barns, if thou compute&s;t not what is gotten, but what is to be gotten? He wants the whole world, who&s;e Cupidity the world doth not &s;atisfie. Would to God thou would&s;t con|&s;ider how <HI>great Evils Riches</HI> bring with them, how <HI>great Goods</HI> they bereave thee of: thou would&s;t undoubtedly &s;ee the truth of that Apo&s;tolical &s;entence, <HI>Covetou&s;ne&s;s is the root of all Evils:</HI> Thence &s;pring <HI>Couzenages,</HI> thence ari&s;e <HI>Wars,</HI> thence are <HI>hath'd Trea&s;ons.</HI> Take away <HI>Avarice,</HI> and there's <HI>no Di&s;cord:</HI> bani&s;h <HI>Covetou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and
<PB N="35" REF="25"><HI>Ambition</HI> cea&s;es. This fills the Land with <HI>Thievel,</HI> the Sea with <HI>Pirates,</HI> the Towns with <HI>Tumults,</HI> the Hou&s;es with <HI>Deceits,</HI> the Tribunals with <HI>Inju&s;tice.</HI> There is a certain affinity and vicinity, almo&s;t in the very Name of <HI>Vitia</HI> and <HI>Divitiae, Vice</HI> and <HI>Avarice.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Compare together, if you plea&s;e, the <HI>Poor,</HI> and the <HI>Richman:</HI> ob&s;erve both their countenances. This, being brim-full of &s;o|licitudes, betrays by his froward A&s;pect, the &s;adne&s;s of his mind: the other, &s;hews by his calm and &s;erene looks, the &s;incere joy of his Soul. This mans felicity, amid&s;t the griefs which gnaw his heart, is only (as it were) plated over: the other mans mind, free from &s;orrow, enjoys the &s;olid plea&s;ures of inward tranquility. This being &s;till anxious to get, and fearfull to lo&s;e, is expos'd to all the injuries of Fortune; and the more he hath, the more he de&s;ires: the other being rich in his poverty, and &s;eek|ing only what is &s;ufficient, fears nothing, becau&s;e he hath nothing that adheres to him, nothing that can be taken from him. What plea&s;ant dayes doth the Poor man lead? what peaceable nights? whereas the Rich man being &s;ick in mind, bears his di&s;ea&s;e alwayes about him, and is encompa&s;&s;ed with Thorns,
<PB N="36" REF="26">where&s;oever he goes. <HI>That &s;lumber is deadly, which renders one in&s;en&s;ible of &s;harp pricks.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Li&s;ten, thou wretch, who art <HI>in&s;a|tiably Covetous:</HI> although thy Hou&s;es are &s;tately; although thou po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e&s;t va&s;t hoards of Money; although thou ha&s;t extended thy Purcha&s;es farther than the Ocean ex|tends its waters: yet the day will come, yes, the day decreed from all Eternity will come, when all the&s;e things, together with thy Life, will infallibly be taken from thee: they will be gone, they will peri&s;h, and thou wilt peri&s;h with them. Then at la&s;t thou wilt under&s;tand what contemptible things thou admired&s;t, and how like thou wert to Children, who highly prize every Play-game: They are delighted with little Pibbles found upon the &s;hore, as having in them &s;omething of variety; and thou run|ne&s;t mad in the inque&s;t of <HI>Ingots of Gold,</HI> and <HI>Oriental Stones;</HI> playing the Child and Fool, at a dearer rate. I do not tell thee, thou art to have no Riches at all, if God hath made thee wealthy; but that thou enrich not thy &s;elf with what is wre&s;ted from others, that they be not gotten by in|juring of any one, by any &s;ordid gain, by &s;uperfluous care and &s;olicitude: That thou admit them into thy <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> not into thy
<PB N="37" REF="26"><HI>Heart;</HI> being ready to want them when God will have it &s;o. <HI>He is truly Rich, who wants not Riches.</HI> Expect not till a Thie&s; or &s;ome Accident bereaves thee of thy wealth; but do thou prevent all &s;uch mi&s;|fortunes, by robbing thy &s;elf (and bearing a mind indifferent to all exteriour things) of what&s;oever others can take from thee. Thou wilt be thine own, if the&s;e things are not thine.</P>
<P N="5">5 Learn to lay a&s;ide <HI>all Pomp,</HI> and to regulate <HI>thy Habit and Diet,</HI> not by the example of others, but by the morals of <HI>Chri&s;tianity Poverty</HI> may rai&s;e it &s;elf to <HI>Plenty,</HI> by calling in the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Fru|gality.</HI> Nature de&s;ires little, being content not to be Hungry, not to be Thir&s;ty, not to be Cold. Thou may&s;t dwell out of a Marble Palace; thou may&s;t be cloathed though not in Silks. Can&s;t thou not quench thy thir&s;t, unle&s;s the Cup be made of pre|cious Gems, or Chry&s;tal, that &s;o thou may&s;t both drink and fear together? Will not a knife cut Bread, if the Haft thereof is not <HI>Ivory</HI> or <HI>Agath?</HI> Will not an Earthen Ba&s;on receive the filth of thy wa&s;hed hands? Or will not the Candle afford light, unle&s;s it &s;tands in the Gold&s;miths work? He is a &s;lave to Gold, who thinks him&s;elf adorned by it. How much were
<PB N="38" REF="27">it more laudable to love true Riches, which render their owners better, of which no cro&s;&s;ne&s;s of Fortune, nor Death it &s;elf can bereave them? Why dreade&s;t thou <HI>Po|verty,</HI> bearing about thee a whole Kingdom in thy heart? <HI>The Kingdom of God is with|in thee.</HI> Far be it from thee to be greedy of any other Good. <HI>Seek thy own Good. No one is Good but God alone.</HI> Let him be thy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion and thy Kingdom, in whom alone all <HI>Good things,</HI> all <HI>rich Trea&s;ures</HI> are found. <HI>To whom God is All, the World is Nothing.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. What&s;oever appears Neat and Great in the World, is vain, frivolous, nothing. Why admire&s;t thou to &s;ee a man brave it in Gold and Purple, and attended by a numerous troop of Servants? This is but a pompous O&s;tentation. All the&s;e things are &s;hew'd, not po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed: and whil&s;t they plea&s;e, they pa&s;s away. I learn not this in the <HI>Philo&s;ophers Schools;</HI> I have it not from the <HI>Cro&s;s of Chri&s;t,</HI> nor from <HI>Gods eternal Wi&s;dom;</HI> but from the <HI>World,</HI> from the very <HI>Bond&s;laves of Vanity.</HI> Hearken to <HI>Haman,</HI> a per&s;on elevated in <HI>wealth,</HI> in <HI>power,</HI> in <HI>honour,</HI> above all the mortals of his time. He &s;ummons Auditors together, and plain|ly tells them, <HI>That all things are nothing. I think my &s;elf to have Nothing,</HI> (&s;ayes he)
<PB N="39" REF="27">and he adds the cau&s;e: <HI>So long as I &s;hall &s;ee Mordocheus &s;itting at the gate of the Kings Palace.</HI> O <HI>Mockery!</HI> O <HI>Blindne&s;s!</HI> I have often read, and heard, that <HI>all things are Nothing,</HI> being compar'd to tho&s;e <HI>Good things,</HI> whereof <HI>Virtue</HI> is the <HI>Parent,</HI> and <HI>Eternity</HI> the <HI>Nur&s;e;</HI> but here they are more vehemently depre&s;&s;ed, where in the pre|&s;ence of <HI>Nothing</HI> they &s;eem to be <HI>Nothing.</HI> Wherefore thou do&s;t <HI>Nothing,</HI> if thou de|&s;pi&s;e&s;t <HI>Nothing.</HI> Something which is in thy &s;elf, mu&s;t be de&s;pi&s;ed. Cupidity is to be curb'd, and kept as it were in chains and fetters, that thou may&s;t accu&s;tom thy &s;elf to court Poverty, and to mea&s;ure things by the u&s;e of them. <HI>Thou wilt ea&s;ily de&s;pi&s;e all, if thou alwayes thinke&s;t of Dying.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="40" REF="28">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. VII.</HI> Of Anger. The Character of an Angry per&s;on. The Effects, Cau&s;es, Remedies of Anger.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. I Am angry at <HI>Anger.</HI> This only <HI>Anger</HI> is <HI>ju&s;t,</HI> being again&s;t a <HI>rabid</HI> and <HI>exe|crable Mon&s;ter,</HI> again&s;t a mo&s;t <HI>implacable</HI> and <HI>turbulent affection;</HI> which if it once invades and &s;eizes upon a man, it &s;carcely leaves in him any foot&s;teps of humane Nature. <HI>An|ger</HI> is a &s;hort <HI>madne&s;s,</HI> without <HI>power</HI> over it &s;elf; it thir&s;ts after <HI>Arms, Bloud</HI> and <HI>Re|venge;</HI> it forgets all <HI>Decorum,</HI> is unmindful of all civility and friend&s;hip, and ru&s;hes headlong into all &s;orts of dangers, that it may hurt another, much like to Ruines, which them&s;elves are broken in pieces, upon that which they oppre&s;s. All comli|ne&s;s leaves the Cholerick per&s;on: his Eyes flame and &s;parkle, his Veins &s;well, his Hair &s;tands on end, his Lips &s;hake; he grindes his Teeth, foams at Mouth, and &s;tretches forth his Neck to belch forth his rage and fury. No other <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion</HI> &s;o much di&s;com|po&s;es the whole man: the <HI>Face</HI> is <HI>deformed,</HI>
<PB N="41" REF="28">the <HI>Forehead wrinkled,</HI> the <HI>Head</HI> is <HI>to&s;&s;ed,</HI> the <HI>Feet falter,</HI> the <HI>Hands clap,</HI> and all the <HI>Body moves</HI> hither and thither with an <HI>un|becoming jactation.</HI> Adde to all this the <HI>threatning Ge&s;tures,</HI> the <HI>beating</HI> of the <HI>Brea&s;t,</HI> the <HI>&s;tamping</HI> on the <HI>Ground,</HI> the <HI>tearing</HI> of <HI>their Hair,</HI> the <HI>rending</HI> of <HI>their Garments,</HI> and the <HI>boyling</HI> of the <HI>Blood</HI> from the <HI>bottom of the entrails</HI> into the <HI>Countenance.</HI> What a Mind, think&s;t thou, is there within, when as the exteriour Image appears &s;o ugly? Such as the Poets feign'd the Infernal Mon|&s;ters to be, Flaming with Fire, begirt with Serpents, and making a hideous noi&s;e with their horrid bellowings: Such is the gui&s;e of an Angry per&s;on; <HI>filthy, bloody, burning, cruel,</HI> and degenerating into a &s;avage and bea&s;tial fury. Other Vices may be con|cealed and covertly cheri&s;hed: <HI>Anger</HI> puts it &s;elf forward and flyes in the Face, and like Fire &s;eizes upon all: And by how much the more &s;tudiou&s;ly thou de&s;ire&s;t to cover it, it breaks out by &s;o much the more violently. <HI>He whom Anger po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es, neither knows any Mean, nor endures any Curb.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. So likewi&s;e other Vices are con|tain'd within certain bounds and limits; but <HI>Anger</HI> leaves nothing untouch'd, no|thing unattempted: Our <HI>Anger</HI> falls upon
<PB N="42" REF="29"><HI>Heaven</HI> it &s;elf. Hence are tho&s;e horrid <HI>Bla&s;phemies,</HI> hence tho&s;e <HI>Complaints against God,</HI> hence tho&s;e <HI>Controver&s;ies,</HI> &s;et on fool by impious wretches, concerning the <HI>Di|vine Providence.</HI> Nor are we <HI>Angry</HI> with them alone, whom we conceive have in|jur'd us; but we are al&s;o offended upon a fancy of future injury; and he, who as we per&s;wade our &s;elves (mo&s;t commonly by a fal&s;e &s;urmi&s;e) will do us wrong, hath already done it: So ingenious we are in <HI>Vices.</HI> Oftentimes we know not with whom we are <HI>Angry;</HI> yet we are in a <HI>Rage:</HI> And if all others, upon whom to vent our Sple|natick violence, are ab&s;ent, we turn it upon our &s;elves. And that thou may&s;t know, that this <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion</HI> &s;prings not only from in|juries; &s;uch things feel &s;ometimes the fury of our indignation, as can neither offend nor affront us. Thus we cut Garments, we throw down Ve&s;&s;els, we mangle Pens, we tear Paper, when they &s;erve not our u&s;e according to our Will. Thus an over|turn'd Gla&s;s, a Table unhand&s;omely co|vered, the skreeking noi&s;e of an unwarily drawn Stool or Chair, and many other things, which neither have de&s;erv'd our <HI>Anger,</HI> nor feel it. Thus a refractory Hor&s;e, a barking Dog, an importune Fly, a Gnat buzzing about our cars
<PB N="43" REF="29">and biting us, excite our <HI>Cheller,</HI> and are puni&s;hed for our impatience. See how mad thou art: Thou inflicte&s;t puni&s;h|ment upon &s;encele&s;s Creatures and brute Bea&s;ts, whereas it were more meet thou &s;hould&s;t be &s;everely cha&s;ti&s;ed for thy Phren&s;ie.</P>
<P N="3">3. If thou wilt now behold the dam|mages, and &s;ad effects of <HI>Anger;</HI> no Plague ever co&s;t mankind dearer. Thou &s;halt &s;ee Slaughters and Saccages of Towns and Cities, and utter de&s;tructions of whole Nations. Thou &s;halt &s;ee a Hand-made Pe&s;tilence, in a va&s;t heap of murdred bo|dies, from which run &s;treams of blood, di&s;colouring the Rivers. Look upon the Foundations now &s;carcely vi&s;ible of the mo&s;t Noble Cities: <HI>Anger</HI> overturn'd them. Behold the Solitudes now emptied of all Inhabitants: <HI>Anger</HI> exhau&s;ted them. Contemplate the fair Hou&s;es con&s;um'd with Fire, the Fountains infected with Poy&s;on, the Families extingui&s;h'd with Sword, and Famine: <HI>Anger</HI> did all this mi&s;chief. Thou may&s;t &s;ay, 'Tis a meeting of Wild-Bea&s;ts, not of Men; but that <HI>they</HI> agree among&s;t them&s;elves, <HI>the&s;e</HI> tear one another in pieces. This <HI>Evil</HI> more|over accompanies this <HI>Vice,</HI> that it be|reaves Man of the likene&s;s he hath with
<PB N="44" REF="30">God, who&s;e works are peaceable. It blinds the under&s;tanding, &s;o that it &s;ees not the Truth; nor yields to the advice of others: It puzzles and perverts all the faculties of the Soul; and although it extremely hurts the whole Man, yet 'tis hardly believed that there's any harm in it: So glorious a thing it is in the e&s;teem of the vulgar, to be <HI>Angry.</HI> But 'tis better we &s;hould de&s;cend to the Remedies, whereby this bad affection may, if it cannot be entirely cancelled, at lea&s;t be con&s;trained to &s;ubmit to the Empire of <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> and to a fit Moderation.</P>
<P N="4">4. The fir&s;t and be&s;t Remedy again&s;t <HI>Anger,</HI> is to de&s;pi&s;e its fir&s;t irritations, and to re&s;i&s;t its very lea&s;t beginnings: for when the tempe&s;t is once rais'd, 'twill prove a difficult matter to return to a calm. It will do what it &s;elf plea&s;es, not what thou permitte&s;t. When the Enemy is gotten within the Gates, he receives no Laws from the Captive City. <HI>'Tis ea&s;ier not to admit things which are pernicious, than to moderate them after their admittance.</HI> The Superior part of the World, and that which is neare&s;t to the Stars, is neither driven into a Cloud, nor forc'd into a Tempe&s;t, but remains free from all tu|mult; The&s;e lower things are tho&s;e which
<PB N="45" REF="30">Thunder: So a man of a high and ele|vated Mind, being evermore quiet and compos'd, and &s;etled in a peaceable &s;ta|tion, &s;uppre&s;&s;es within him&s;elf all &s;uch evils as provoke to <HI>Anger,</HI> and gives very little liberty to his words: as well knowing, that to be <HI>Angry,</HI> takes not away the Evil, but aggravates it: as Birds, whil&s;t they tremblingly flutter their wings to &s;hake off the Birdlime, be&s;mear all their Feathers; So all <HI>Anger</HI> adds to its own Torment. <HI>Anger</HI> hurts more than the In|jury. He that is <HI>Angry</HI> with another, con|ceives that he contemns him; but he that judges impartially of him&s;elf, doth not revenge it, becau&s;e he doth not feel it. <HI>Revenge</HI> is a confe&s;&s;ion of Grief. <HI>He hath no great Soul, who bites him again that bites him.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. When thou heare&s;t what the <HI>Slanderer</HI> hath &s;aid of thee, reflect pre&s;ently not what is fit for him to hear, but what is proper for thee to &s;peak. Thou oughte&s;t not to give &s;o much power to anothers perver&s;ity, as to trouble thy Serenity. God, who can do all things, endures &s;o many wicked men; thou who art wor&s;t of all, can&s;t thou not &s;uffer one? 'Tis ridiculous that thou correcte&s;t not thy own Malice, which is in thy power to do; and would&s;t correct
<PB N="46" REF="31">that of others, which is out of thy power? If thou art guilty of &s;o many Crimes, what thou now &s;uffere&s;t is Nothing in com|pari&s;on of Hell, which thou de&s;erve&s;t. Who art thou, that it &s;hould be &s;uch a hainous offence to hurt thy Ears? He commits a &s;in; but to thee what has hapned? That &s;urely which was decreed from all Eternity for thy good. Li&s;ten to what God &s;ayes; <HI>If you forgive, I will al&s;o forgive you.</HI> Do&s;t thou not awaken at this Thunderclap? Thou &s;leepe&s;t not; but thou art dead. Thou mu&s;t give pardon to the faults of others, that thou may&s;t obtain it for thy own.</P>
<P N="6">6. Su&s;pieion is to be bani&s;h'd out of thy mind, the mo&s;t fallacious incitement to <HI>Anger.</HI> That man did not courteou&s;ly &s;alute me; this per&s;on quickly break of the begun di&s;cour&s;e; his countenance &s;hew'd an aver&s;ion from me. Nor will there be wanting Arguments, and Con|jectures, as we are evermore credulous in that which is evil. The major part of the <HI>Injury,</HI> proceeds from the <HI>fault</HI> of the <HI>Interpreter:</HI> and therefore Simplicity is nece&s;&s;ary, and a favourable e&s;timation of all pa&s;&s;ages. Plead thou again&s;t thy &s;elf the cau&s;e of him that is ab&s;ent; and &s;u&s;|pect that crime which is in que&s;tion, be|cau&s;e
<PB N="47" REF="31">what we unwillingly hear, we wil|lingly believe, and are <HI>Angry</HI> before we <HI>Judge.</HI> Time is evermore to be given, lei&s;ure lays the Truth open. Wert thou to judge of a &s;mall matter, thou would&s;t not pronounce Sentence without a Wit|ne&s;s; and condemne&s;t thou thy Friend be|fore thou heare&s;t him? To give pre&s;ently credit to what is reported, is the part of an imprudent man. Many men lye, that they may deceive; many, becau&s;e they are deceived. He that tells a thing privately, almo&s;t tells it not. What is more unju&s;t than &s;ecretly to believe, openly to be <HI>Angry?</HI> Finally, 'tis not expedient to &s;ee all, to hear all. <HI>He receives no Injury, who knows it not.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. When thou art a&s;&s;ured that any one &s;peaks ill of thee, que&s;tion thy own Con|&s;cience whether thou &s;pak'&s;t not fir&s;t of him: Then think of how many thou ha&s;t &s;poken. The re&s;pect thou bear'&s;t to thy &s;elf, will render thee more moderate, if thou con&s;ulte&s;t thy &s;elf. For why pardone&s;t thou not anothers <HI>Luxury,</HI> who denied&s;t nothing to thy own Sen&s;uality? Why do&s;t thou per&s;ecute <HI>Lyars.</HI> thy &s;elf having been a <HI>Perjurer?</HI> Why thy &s;elf being <HI>Perfidious,</HI> do&s;t thou &s;o &s;everely exact <HI>Fidelity</HI> from others? Why take&s;t thou leave to talk of
<PB N="48" REF="32">others, and wilt not give it to be thy &s;elf talked of? Let not only what thou en|dure&s;t, but what thou ha&s;t done, &s;uccour thee. Thou wilt find in thy own Bo&s;om, what&s;oever thou reprehende&s;t in another. We are all bad, and a common fault mu&s;t be winked at. If thou ha&s;t done no &s;uch thing, thou may&s;t do it. <HI>He that &s;tands, let him take heed le&s;t he fall.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. What new thing is it, if an Enemy hurts, a Friend offends, a Son &s;werves from his duty, a Servant commits a fault? All the&s;e things are as u&s;ual, as a Ro&s;e in the Spring, an Apple in Summer. As one who walks ha&s;tily through the mo&s;t frequented Streets of a City, mu&s;t needs &s;lip &s;ome|times, be hindred &s;omewhere, and be &s;omewhere dirtied: &s;o in the uncompos'd and vagabond cour&s;e of this life, there happen many complaints, many impedi|ments. Why art thou in <HI>wrath,</HI> when thou &s;uffere&s;t an <HI>injury</HI> from a <HI>wicked man?</HI> He did what belong'd to him; and do thou, if thou art <HI>Good,</HI> play the part of a <HI>good man,</HI> endeavouring to make <HI>him Good.</HI> But this is not done by <HI>Revenge,</HI> but by <HI>Patience</HI> and <HI>Benefits:</HI> whereby if thou mak'&s;t him not <HI>Good,</HI> thou wilt at lea&s;t render him <HI>Quiet:</HI> if neither, thou wilt undoubtedly make thy &s;elf <HI>better.</HI> He detracted from
<PB N="49" REF="32">thy fame, he is vehemently bent again&s;t thee. What art thou here to do? I do not believe it: If he &s;aid any &s;uch thing, he &s;pake it as deceiv'd by error, with no evil mind; with an upright zeal, with a de&s;ire to profit me; or &s;urely I had offended him. This <HI>Injury</HI> is not equivalent to what thou formerly did&s;t him. I committed the fault, I am guilty, 'tis fit I &s;hould yield to Ju&s;tice. But I am <HI>impugned gratis,</HI> and not de&s;er|ving it. What then? I will imitate <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;ay with the Prophet; <HI>I was dumb, and would not open my mouth, becau&s;e you, O Lord, did it.</HI> Other mens &s;ayings, or doings, will not be evil to thee, although they are indeed Evil, unle&s;s thou make&s;t ill u&s;e of them. They are &s;uch, as is the u&s;e of them.</P>
<P N="9">9. What's the Cau&s;e of thy being offended? <HI>Opinion.</HI> Take away the <HI>Opi|nion</HI> of thy harm, and nothing will hurt thee. There's nothing that touches the Mind, or moves it, or enters into it: 'tis it alone that moves it &s;elf; and according to the judgment it gives, &s;uch are the things which happen. Nothing will hurt thee, un|le&s;s thou hurte&s;t thy &s;elf. But he (&s;ay&s;t thou) who per&s;ecutes me, is a bad Man. Expect, he will pay to &s;ome other the pu|ni&s;hment he owes thee; yea, he hath al|ready
<PB N="50" REF="33">ready puni&s;h'd him&s;elf, becau&s;e he has com|mitted a Sin. But he is indu'd with Rea|&s;on, why doth he not amend? And thou who art indu'd with Rea&s;on, why do&s;t thou not correct thy own Impatience? Why <HI>overcome&s;t thou not Evil with Good?</HI> Other mens faults are in thy Eyes, thy own upon thy Back. But go too, who&s;oever thou art who fancie&s;t <HI>Revenge</HI> to be &s;o &s;weet a thing; leave is given thee to take this thy de&s;ired <HI>Revenge,</HI> yet upon the&s;e mo&s;t ju&s;t terms, that thou begin with the greater. Let the order of the <HI>Injury,</HI> pre&s;cribe the manner of thy <HI>Revenge.</HI> Thine own <HI>Anger</HI> is the greate&s;t of thy Enemies; this mo&s;t offends thee; from this begin thy <HI>Revenge.</HI> Adver&s;aries are not to be &s;ought in the Streets, when as the greate&s;t lurks in thy own hou&s;e. <HI>Plato,</HI> being incens'd again&s;t his Servant, &s;tayd his hand, lifted up to &s;trike him, &s;aying; <HI>I would beat thee, but that I am Angry:</HI> He would fir&s;t cha&s;ti&s;e his own <HI>Anger,</HI> before he corrected his Ser|vant; judging a <HI>pa&s;&s;ionate Ma&s;ter</HI> more wor|thy of puni&s;hment, than a <HI>negligent Servant. The better a Man is, the more he re&s;trains his Pa&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P N="10">10. Judges, and they who pre&s;ide over the people, mu&s;t &s;ometimes both &s;hew and execute their <HI>Anger;</HI> yet &s;o, as not to per|mit
<PB N="51" REF="33">it to prevent their <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> but to wait upon it as a Handmaid Criminals are to be corrected and cha&s;ti&s;ed, but without <HI>Anger.</HI> If a <HI>Good man</HI> were bound to be <HI>Angry</HI> at all <HI>Bad deeds,</HI> he &s;hould pa&s;s his whole life in <HI>Anger:</HI> For what Moment would pa&s;s, in which he would not find Things fit to be reprehended? He would faint, &s;hould he force <HI>Anger</HI> from him&s;elf, as often as ju&s;t cau&s;e would require it. Remaining therefore in him&s;elf quiet and impartial to all offenders, he is to behave him&s;elf towards them, as a Phy&s;ician to|wards his Lunatick Patients. As thou art not moved at the Heats and Colds, which are induc'd by the Sea&s;ons, performing their natural cour&s;es: So neither ought&s;t thou be <HI>Angry</HI> at the Injuries, which proceed from wicked men according to their per|ver&s;e nature. Sick per&s;ons are intempe|rate, nothing that is &s;ound is to be expect|ed from them. 'Tis a &s;ufficiently cruel <HI>Revenge</HI> again&s;t a Contumelious Enemy, to take no <HI>Revenge</HI> at all again&s;t him. He hurts that he may grieve thee; if thou griev'&s;t not, he will grieve, &s;eeing him&s;elf fru&s;trated of the plea&s;ure of his <HI>Injury:</HI> So &s;urely the fruit of the inferred Injury, con|&s;i&s;ts in the feeling and indignation of him who &s;uffers it. <HI>Affronts,</HI> if thou art <HI>angry</HI>
<PB N="52" REF="34">at them, <HI>appear;</HI> if <HI>contemned,</HI> they <HI>vani&s;h.</HI> But, &s;ay&s;t thou, 'tis a bad matter to be un|dervalued, and not to repair ones wounded honour: Yes, but 'tis wor&s;e to fear to be undervalued, for no one fears it, but he that de&s;erves it. A wi&s;e man looks not upon what men judge ugly and di&s;graceful: no|thing is to him ugly but Sin. I am &s;lighted, &s;ay&s;t thou, and contemned by &s;uch a one? Let him look to it. I will henceforth take care not to do or &s;peak any thing de&s;erving his contempt. Such a one hates me? Well, I will &s;trive to be plea&s;ing and affable to all. Thus Invincible Patience, wor&s;ts and wea|ries the Malice of wicked men; and imi|tates God, who&s;e property is to Pardon, who is mo&s;t meek and patient, and who conquers our Crimes by his Benefits. <HI>'Tis a greater Genero&s;ity, not to take notice of an Injury, than to pardon it.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="53" REF="34">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. VIII.</HI> Of Envy and Sloath. The De&s;cription, and the Cure of both.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>ENvy</HI> is its own Executioner, raging fir&s;t again&s;t its owners Bowels, be|fore it falls foul upon its neighbours Goods. Puni&s;hment follows other Vices, but it pre|cedes this: For an Envious wretch turns another mans Felicity to his own Torment, and pines away as his Neighbour grows fat. He both &s;ins and is puni&s;hed toge|ther, who is infected with this Plague. Other Vices are contrary to &s;ome one or other <HI>certain good;</HI> this is oppo&s;ite to all <HI>goodne&s;s,</HI> perverting the nature of all things. 'Tis contrary to the Divine goodne&s;s, who&s;e property is to communicate all its good|ne&s;s: 'Tis contrary to the &s;tate of the Ble&s;&s;ed, who enjoy the happine&s;s of others as their own: 'Tis contrary to Chri&s;tian Charity, which rejoyces at the good even of Enemies: 'Tis finally contrary to the Law of Nature, which commands us to wi&s;h all our own Good to others. As the Eye in|fected with the Di&s;ea&s;e call'd by Phy&s;icians
<PB N="54" REF="35"><HI>Ophthalmia, (Inflamation)</HI> is offended with all glittering Objects; &s;o the Envious is afflicted at the &s;ight of others Virtue and Charity. Envy is &s;o named, becau&s;e it too much pries into th&eacute; Excellency of another.</P>
<P N="2">2. Satan <HI>envies,</HI> but Men, not his Com|panions: whereas thou being a Man, <HI>en|vie&s;t</HI> Men, which the Devil him&s;elf does not. This &s;urely is the property of a mean Spirit, and of one who in his own Judg|ment, abjects him&s;elf to ba&s;ene&s;s; for thou would&s;t not <HI>envy</HI> others, but that thou judg|e&s;t him better than thy &s;elf, and above thee. Wilt thou be free from <HI>Envy?</HI> De&s;pi&s;e the lading Goods of this world, and love the Eternal. The Love of Eternity, is the Death of <HI>Envy.</HI> He cannot envy Mortal goods to others; who covets only the Immortal. What Prince ever <HI>envyed</HI> the <HI>Cobler,</HI> or the <HI>Botcher?</HI> A Mind bu&s;ied about &s;ublimer matters, de&s;cends not to &s;uch meane&s;&s;es. Is't not enough to be tormented with thine own mi&s;eries, which are &s;o many, unle&s;s thou be al&s;o troubled with anothers pro&s;pe|rity? Thou wilt never be happy, if ano|ther more happy contri&s;tates thee. Do&s;t imagine, that the good things thou envie&s;t can be taken from their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ors, and tran&s;|ferr'd to thee? Thy Neighbour hath Riches,
<PB N="55" REF="35">flouri&s;hes with Knowledge, is eminent in Dignity. All the&s;e &s;hall be thine, if thou wilt love him. <HI>He abounds with all Goods, who loves them in others.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. To <HI>Envy</HI> I joyn <HI>Sloath,</HI> becau&s;e they both are <HI>Sadne&s;s: that</HI> for anothers Good, <HI>this</HI> for its own. They both belong to little Spirits, for <HI>Envy kills the little one:</HI> and <HI>Sloath</HI> is the <HI>Vice</HI> of a <HI>langui&s;hing mind,</HI> grown weary of <HI>&s;piritual goods,</HI> and there|upon terrified with the greatne&s;s and diffi|culty of acquiring them, never enterpri&s;es any thing worthy a Man. The <HI>Sloathful</HI> per&s;on will, and will not, he is alwayes variable and uncon&s;tant, grievous to him|&s;elf, trouble&s;ome to others, and out of a continual irk&s;omene&s;s of him&s;elf, &s;its brooding upon his own puni&s;hment. He is like a Top, which is indeed driven round, but rids no ground, and is &s;o moved by the Scourges force, as not to &s;tir far from the &s;ame place. Thou wilt perceive he would have done &s;omething, but that he did it not. All his operation is in&s;pid, and like luke-warm water, provoking Vomit not only to men, but to God him&s;elf. 'Tis vain for thee to hope for health, unle&s;s &s;haking off this &s;luggi&s;hne&s;s, thou a&s;&s;ume&s;t a gene|rous courage, and force&s;t thy &s;elf with &s;harper &s;purs to undertake greater matters.
<PB N="56" REF="36"><HI>As the Bird is made to fly, &s;o Man is born to labour.</HI> And were there no labour to be undertaken for God, the World impo&s;es &s;ufficient pains upon every one. How doth <HI>that man</HI> toyl to obtain wealth? How much doth <HI>this man</HI> &s;uffer to gain Honour? Vices are priz'd at a high rate. But if thou pur|cha&s;e&s;t peri&s;hable Goods with &s;o much &s;weat, why u&s;e&s;t thou not a like indu&s;try to get a mo&s;t happy Eternity? Ah! Let it &s;hame thee to be &s;luggi&s;h in a matter of &s;o great moment. Very &s;hort is the <HI>Labour,</HI> eternal the <HI>Reward.</HI> Nothing is &s;o hard and difficult, which mans indu&s;try, with Gods help, may not compa&s;s. Dare valiantly, and the Hobgoblins of difficulties will di&s;|appear. What&s;oever the Mind commanded it &s;elf, it obtain'd it. Do what thou can&s;t, and thou wilt be able to do all things. <HI>God helps the Endeavourer.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="57" REF="36">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. IX.</HI> Of Pride, Ambition, and Vain-glory. The image of a Proud man. The Vanity of Dignities, and their Dangers. The Evils of Hautine&s;s, and the Cure of it.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>PRide, Ambition,</HI> and <HI>Vain-glory,</HI> are <HI>Vices</HI> near of kin; from whence, as from the Ocean, flow the Rivers of all Evils. For when a man propo&s;es to him|&s;elf his own Excellency for his End, he directs all thither; &s;lighting the Divine wor&s;hip, and neglecting his re&s;pects to men. If he can have no acce&s;s to Glory, but by Wickedne&s;s; by Wickedne&s;s he will climb to it; and will open his way to his intended Honours, by frauds and de|ceits, and by the ruine and de&s;truction of his Neighbour. The Proud man is odious to God, and in&s;ufferable to all Mankind: He bends all his &s;tudies and endeavours to obtain mens prai&s;es and applau&s;es. He thinks him&s;elf worthy of higher honour, and plea&s;es him&s;elf in that thought. He ra&s;hly &s;ets upon things above his forces; thru&s;ts him&s;elf uninvited into all manner
<PB N="58" REF="37">of bu&s;ine&s;&s;es; impudently extols him&s;elf upon all occa&s;ions; and arrogantly de&s;pi&s;es all others. He cunningly feigns Humility, hoping thereby to avoid the &s;u&s;picion of being Ambitious. When he is fru&s;trated of his de&s;ign, he fills all mens ears with his complaints, and excites brawls and heart-burnings. His behaviour towards Inferiors is har&s;h and imperious; towards Superiors fawning, nor is there any Slave more ob|&s;ervant and ob&s;equious than he is. The Good that is in him, if there is any, he attributes not to God, as he ought, but arrogates it to him&s;elf. He affects to &s;eem knowing in all things; and he &s;ubtlely di&s;cour&s;es of the highe&s;t matters, (of which he is ignorant) as from his own experience. He curiou&s;ly pries into the actions of others, ra&s;hly cen&s;ures them, &s;everely condemns them, exaggerating their crimes, extenuating their prai&s;es. In his talk, and gate, there appears a certain hautine&s;s, and a contempt of others. He hates Correction, refu&s;es Coun&s;el, yields to no advice. He fancies he hath &s;uch perfections as he wants; and tho&s;e he hath, he feigns to be greater than they are. He grows angry and di&s;contented, if he is not preferred before others, as the more worthy, if he &s;u&s;pects him&s;elf and his &s;ay|ings
<PB N="59" REF="37">neglected. His Heart is to&s;s'd with perpetual motions; for &s;ince Honour, which he aims at, is in the power of others, he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be continually agitated with turbulent affections. <HI>The beginning of all Sin, is Pride.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. If thou art wi&s;e, place in an equal Ballance all that thy heart can de&s;ire upon Earth, Kingdoms, Empires, and in brief, the whole World, and compare them with the lea&s;t parcel of Eternal Felicity; and thou wilt find, that <HI>this,</HI> will weigh down that va&s;t ma&s;s of pomps and plea&s;ures, which will appear light as a Leaf which is to&s;&s;ed to and fro with a puff of wind. Row&s;e up thy &s;elf therefore to eternal good things, and render thy &s;elf worthy of Heaven, to which thou art de&s;igned. Shake off the proud fancies of thy own Excellency, and mea&s;ure thy &s;elf by the things which are truly good. If <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> had adopted thee for his Son, who could have endured thy Supercilious carriage? But now thou art Gods Son, Redeemed with Chri&s;ts precious Blood; why reflecte&s;t thou not upon thy <HI>Origine?</HI> Why deba&s;e&s;t thou thy &s;elf to things altogether unbe|&s;eeming thy noble birth? Thy Father calls thee to the command over Heaven and the Stars; to a po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion which will
<PB N="60" REF="38">endure for ever. Here put on thy lofty looks, be proud of this promi&s;e, from this Father brag of thy Nobility, conform thy life to his likene&s;s. This is the way, which leads to true Glory.</P>
<P N="3">3. What are Scepters, what Crowns? Glittering Shackles, &s;hining mi&s;eries; which if fully known to men, they would ne|ver fall out for the Throne. There would be more Kingdoms than Kings. A great Fortune, is a great Slavery. They whom the Vulgar think happy, think far otherwi&s;e of them&s;elves; for their happi|ne&s;s is heavy, which renders them bur|den&s;ome to the people. Then they prai&s;e a gentle retreat, and the man who is his own Ma&s;ter. Then the Splendor is hate|full to them, which before they admired. Then with a&s;toni&s;hment, and trembling, they philo&s;ophize of the Vanity of all earthly things. Then they are apprehen|&s;ive of Death, and Gods dreadfull Judg|ments, before whom, their Dignity &s;ought with &s;o much diligence, obtained with &s;o much difficulty, bought at &s;o dear a rate, will nothing at all avail them. Do thou therefore &s;o lead thy life, that thou may&s;t &s;tand &s;ecure before that Tribunal. <HI>He that is here humbled, &s;hall there be exalted.</HI></P>
<PB N="61" REF="38">
<P N="4">4. Thou rave&s;t, if thou conceive&s;t thou &s;halt be &s;afe and quiet, when thou can&s;t get high Dignities: for then, what was formerly lawful, will be unlawful: there's le&s;s liberty in great places. The higher thou art, the more thy Vices will appear. He cannot lye hidden, who &s;its on the top. If before thou wert quiet, thy quiet is now cancelled. No corner will be free to thy &s;elf: No day at thy own di&s;po&s;al. The fall from an elevated place is great. 'Tis vain to &s;eek for peace, where all have found danger and di&s;quiet, and many a mi&s;erable end of their lives. The Royal Tables are not furni&s;h'd with &s;ecure Dainties, Poy&s;on is drunk in Gol|den Goblets. How many Kings have purpled their Throne with their own blood? The high &s;tation is &s;lippery, all things hang there, and threaten a Fall. 'Tis &s;afer to tread in the plain path|way. As great as is the number of ad|mirers and applauders, &s;o great is the number of Enviers. What multitudes of underminers and oppugners? How un|&s;ecure and &s;u&s;pected are all things? Faith is not to be given to a Servant, not to a Friend, not to a Son, not to a Brother. But no Treachery enters into the hou&s;e which lies flat on the ground. He lives &s;e|cure,
<PB N="62" REF="39">who lies &s;ecret. He fears no man, whom no man fears.</P>
<P N="5">5. Should&s;t thou &s;ee a Hor&s;e or a Dog a&s;&s;ume the principality over the other In|dividuals of his own Species, would&s;t thou not laugh? Yet thou more de&s;erve&s;t to be laughed at, if thou extolle&s;t thy &s;elf above other men, becau&s;e thou art weal|thier than others, or more powerfull. What art thou proud of, earth, and a&s;hes? No man can glory but in his own proper good: And what is thy <HI>Good,</HI> if thou ha&s;t all from God? Nothing is thine but Sin. And if thou ha&s;t received all, render all the glory to the Giver. Is one Hor&s;e preferr'd before another, becau&s;e he hath more Hay and Provender; be|cau&s;e his Bridle is gilt, and his Trappings gorgeous? No &s;urely, but becau&s;e he is &s;wifter. So a Man, unle&s;s he is a Fool, &s;eeks no Glory from that which is without him. But I am better, &s;ay&s;t thou, and more Noble than the re&s;t. If thou &s;ay&s;t &s;o, thou art unworthy of all honour; becau&s;e none are worthily honoured but good men, who contemn all honour and glory. True Nobi|lity knows not what it is to be extoll'd; and where there is real Splendor, there al&s;o is Mode&s;ty. <HI>The greate&s;t Glory of High per|&s;ons, is to humble them&s;elves to the Lowe&s;t.</HI></P>
<PB N="63" REF="39">
<P N="6">6. Mark the weakne&s;s of thy Condi|tion, mea&s;ure thy little Body, thou wilt there ob&s;erve many things for which thou may&s;t well be depre&s;&s;ed, nothing for which thou can&s;t be extolled. Scorn not the <HI>Geometricians</HI> and <HI>Philo&s;ophers,</HI> all the Earth is a Point. How mi&s;erably do&s;t thou erre, if thou place&s;t Kingdoms in a Point, and divide&s;t Governments? In a little thing, no man is Great. This Earth which thou proudly pre&s;&s;e&s;t with thy &s;eet, will &s;hortly pre&s;s thee; nor &s;halt thou po&s;&s;e&s;s any more of it, than will &s;erve to cover thy cold and rotten members. Go now, and in this Nothing, build great and immortal monuments. Here give vent to thy fu|rious pa&s;&s;ions and haughty in&s;olencies: afford here to thy appotites and cupidities their full &s;cope; here array Armies, and wage Wars. When thou ha&s;t been mad long enough, thou wilt know (when 'tis too late) how empty were the names of Dignities, how vain and deceitful the titles of Honours. What&s;oever &s;hines here with &s;uch &s;eeming &s;plendor, is Gla&s;s; whil&s;t it glitters, it breaks. Great Trees are a long time growing, but cut down in an hour.</P>
<P N="7">7. Thou ha&s;t prevented a great provo|cation to Pride, if thou keepe&s;t thy &s;elf
<PB N="64" REF="40">clo&s;ely concealed. No man pretends to &s;hew his Pride and loftine&s;s to his own Eyes, or to the view of a few and familiar Friends; but he expo&s;es the magazine of his Vices to plea&s;e the multitude of Spectators. Who puts on gay Cloaths, which he would have no one &s;ee? Who &s;ets forth Dainties in a Golden di&s;h, in &s;ecret? Who being all alone, expo&s;es the pomp of his Luxury, under the &s;hadow of a Countrey-tree? Ambition de&s;ires the publick Stage; nor doth it any where more freely make o&s;tentation of its forces, than amid&s;t mens applau&s;es. The Bee, if &s;he hath gather'd Honey; the Hor&s;e, if he hath run his Race; the Tree, if it hath produc'd its Fruit, &s;eek nothing far|ther: Man, looks for applau&s;e, loves to be pointed at with the Finger, and to have it &s;aid of him, <HI>This is he.</HI> But if thou attentively ob&s;erve&s;t who they are, from who&s;e mouths thou expecte&s;t the&s;e prai&s;es, thou wilt ea&s;ily contemn all &s;uch applau&s;es of the Vulgar people. They are both vain and variable; Men, who (thy &s;elf will &s;ay.) are &s;ometimes mad; who condemn them&s;elves every hour of phren&s;ie, and frequently reprove their own Councels. The life of them who prai&s;e, and of him who is prai&s;ed, is but
<PB N="65" REF="40">&s;hort, and it is done in a corner of the Earth, which is but a Point: and even there al&s;o, all do not con&s;ent to thee, nor any one to him&s;elf. But 'tis a brave thing to be prais'd by Po&s;terity: Yes, by &s;uch as thou ha&s;t never &s;een, nor ever &s;halt &s;ee. Why doth it not grieve thee, that thou wert not prai&s;ed by them who liv'd in the Ages before thee? But fancy them to be immortal who will hereafter re|member thee, and that thy future fame &s;hall be perpetuated: what will this avail thee, when thou art dead? what doth it avail thee, now thou art alive? One may often be prai&s;ed where he is not, and pu|ni&s;hed where he is. The true value of each thing is in it &s;elf; neither is it better, if prai&s;ed, nor wor&s;e, if it wants prai&s;e. The Sun, if it hath no beholders, doth it therefore lo&s;e any part of its Light? Is the Figg depriv'd of its &s;weetne&s;s, the Flower of its beauty, the Gemme of its brightne&s;s, unle&s;s their perfections are prai&s;ed and admired? 'Tis a great argu|ment of a high and heroick mind, to &s;light mens prai&s;es, and to content him|&s;elf with him&s;elf. Thou lo&s;e&s;t thy prai&s;es if thou looke&s;t for them: for what in thee is prai&s;e-worthy? How great is thy Frailty? how much thy Mi&s;ery? how
<PB N="66" REF="41">uncertain thy Salvation? Should&s;t thou per&s;orm all that thou art obliged, thou art &s;till <HI>an unprofitable Servant:</HI> but with what Face dar'&s;t thou averr, that thou ha&s;t done all to which thou wert obliged? Fear therefore, that thou art not within, what thou art &s;aid to be without: and reflect, whether that is not prai&s;ed in thee, for which thou art di&s;plea&s;ing to thy &s;elf. Render to God what thou ha&s;t received from him, <HI>to Be, to Live, to &V;nder&s;tand:</HI> nothing will be left thee, but Sin. Since therefore thou art <HI>Nothing;</HI> of <HI>Nothing</HI> thou can&s;t not glory. <HI>Thou wilt begin to be Something, when thou &s;halt know thou art Nothing.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="67" REF="41">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. X.</HI> Of the Government of the Body. Of the Cu&s;tody of the Sen&s;es. How far the Body is to be indulged. The liberty of the Eyes, is to be curbed. The exce&s;s in Apparel, condemned.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. KEep clo&s;e to this found and whol|&s;ome form of Life, to give to thy Body &s;o much as is enough to pre&s;erve thy Health. It is to be har&s;hly treated, le&s;t it &s;hould not well obey thy mind. It is to be indulged, not &s;erved. Let <HI>Food</HI> a&s;&s;wage <HI>Hunger, Drink</HI> quench <HI>Thir&s;t, Cloaths</HI> keep from <HI>Cold,</HI> a <HI>Hou&s;e</HI> &s;helter from the injuries of the <HI>Weather:</HI> as for other things, which u&s;ele&s;s indu&s;try hath added as it were for ornament, avoid and dread them; for by them deceits are pre|pared again&s;t thy Soul. Thou art Greater, and de&s;igned for Greater matters than to be a ba&s;e &s;lave to thy Body; which &s;urely thou oughte&s;t no otherwi&s;e to look upon, than as a Pri&s;on of thy Mind, and a Fetter of thy Liberty. An hone&s;t and prudent man, provides for it, not as if he liv'd for it,
<PB N="68" REF="42">but becau&s;e he cannot live without it. The Body is the In&s;trument of the Soul: And what Arti&s;t, neglecting his Trade, &s;pends his time in whetting his Tools. 'Tis the property of a dull &s;pirit, to be imploy'd in the Bodies &s;ervices.</P>
<P N="2">2. Since by the windows of the Sen&s;es Death enters into the Soul, &s;trive to lead them from the Earthly life to the Heavenly, and wean them by little and little from an over-&s;erious attention to the work they are upon, that they may not too greedily im|mer&s;e them&s;elves in the delights of worldly Objects. The Sen&s;es ought to &s;erve, not command. The licence of the Eyes is in the fir&s;t place to be cha&s;ti&s;ed; for they be|ing very quick in their action, and &s;peedily tran&s;mitting the Images of many things to the Phanta&s;ie, and from thence to the Mind, will &s;ow the feeds of grievous &s;ins in the Appetite, if they be not &s;trongly barro|caded. If the purity of the interiour Eye, accompanies the rectitude of the exteriour; thou wilt every where find the foot&s;teps of God: and when, thou ha&s;t learned to wor|&s;hip God in his Creatures, thou wilt &s;weet|ly rai&s;e up thy mind from them to the Contemplation of his Divine Maje&s;ty. A trick'd-up Woman, is an elaborate Luxu|ry; never fix thy &s;ight upon her, for thou
<PB N="69" REF="42">wilt peri&s;h. Frequent not <HI>Comedies, Balls, Dances, Stage-plays;</HI> for they di&s;&s;ipate the mind, and &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;s it with vain &s;olici|tudes, that it cannot crect it &s;elf to Heaven. <HI>When the Eye erres, the Affection will be faulty.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The <HI>Hearing</HI> is the &s;en&s;e of Di&s;ci|pline, by which, as by the Gate, the notions of Truth and Wi&s;dom enter into the Mind. Hedge thy Ears therefore with a provident circum&s;pection, le&s;t Fal&s;hoods in&s;tead of Truths, and Folly in&s;tead of Wi&s;dom &s;hould break into the Store-hou&s;e of thy Heart. Shut them again&s;t Slanders, &s;hut them again&s;t Murmurers, &s;hut them again&s;t Toys, Idle talk, and every thing which conduceth nothing to thy Souls profit. As one who hath heard a Con&s;ort of Mu&s;ick, bears away with him that &s;weet Modulation in his Ears, even after he is departed from the place where he heard it: So a bad Di&s;|cour&s;e, although it hurts not pre&s;ently, yet it leaves &s;eeds in the Mind, which &s;tick longer, and by intervals return. Thou &s;halt by &s;o much the more frequently hear God &s;peaking in thy interiour, by how much the le&s;s frequently thou heare&s;t the talk of men. All Odoriferous Perfumes made by Art, belong to effeminate per&s;ons; wherefore rejecting all &s;ophi&s;ticated Odours, endea|vour
<PB N="70" REF="43">by thy holy conver&s;ation to exhale the &s;weet fragrancy of Virtues. Thou &s;halt check thy <HI>Ta&s;t,</HI> by <HI>Ab&s;tinence</HI> and <HI>Sobriety:</HI> Thy <HI>Touch,</HI> by <HI>Hair-cloaths, Di&s;ciplines, un|ea&s;ie Lodgings,</HI> and other <HI>a&s;perities.</HI> 'Tis better to afflict the Body and pre&s;erve it; than by hurtful blandi&s;hments to de&s;troy both Body and Soul eternally.</P>
<P N="4">4. Since the inward &s;tate of the Soul, is mo&s;t commonly manife&s;ted by the outward Dre&s;s and <HI>Cloathing of the Body;</HI> remove far from thee &s;uch things as are the u&s;ual marks of a depraved and un&s;etled Mind. Tho&s;e Heathens, who in old times were re|puted Wi&s;e-men, would not permit their Di&s;ciples to put forth &s;o much as a Finger without &s;ome rea&s;on: I enact not of thee &s;o &s;trict a rectitude; but I wi&s;h (and I here declare it) that thou would&s;t ab&s;tain from loud Laughter, from Scurrility, from di&s;&s;olute Behaviour, from ge&s;ticulations of Hands, from an over-ha&s;ty gate; to the end, nothing may appear in thee which may give offence to the beholders; not the &s;ordidne&s;s of thy Garments, not the wrinkles of thy Forehead, not the incom|po&s;ition of thy Manners, not any &s;igns of Contempt, or of a Mind, aver&s;e from the Company, not any thing which may beget a loath&s;omne&s;s or di&s;ta&s;t. <HI>Many things
<PB N="71" REF="43">which may be hone&s;tly done, may not hone&s;tly be &s;een.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Man</HI> was created <HI>Naked,</HI> and was not a&s;ham'd; for his unknown nakedne&s;s could not make him blu&s;h: But after he had &s;inned, and ca&s;t off the Cloak of Inno|cency which &s;ufficiently cover'd him, an outward Garment was nece&s;&s;ary to veil his &s;hame: What was then inflicted as a Pu|ni&s;hment, is now made u&s;e of as a Prero|gative of Dignity. Garments are fought after, not to cover but to adorn, and &s;uch as may plea&s;e the Eyes and Lu&s;ts of others. The <HI>Habit</HI> is the <HI>Index</HI> of the <HI>Mind:</HI> To be over-curious in Cloaths, and to compo&s;e the countenance out of a Box, and by a Looking-gla&s;s, is a Womani&s;h Vice. The outward dre&s;s will confound thee, if thou wilt reflect what it covers. He who hath within, the ornaments of Virtues; values not the external garni&s;hments of his attire. Virtue rejoyces to be &s;hew'd without any coloured di&s;gui&s;e; what&s;oever thou adde&s;t to it, is le&s;s than it. 'Tis one of mens vain Errors, to be fine in Apparel, filthy in Mind. Some load them&s;elves with Chains, but becau&s;e their Fetters are made of Gold, they fear not the infamy of Servitude. Some others are not fetter'd with Gold, but fa&s;tned to it; for by Wounds it is fixed
<PB N="72" REF="44">to their Ears, at which there oftentimes hangs a whole Patrimony: and tho&s;e which in times pa&s;t were the names of <HI>Pu|ni&s;hments,</HI> are now of <HI>Ambition.</HI> There are not a few, who &s;pending their time between the Comb and the Looking-gla&s;s, are more &s;olicitous to make their Heads hand&s;ome, than to &s;ave their Souls. And the depraved judgments of fooli&s;h people hath &s;o far pre|vailed, that they fancy them&s;elves adorned by &s;uch things, as they ought to tread under their feet. Let thy Attire therefore be with|out Art, not for Pomp, but for Nece&s;&s;ity; beneath Pride, above Beggery; and in brief, accommodated to the condition of thy life and calling. Although thou decke&s;t thy &s;elf with <HI>Gold</HI> and <HI>Margarites,</HI> without Chri&s;ts beauty thou art deformed. This is the graceful dre&s;s which is never out of fa&s;hion, and which adorns not thy <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> which is to dye &s;hortly; but thy Soul, which is to la&s;t for an eternity. 'Tis a mad kind of Ambition, to cover a Dunghill with Gold.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="73" REF="44">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XI.</HI> Of the Cu&s;tody of the Tongue. Of how great moment it is, and how difficile. What is to be ob&s;erv'd in &s;peaking; what to be avoided. How the bad Tongues of others, are to be endured.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. TO manage the <HI>Tongue,</HI> is a matter of &s;o great moment, that it ought to be kept more charily than the Apple of the Eye; For <HI>life and death is in the hands of the Tongue.</HI> He that cannot bridle it, may be compar'd to an open City, which hath no Walls to fence it. But it can hard|ly be tam'd, without Gods &s;pecial a&s;&s;i&s;t|ance. A Man can tame a <HI>Lyon,</HI> he can tame a <HI>Bull,</HI> he can tame a <HI>Bear;</HI> but not his own <HI>Tongue:</HI> for <HI>Loquacity</HI> is an inborn brat of humane nature, egging him on to vent by his <HI>Tongue,</HI> what&s;oever he de&s;ires and conceives in his mind. Moreover the <HI>Tongue</HI> neighbours to the Brain, and the Mouth to the Phanta&s;ie; &s;o that what the <HI>Phanta&s;ie</HI> thinks, is pre&s;ently deriv'd to the <HI>Mouth,</HI> and driven out by <HI>Words.</HI> Nature has taught thee, how nece&s;&s;ary the cu&s;tody
<PB N="74" REF="45">of thy <HI>Tongue</HI> is, when &s;he guarded it with a double Bulwark, of the <HI>Teeth,</HI> and of the <HI>Lips.</HI> But as the Odour of an Oynt|ment evaporates, if the mouth of the <HI>Pix</HI> is not &s;topped; &s;o the Mouths door being left wide open, all the Minds vigour is di&s;&s;i|pated. <HI>He attend ill to him&s;elf, who attends not continually to his Tongue.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Be cautious in all thy Di&s;cour&s;es; and carefully &s;uppre&s;s that immoderate Itch, which urges many to blurt out ra&s;hly their &s;carcely conceiv'd opinion, without examination, without election. Avoid Du|plicity and Di&s;&s;imulation; and deliver &s;im|ply the &s;ence of thy Mind, without all Coverture and Ambiguity. God hath given thee the faculty of Speaking, that there|with thou &s;hould&s;t candidly tell the things as they truly are. Being to &s;peak, con&s;ult thy &s;elf, whether any immoderate affection broyls within thee, and permit nothing to thy Tongue, till that commotion is ap|pea&s;ed; otherwi&s;e thou wilt pour forth what thou wilt afterwards repent. Thou wilt ea&s;ily hold thy peace, if no perturba|tions clamour in thy Heart; if there is in thy Soul a &s;olitude and &s;erenity. There cannot be one colour to the Words, ano|ther to the Mind. If the Mind is &s;ound, if temperate, if compo&s;ed; the Speech will
<PB N="75" REF="45">al&s;o be &s;ober: <HI>that</HI> being vitiated, <HI>this</HI> will be infected. What manner of man one is, his Speech will declare.</P>
<P N="3">3. Let there pa&s;s no idle di&s;cour&s;e. As thou chu&s;e&s;t what meat thou eate&s;t, &s;o make choice of what words thou uttere&s;t. Thou examine&s;t the Meat which is to go into thy mouth, why not the Word which is to go out of it, which oftentimes rai&s;es greater Tragedies in thy Hou&s;e, than thy Meat doth in thy Stomach? Accu&s;tom thy &s;elf to &s;peak much with thy &s;elf, little with others. Prudent men have frequently re|pented their Speaking, never their Silence. Garrulity is the Vice of Children and of Women, who have le&s;s Rea&s;on than Men. There's nothing of Virtue in that per&s;on, out of who&s;e Mouth proceed only vain and unprofitable Words. Did&s;t thou love God, wert thou &s;tudious of thy Salvation; all thy Di&s;cour&s;es would be of God, of Virtue, of Perfection. Love cannot lie, it cannot be concealed. Every one is profu&s;e towards that he loves; and what is in his Mind, re|currs mo&s;t frequently to his <HI>Tongue.</HI> Thou therefore le&s;s willingly di&s;cour&s;e&s;t of Di|vine things, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t not yet wa&s;h'd away the Dregs of Vices: be&s;ides, thy &s;eldom Reading and Meditating of &s;uch things as appertain to thy Salvation, leaves
<PB N="76" REF="46">thee unfurni&s;h'd with matter, though thou had&s;t a mind to it. <HI>Out of the Hearts aboun|dance the Mouth &s;peaks.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Mens ordinary talk, when they meet together, is of other per&s;ons lives, man|ners, actions. Every man hath as many Judges, as there are Heads in the City. There's &s;carcely any one who hath Eyes at home: The major part of us is purblind in di&s;cerning our own Vices, &s;harp-&s;ighted to cen&s;ure tho&s;e of our Neighbours. We admit their Reproaches into our open doors, there's hardly a chink left open to receive their Prai&s;es. This Vice, by how much 'tis more common, by &s;o much 'tis more carefully to be avoided. Thou ha&s;t enough to do with thy own Crimes; carp at them, and correct them. Secret ones, whether thy own or others, divulge not abroad. Many have fallen into great per|plexities, by having imprudently intru&s;ted their &s;ecrets to indi&s;creet people. Whether thou telle&s;t it to one, or to more, 'tis the &s;ame thing. A word &s;lips ea&s;ily from one to another, and from him to all. This ea&s;ine&s;s proceeds chiefly from an over-long pro|tracted di&s;cour&s;e; whereupon, a certain plea&s;ure of talking in&s;en&s;ibly &s;tealing in, and affecting the mind after the manner of Drunkenne&s;s, leaves there nothing &s;o &s;acred
<PB N="77" REF="46">and &s;ecret, which breaks not forth. He lays open to thee his &s;ecrets, and thou having receiv'd this pledge of his Faith, communicate&s;t thine in like manner to him: but thou perchance, conceale&s;t what thou ha&s;t heard, he relates it to all he meets; &s;o that every one &s;eeming to be openly ig|norant, all privately know it. You would &s;ay, that Tongues fly privately by all mens Ears, till at la&s;t the &s;ecret overflows, and becomes a common Rumour. What&s;oever Evil is under Heaven, the <HI>Tongue</HI> either brought forth or promoted. Make there|fore a Ballance for thy <HI>Words,</HI> and a Bridle for thy <HI>Mouth:</HI> And &s;peak nothing, which had better been kept in &s;ilence. The &s;paring of Words, is more laudable than of Money. He that is prodigal of his Money, whil&s;t he hurts him&s;elf, helps others; he that is pro|digal of his Words, hurts both him&s;elf and others. He approaches near the Divinity, who can hear much, and &s;peak little.</P>
<P N="5">5. Nothing is inacce&s;&s;ible to the <HI>Tongue.</HI> The Princes of the Earth are not exempt from Criminations, though power has plac'd them beyond the fear of the Sword. There are none &s;o excellent in Sanctity, as that their innocence hath pre&s;erv'd them from Cen&s;ure. Chri&s;t him&s;elf, when he liv'd among&s;t men, e&s;cap'd not the &s;courge
<PB N="78" REF="47">of the <HI>Tongue.</HI> By the&s;e Examples, rai&s;e up thy Patience. <HI>Slander</HI> is the Spur of <HI>Virtue;</HI> 'tis a <HI>Curb,</HI> which keeps thee from &s;werving out of the <HI>right path.</HI> There's not a more capital enemy to Vice than <HI>Cen&s;ure:</HI> for when thou art ill &s;poken of, thou art taught what thou art to take heed of. Wilt thou avoid the bites of a venomous <HI>Tongue?</HI> Contemn it. Thou wilt receive no Wound if thou hold&s;t thy peace; attributing more to the judgment of good men, than to the in&s;olence of a Slanderer. It matters but little what others think of thee: there's a more certain and more uncorrupted witne&s;s within thee, in thy own Soul: Interrogate thy own Con&s;cience, and give credit to it. What is ba&s;er, than to depend upon the report of fooli&s;h people, and to place the e&s;teem we have of our &s;elves, in the judg|ments of others? What&s;oever others &s;ay of thee, it behoves thee to be good. If any one &s;hould defame a &s;weet and clear Foun|tain, will it therefore cea&s;e to drill out its pure &s;treams? And if any one ca&s;ts dirt into it, will it not &s;oon wa&s;h it out and di&s;&s;ipate it? So neither oughte&s;t thou to trouble the peaceable &s;tate of thy Mind, although bad men a&s;per&s;e and calumniate thee. 'Tis too mean an e&s;teem of ones &s;elf, to be moved at every flying Report.
<PB N="79" REF="47">Children &s;trike the Faces of their Parents, the Infant has di&s;compos'd his Mothers hair, he hath bitten her Nipples, he hath &s;cratch'd her Cheeks, and &s;pit upon her Bo&s;om; and none of this is e&s;teem'd a con|tumely, becau&s;e he that did it cannot con|temn any one: the &s;ame mind therefore which Parents have towards their Chil|dren, do thou have towards them who calumniate thee. If thou once yielde&s;t to trouble thy &s;elf at the injury, thou wilt honour him that did it. For thou mu&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;arily rejoyce to have the e&s;teem of him, from whom thou take&s;t contempt &s;o hai|nou&s;ly. And this is the Vice of a Mind con|tracting it &s;elf, and de&s;cending. Thou wilt alwayes be unhappy, if thou thinke&s;t thou can&s;t be de&s;pi&s;ed.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="80" REF="48">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XII.</HI> Of the internal Sen&s;es. The u&s;e of Opinions. The Mind is to be &s;tored with good thoughts. Of re&s;training the Sen&s;itive Appetite: and of its depraved Affections. Several Pre|cepts to that purpo&s;e.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. UPon this the chief Hinge of Wi&s;|dom turns, That no Opinion be introduc'd into thy Mind, which is incon|&s;equent to Nature or Rea&s;on. Wherefore rejecting them all, thou art to exerci&s;e thy &s;elf again&s;t the Motions of thy Phanta&s;ie, as the Logicians do again&s;t captious So|phi&s;tries. My Son is dead? This is not in thy power; It is no Evil. Such a Father di&s;inherited his Son? This al&s;o, &s;ince 'tis out of our power, is not Evil. But he took &s;uch a thing ill? That's in our power, and therefore Evil. He took it couragiou&s;ly? That's in our power, and con&s;equently Good. If thou accu&s;tome&s;t thy &s;elf to the&s;e things, thou wilt reap profit by it. My Friend is led away into Pri&s;on. What hath hapned? Nothing, but that he is in Pri&s;on. But every one adds of his own, that
<PB N="81" REF="48">he is ill dealt with. Correct the Opinion, and all is at quiet. As we tye up a furious per&s;on, that he may do no harm to others; &s;o the Phanta&s;ie is to be re&s;trained, that it may not overwhelm the Mind with fal&s;e Opinions. This like an untamed Bea&s;t, gets loo&s;e, and licentiou&s;ly wanders where&s;o|ever it plea&s;es; 'tis a Pratler, a Runagate, impatient of quiet, glad of new things, and not knowing any Moderation. Thou art therefore to imploy all thy diligence in this &s;tudy, how thou may&s;t lay hold on it, bind it, and fix it to one thing; that &s;o thy thoughts and the decrees of thy Mind may not alwayes be pinn'd upon Opinion. <HI>What&s;oever is without thy Mind, doth not at all belong to thee.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. What&s;oever offers it &s;elf to thee to be thought on, examine it throughly; that &s;o thou may&s;t di&s;pute with thy &s;elf, what the Nature of that thing is, as 'tis naked and &s;eparated from all others, what its properties, what its end, what circum|&s;tances, what profit; whether or no it con|cerns thee, and is in thy power: otherwi&s;e give it no acce&s;s, but re&s;i&s;t it as much as thou can&s;t. God is intimately pre&s;ent, mo&s;t clearly beholding the darke&s;t &s;ecrets of thy heart; nor is there any thing &s;o concealed, which lies not open to his all-&s;eeing
<PB N="82" REF="49">Eyes: Look then, that thou reyolve not in thy Mind any &s;uch thing, as thou would&s;t be a&s;ham'd to mention before an hone&s;t man. Let thy Thoughts be quiet, &s;imple, pure, and free from all Malice. Let them be &s;uch, that if thou wert &s;uddenly asked what thou thinke&s;t, thou can&s;t with|out blu&s;hing lay open what lies hid in thy Heart. Be a&s;ham'd to think, what thou art a&s;ham'd to &s;peak. <HI>Thou wilt bani&s;h evil Thoughts, if thou art alwayes bu&s;ied with good.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Nothing</HI> is more hurtful to a Soul, <HI>nothing</HI> more contrary, than the Inferiour Brutal, and Sen&s;itive Appetite. This is the &s;ource of all Wickedne&s;&s;es and Imper|fections. Let this Enemy, whom thou art alwayes to fear, alwayes to fight again&s;t, be &s;ubdued. Here no re&s;t mu&s;t be taken, no re&s;pite given. The Conflict mu&s;t be without end, and without mea&s;ure; be|cau&s;e the Adver&s;ary hath neither end nor mea&s;ure. The Enemy lurks within thee; yea, thou thy &s;elf art an Enemy to thy &s;elf, more potent than the Army of <HI>Xerxes.</HI> Keep thy Soul from thy &s;elf. 'Tis a greater valour to invade thy &s;elf, than Cities; to get the Victory over thy &s;elf, than over all other things. I require not, that thou &s;hould&s;t totally de&s;troy all depraved affecti|ons,
<PB N="83" REF="49">and reduce them to nothing; but that thou learn to govern them. Rea&s;on hath done enough, if it bridles and moderates them. The Stoicks were over-har&s;h, in de|faming all affections as Evil. The Hou&s;hold|&s;tuff of Nature is neither evil nor unnece&s;&s;a|ry. He takes away all Virtue, who takes away all Affections. <HI>There's no Conque&s;t, where there's no Combate.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. This &s;trife is indeed very difficult, and the Battel doubtful: for Affections are born with us, and Rea&s;on follows many years after, when they have already got the Dominion, and the Will without re|&s;i&s;tance yields them Obedience, being de|luded with the vain &s;hew of good: till Rea&s;on in &s;ucce&s;s of time, and Experience getting &s;trength, begin to know their right of governing, and to re&s;i&s;t the tyranny of the Affections: And &s;urely the fir&s;t motions of Nature cannot be amended; but yet thou art to look to thy &s;elf with great vi|gilancy, and when fir&s;t thou perceive&s;t thy &s;elf troubled, thou art pre&s;ently to re&s;train that commotion with the bridle of Rea&s;on. 'Tis ea&s;ier to re&s;i&s;t beginnings, than to go|vern an impetuo&s;ity. Thou wilt attain to great tranquility of Mind in a &s;hort time, if thou ca&s;te&s;t an eye upon all chances be|fore they happen, that &s;o the Enemy may
<PB N="84" REF="50">find thee prepared. 'Tis too late to furni&s;h the Mind with Remedies, after the Dan|gers. Learn to do little, and &s;peak little; for if of the many things thou &s;peake&s;t and do&s;t, thou take&s;t away what is not nece&s;&s;a|ry, thou wilt find fewer perturbations in thy Mind. And &s;ay not, this is a &s;mall matter: For that which is the beginning of Virtue and Perfection, is very great, though it &s;eems but little.</P>
<P N="5">5. The Old man drawing his <HI>Origine</HI> from the infected &s;eed of the &s;inner <HI>Adam,</HI> is to be con&s;idered as a certain <HI>Tree,</HI> ha|ving for its <HI>Root, Self-love;</HI> for its <HI>Trunk,</HI> a <HI>Propen&s;ion to Evil;</HI> for its <HI>Branches, Per|turbations;</HI> for its <HI>Leaves, Vitious Habits;</HI> for its <HI>Fruits, Works, Words,</HI> and <HI>Thoughts,</HI> which are contrary to the <HI>Divine Law.</HI> Wherefore, to hinder the <HI>Branches</HI> of <HI>bad Affections</HI> from breaking forth into <HI>Leaves</HI> and <HI>Fruits,</HI> apply the <HI>Axe</HI> to the <HI>Root,</HI> and extirpate that wor&s;t Love of thy &s;elf. If thou take&s;t this away, thou ha&s;t with one &s;troke cut off the whole vitious Off-&s;pring of thy Inferiour <HI>Appetite.</HI> And thou wilt take it away, and root it out, if thou con|temne&s;t thy &s;elf: if thou truly believe&s;t thy &s;elf to be one of tho&s;e thou&s;ands, who are indu'd with no &s;ingular dowry and per|fection; and that thou art de&s;titute of all
<PB N="85" REF="50">knowledge and virtue: if thou feare&s;t not to di&s;plea&s;e men, and to be by them &s;corned, and de&s;pi&s;ed: if thou art willing to want all &s;orts of comforts and conve|niences. Thou wilt pre&s;erve thy &s;elf, if thou well hate&s;t thy &s;elf: thou wilt lo&s;e thy &s;elf, if thou ill love&s;t thy &s;elf.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XIII.</HI> Of Love. Its Nature, Cau&s;es, Effects. Its Remedies. Something added of Hatred.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>LOve</HI> is a complacency in that which is <HI>Good:</HI> to wit, that fir&s;t im|pre&s;&s;ion, wherewith the Appetite is affect|ed, when the known Good plea&s;eth it. By <HI>this,</HI> the whole World coheres toge|ther; and <HI>this</HI> being brought under, which holds the prime place among&s;t the Affecti|ons, the whole troop of the re&s;t will ea&s;ily be quelled. The <HI>Love</HI> which is good, tends thither from whence it had its beginning: It goes to <HI>Good,</HI> becau&s;e it proceeds from the <HI>Soveraign Good.</HI> Di&s;cu&s;s thy Life, and weigh thy Heart in the Ballance of a &s;trict Examination. Ob&s;erve what <HI>Love</HI> is there predominant: for that which
<PB N="84" REF="51"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="85" REF="51"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="86" REF="52">weighs down in the Scale of <HI>Love,</HI> is to thee a <HI>God;</HI> that's the Idol thou wor&s;hippe&s;t. Therefore God hath commanded thee to <HI>love him with thy whole Heart,</HI> to prevent thereby the Affections of thy Mind; be|cau&s;e what&s;oever thou <HI>Love&s;t</HI> with thy <HI>whole Heart,</HI> that is the thing thou <HI>adore&s;t as God.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Be&s;ides <HI>Goodne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Beauty,</HI> a certain &s;ympathy and agreement of minds and manners, excites <HI>Love:</HI> as al&s;o outward Mode&s;ty, Indu&s;try, Nobility, Learning, quickne&s;s of Wit, and other &s;uch like Or|naments of Body and Mind. <HI>Love</HI> it &s;elf is the Load-&s;tone of <HI>Love;</HI> to which if Be|nefits are added, he is then con&s;trained to return <HI>Love,</HI> who would not be&s;tow it. There are moreover &s;ome things, natu|rally provoking <HI>Love:</HI> for they who have clearer Spirits, a warmer Heart, a more &s;ubtle Blood, and are of an ea&s;ie and meek Di&s;po&s;ition, are more prone to <HI>Love.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Great is the power of <HI>Love:</HI> It transforms the <HI>Lover,</HI> into the thing <HI>Be|loved. Love</HI> is a certain going out of it &s;elf, a certain Pilgrimage from it &s;elf, a cer|tain voluntary Death. He who <HI>Loves</HI> is ab&s;ent from him&s;elf, he thinks not of him|&s;elf, he provides nothing, he doth nothing:
<PB N="87" REF="52">and unle&s;s he is received by his <HI>beloved,</HI> he is no where. O how unhappily doth he <HI>love,</HI> who <HI>loves</HI> not God! for he cannot be in the <HI>beloved,</HI> who <HI>loves</HI> earthly Objects, which cannot &s;atiate the Soul, as being &s;ubject to Vanity and Death: But he that <HI>loves</HI> God, is in God; and cea&s;ing to live in him&s;elf, lives in him, in whom all things live, who is our Center, and our unchange|able Good. <HI>Humane love</HI> is violent and bitter; the <HI>Divine</HI> is evermore humble and peaceable. Jealou&s;ie torments <HI>that,</HI> but <HI>this</HI> hath no Rivals: <HI>that</HI> fears le&s;t another &s;hould <HI>love; this</HI> wi&s;hes all would <HI>love.</HI> wherefore, if thou <HI>love&s;t</HI> thy &s;elf, <HI>love</HI> God; for that thou <HI>love&s;t</HI> him, is thy own profit, not his. Man may be alter'd, and peri&s;h; thou never lo&s;e&s;t God, unle&s;s thou leave&s;t him.</P>
<P N="4">4. That the <HI>love</HI> which thou perchance beare&s;t thy Companion, may be &s;incere; lay a&s;ide all humane cau&s;es of Wit, Jocund|ne&s;s, Likene&s;s; and &s;eek only them which con&s;i&s;t in Piety and Sanctity. The <HI>Love</HI> which they call Platonical, is the bane of Virtue, whereby they feign, that from the beholding Corporal Comline&s;s, the Soul is rai&s;ed to the contemplation of the Divine Beauty. The &s;tedfa&s;t eying of a &s;air Face, excites the Concupi&s;cence to touch it; and
<PB N="88" REF="53">that which goes out by the Eyes, whether it is Light, or a certain Flux, melts the Man, and de&s;troys him. 'Tis better the Feet &s;hould &s;lip, than the Eyes. But the Remedies of <HI>Love</HI> are of great difficulty, becau&s;e when 'tis cha&s;ti&s;ed, it more eagerly pre&s;&s;es on, and unle&s;s thou re&s;i&s;te&s;t its be|ginnings, it &s;o in&s;en&s;ibly creeps in, that thou wilt fir&s;t feel thy &s;elf to <HI>Love,</HI> before thou had&s;t any de&s;ign of <HI>Loving.</HI> But if thou ab&s;olutely repugne&s;t to the beginnings, the cure will be ea&s;ily compa&s;&s;ed. The Mind al&s;o mu&s;t be bu&s;ied about other mat|ters, which being accompanied with care, will remove the memory of the thing <HI>beloved.</HI> Then all mention of the per&s;on <HI>affected</HI> is to be avoided, becau&s;e nothing more ea&s;ily returns than <HI>Love;</HI> which if it hath once &s;eiz'd on thee, it will &s;o perti|naciou&s;ly vex thee, as that it will not be removed but by the lingring Remedy of time and ab&s;ence; that is, till it being tired, expires. Shame hath cur'd many, when they &s;aw them&s;elves pointed at, and be|come the common talk of the people; and withall con&s;idered the foulne&s;s of the thing, full of di&s;grace, full of danger, and &s;ubject to future Repentance. It hath profited others, to enquire attentively into the Evils and inconveniences of the thing <HI>beloved,</HI>
<PB N="89" REF="53">which might dimini&s;h its amiablene&s;s and beauty. La&s;tly, a conver&s;ion of our <HI>Love</HI> to God, to Virtue, to eternal Objects, that is, to things which are truly Lovely, will much conduce to the cure; that &s;o a good <HI>Love</HI> may expell the bad, and the ge|nerous mind of man may grow a&s;hamed to deba&s;e it &s;elf to the vile <HI>love</HI> of the earth. <HI>Bad loves, infect good manners.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Nature hath bound all things toge|ther with a certain <HI>Love-Chain.</HI> This drives and couples the dances of the Stars in Heaven, the flocks of Birds in the Air, the Heards of Oxen in the Meadows, the Droves of Cattel in the Mountains, the companies of Wild Bea&s;ts in the Woods. This Sacred Bond is broken only by Ha|tred: for as <HI>Love</HI> tends to Union, &s;o Ha|tred aims at Divi&s;ion and Di&s;&s;ention. They are mo&s;t &s;ubject to this bad affection, who are &s;luggi&s;h, timerous, and &s;u&s;picious, and apprehen&s;ive of lo&s;s on every &s;ide. There are moreover &s;ome men &s;o born, that they hate all others, like that horrid &s;ort of Fowls, which hate even their own darkne&s;s. If thou meete&s;t with any of this Note, do not hate them, but pity them. As in wre&s;t|ling, thou watchfully looke&s;t to thy Play|mate without any anger; &s;o in all thy Life, decline from him without hatred, who
<PB N="90" REF="54">is contrary to thy di&s;po&s;ition. And thou wilt hinder hatred, by exciting thy mind to <HI>love,</HI> upon the con&s;ideration of &s;ome good in the hatefull object. There will be no place for hatred in thee, if thou interprete&s;t all things in the be&s;t &s;ence. Then, Hatred is to be applied to the things which truly de&s;erve it; which are the deformity of Sin, and eternal Damnation. If thou turne&s;t it to any thing el&s;e, thou hurte&s;t not the thing thou hate&s;t, but thy &s;elf. For if thou art commanded to <HI>love</HI> even thy Enemies, whom can&s;t thou ju&s;tly hate? Thou mu&s;t pa&s;s out of the priviledg'd City, to find one again&s;t whom thou may&s;t practi&s;e thy ha|tred. That Evil is without the nature of things, again&s;t which only hatred may law|fully be exerci&s;ed: But if thou mu&s;t needs hate a man, let it be none but thy &s;elf: For no one can hurt thee &s;o much, as thou do&s;t thy &s;elf.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="14" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="91" REF="54">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XIV.</HI> Of De&s;ire, and Flight. What is to be De|&s;ired, what to be Fled from.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. HAppy he, who is &s;ubject to God: who de&s;ires nothing earne&s;tly; who accommodates him&s;elf to things as they occurr; who &s;ays, God will have me to be &s;afe, he will have me to be &s;ick; he will have me to be rich, or poor; he will have me to pa&s;s from hence, or to &s;tay here: I am prepared for either. If thou once &s;ay&s;t, When &s;hall I go thither? When &s;hall I get that thing? Thou wilt be mi&s;erable. For if thou covete&s;t that which is without thee, thou wilt be tormented with perpe|tual anxiety, and as in an orbicular Ma|chine, thou wilt alwayes pur&s;ue, never po&s;&s;e&s;s. In thy own Power are thy own Opinions, Thoughts, Affections, Actions; without thy Power are the Body, Riches, Glory, Dignities, and what&s;oever thy &s;elf doth not. <HI>Tho&s;e</HI> can neither be prohibited by any one, nor hindred: <HI>The&s;e</HI> are aliens, and &s;ubject to impediments. Wherefore do not at all de&s;ire <HI>tho&s;e,</HI> or at lea&s;t &s;o de&s;ire
<PB N="92" REF="55">them, as con&s;idering them to depend upon the arbitriment of others, and that they cannot long continue with thee, becau&s;e their condition &s;o requires. No external thing is to be de&s;ired; <HI>For the Figure of this World pa&s;&s;es away.</HI> Look within: within is a Fountain of Good, alwayes di&s;tilling, if thou alwayes digge&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. In this one thing was placed the wi&s;dom of &s;ome antient Philo&s;ophers, who being exempt from the Empire of Fortune, amid&s;t the &s;harpe&s;t torments of their Bo|dies, di&s;puted with their ble&s;&s;ed Minds about Felicity. For contemplating the li|mits of that Power which God hath given to Man, they became fully per&s;waded, that nothing be&s;ides their own thoughts and affections belonged unto them&s;elves. And thereupon, by the u&s;e of this medita|tion, they got &s;uch an ab&s;olute dominion over them, and &s;o well govern'd the mo|tions of their minds, that not without &s;ome rea&s;on, they boa&s;ted them&s;elves to be the only Rich, the only Powerful, the only Happy men. But an a&s;&s;iduous exercita|tion is nece&s;&s;ary to learn this le&s;&s;on of de|&s;pi&s;ing the things which are without thee, as not at all belonging to thee. If thou can&s;t come to this, thou wilt never grieve at the want of external things; as thou
<PB N="93" REF="55">grieve&s;t not, that thou art not <HI>King of the Tartars,</HI> or that thou art de&s;titute of wings to fly withall. What is without us, is no|thing to us.</P>
<P N="3">3. With this Bridle, De&s;ires are to be curbed; which unle&s;s thou moderate&s;t, thy un&s;atiable mind will never be &s;atisfied with what&s;oever thou afforde&s;t it; all will but irritate, not end its Cupidity. No moi&s;ture &s;uffices him, who&s;e bowels are inflam'd with a burning heat; for that's not a Thir&s;t, but a Di&s;ea&s;e: So it befalls them who recall not their de&s;ires to Rea&s;on, which hath certain bounds; but leave them to Vice, and Loo&s;ne&s;s, who&s;e limits are immen&s;e and incomprehen&s;ible. Thou wilt feel no incommodities, nor wilt thou want any thing thou de&s;ire&s;t, if thou conteine&s;t thy &s;elf within the mea&s;ure of Nature: if thou exceede&s;t this mea&s;ure, thou wilt be poor, even amid&s;t the greate&s;t plenty. To Cupidity, nothing is enough; to Nature, few things are &s;ufficient.</P>
<P N="4">4. Remember &s;o to behave thy &s;elf in thy Life, as thou would&s;t at a Fea&s;t. If Dainties are carried about, and come to thee, put forth thy hand mode&s;tly and take a &s;hare of them. If he who bears them pa&s;&s;es by thee, detain him not. If he is not yet come up to thee, extend not
<PB N="94" REF="56">thy appetite to things afar off, but &s;tay till he is pre&s;ent. If thou &s;tande&s;t thus affected towards Riches, towards Dig|nities, and the re&s;t of things which are without, thou wilt be worthy to fea&s;t with the Saints; and thou wilt enjoy &s;uch a &s;erenity of mind, as will rai&s;e thee above all Chances. But if more|over thou wilt &s;light and refu&s;e the things which are offered, thou &s;halt not only be a Gue&s;t of the Saints, but a Partner in their Felicity, and wilt begin to fore-ta&s;t upon Earth, that happine&s;s which they enjoy in Heaven. 'Tis in thy own power to make thy &s;elf happy, by de&s;iring nothing which is without thee. Who is ble&s;&s;ed and happy? He, who hath what he will. He hath what|&s;oever he will, who wills nothing but what he may.</P>
<P N="5">5. We &s;hun and abhor many things as hurtfull, which are indeed profitable. For it falls out for the mo&s;t part, that they are contrary to the Mind. That which hurts, in&s;tructs. Death, Exile, Poverty, Di&s;grace, Labour, Sickne&s;s, and the re&s;t of the &s;ame kind, which are not in thy Power, belong not unto thee. To the&s;e therefore thou art not to oppo&s;e Flight, not dete&s;tation; but a Neglect of
<PB N="95" REF="56">the Opinion conceiv'd of them. <HI>Socrates</HI> fitly named all the&s;e things, <HI>Goblins:</HI> For as <HI>Goblins</HI> affright Children, whereas no|thing is in them horrible but their out|ward &s;hew: So it happens in things, which thou art wont to apprehend, not as they are, but as they appear. What is Death? A <HI>Hob-Goblin.</HI> Ob&s;erve how &s;weet it was, not only to the Saints, and per&s;ons of high vertue and perfection, but to <HI>Socrates,</HI> and to other <HI>Heathen Sages.</HI> What then is &s;o terrible in Death? <HI>Opi|nion.</HI> The Fear of Death is horrible, not Death it &s;elf. The &s;ame thou wilt find in other things, which thou art wont to abo|minate. Correct Opinion, and thou wilt perceive there's nothing be&s;ides Sin, which thou art to abhorr.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="15" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="96" REF="57">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XV.</HI> Of Joy, and of Sadne&s;s. How a good man ought to rejoyce. He who fore-&s;ees all things, is not contri&s;tated. Several Antidotes a|gainst Grief.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THou art &s;o to rejoyce, as that Mo|de&s;ty may appear in the mid&s;t of thy <HI>Mirth;</HI> and that thy Mind be not &s;o di&s;&s;olved, but thou can&s;t freely, if it be needfull, pa&s;s from <HI>gladne&s;s</HI> to <HI>&s;adne&s;s.</HI> Chri&s;t our Lord, the be&s;t E&s;teemer of things, calls not Laughers ble&s;&s;ed, but Mourners. For it very much mi&s;-becomes a Chri&s;tian man, who profe&s;&s;es to look after eternal things, among&s;t &s;o many dan|gers of Soul and Body, among&s;t &s;o many mo&s;t ju&s;t cau&s;es of Sadne&s;s, to delight in vain Laughter after the manner of Fools, and to rejoyce exce&s;&s;ively at peri&s;hing tri|fles. Earthly plea&s;ure fleets away, and what we call Joys, are oftentimes the be|ginnings of Sadne&s;s. True Joy &s;prings only from a clear Con&s;cience. No one can be &s;aid to have &s;olid Joy, but he who is Ju&s;t, Valiant, Temperate. That Joy may never
<PB N="97" REF="57">be wanting to thy mind, &s;ee that it be born at home. And it will be there born, if it is within thy &s;elf. Other Rejoycings are light, they fill not the Brea&s;t; nor doth he al|wayes rejoyce, who laughs. Sincere joy is a &s;evere thing: It &s;prings from a good Con|&s;cience, from hone&s;t Councels, from upright Actions, from a contempt of Plea&s;ures, and from the peaceable tenour of an un&s;potted Life. This is the true Law of Virtue; that thou may&s;t truly Rejoyce, thou mu&s;t a long time Mourn.</P>
<P N="2">2. Sadne&s;s, dete&s;ts the Evil which is pre|&s;ent, (either really, or in the apprehen&s;ion) with a certain trouble and di&s;quiet. But 'tis our u&s;ual cu&s;tom to be troubled for the mo&s;t part not at things, but at the Opi|nion of things. Search not therefore over|narrowly into things, not into thy Servants, not into thy Fields, not into thy Moneys, not into thy Affairs: rather con&s;ider what thy Opinion is of them. That thou art di&s;graced, that thou art robb'd, that thou art beaten, is not in thy power: but to think rightly of the&s;e things, that they are not Evils, but &s;ometimes profitable, is in thy power: Thou wilt never grieve, if pulling away thy thought from the pre&s;ent trouble, thou there place&s;t it where true Joys are to be found. To a good man,
<PB N="98" REF="58">nothing happens ami&s;s, not becau&s;e he doth not feel it, but becau&s;e he overcomes it. For he looks upon all Adver&s;ity, as an occa|&s;ion of exerci&s;ing his Patience, as an in&s;tru|ment of the Divine Grace, as the way to an everla&s;ting Glory. A good man may be <HI>&s;aid</HI> to be mi&s;erable, but he cannot <HI>be</HI> &s;o.</P>
<P N="3">3. What&s;oever <HI>may be,</HI> do thou fore|fee as if it <HI>will be.</HI> Thus thou wilt abate the violence of all Evils, which bring no new thing to them who are prepared; but will prove grievous to them who expect nothing but pro&s;perity. What wilt thou do if an accident &s;hould bereave thee of one half of what thou ha&s;t? What if of All? What if thy Hou&s;e falls? if thy Friends for&s;ake thee? if thy Fame is endangered? if by calumny thou art ca&s;t down from thy Dignity? A Di&s;ea&s;e, Captivity, Ruine, Fire, nothing of the&s;e is &s;udden to a Wi&s;e man. He communes with him&s;elf of fu|ture Misfortunes, and mitigates the Sorrow by meditating long upon it, which others do by long &s;u&s;taining it. That may happen to any one, which happens to any one. What Riches are there, which Hunger and Beggery follow not at the back? What Dignity, which is not accompanied with Infamy, and extreme Contempt? What
<PB N="99" REF="58">Kingdom, for which De&s;truction is not pre|pared? <HI>Hath not this Age of ours &s;een an unparallel'd Example, of a Royal Head cut off by the Sword of the Hangman; and this by command of his own Subjects?</HI> Nor are the&s;e things far di&s;tant from one another: the moment of an hour is between Plenty and Poverty, between the Palace and the Cottage, between the Throne and the Axe. Know then that every Condition is chang|able, and what&s;oever befalls any man, may al&s;o befall thee. He ea&s;ily bears adver&s;e Fortune, who alwayes expects it.</P>
<P N="4">4. Virtue rou&s;es not it &s;elf, when the life proceeds with a pro&s;perous cour&s;e; Then it appears how great it is, when Pa|tience manife&s;ts what it can do. <HI>We are made a Spectacle</HI> (&s;ayes the Apo&s;tle) <HI>to God, to Angels, and to Men.</HI> And behold a Spectacle worthy of Gods a&s;pect: behold a Pair fit to be pre&s;ented to the Divine Ma|je&s;ty; a Valiant man oppre&s;s'd with Ad|ver&s;ity, triumphing over him&s;elf and over all his Calamity. A calm Sea and a pro&s;pe|rous Gale, &s;hew not the Art of the Pilot. <HI>Who &s;o is not tempted, what knows he?</HI> Some one &s;ayes, I am unhappy, to whom this &s;ad misfortune befell. But I &s;ay, thou art happy, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t the opportunity to try thy &s;elf: For the &s;ame thing might
<PB N="100" REF="59">have befaln any one; but to accept of it without grief, was not for every one. Be not therefore dejected in &s;ini&s;ter events; but rather on the contrary take firm foot|ing, and &s;u&s;tain what&s;oever burthen falls from above upon thee. For the fir&s;t vio|lence being broken, thou wilt &s;ee nothing horrible in the&s;e things, be&s;ides Opinions. Such things as have their force from Na|ture, retain the &s;ame in all men: but many &s;uffer Poverty, Di&s;grace, Reproach, and the re&s;t which the Vulgar call Evils, with much patience, many do not &s;o much as feel them; 'tis not therefore natural to grieve at the&s;e things, but it proceeds from a perver&s;e Opinion. Why do&s;t thou lye to thy &s;elf? Thou may&s;t render all Calamity ca&s;ie, by enduring it. All Grief is light, if Opinion adds no weight to it. Do not thou make thy Evils more grievous unto thee, by thy impatience. Every one is as mi&s;era|ble, as he e&s;teems him&s;elf.</P>
<P N="5">5. All Sickne&s;s le&s;&s;ens at length by de|lay, and though the pain is mo&s;t violent, yet time either takes it away, or weakens it. Wilt thou therefore expect the day, in which thy Grief will cea&s;e whether thou wilt or no; or wilt thou thy &s;elf put an end to it? Why prevente&s;t thou not that with Councel, which time will bring about?
<PB N="101" REF="59">Although thou keepe&s;t thy &s;orrow, yet it will &s;lide out of thy cu&s;tody. For nothing is &s;ooner hated than Sadne&s;s, which when 'tis new finds a Comforter, when grown old is deric<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">d. Now if Calamity is over|come by Grief, let every day be &s;pent in lamentation, let &s;adne&s;s con&s;ume the nights without &s;leep, let the hands fall upon the brea&s;t, and let &s;orrow exerci&s;e upon it &s;elf all &s;orts of cruelty: But if Crys are boot|le&s;s, if no tears or complaints can mitigate Adver&s;ity: Learn to rule thy &s;elf, and with invincible Con&s;tancy re&s;i&s;t all Calamity. He is a pitiful Governour of a Ship, who lo&s;es his skill in every Storm, and permits his tottering Boat to the fury of the Tem|pe&s;t. But he de&s;erves prai&s;e, even in a Ship|wreck, whom the Sea overwhelms, whil&s;t he holds the Helm, and wre&s;tles with the Waves.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="16" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="102" REF="60">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XVI.</HI> Of Hope, and of De&s;pair. How we are to moderate them both.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. VAin and fal&s;e is that <HI>Hope,</HI> and the meer Dream of a man broad awake, which is not placed in God, by who&s;e &s;ole beck all difficulties may be overcome. Why art thou vex'd with the expectation of a future event, and ex|tende&s;t thy thoughts to things a far off? Thou wilt hope nothing, if thou de&s;ire&s;t nothing, if thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t all Earthly things. No one hopes what he contemns. Although thy hopes &s;hould never deceive thee, although they tend to things ea&s;ily obtain'd; yet &s;o long as any hope han|kers within thee, thou wilt be &s;olicitous, uncertain of thy &s;elf, and full of doubts and anxieties. As thou runne&s;t not with thy Feet into uncooth and uneven Paths; &s;o neither art thou to roam with thy Mind upon &s;uch things, as are not within the reach of thy own power. 'Tis a mi&s;ery to have that wanting to the Will, which is hoped for.</P>
<PB N="103" REF="60">
<P N="2">2. The Mind is frequently to be ad|moni&s;hed to look upon all things which are without thee, and about thee, as peri&s;hable, and hanging by a &s;lender Thread. Why forgette&s;t thou thy own Condition? Thou art born Mortal: No|thing is promi&s;ed thee of this Day; no|thing of this Hour. Death &s;tands at thy back: what&s;oever thou ha&s;t is but borrow|ed: the u&s;e of it is thine, &s;o long as it plea&s;es the &s;upreme Arbiter of all things. When he calls, all is to be ren|dred up without complaint. 'Tis the part of a perver&s;e Debtor, to injure his Cre|ditor. There's nothing therefore under the Sun, which thou oughte&s;t to <HI>hope</HI> for. That only is a true <HI>Hope,</HI> which is rightly conceiv'd of the true and chief Good.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>De&s;pair</HI> is cau&s;ed by Sloathfulne&s;s, Dejection of mind, an over-great appre|hen&s;ion of Difficulties, a faulty Diffidence of ones &s;elf, and of the defect of his own Forces and Indu&s;try. 'Tis conquered, by exciting the Mind to imitate their Ex|ample, who being in far greater an|gui&s;hes, generou&s;ly overcame all Ob&s;tacles. Begin and drive on thy &s;elf, for God helps them who do what they can; and thou wilt find <HI>that</HI> mo&s;t ea&s;ie, <HI>which</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="61">&s;eem'd mo&s;t hard, if the fal&s;e Opinion concerning it is depo&s;ed. What&s;oever happens to thee, that all was de&s;igned from Eternity. Now, that either falls out as thou by Nature art di&s;po&s;ed to endure it, or otherwi&s;e: if the fir&s;t, de|&s;pair not, but bear it: if otherwi&s;e, yet do not de&s;pair; for what&s;oever it is, it will &s;oon have an end, and make an end of thee. That's light which thou can&s;t bear; &s;hort, which thou can&s;t not. But remember, that it is in thy own Power to render many things tollerable, if thou wilt apprehend them as profitable and convenient. <HI>Calamity is the occa&s;ion of Virtue.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="17" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="105" REF="61">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XVII.</HI> Of Fear. How Vain it is, and how to be Vanqui&s;hed. Boldne&s;s to be avoided. Some|thing again of Anger.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. MAny there are, who when there is no pre&s;ent Evil, nor any a&s;&s;uredly to come, do neverthele&s;s rage and run a|bout, and either feign a Misfortune to them&s;elves, or increa&s;e it. Humane cru|elty hath not invented &s;o many torments, as a Mind endures which is ever anxious of the future, which is over-&s;olicitous to pre|&s;erve his pre&s;ent Goods, and over-appre|hen&s;ive of future dangers. Many things which would not be Evils, are &s;o becau&s;e we fear them. What profits it thee to be troubled before the time: and by a vain providence to meet thy own Mi&s;eries? Mu&s;t thou needs be now mi&s;erable, becau&s;e thou may&s;t be &s;o hereafter? 'Tis the part of a Fool, to give up his rea&s;on to other mens relations; and when no apparent &s;igns foretell the Mi&s;chief, to be terrified with fal&s;e imaginations. Oftentimes thou being deceiv'd with a &s;ini&s;ter conjecture, wre&s;te&s;t
<PB N="106" REF="62">a Word of doubtful &s;ignification, to the wor&s;t &s;ence. Sometimes thou conceive&s;t the offence of a Nobleman to be greater than indeed it is; and thinke&s;t, not how far forth he is <HI>angry,</HI> but what he may do be|ing <HI>angry.</HI> But the&s;e Fears are vain; and therefore trouble more, becau&s;e vain. For true things have their mea&s;ure; but what comes from uncertainty, is left to the con|jecture and liberty of the timerous Mind. It little differs, whether thou endure&s;t ad|ver&s;e fortune, or expecte&s;t it; but only there is a mea&s;ure of grieving, none of fear|ing. <HI>Thou grieve&s;t for as much as thou know&s;t has hapned, thou feare&s;t for as much as may happen.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. If thou wilt put off all Fears; pro|po&s;e, that what&s;oever thou dreade&s;t le&s;t it &s;hould come, will certainly come; then mea&s;ure that Evil with thy &s;elf, and tax thy Fear; thou wilt &s;oon perceive that the thing thou feare&s;t, is not in it &s;elf great, but in thy Opinion. Can any har&s;her mi&s;|fortune befall thee, than to be thru&s;t into Bani&s;hment, ca&s;t into Pri&s;on? Can thy Body dread any thing more, than to be burnt to death? Di&s;cu&s;s the&s;e particulars, and reduce them to thy true Fear: thou wilt find many, even Infidels who con|temned all the&s;e things. <HI>Stephen</HI> among&s;t
<PB N="107" REF="62">the <HI>Stones,</HI> prayed to God with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> Mind. <HI>Lawrence</HI> triumphs in the <HI>Flames,</HI> and in&s;ults over the Tyrant. The Virgin <HI>Apollonia</HI> ca&s;ts her &s;elf into the prepared Fire. <HI>Anaxarchus</HI> &s;miles in the <HI>Mortar,</HI> being beaten to pieces with <HI>Iron Malls. Socrates</HI> chearfully drinks a health to <HI>Cri|tias,</HI> out of his <HI>poy&s;oned Cup.</HI> Why dreade&s;t thou <HI>Flames</HI> and <HI>Fires,</HI> and the frowning looks of the Executioners who encompa&s;s thee? Under all that pomp, which affrights Fools, Death lies hid, which &s;o many Boys and Girls have with joyful minds embra|ced. Take away tumults from things, put off their vizards, re&s;tore to every thing its own Countenance, thou wilt &s;ee nothing terrible in them, be&s;ides the terror it &s;elf. That happens to us greater Children, which does to little ones: They, if they &s;ee them whom they love, with whom they live, with whom they play, per&s;onated and di&s;|gui&s;ed, are affrighted: But thou more &s;illy than Children, art arriv'd at that height of Folly, as not only to be vext at grief, but with the Panick Fear of it.</P>
<P N="3">3. Lead thy Mind from the private to the Common Cau&s;e. Think thou ha&s;t a frail and mortal Body, &s;ubject to many <HI>Di&s;ea&s;es,</HI> and at la&s;t to <HI>Death:</HI> And &s;ay to thy &s;elf, I knew long &s;ince that many ad|ver&s;e
<PB N="108" REF="63">ver&s;e Accidents hung over my Head: What therefore do I now dread? I &s;hall be Sick? The Sickne&s;s of my Body, will con|duce to the Health of my Soul. I &s;hall be reduc'd to Poverty? My Life will be &s;afer and more quiet. I &s;hall lo&s;e my Riches? And with them many Cares, and perpetual Danger. I &s;hall &s;uffer Di&s;grace? If the cau&s;e is ju&s;t, I will execrate it; if unju&s;t, I will comfort my &s;elf with my own Con|&s;cience. I &s;hall be fru&s;trated in my ex|pectation of the thing I hoped for? Neither do Kings obtain all they de&s;ire. I &s;hall be &s;ent into Bani&s;hment? I will go of my own accord, and make it a Pilgrimage. I &s;hall become Blind? The occa&s;ions of many Cu|pidities will be cut off. Men will &s;peak ill of me? They will do what I de&s;erve, and what they are wont. I &s;hall Dye? Upon this Condition I entred to go forth. But I &s;hall Dye in a Foreign Nation? No Land is Foreign to him, who hath here no per|manent City. I &s;hall Dye before my time? None but a Mad-man complains to be freed from his Fetters before the time, and to be releas'd out of Pri&s;on. <HI>Death, Exile, Grief,</HI> are not puni&s;hments to be dreaded; for they are but the tributes of our Mortality. <HI>'Tis a Folly to fear the things thou can&s;t not avoid.</HI></P>
<PB N="109" REF="63">
<P N="4">4. Beware of over-much <HI>Boldne&s;s,</HI> and do not ra&s;hly &s;et upon any thing above thy &s;trength; for none are &s;ooner oppre&s;s'd, than they who pre&s;ume too much of them|&s;elves. Small are our Forces without Gods help, from whom proceeds all our &s;uffici|ency. Boldne&s;s &s;prings from the great value we put upon our own Virtue, from a con|tempt of our Adver&s;aries, from a precipi|tate Wit, and from the little practice and experience we have in the tran&s;action of affairs. He is lea&s;t forward, who is mo&s;t prudent: For he mea&s;ures his own &s;trength; diligently ca&s;ting about what he can do, and con&s;idering what he &s;hall be unable to com|pa&s;s. Audacious per&s;ons, when they meet with greater difficulties than they before apprehended, flag and fall back; acknow|ledging (when too late) how uncertain mens providences are, how vain their ima|ginations. The beginning of future Cala|mity, is unwary Security.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Anger</HI> will never get the Ma&s;tery over thee, if thou take&s;t away the Opinion of the e&s;teemed Injury. Thou thy &s;elf art the Ring-leader of all the crimes thou com|mitte&s;t. Thou bringe&s;t upon thy &s;elf all the Mi&s;chiefs which befall thee. Why do&s;t thou charge others with the cau&s;e of thy pertur|bations, if thou thy &s;elf drive&s;t them on
<PB N="110" REF="64">headlong? No one is hurt, but by him&s;elf. What Nur&s;es &s;ay to Children, Do not cry, and thou &s;halt have it; thou may&s;t more rightly &s;ay to thy boyling Mind, Be not <HI>Angry,</HI> Do not &s;trive and clamour, and what thou intende&s;t will be better brought to pa&s;s. Appoint certain Dayes, in which thou propo&s;e&s;t, not to fall into <HI>Anger,</HI> what occa&s;ion &s;oever urgeth thee: then try thy &s;elf for one or two Moneths after the &s;ame manner: thou wilt find in proce&s;s of time, that thou ha&s;t &s;o far profited, as to laugh at all &s;uch things, which before provoked thee to <HI>Anger.</HI> Plea&s;ing manners are not &s;o gratefull and agreeable to any of them with whom one lives and conver&s;es, as they are to him&s;elf who is induc'd with them. A peaceable and pacified Mind hath this Happine&s;s: It is alwayes joyfull, it ever|more triumphs.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="18" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="111" REF="64">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XVIII.</HI> Of the Powers of the Rational Soul. The &V;n|der&s;tanding is to be re&s;train'd from Curio|&s;ity. To what Study one &s;hould chiefly apply him&s;elf. How bad a thing it is to enquire into other mens Manners. The Judgments of others, are to be contemned. Of the de|nial of our Will.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. GOd hath given thee the faculty of <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding,</HI> that thou mighte&s;t know him, and by knowing him Love him: but Sin hath maimed this Faculty with a double Wound; with <HI>Ignorance,</HI> and with <HI>Blindne&s;s.</HI> For thou erre&s;t in the Notion of Truth; and art for the mo&s;t part ignorant what is to be done or to be avoided. Now with what care a <HI>City</HI> is to be kept in the time of a raging <HI>Pe&s;tilence,</HI> or a <HI>Ca&s;tle</HI> being be&s;ieged by an <HI>Enemy,</HI> le&s;t &s;ome unknown per&s;on &s;hould creep in; with &s;o great and far greater diligence we mu&s;t watch, le&s;t our Under&s;tanding &s;hould lye open to any bad thing &s;ugge&s;ted to it by the Sen&s;es. For the <HI>Sen&s;es</HI> repre&s;ent the <HI>Species</HI> of things, the <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding</HI> admits them, and
<PB N="112" REF="65">having judg'd them, propo&s;es them to the <HI>Will.</HI> But the Sen&s;es offer both good and bad, and it belongs to the Mind either to embrace or exclude them.</P>
<P N="2">2. In the fir&s;t place, the <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding</HI> is to be contain'd from Curio&s;ity. Why di&s;tracte&s;t thou thy Mind, made for &s;olid Wi&s;dom and for God him&s;elf, with vain trifles? As he that ta&s;ts <HI>Woolf-bane,</HI> to find out its quality, peri&s;hes before he feels the &s;avour of it; So they who dive into mat|ters which belong not to them, undo them|&s;elves before they know what they de&s;ired. To know that which profits not, is the next to <HI>Ignorance.</HI> Who &s;o de&s;ires to be truly Wi&s;e, doth not learn for his Opinion, but for his Life: nor doth he &s;eek in knowledge the delight of his mind, but the remedy. Would&s;t thou gladly know the force of the Stars? Thou wilt &s;hew thy &s;elf fooli&s;h, if after thou ha&s;t found that out, thou art ig|norant of thy own weakne&s;s. Wilt thou &s;peak well and elegantly? 'Tis much better thou would&s;t learn to hold thy peace. De|&s;ire&s;t thou to know new things? What is newer, than to renew thy &s;elf? Learn that. Thou wilt confute other mens errors? Why correcte&s;t thou not thy own? It de|lights thee to run over Hi&s;tories, and to know the deeds of others? Well, if in the
<PB N="113" REF="65">mean while thou art not ignorant of what thou thy &s;elf art to do. Thou would&s;t ac|cord the differences of them who are at &s;trife? And why not thy own tumultuous affections? Did&s;t thou not &s;eek after what is &s;uperfluous, thou would&s;t ea&s;ily find what is nece&s;&s;ary. Now that knowledge is nece&s;&s;ary, which makes thee rather Good than Learned.</P>
<P N="3">3. Why do&s;t thou trouble and torment thy &s;elf with &s;uch Que&s;tions, as would for the mo&s;t part better be de&s;pi&s;ed than &s;ol|ved? Why laboure&s;t thou with pertinaci|ous &s;tudy to learn &s;uch things, which if thou knew&s;t them, ought to be forgotten? But as the intemperance of other things, &s;o al&s;o that of Learning vexeth us. There's no end of Books. Libraries are furni&s;hed, more for Ornament, and to plea&s;e Specta|tors, than for the u&s;e of Readers. Thou wilt &s;carcely be able to read the Indexes of Books in thy whole life time, although thou &s;hould&s;t live many years. Among&s;t the&s;e, many are pernicious; many unwor|thy to be read; many vain and frivolous, which after thou ha&s;t long peru&s;ed, thou wilt be never the wi&s;er. Thou may&s;t &s;a|lute many of them (as it were) from the Thre&s;hold, le&s;t thou may&s;t imagine &s;ome great and &s;ecret good lies conceal'd within
<PB N="114" REF="66">them. But thou art to &s;tick clo&s;e to a few, and tho&s;e choice ones. We want few Books, to inform a good mind.</P>
<P N="4">4. O the vain thoughts of Mortals! We tire our &s;elves in turning over Books and Papers, and extend our Wit to many Arts and Sciences, as if we were to live many Ages: but we neglect the care of eternal Life, which is not acquired by the skill in Sciences, but by the practice of Virtues. What profits it to enquire into the Acts of Foreign Kings, and to de&s;cribe in large Volumes what the people did and &s;uffered? How much better would it be for thee to extingui&s;h thy own Evils, than to explicate tho&s;e of other men to po&s;terity? <HI>Geometry</HI> teaches thee to mea&s;ure Fields; let it rather teach thee to mea&s;ure what is &s;ufficient for thy &s;elf. <HI>Arithmetick</HI> teaches thee to num|ber, and to count thy Incomes; let it rather teach thee to contemn them, and to be willing to lo&s;e the things which are acquired with &s;o great &s;olicitude. <HI>Mu&s;ick</HI> &s;hews thee how Voices agree together; let it &s;hew thee how thy Mind may agree with it &s;elf, and how thy Sen&s;es and Rea&s;on may not make a di&s;cording &s;ound. It informs thee which are the flat, which the &s;harp Moods and Notes; let it in&s;truct thee not to be ex|toll'd in <HI>pro&s;perity,</HI> not to be dejected in
<PB N="115" REF="66"><HI>adver&s;ity.</HI> The&s;e and other things will be profitably known, when thou know&s;t thy &s;elf. Thou <HI>knowe&s;t nothing at all,</HI> notwith|&s;tanding that thou <HI>knew&s;t all things,</HI> if thou <HI>know&s;t not thy &s;elf.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. 'Tis an infamous and &s;ordid Vice to pry into the actions of others, to enquire into their manners, and ra&s;hly to interpret all things. For who art thou, that thou &s;hould&s;t pre&s;ume to judge anothers Servant? <HI>'Tis to his Lord, that be mu&s;t &s;tand or fall.</HI> He who hath re&s;erv'd all judgment to him|&s;elf, is to judge all. With what face dare&s;t thou invade the Divine Tribunal? Look to thy &s;elf, and &s;earch into the &s;ecrets of thy own Con&s;cience; See what evils are there, what good is there wanting, and turn not thy Eyes upon other mens lives and actions. Thou wilt find a &s;ufficient plenty of bad weeds to be pull'd out of thy own ground; Faults, which thou may&s;t boldly fall upon with a &s;evere cen&s;ure. There's &s;carcely any thing &s;o ju&s;tly done, but that a depraved &s;pirit may wre&s;t it to an ill &s;ence. Hereticks abu&s;e the very Go&s;pels; The Jews calum|niated Chri&s;t's actions. As Bodies of a me|lancholick and malevolent humour, turn all the food they eat into Choler; &s;o an ill-di&s;pos'd Soul, mi&s;-interprets all it &s;ees, all it hears. A good or bad Intention, makes
<PB N="116" REF="67">things oftentimes good or bad: but this is known to him alone, who &s;earches the reins and the heart. If another per&s;ons doings can by no means be defended; what's that to thee? Art thou not a&s;ham'd to bring filthy things out of corners, and expo&s;e them to publick view? Why do&s;t thou not ob&s;erve thy &s;elf, who art wor&s;e than others? Practi&s;e thy Slanderous tongue again&s;t thy &s;elf, detract thy &s;elf to thy &s;elf, accu&s;e thy own crimes, judge them, condemn them. Thou wilt avoid Gods Judgment, if thou art a &s;evere Self-cen&s;urer.</P>
<P N="6">6. As we are commonly very ingenious in ob&s;erving the actions of others, &s;eeking thereby to be e&s;teemed prudent: &s;o we ea&s;ily &s;u&s;pect that others in like &s;ort think and &s;peak ill of us; and that we are to them odious and de&s;picable. That thou may&s;t quell this, cut off in the fir&s;t place all de&s;ire of plea&s;ing Men, and of being by them highly e&s;teemed: then endeavour to ca&s;t away the very thought of knowing what others think or &s;peak of thee: e&s;pe|cially &s;ince it often happens, that they do not &s;o much as once think of thee, whom thou fancie&s;t to &s;peak ill of thee and ob|&s;erve thee. Say to thy &s;elf with the Apo&s;tle; <HI>If I plea&s;ed men, I were not Chri&s;ts Servant.</HI>
<PB N="117" REF="67">Say to others; <HI>'Tis little to me, that I am judg'd by you, or by the day of man.</HI> Thou art truly &s;uch, as thou art with God. The <HI>Opi|nion</HI> and <HI>Talk of men</HI> adds nothing to thy <HI>goodne&s;s,</HI> takes nothing from thy <HI>malice. 'Tis better to be Good, then &s;o e&s;teemed.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. Nothing will fall out contrary to thy Will, if thou totally denye&s;t it, and tran&s;|forme&s;t it into the Divine Will. Thus thou wilt enjoy a &s;olid Peace of Mind, thus thou wilt attain to a true tranquility. Thou wilt live as thou plea&s;e&s;t, if thou wilt learn to will what thou oughte&s;t. And thou ought|e&s;t to will what God will. This is the only felicity of this Life, <HI>to will,</HI> that what&s;oever is done may be &s;o done as <HI>God will,</HI> and not as <HI>we</HI> our &s;elves <HI>will.</HI> God leads thee on to the End, whereto thou wert eternally de|&s;igned, by <HI>&s;weetne&s;&s;es</HI> and <HI>bitterne&s;&s;es,</HI> by <HI>pro&s;perities</HI> and <HI>adver&s;ities.</HI> Obey the Di|vine Providence, and follow with Alacrity: for &s;hould&s;t thou re&s;i&s;t, yet thou mu&s;t follow, and thou would&s;t be wicked. God leads the Willing, draws the Unwilling.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="19" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="118" REF="68">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XIX.</HI> Of the &s;tate of Proficients. Several helps to Proficiency. The value and u&s;e of Time. The Pre&s;ence of God, Nece&s;&s;ary.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. IF thou de&s;ire&s;t to be <HI>Good,</HI> fir&s;t believe that thou art <HI>Bad.</HI> Thou wilt <HI>never profit,</HI> if thou leave&s;t off the <HI>de&s;ire to profit.</HI> To have no will to go <HI>onwards,</HI> is to go <HI>backwards.</HI> Per&s;evere therefore as thou ha&s;t begun, and make what ha&s;te thou can&s;t, to the end thou may&s;t quickly enjoy a quiet and compo&s;ed Mind. 'Tis an argu|ment of a Mind chang'd into a better Con|dition, if thou &s;ee&s;t thy Crimes, which be|fore thou knewe&s;t not. So we are wont to congratulate &s;ick per&s;ons, when they are &s;en&s;ible that they are &s;ick. Do not ea&s;ily give credit to thy &s;elf; but di&s;cu&s;s and ob|&s;erve thy &s;elf, and take a tryal of thy Pro|ficiency from the firmne&s;s of thy Mind, and the diminution of thy Cupidities. Thou may&s;t e&s;teem thy &s;elf to be in the Form of Proficients, when thou &s;halt have obtain'd an ab&s;olute power over thy &s;elf. 'Tis an in|e&s;timable good to po&s;&s;e&s;s ones &s;elf, and to
<PB N="119" REF="68">be one. A good man, is alwayes the &s;ame; a bad man, alwayes another.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou may&s;t, if thou wilt, in one day climb to the top of Sanctity, if averting thy whole Heart from Creatures, thou con|verte&s;t it to thy Creator. Now, whether thou leade&s;t a life inwardly with God, thou wilt know by the&s;e &s;igns: If tran&s;itory things di&s;plea&s;e thee, if &s;olitude delights thee, if thou aime&s;t at what is mo&s;t per|fect, if thou value&s;t not mens Judgments and Opinions. Moreover the continual Meditation of Chri&s;t's Life and Pa&s;&s;ion, will afford thee a great help to attain to all Virtue. He is the Book of Life, in which alone, as in a rich and well &s;tored Library, thou wilt find what&s;oever appertains to Salvation, although all other Books with their Authors peri&s;hed. But it &s;ufficeth not to know and meditate Chri&s;t, unle&s;s thou al&s;o imitate&s;t him, and &s;o live&s;t, as he taught by his Word and Example. Crook|ed things cannot be corrected, but by the Rule.</P>
<P N="3">3. One &s;aid excellently well, That they who will profit, ought &s;o to live, as if they were perpetually under cure. For many things are continually to be ob&s;erved, which put a &s;top to one ha&s;tning to the Cittadel of Perfection; as, when thou
<PB N="120" REF="69">love&s;t thy &s;elf or any creature inordinate|ly; when thou &s;tande&s;t &s;o affected to ex|ternal things, as that thou would&s;t be trou|bled at their being lo&s;t or taken away from thee; when thou too much &s;eeke&s;t thy own ea&s;e and content in Meat, Drink, Talk, wandring abroad; when thou em|bu&s;ie&s;t thy &s;elf more then is nece&s;&s;ary in temporal affairs; when thou pertinaci|ou&s;ly adhere&s;t to thy own judgment and opinion; when thou ob&s;erve&s;t not Gods inward motions, and refu&s;e&s;t to li&s;ten to him, &s;peaking in thy interiour by his &s;ecret In&s;pirations. The&s;e are the chief Impediments which detain thee in thy journey; which thou art to remove with all vigilancy and diligence, and &s;et thy &s;elf manfully to thy work. Let Virtue animate thee in all thou undertake&s;t; let the mo&s;t perfect End encourage thee to proceed with promptitude and alacrity; let a pure Intention comfort thee in thy progre&s;s: and &s;o apply thy &s;elf to the work, as that it may fully equal the <HI>prenotion</HI> thou ha&s;t of its perfection. Pro|ficiency con&s;i&s;ts not in the multitude of Ex|erci&s;es, but in doing tho&s;e perfectly which thou daily performe&s;t. For prai&s;e is not &s;o much due to the deed, as to the manner of doing it.</P>
<PB N="121" REF="69">
<P N="4">4. The Dayes fly, Time ha&s;tens, and what is pa&s;t, no man can recall, and give it back to thee. Thou <HI>do&s;t not live,</HI> but thou <HI>art to live;</HI> for thy life looks alwayes on the Morrow. So thy <HI>Life</HI> &s;lides away, whil&s;t thou art &s;tudying to prepare in|&s;truments to pre&s;erve it: and in the mean while <HI>Old age</HI> &s;teals upon thee, <HI>Death</HI> &s;eizes on thee, and finds thee un|prepared. As men journeying together, and deceiving the time with mutual Col|loquies, arrive at their journeys end be|fore they apprehended them&s;elves near it: even &s;o the continued journey of this Life, in which thou marche&s;t on, both &s;leeping and waking, in the &s;ame track, will not appear what it is to thee being imployed and di&s;tracted, till thou arrive&s;t at the end of it. Why then do&s;t thou &s;tay, why do&s;t thou idle? Put a Value upon Time, make u&s;e of it &s;peedily: prize high|ly this Day, yea this Hour, for the lo&s;s of it is irreparable. Thou &s;uffere&s;t not thy Inheritance to be invaded by any one; if a &s;mall contention ari&s;es about the Limits, thou runne&s;t pre&s;ently to Arms and Law|&s;uits: but thou permitte&s;t thy Life and Time to be taken away by any one; being mo&s;t prodigal of that thing, of which thou may&s;t only hone&s;tly be Covetous. Compute
<PB N="120" REF="70"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="121" REF="70"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="122" REF="71">thy Age, call thy pa&s;t years to a ju&s;t ac|count, although thou &s;hould adde to them an hundred more, thou wilt find thou ha&s;t yet fewer then thou numbere&s;t. For how much of the&s;e hath Sleep, Gluttony, Friends, and idle ramblings abroad &s;natch'd from thee? How much hath lain without u&s;e? How much hath &s;lipp'd away from thee doing nothing, or wor&s;e then nothing, whil&s;t thou wert in&s;en&s;ible of thy lo&s;s? Thou wilt under&s;tand how little is left thee of the whole, and confe&s;s that Death takes thee before thy time. Thou frequently complaine&s;t of the dayes pa&s;t and gone, which thou ha&s;t unadvi&s;edly lo&s;t: why en|deavoure&s;t thou not &s;o to &s;pend the time pre&s;ent, that when it is al&s;o gone, thou may&s;t &s;ay, I &s;ee not how I could better have imployed it? Each &s;ingle day is only pre&s;ent, and that al&s;o by Moments. Why lo&s;e&s;t thou this day, which is thine; and di&s;po&s;e&s;t of the day to come, which is none of thine? The greate&s;t impediment of li|ving, is Delay. <HI>Live to day, 'tis late to live to morrow.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Look evermore upon God, in each thought, word, and work, excluding all other Ends what&s;oever: and follow his only Will. He never &s;werves from the right path, who chu&s;es God for his Guide. Thy
<PB N="123" REF="71">affairs will be in a good condition, if thou directe&s;t all thou do&s;t to Gods Glory; and &s;o performe&s;t each particular action, as if he were thy Spectator, who &s;ees all things, &s;u&s;tains all things, provides for all things. Thou can&s;t never &s;hun his Sight; for he is pre&s;ent not only to thy words and actions, but to thy mo&s;t inward cogitations. When thou ha&s;t &s;hut the doors, and &s;itte&s;t in Dark|ne&s;s, do not fancy thy &s;elf to be alone, God is with thee. His pre&s;ence &s;hould render thy &s;ecret more &s;acred. To him nothing is &s;hut. <HI>In him we live, move, and are.</HI> Eat and Drink before him; Walk with him; Talk with him of all thy affairs; Rai&s;e to him thy whole Life and Conver&s;ation. Render thy &s;elf a worthy Object for him to fix his Eyes upon, and whom he may alwayes amiably behold. There's a great nece&s;&s;ity of being good impos'd upon thee, &s;ince thou acte&s;t before the Eyes of an all-&s;eeing Judge. <HI>So live,</HI> as if there were none in the world, but God and thy &s;elf: What&s;o|ever, how&s;oever his Providence &s;hall di&s;|po&s;e of thee, embrace it willingly, whether it be adver&s;e or pro&s;perous. Thou &s;eeke&s;t God, what matters it whether thou com'&s;t to him by this or by that way? And he grant, that thou may&s;t at la&s;t come to him.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="20" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="124" REF="72">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XX.</HI> Of the Good of Solitude. Evil Society is to be &s;hunn'd. What, and how many the Worlds Vices are. The &s;tudy of a Proficient is the acqui&s;ition of Virtues. Certain Signs of Virtue's being obtained.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. 'TIs a great argument of a Mind well compo&s;ed, and clean&s;ed from depraved Affections, that it can dwell with it &s;elf. As God, who with him&s;elf alone is ble&s;&s;ed, remains alwayes in him&s;elf; &s;o thou wilt come neare&s;t to Gods Felicity, if thou can&s;t learn to remain with thy &s;elf. And &s;urely if thou wilt, thou need&s;t never be Solitary, if thou wilt never be &s;eparated from Chri&s;t. Now if thou ha&s;t an Itch of talking, talk with thy &s;elf; but beware thou talk not with an Evil per&s;on. Would&s;t thou know with what <HI>Colloquies</HI> thou may&s;t entertain thy &s;elf? With &s;uch as men mo&s;t willingly talk of with others: &s;peak ill of thy &s;elf, to thy &s;elf. Lay open thy Vices, and cha&s;ti&s;e what&s;oever thou finde&s;t in thy &s;elf worthy of puni&s;hment. Some Vice or other will never be wanting,
<PB N="125" REF="72">which will require to be cured. Hide thy &s;elf in a peaceable vacancy, but hide al&s;o thy vacancy. To Glory in Solitude, is a &s;loathful Ambition. And that thy Solitude may be both plea&s;ing and pro|fitable to thee, joyn an internal re|collection to thy Corporeal ab&s;traction. Withdraw thy &s;elf from vain occupations, and depart not only from men, but al&s;o from &s;uch things as do not concern thee. Be free from every Creature, and exclude their images out of thy Heart. Ca&s;t off all &s;olicitudes concerning frail and tran&s;i|tory things, all impertinencies of thoughts; and attend to thy &s;elf, and to God alone, in the &s;ecret rece&s;s of thy Heart. In this Silence of Mind, in this Oblivion of all things, and in this Nakedne&s;s, con&s;i&s;ts the Hearts true re&s;t and tranquility. Fly hither, here hide thy &s;elf, aim alwayes at this: <HI>for God is there found, where all Creatures are for&s;aken.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. If thou wilt be <HI>Good,</HI> &s;hun the com|pany of the <HI>Bad.</HI> Nothing is &s;o pernicious to good manners, as to commit ones &s;elf to the people. Thou &s;halt never carry back the manners thou broughte&s;t in. A mind which is tender and facile, cannot bear the violence of Vices, u&s;her'd in with &s;o many attendants. We ea&s;ily pa&s;s to
<PB N="126" REF="73">the major Part. A Table-Companion who is delicate, mollifies by little and little: A Rich Neighbour irritates the Cupidity. Thou may&s;t peri&s;h, by one example of Luxury or Avarice. Parents draw to bad|ne&s;s, A&s;&s;ociates draw, Servants draw. All things are full of Dangers, full of Snares, and Deceits. As &s;oon as we are brought forth into Light, we are pre&s;ently &s;ur|rounded with all manner of depravedne&s;s, and perver&s;e Opinions. There's &s;carcely any one in the world, who either com|mends not &s;ome Vice, or impre&s;&s;es it not; or infects not &s;ome ignorant per&s;on with it. Thou containe&s;t thy &s;elf &s;ometimes within thy own Clo&s;et, &s;eparated from the Mar|ket and Commerce of Men: Oh, how &s;weet and de&s;irable is this retreat! All things within are calm, all things quiet, without a Cloud, without a Tempe&s;t. One comes by chance and calls thee abroad; thou followe&s;t him. Others joyn them|&s;elves, a Company is made up, you march away together, Sin is committed by &s;ome one or other exce&s;s; and thou who went&s;t forth good, returne&s;t very bad. But thou perceive&s;t not the Wounds of thy Soul, till thou art again in thy &s;olitude. Go back therefore into thy &s;elf as &s;oon as thou can&s;t, le&s;t the multitude infect thy mind
<PB N="127" REF="73">with its Vices and Errors. That Mind is mo&s;t joyfull, which is di&s;tracted with fewe&s;t Objects.</P>
<P N="3">3. Fancy to thy &s;elf, that thou art tran&s;|lated for a &s;hort time to the top of a high Mountain: Take from thence a view of this wretched World; and thou wilt learn to hate it, and love to retire out of it into thy Solitude. Thou wilt behold the wayes be&s;et with Thieves; the Seas infe&s;ted by Pirates; Kingdoms mole&s;ted with Wars; the Fields flowing with Humane Blood, and every where Vice and Wickedne&s;s abounding. Thou wilt &s;ee &s;uch things done in &s;ecret by lewd per&s;ons, which &s;urely cannot plea&s;e the very Actors them|&s;elves. Thou wilt find things &s;o unworthy, &s;o unbe&s;eeming, that no one would doubt but that the doers of them are Mad, were there only a few which did otherwi&s;e: but the multitude of mad people, patro|nizes them from being &s;o reputed. A|mong&s;t the Laws them&s;elves crimes are committed; nor is Innocence there out of danger, where it is defended. The Guilt|le&s;s peri&s;hes, the Guilty is pardoned; and the Crime &s;eems a le&s;s matter than the Ab&s;olution. There's no fear of the Laws, for that which may be redeemed is not dreaded. The Tongues of Slanderers are
<PB N="128" REF="74">bitter, the Mouths of Flatterers are frau|dulent; <HI>there</HI> Hatred rages, <HI>here</HI> Fal&s;hood deceives. <HI>One</HI> lies &s;oak'd in Wine; <HI>ano|ther</HI> ab&s;orp'd with Sluggi&s;hne&s;s. In&s;atiable Avarice detains this man, and Ambition depending alwayes upon the opinion of others, tires that man. Look into the Mar|ket-place, &s;warming with people; thou'lt &s;ay, there are &s;o many Vices as men. All offend again&s;t their Neighbour, by Inju|ries; again&s;t God, by Contempt; again&s;t things, by Abu&s;ing them. They gather all things together again&s;t them&s;elves in judg|ment, being guilty of all. And how can&s;t thou &s;ecurely keep thy footing, and have recour&s;e to thy &s;elf, among&s;t &s;o many Vices urging on every &s;ide; which as &s;oon as thou de&s;ire&s;t to ari&s;e and lift up thy Eyes, depre&s;s and drown thee? 'Tis a hard matter for any one to be innocent, where Troops of bad men reign: for if they can|not alter thee, they will at lea&s;t hinder thee. There is one way to a &s;table tran|quility, which is, to withdraw thy &s;elf from &s;o many evils, and retreat into a &s;tation, where free from all contagion, thou may&s;t &s;ecurely behold the worlds raging Pe&s;ti|lence. That Mind is unconquerable, which hath for&s;aken external things, and attending to him&s;elf alone, contents him|&s;elf
<PB N="129" REF="74">in his own Ca&s;tle. To &s;uch a one, the World is a Pri&s;on, and Solitude is a Pa|radi&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. 'Tis a vain thing to &s;eque&s;ter thy &s;elf from Men, unle&s;s thou force&s;t thy Mind to be attentive to it &s;elf, and to be diligent in the exerci&s;e of Virtues. Man hath no|thing that is Good, if Virtue is wanting: There's no re&s;t, no felicity, but from Virtue. There are three things, which mutually corre&s;pond with each other in the Univer&s;e: among&s;t all and above all, <HI>God;</HI> among&s;t &s;en&s;ible things, <HI>Light;</HI> among&s;t the perfections of the Mind, <HI>Virtue.</HI> God is the <HI>Light</HI> and <HI>Virtue</HI> of all things: <HI>Light</HI> is the Virtue of the <HI>World,</HI> and the <HI>Image</HI> of <HI>God: Virtue</HI> is the <HI>Light</HI> of the <HI>Soul,</HI> by which we are named, and are the <HI>Children of God.</HI> Thou art to approach this with a purged Mind, if thou de&s;ire&s;t to arrive at the ex|pected height of perfection. For <HI>Virtue</HI> is the perfection of Man, the re&s;torer of inno|cency, full of all joy and &s;weetne&s;s. 'Tis the &s;upplement of Nature, which of it &s;elf is unable to get the &s;upernatural good. It facilitates good works, it makes us live up|rightly; by it we, who are (as it were) blind, are illuminated, by it we re&s;i&s;t Sim by it we are &s;tored with merits, by
<PB N="130" REF="75">it we de&s;erve eternal life. In this &s;tudy, 'tis in the fir&s;t place nece&s;&s;ary thou &s;hould&s;t fore-know the Nature and Acts of each Virtue; becau&s;e no one loves what he knows not. Then thou art never to cea&s;e from the Act and Exerci&s;e; and if occa|&s;ions are wanting, thou art to imitate the Souldiers, who in the mid&s;t of Peace, pre|pare them&s;elves by feigned Skirmi&s;hes to future Battels. Imagine that mo&s;t enor|mous Crimes are laid to thy Charge, think thy &s;elf reviled with all &s;orts of Re|proaches, fancy that thou art violently bereaft of all thou po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e&s;t, and exerci&s;e thy Patience, as if it were truly &s;o. Thou wilt not tremble when the thing it &s;elf happens, if thou thus exerci&s;e&s;t thy &s;elf be|fore it happens. The Souldier brings a great courage to the Battel, who hath often dipt his Sword in blood.</P>
<P N="5">5. The Habits of Virtues are not ac|quired without long exerci&s;e. And whe|ther thou ha&s;t gotten any one of them, thou may&s;t gue&s;s by the&s;e &s;igns: to wit, If thou feele&s;t the Vices oppo&s;ite to Virtue to be extingui&s;hed, or for the mo&s;t part &s;uppre&s;&s;ed. If thou finde&s;t, that the mo|tions of bad affections will endure to be curb'd by the bridle of Rea&s;on, and that thou can&s;t ea&s;ily compell them to obey thy
<PB N="131" REF="75">Mind. If thou exerci&s;e&s;t acts of Virtue without difficulty, yea, and with delight. If thou value&s;t not the &s;ayings of Tepid per&s;ons, and with a full liberty of &s;pirit, rou&s;e&s;t up thy &s;elf to perform tho&s;e things which di&s;plea&s;e the Imperfect. If thou abhorre&s;t with a certain connatural loath&s;omne&s;s tho&s;e bad acts, to which thou wert before habitually inclined. If thou &s;eeme&s;t not to be delighted (no, not &s;o much as in thy Dream) with any filthy thing, or that thou approve&s;t not any un|ju&s;t thing. If thou &s;trive&s;t to imitate tho&s;e things which thou prai&s;e&s;t and admire&s;t in others; and ab&s;taine&s;t from tho&s;e which thou reprehende&s;t. If thou thinke&s;t no fault to be little, and &s;tudiou&s;ly avoide&s;t and ob&s;erve&s;t every imperfection, be it never &s;o &s;mall. If when thou &s;ee&s;t or heare&s;t that thy equals flouri&s;h with Riches and Dignities, thou neither envie&s;t them, nor art troubled at it. If thou ingenuou&s;ly acknowledge&s;t thy errors, de&s;iring to be by all corrected and reprehended. If being content with the te&s;timony of thy own Con&s;cience, thou re&s;erve&s;t and hide&s;t thy good works within thy &s;elf: for the Re|ward of a thing that is well done, is to have done it. If finally, thou applye&s;t thy &s;elf to the &s;tudy of Virtue without inter|mi&s;&s;ion:
<PB N="132" REF="76">for true Virtue never flags, but is evermore in Action.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="21" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXI.</HI> Of the Theological Virtues. Faith is to be approved by Works. Confidence is to be placed in God alone. Motives to love God. The love of our Neighbours is manife&s;ted by Benefits. An Exhortation to Alms-deeds.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THe Ground-work of all other <HI>Vir|tues,</HI> and the foundation of the whole Chri&s;tian Life, is <HI>Faith; without which no one can plea&s;e God.</HI> This is the wi&s;dom, which hath tam'd the World; to which we mu&s;t firmly adhere, rejecting all inqui&s;ition and curio&s;ity. Believe then, and act accordingly: for <HI>Faith without Works is dead.</HI> Thy Sayings and thy Pro|fe&s;&s;ion brag of Faith: take heed that thy Life and Manners preach not Infidelity. Thou believe&s;t the <HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> why obeye&s;t thou not the <HI>Go&s;pel?</HI> Thou believe&s;t an <HI>eternal Life,</HI> why preferre&s;t thou this &s;hort time, before <HI>unending Eternity?</HI> What profits it to believe true and good things, if thon art fal&s;e, and acte&s;t bad things? It can
<PB N="133" REF="76">hardly be per&s;waded, that he believes well, who lives ill. For he truly believes, who practi&s;es what he profe&s;&s;es.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whereas it is mo&s;t certain, that all things are di&s;po&s;ed and governed by Gods Providence; in &s;o much as not a Sparrow alights from the Air, nor a Leaf falls from a Tree without his permi&s;&s;ion and will: do thou therefore deliver up to him thy whole &s;elf, with a generous Mind, and a great Confidence, nothing at all doubting, but that thou &s;halt receive fit a&s;&s;i&s;tance for the management of all thy affairs. Know that all humane helps and advices are de|ceitfull and uncertain; and &s;uffer thy &s;elf to be governed and guided by God without any anxiety. Although things unexpected happen, whereby the whole order of thy actions and coun&s;els, may &s;eem to be quite cut off and de&s;troyed; (as with Di&s;ea&s;es, with fal&s;e Accu&s;ations, or with other more grievous Accidents) yet be not dejected; but fortifying thy &s;elf with Divine Hope, leave all to his di&s;po&s;al: For by the&s;e chances, by the&s;e di&s;a&s;ters, the Divine Wi&s;dom leads thee to that End, which from all Eternity he de&s;ign'd for thee. He feels not pre&s;ent Evils, who hopes for future Goods. So much a man can, and &s;o much he hath, as he Hopes and Believes.</P>
<PB N="134" REF="77">
<P N="3">3. <HI>Charity,</HI> the Form and Queen of all <HI>Virtues,</HI> beholds both God and the Neigh|bour. And &s;urely God is to be beloved with thy whole Heart, with thy whole Soul, with thy whole Strength, above all that is amiable, purely for him&s;elf, and for his own infinite goodne&s;s. That thou <HI>Art,</HI> that thou <HI>Live&s;t,</HI> that thou <HI>Move&s;t,</HI> that thou <HI>Feele&s;t,</HI> that thou <HI>&V;nderstande&s;t,</HI> is the Grace and Favour of God. He Redeem'd thee from the Bondage of the Devil: he hath en|nobled thy Soul with innumerable Prero|gatives: he hath prepar'd for thee an eternal Life, no Merits of thine preceding. Heaven, Earth, Air, Water, and all that is in them, cry daily to thee, to render to him thy greate&s;t Love, who for thee created them. Why roame&s;t thou abroad to &s;eek thy Souls good? Love that One, which is all Good. Seek that Simple Good, which is the Soveraign Good, then which no|thing can be imagined greater, nothing more Lovely. 'Tis Love alone, which enables thee to repay, though not equally, a mutual return to thy Creator. But Love is not Idle, nor doth it &s;eek it &s;elf; It works great matters, <HI>if it is.</HI> No Difficulty is inacce&s;&s;ible to Love. A true Lover may dye, but he cannot be conquered.</P>
<PB N="135" REF="77">
<P N="4">4. Nature hath ingraffed Love in all men, and made them &s;ociable: for we are all members of the great Body, call'd to the &s;ame Faith, to the &s;ame Glory. He Loves not God, who Loves not his Bro|ther. Now, the Acts of Affection towards our Neighbours, are; to conferr Benefits upon all, to profit all, to prevent all with love and officiou&s;ne&s;s. Thou art therefore to be&s;tow Benefits upon the needy, with a prompt and joyfull Mind; without de|lay, unle&s;s it be in the &s;hamefac'dne&s;s of the Receiver. Let it &s;uffice thee for the affording of thy remedy to &s;uch as &s;uffer by any &s;ad di&s;a&s;ter, that thou know&s;t their indigency. <HI>I crave,</HI> is a trouble&s;ome and burden&s;ome word: if thou fore&s;talle&s;t and prevente&s;t the de&s;ire of thy Friend, before thou art asked, thou multiplie&s;t thy Guift. He had it not <HI>gratis,</HI> who when he had ask'd it, receiv'd it. If thou could&s;t not prevent him, cut off many words of the Asker, that thou may&s;t not &s;eem to be en|treated: and make it appear by thy promp|titude in giving, that thou would&s;t have done it, though it had not been de|manded. Then joyn good Words to good Deeds, and intermix no &s;ad thing with thy Benefit, not a &s;eeming unwillingne&s;s, not a &s;lowne&s;s, not an exprobation, not
<PB N="136" REF="78">finally any vain boa&s;ting. The thing it &s;elf will &s;peak, though thou hold&s;t thy peace; and he <HI>who beholds in &s;ecret,</HI> will reward thee.</P>
<P N="5">5. Among&s;t the Acts of Chri&s;tian Bene|volence, Almes-deeds hold the chief place; for thereby Faith is proved, Sins are re|deemed, Heaven is purcha&s;ed. Take heed therefore of de&s;pi&s;ing a poor man, &s;ince though him&s;elf is poor, he can make thee Rich. Thou art &s;old by thy Sins, redeem thy &s;elf with thy Money: Make of the in&s;truments of Avarice, a means to obtain Mercy. A Player, provoking thee to laugh|ter, goes away rewarded; &s;hall Chri&s;t pro|mi&s;ing thee the Kingdom of Heaven get nothing? Thou paye&s;t Tribute to the Prince whether thou wilt or no, even although thou receive&s;t no fruit from thy Fields; and wilt thou refu&s;e a bit of Bread, out of what thou ha&s;t over and above, to Chri&s;t thy King? Take heed, le&s;t &s;paring thy Money, thou become&s;t guilty of &s;pil|ling thy Brothers blood. If thou ha&s;t not &s;uccour'd him, thou ha&s;t &s;lain him. Thou thinke&s;t how well others may live after thee; thou thinke&s;t not how ill thy &s;elf may&s;t dye. 'Tis better &s;omething of thy Patrimony &s;hould be wanting to thy Heirs, then thou to thy &s;elf in thy Sal|vation.
<PB N="137" REF="78">Look into thy Accounts: Ob|&s;erve, what in thy Eternal Countrey, what here thou po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e&s;t. Of all thy Goods and Chattels, thou wilt find that only in Death, which thou ha&s;t &s;ent be|fore thee into Heaven, by the hands of the Poor. Reproach thy Infidelity. The Enemy may invade thy Hou&s;e, but Heaven he cannot.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="22" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXII.</HI> Of Prudence. Its Nece&s;&s;ity and Difficulty. The Duty of a Prudent man.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. AS no Work can well be brought to perfection by Architects, without the Line and the Level; &s;o neither by us, without Prudence. This is the Square of other Virtues, the right Rule of our Actions, the Eye of the Soul, the Art of living. That Life cannot be plea&s;ant, from which <HI>Prudence</HI> is ab&s;ent. All con|fe&s;s this Art to be of greate&s;t difficulty: And 'tis al&s;o ob&s;cure. The Difficulty ari&s;es from this, that it embraces within the compa&s;s of its con&s;ideration, all things as well in general as in particular. And
<PB N="138" REF="79">al&s;o, that there is no certain &s;tate of hu|mane things; which being alwayes varia|ble, contingent, and depending upon di|vers Circum&s;tances, it is not for every ones Wit, to &s;ettle in them a certain Rule, and to joyn together and mingle &s;uch things by a certain uniform temper, which are oftentimes repugnant in them&s;elves. Now the Ob&s;curity proceeds from that dark|ne&s;s, wherein the Cau&s;es of doing things are involv'd. The Tops indeed appear, but their Foundations lye hid. The Di|vine Decree of the pro&s;perous or un&s;uc|ce&s;sful event of things, lyes al&s;o con|cealed; &s;o that few have this Virtue. Few can fore&s;ee what in any affair is mo&s;t ex|pedient.</P>
<P N="2">2. U&s;e and Remembrance beget <HI>Pru|dence.</HI> For the &s;ingle things which it go|verns, are made known to man by U&s;e and Experience. Thou wilt be &s;afe, if thou give&s;t credit to thy own and others experiment, and putte&s;t not thy &s;elf upon &s;uch high matters, where thou mu&s;t tremble, and from whence thou mu&s;t fall. But that thou may&s;t prudent|ly di&s;po&s;e all things, thou art fir&s;t to look into thy &s;elf; then, into the affairs thou undertake&s;t; next, into them for whom or with whom thou art to act. And thou
<PB N="139" REF="79">art to take an exact e&s;timate of thy &s;elf, le&s;t thou &s;eeme&s;t to thy &s;elf more able then thou art. One fell, out of a confidence in his Eloquence; another, burthened his Patrimony with more then it could bear; a third, oppre&s;s'd his weak Body with a laborious Office. In the next place, thou art to weigh the things thou undertake&s;t, and compare together thy own forces, and the things which are to be done. The Loads which are bigger then the Bearer, beat him down. Thou art al&s;o to put thy hand to &s;uch things, which thou either may&s;t or hope&s;t to make an end of. After|wards, a choice of the men is al&s;o to be made; whether they are worthy upon whom thou &s;hould&s;t be&s;tow a part of thy Life: their Manners are to be examined, le&s;t thou &s;hould&s;t hurt thy &s;elf, whil&s;t thou &s;tudie&s;t to profit others. La&s;tly, it is to be con&s;idered, whether thy nature is pro|per to bring about the&s;e things, and thou art to incline that way to which the &s;trength of thy Wit carries thee. Where there is a reluctancy in Nature, the Labour comes to nothing.</P>
<P N="3">3. A <HI>Prudent</HI> man enterprizes nothing, &s;o long as his Mind is agitated with any perturbation; for a Spirit which is &s;haken and deluded with the enchantments of a
<PB N="140" REF="80">depraved affection, cannot di&s;cern what is true and hone&s;t. Al&s;o Precipitation is a great enemy to <HI>Prudence,</HI> and hath drawn many into grievous and inextrica|ble Mi&s;chances. Therefore a Wi&s;e man doth nothing Ra&s;hly, and &s;ubmits his own Judgment to the Coun&s;el of others. Mens thoughts are timerous, their Providences uncon&s;tant, the i&s;&s;ue of their affairs dubi|ous, and their experiences fallacious. There is &s;afety, where are many Coun|cels. It belongs al&s;o to a Prudent man, to lay the thing nakedly open, and to look acutely into it, as it is without colour and covering, which are wont to deceive the unwary. Set a&s;ide Money, Fame, Dignity: &s;earch into the thing it &s;elf; inquire what it is, not what it is called. 'Tis the part of a Fool, to be cheated with images and &s;hadows. Then thou art to &s;py, as from a Watch-Tower, what&s;oever may fall out; le&s;t thou may&s;t be afterwards forced to pro|nounce that fond word, <HI>I did not think it.</HI> A long Con&s;ultation is to be adhibited, a mature judgment, and a &s;ubtle examination, le&s;t &s;ome bad circum|&s;tance may vitiate the action, le&s;t Prudence may degenerate into Craftine&s;s, and le&s;t in &s;o near a Neighbourhood of the true
<PB N="141" REF="80">and counterfeit Good, thou may&s;t not em|brace Vice for Virtue. Thy Election being at la&s;t made, cut off all delay, and fall pre|&s;ently to execute what thou ha&s;t decreed. There's no place for lingring in good Coun|&s;el, which cannot be prai&s;ed till 'tis per|formed.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="23" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXIII.</HI> Of Ju&s;tice, and of Religion. The Acts of Both. What Penance is, and wherein it con&s;i&s;ts.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>J&V;&s;tice</HI> the highe&s;t Virtue, ordained for others, not for it &s;elf, trans|fu&s;es all it hath into its Neighbours, ask|ing nothing but the u&s;e of it &s;elf. This averts men from mutual injuries, and &s;ettles the whole World in peace. This is a certain tacit Convention of Nature, and the tye of humane Society, nor can there be any thing prai&s;e-worthy without it. A Ju&s;t man hurts no one, he Challenges not what is anothers, he profits all, he thinks and &s;peaks well of all, he gives to every one his due, he hinders not a|nothers good. If he pre&s;ides, he commands
<PB N="142" REF="81">ju&s;t things, he &s;uffers all to have acce&s;s to him, he preferrs the good of his Subjects before his own profit; he re&s;trains Vices by puni&s;hments, he encourages the virtu|ous by rewards, and thus retains all in their duties. If he is an Underling, he pre&s;erves Concord, he obeys the Laws, and the precepts of his Superiors; and re&s;ting content with his own condition, he de&s;ires neither Offices nor Dignities, nor thru&s;ts him&s;elf into things not belonging unto him. He is Ju&s;t for ju&s;tice &s;ake, for he knows no greater reward of a Ju&s;t action, than to be Ju&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Religion,</HI> the mo&s;t excellent of the Moral Virtues, looks immediately upon God, and upon his wor&s;hip and honour. Now, the fir&s;t Wor&s;hip is to believe and acknowledge him; then, to render to him his own Maje&s;ty, his own Goodne&s;s. 'Tis but little to know God, which the Devils do, who hate him: love is moreover ex|acted, con&s;i&s;ting in the&s;e things, (which would to God they were as well accom|pli&s;h'd as known.) Thou know&s;t that God is he, who pre&s;ides over the World, who pre&s;erves Mankind, who rules all things: thou confe&s;&s;e&s;t him the only Power|full, the only Good, the only Immen&s;e: thou expecte&s;t from him, as from thy Sove|raign
<PB N="143" REF="81">Good, and thy la&s;t End, everla&s;ting Beatitude. Why then do&s;t thou not (as thou oughte&s;t) wor&s;hip him? Why yield|e&s;t thou not to him the highe&s;t Venera|tion? Why do&s;t thou preferr a vile clod of Earth before him? Vain is thy <HI>Religion,</HI> unle&s;s thou prov'&s;t it by thy doings. Wilt thou be truly <HI>Religious? Walk before God, and be perfect.</HI> He &s;ufficiently wor&s;hips him, who imitates him. True <HI>Religion</HI> tyes thee to God, God to thee. Keep it un|touch'd from Negligence, from Errors, from Sin. 'Tis a great Folly to preach Faith with the Tongue, Infidelity with the Manners. Men of this note were long &s;ince derided by the mo&s;t famous Philo&s;opher among&s;t the Heathens: There's nothing (&s;ayes he) more glorious than the Chri&s;tians, when they talk: nothing more wretched, when they act.</P>
<P N="3">3. Penance is the repairer of the Di|vine Rights violation; which inclines to a Dete&s;tation of Sin, with an efficacious Will to &s;atisfie God who is thereby offended. For this is Penance, to dete&s;t Sins pa&s;t, to expiate them, to con&s;ent no more unto them. That which plea&s;ed, is <HI>pa&s;t:</HI> that which Reproaches, which Racks, which Damns, <HI>remains.</HI> What avails it to hide thy former filthine&s;s? No Criminal,
<PB N="144" REF="82">him&s;elf being his own Judge, is ab&s;olved. Nature hath appointed a certain Tribunal in the very Mind of Man; where every one is the Accu&s;er, Witne&s;s, and Judge of his own Wickedne&s;s. Compell thy Sen&s;es to be every day here pre&s;ent, to render an Accompt. Plead thy Cau&s;e at thy own Bar, and argue as much as thou can&s;t again&s;t thy &s;elf. Spend the whole day in this &s;cru|tiny: and mea&s;ure exactly all thy &s;ayings, all thy doings, and thy very thoughts, hi|ding nothing, pa&s;&s;ing by nothing. If thou acknowledge&s;t thy impiety, God pardons it; if thou confe&s;&s;e&s;t it, he cures it. What matters it that no one knows thy crime, &s;ince thou know&s;t it? Do&s;t fancy that 'tis better to be damn'd in &s;ecret, than openly to be ab&s;olv'd? Where&s;oever thou lye&s;t conceal'd, thy Con&s;cience is with thee, thou can&s;t not fly from it. Thou art mo&s;t mi&s;e|rable, if thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t it.</P>
<P N="4">4. Life is divided into three Times, what <HI>is,</HI> what <HI>was,</HI> and what is <HI>to come.</HI> The <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> is momentary, ending before 'tis come: the <HI>future</HI> is not yet: but the <HI>pa&s;t</HI> dayes will be all pre&s;ent when thou commande&s;t, and will permit them&s;elves to be look'd in to as oft as thou plea&s;e&s;t. Fear not thy Memory, nor be a&s;ham'd to retort it back upon what is pa&s;t, and to up|braid
<PB N="145" REF="82">thy &s;elf with thy own Errors. By how much more frequently thou &s;halt do it, by &s;o much the &s;ooner thou wilt be amended. Take Revenge upon thy &s;elf; and do not again admit, what it grieveth thee to have committed. Many men being delivered from Shipwreck, bid for ever|more adieu both to Sea and Ship, and ho|nour Gods benefit by the perpetual me|mory of the danger. I de&s;ire thou al&s;o may&s;t have this good Solicitude, not to ad|venture to try again, what thou ha&s;t once dreaded. Thou ha&s;t e&s;caped a very great danger, do not expo&s;e thy &s;elf any more to it. God hath &s;pared as oft as thou ha&s;t &s;inned: take heed thou growe&s;t not there|fore wor&s;e, becau&s;e God is &s;o good. If thou &s;ometimes thinke&s;t what thou art to do; why not rather what thou ha&s;t done? For the Councel of the future, is taken from the pa&s;t. Many would come to Wi&s;dom, did they not think they were come already. Unle&s;s thou daily amende&s;t, thou wilt daily grow wor&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="24" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="146" REF="83">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXIV.</HI> Of Piety and Ob&s;ervance. Obedience is com|mended, and al&s;o Gratitude. How a Be|nefit is to be Receiued and Repayed.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. NO force of Words can expre&s;s, how laudable a thing it is, when a man can &s;ay, I have yielded to my Pa|rents, and alwayes obey'd them: I have ever &s;ubmitted to their Command, whe|ther ea&s;ie or har&s;h: I have behav'd my &s;elf towards my Country, as be&s;eem'd a faith|full Citizen: I have never ceas'd to do good to my Brethren and Kinred: I have endea|vour'd to out-vie all men in Benefits. The&s;e &s;urely are the Offices of Piety, by which we give due re&s;pect to our Country, Parents, Brethren, and Friends. And what Piety performs to them, Ob&s;ervance performs to|wards Prelates, Princes, Ma&s;ters, and others who any way excell us in Dignity, Wi&s;dom, Age, Religion, and Sanctity. To &s;uch, we are wont to ari&s;e, to bare the Head, to give way, to fall down at their knees, to ki&s;s their hands or garments, to &s;hew all &s;ort of Honour, according to each
<PB N="147" REF="83">Countries cu&s;tom. Now, thou wilt perform all the&s;e External Ceremonies with an open and reverend Mind, if there precedes in thy Under&s;tanding a high e&s;teem of their qua|lity. For from hence there will &s;pring up in thy Will a certain awfull Fear, which will incline thee to avoid an over-great fa|miliarity with them, and make thee as it were to leap back from their Greatne&s;s, to thy own Littlene&s;s. <HI>All power is from God.</HI> What&s;oever honour thou give&s;t to thy Bet|ters, will be within their due, if in them thou con&s;idere&s;t God.</P>
<P N="2">2. As our Calamity &s;prung from the Di&s;|obedience of our fir&s;t Parent; &s;o we are reduced to Felicity by the Obedience of Gods Son, if we al&s;o render our &s;elves Obedient. <HI>Obedience</HI> is the perfection of all things, and a mo&s;t firm connexion of them to their beginning: for by an admirable Circle it draws all things to and fro, from God into God. Chri&s;t commended this Virtue above the re&s;t, who le&s;t he &s;hould lo&s;e it, lo&s;t his Life. This is &s;aid to <HI>be better than Sacrifice,</HI> becau&s;e by it we offer up the Sacrifice of our own proper Will. The Edict of a Superior, is to be receiv'd as a Voice &s;ent from Heaven; without enquiring the Cau&s;e or Motive of the Command. He knows not how to <HI>Judge,</HI> who hath perfect|ly
<PB N="148" REF="84">learn'd to <HI>Obey.</HI> Let the Superior warn me, let the Law command me what I am to do; I di&s;pute not; I excu&s;e not, but I &s;imply and &s;peedily Obey: being prepared to execute all things, whether ea&s;ie or hard, with a like chearfulne&s;s and promptitude. There's but one thing in which thou may&s;t be refractory and &s;tubborn, to wit, If any one withdraws thee from Good, and forces thee to infringe Gods Law. All other com|mands, thou art con&s;tantly and without contradiction to put in execution.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Gratitude,</HI> looks upon a Debt which is due for a receiv'd Benefit. And &s;urely nothing is to be more regarded, than the e&s;teem of a Benefit, if not from the great|ne&s;s of the thing, at lea&s;t from the be&s;towers Mind and Affection. Then a continual Mindfulne&s;s of the good turn is nece&s;&s;ary. He cannot return thanks, who remembers not the courte&s;ie; and he who remembers it, even then pays it. This requires not riches, not indu&s;try, not felicity; every one hath it in a readine&s;s. How&s;oever abi|lities may be wanting, yet a Will cannot, wherewith thou may&s;t repay even Kings them&s;elves. When thou receive&s;t a Benefit from any one, receive it joyfully, and pro|fe&s;s thy joy, that it may be manife&s;t to the Donor, and that &s;o he may reap the fruit
<PB N="149" REF="84">of his Gift. 'Tis a ju&s;t cau&s;e of Joy, to &s;ee a Friend joyfull, a more ju&s;t to have made him &s;o. Who &s;o receives a Benefit grate|fully, willingly, graciou&s;ly, hath paid the fir&s;t pen&s;ion for it. He never had a Will to be gratefull, who ca&s;t the Benefit &s;o far from him, as that it was out of his &s;ight. He who extolls it, who profe&s;&s;es him&s;elf unable to render thanks, hath already ren|dred them. He who receives it di&s;dainfully and negligently, &s;eems to &s;et a &s;mall value upon it. He who &s;carcely makes &s;hew to be &s;en&s;ible of it, hardly moves his lips, is more ungratefull, than if he held his peace. A good man, when he receives a Benefit, thinks pre&s;ently of re&s;toring it. For what is &s;o contrary to ones duty, as not to re&s;tore what one hath received? Nor is the Re&s;ti|tution to be made in an equal mea&s;ure, but in a larger; as the Earth renders the re|ceived Seed with a more plentifull Harve&s;t. Yet beware you make&s;t not an over|&s;peedy return of thy Gratitude. Some, when any &s;mall Token is &s;ent them, un&s;ea|&s;onably return another; thereby te&s;tifying they are nothing indebted. This is a kind of rejecting the Gift, when thou &s;uddenly blotte&s;t out its memory by another Gift.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="25" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="150" REF="85">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXV.</HI> Of Truth, and the &V;&s;e of it. Simplicity is prai&s;ed. Acts of Fidelity.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. LEt Truth be found in all thy di&s;|cour&s;es, ge&s;tures, writings, and other external Signs. A Lying lip, doth not become a Chri&s;tian man. 'Tis a Womani&s;h and ba&s;e Vice, to &s;hut up one thing in the Brea&s;t, and utter another with the Mouth. A generous man tells things &s;imply as they are, without exaggerations, without am|plifications; he deceives not, di&s;&s;embles not, and avoids all idle circum&s;tances and coverings of words. Simple Truth loves &s;imple words. It de&s;ires to be &s;een naked, becau&s;e 'tis Innocent. But he who lies or deceives, ob&s;cures the matter with a double meaning, that it may remain concealed. He who &s;peaks ill, as well as he who doth ill, hates the Light. Beware therefore that thy Speech be not as thy Cloathing is, one for the City, another for the Campaigne, that there be not an o&s;tentation of Truth in thy Tongue, an occultation of it in thy Heart. Nature hath a horror again&s;t this
<PB N="151" REF="85">Vice. Look upon Children, not yet arriv'd at the u&s;e of Rea&s;on: They object a Lie to their Play-mates, among&s;t their fir&s;t ap|proaches; and although out of a certain levity they admit them, yet by an inborn rectitude of judgment, they condemn them. In which, we are to admire Gods Provi|dence, in in&s;erting &s;uch Virtues in the Mind, without which humane life and &s;o|ciety cannot &s;ub&s;i&s;t. Now a Lie, is of all Vices mo&s;t pernicious to mans life. For if thou abominate&s;t all fal&s;hood of &s;peech, as a thing unworthy an heroick mind; why feare&s;t thou not to be thy &s;elf a <HI>Lie,</HI> and to live a <HI>Lie?</HI> 'Tis a great matter to act One Man.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Simplicity,</HI> a Virtue little known to men, is of &s;o great dignity, that God him|&s;elf is greatly delighted therewith: for <HI>With the Simple is his communication.</HI> He being mo&s;t <HI>Simple</HI> and Entire, will have the Souls to be <HI>Simple</HI> which come to him. Now, he is <HI>Simple,</HI> who is not divided into various things; who without duplicity and hypocri&s;ie, &s;hews him&s;elf &s;uch a one exteriourly, as interiourly he is; who can|didly and &s;incerely acknowledges his own defects, when occa&s;ion is offered; who is a Child in malice, and dete&s;ts all Political manner of proceeding; who (not exclu|ding
<PB N="152" REF="86">the circum&s;pection of Prudence) con|ceives all to be &s;incere, and &s;u&s;pects no evil of any one: who refu&s;es not to &s;eem to be a Fool among&s;t Men, that he may be Wi&s;e in the &s;ight of God: who pre&s;erving him|&s;elf free from all multiplicity, performs all things with a <HI>Simple</HI> intention to plea&s;e God. Why (O unhappy Craftine&s;s!) art thou <HI>troubled about many things? One thing is nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> that is, to get to him who is one, and mo&s;t <HI>Simple.</HI> Thou wilt never arrive at the Mark, if thou marche&s;t in a double Path-way.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Fidelity</HI> is to be embraced among&s;t the greate&s;t and chiefe&s;t goods of Mankind: For take this away, and thou tak'&s;t away the u&s;e of Commerce, Friend&s;hips are di&s;|&s;olved, Covenants are broken, the whole Commonwealth is confounded. Yet this al&s;o is a rare Virtue, and almo&s;t unknown to the world. So many Witne&s;&s;es adhibited to Contracts, &s;o many &s;trengthning of Bar|gains, &s;o many cautious Conditions; do every where accu&s;e mans Perfidiou&s;ne&s;s: Yet all this indu&s;trious warine&s;s can hard|ly &s;uffice, to make the Contracts firm and indi&s;putable. So &s;ordid are many Men, that <HI>Gain</HI> is to them more &s;acred than <HI>Fidelity.</HI> O Confe&s;&s;ion of publick fraud and wicked|ne&s;s, di&s;gracefull to Mankind! We give
<PB N="153" REF="86">credit to no one without a Witne&s;s, with|out a Surety; and we conceive Faith will be more &s;afely kept in written In&s;truments, than in the Chappel of mans Heart. But a Faithfull per&s;on con&s;tantly performs what|&s;oever he promi&s;ed; carefully conceals what&s;oever is committed to his &s;ecrecy; keeps his pledg'd Faith even to Enemies, and preferrs it before Kingdoms, and Life it &s;elf. He indeed promi&s;es &s;lowly, becau&s;e he knows that &s;peedy Repentance waits upon ha&s;ty Promi&s;es: but if he hath once pa&s;s'd his Promi&s;e, he fails not, he violates it not, unle&s;s the &s;tate of Affairs chance to be changed, or that he may fall into the danger of Sin by his performance. That Promi&s;e obliges no man, which cannot be fulfill'd without wickedne&s;s.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="26" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="154" REF="87">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXVI.</HI> Of Friend&s;hip. With what Offices it is to be entertained. Certain Precepts appertaining to mutual Conver&s;ation.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. NOthing is more nece&s;&s;ary to mans life, than <HI>Friend&s;hip,</HI> nothing more commodious, nothing more plea&s;ant. <HI>Friend&s;hip,</HI> is a mutual Benevolence, of two per&s;ons, founded in Virtue, and joyn|ed to a communication of Goods. How great a Good is this, where Brea&s;ts are pre|pared into which every &s;ecret may &s;afely de&s;cend, who&s;e Con&s;cience thou feare&s;t le&s;s than thy own, who&s;e Company ea&s;es thy Solitude, who&s;e Coun&s;els &s;trengthen thy Re&s;olutions, who&s;e Chearfulne&s;s di&s;|per&s;es thy Sadne&s;s, who&s;e very Pre&s;ence delights and glads thy Heart? What is &s;weeter, than to have a man to whom thou feare&s;t not to confe&s;s what thou ha&s;t com|mitted, whom to meet withall may be part of thy Cure? Certain diminutive Animals, when they bite are not felt, &s;o &s;lender and couzening is their force; yet the en&s;uing &s;welling &s;hews the mor&s;ure: The &s;ame will
<PB N="155" REF="87">befall thee in the Conver&s;ation of a good Friend; thou wilt not feel how and when he profits thee, thou wilt find he hath pro|fited thee. But there can be no true <HI>Friend|&s;hip,</HI> unle&s;s there intervenes a Reciprocal Love: To love is more principal than to be beloved; and therefore Benevolence is e&s;tabli&s;hed for the Foundation, Return of Love for the Concomitant. That al&s;o is true <HI>Friend&s;hip,</HI> and coupled with the Glew of Chri&s;t, which is not grounded upon any private intere&s;t and profit, not upon the &s;ole corporal pre&s;ence, not upon ly|ing ob&s;equiou&s;ne&s;s, not upon deceitful flattery; but which is contracted in the fear of God, and to improve our &s;elves in the &s;tudy of Divine Learn|ing. There can be no &s;olid <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> in Evil.</P>
<P N="2">2. Great caution is to be u&s;ed in chu|&s;ing a <HI>Friend:</HI> according to that common &s;aying, Many Bu&s;hels of Salt mu&s;t be eaten together, to make <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> compleat. But <HI>four qualities</HI> are chiefly requi&s;ite to him, with whom thou de&s;ire&s;t to joyn in <HI>Friend&s;hip. Faith,</HI> that mo&s;t difficult thing, the bare &s;hadow whereof is now only found upon Earth, that thou may&s;t &s;afely commit to him thy &s;elf and thy concerns. <HI>Intention,</HI> that <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> may have an
<PB N="156" REF="88">hone&s;t end, and that &s;o divine a thing may not degenerate into filthine&s;s. <HI>Di&s;cretion,</HI> that thou may&s;t know what thou art to perform, and what to expect. <HI>Patience,</HI> that thy Mind may be prepared to &s;uffer for thy Friend all occurring Adver&s;ities. When thou ha&s;t experienc'd him to be thus qualified, thou art moreover to &s;earch in what manner he hath u&s;ed his former Friends. For, thou may&s;t hope, he will be &s;uch a one to thee, as he hath prov'd him|&s;elf to have been to others. A faithfull Friend is a living Trea&s;ure, to be with great care pre&s;erved, and with great grief, if he peri&s;hes, to be lamented. Happy art thou, if thou ha&s;t met with &s;uch a one, who loves thee, not thy Riches, not thy Table, not thy Wit; who will correct thee when thou erre&s;t, rai&s;e thee when thou falle&s;t, warn thee as thou runne&s;t. Thou wilt not find one like him, under the large Canopy of Heaven: There are many who are called Friends, but very few who truly are &s;o. No one loves another <HI>gratis.</HI> Who &s;o hath re|gard to him&s;elf, who &s;o propo&s;es external things for his end, can be no true Friend. He will &s;o long love thee, as he &s;hall find thee beneficial to him. The Table being taken away, he will fail thee, and will end as he began. <HI>True Friend&s;hip,</HI> for the mo&s;t
<PB N="157" REF="88">part, is there wanting, where 'tis believed mo&s;t to abound.</P>
<P N="3">3. As a Phy&s;ician being to Cure his dear|ly beloved Patient, &s;pares neither the Iron nor the Fire: &s;o art thou to carry thy &s;elf towards thy Friend, &s;tanding in need of Correction, freely, boldly, con&s;tantly, neglecting nothing, di&s;&s;embling nothing. 'Tis a damnable Ob&s;equiou&s;ne&s;s, by which Vices are cheri&s;hed. But let thy Admoni|tion be &s;ecret, let it be accompanied with all manner of &s;weetne&s;s, let it be free from all bitterne&s;s of expre&s;&s;ions. Deliberate long, whether thou art to admit any one into thy Friend&s;hip: when 'tis re&s;olv'd upon, receive him with thy whole Heart, and talk with him as freely as with thy &s;elf. Thou oughte&s;t &s;urely to lead &s;uch a Life, as to commit nothing to thy &s;elf, which thou may&s;t not commit to thy Enemy: But becau&s;e &s;ome things intervene which cu|&s;tom hath made &s;ecrets, ca&s;t all &s;uch cares, all &s;uch thoughts into thy Friends bo&s;om. Some, tell &s;uch things as are to be intru&s;ted only with Friends, to all they meet; and thru&s;t that which afflicts them into every ones Ears: others are apprehen&s;ive of their neare&s;t Friends Con&s;cience, and &s;uppre&s;s within their own brea&s;ts all their &s;ecrets; &s;o wary, that if it might be, they would not
<PB N="158" REF="89">believe them&s;elves. Both is a Vice, to be|lieve <HI>All,</HI> and to believe <HI>None:</HI> but the one is more hone&s;t, the other more &s;ecure. Now if thou de&s;ire&s;t to talk with all men without danger, thou &s;halt ea&s;ily compa&s;s it; Not by hiding what thou ha&s;t done, but by doing nothing which thou de&s;ire&s;t &s;hould be hidden.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Affability,</HI> is nearly allied to <HI>Friend|&s;hip,</HI> which moderates humane nature. In this, <HI>Mode&s;ty</HI> is to be ob&s;erved, and &s;ilence. It becomes a Prudent man to hear <HI>many</HI> things, but to &s;peak <HI>few.</HI> 'Tis Vicious to de&s;ire rather to be known, than to know; to be known to others, rather than to know others; to &s;pread abroad unprofitably ones own wares, rather than to buy other mens. Thou art to accu&s;tom thy &s;elf to the in|compos'd words and manners of them with whom thou live&s;t; and becau&s;e many men &s;peak many things which are fal&s;e, fooli&s;h, childi&s;h, and impertinent to the matter; the&s;e thou art prudently to di&s;&s;emble. 'Tis an argument of an abject and effeminate Spirit, to be willing to conver&s;e only with &s;uch as give way, applaud, and flatter. Speak &s;paringly of thy &s;elf, and of thy own affairs; &s;tick not pertinaciou&s;ly to thy own opinion, and ab&s;tain from lofty words, which may &s;avour of Authority
<PB N="159" REF="89">and Ma&s;tery. When thou meete&s;t with any thing which is again&s;t <HI>Decorum,</HI> inter|rogate thy &s;elf whether thou art guilty of any &s;uch Vice. Pick always &s;omthing for thy own profit, out of all thou &s;ee&s;t and heare&s;t. It fares well with thee, if by ano|ther crime thou correcte&s;t thy own.</P>
<P N="5">5. When theres occurs any unu&s;ual, un|expected, exotick thing, which is contra|ry to thy Countryes cu&s;tom; do not pre|&s;ently apprehend it: for 'tis the &s;ign of a light mind, to wonder at and deride &s;trange things, and to be a &s;lave to ones own ways. Things are to be e&s;teemed as they are, not as they &s;eem. The Vulgar judge all things by their newne&s;s, artifice, rarity, difficulty, report, and outward pomp and appearance: A wi&s;man, looks upon the intrin&s;ick value and goodne&s;s of the thing, and &s;lights all &s;uch things as the frantick multitude admires. What&s;oever &s;hall hap|pen, 'tis in thy power to make thy profit of it. Do not thou therefore &s;traiten thy &s;elf, and limit thy incom. 'Tis lawful for thee to put on a Vizard, and to imitate the Actors of a Fable: they when they Weep, do not Grieve; when they Pur|cha&s;e, do not Po&s;&s;e&s;s; they command with|out power, reprove without revenge, chide without anger; for they Act the life of a|nother
<PB N="160" REF="90">man: Would to God thou al&s;o would&s;t &s;o behave thy &s;elf in thy &s;ociety with others, without affection and pro|priety. The World is a great Theatre, in which are as many Actors as men. Let it be thy care, as near as thou can&s;t, to be a Spectator, not an Actor of the Fable. They who exhibite the Play upon the Stage, take pains: they who behold it, laugh and are delighted.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="27" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXVII.</HI> Of Liberality. What it is, and how to be ex|erci&s;ed. Wherein it differs from Mag|nificency.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. I Call not him <HI>Liberal,</HI> who is angry at his Money; who neither knows to give nor to keep; who be&s;tows not, but throws away. He is <HI>Liberal,</HI> who gives rightly, and rationally, and according to the mea&s;ure of his Means, be&s;tows as much as is convenient, when and to whom it is pro|per, regarding not his own but anothers good and profit. <HI>Liberalety</HI> is a virtue di|&s;tributing benefits, exerci&s;ed in the be&s;tow|ing and acceptation of Moneys; but be|&s;towing
<PB N="161" REF="90">and acceptation of Moneys; but be&s;towing is principally intended, becau&s;e <HI>'tis better to give than receive.</HI> Now, the Will &s;uffices, when the Faculty to give is wanting: yea, this is chiefly con&s;idered, that thou not only do&s;t good, but that thou ha&s;t a Will to do it. No one gives thanks to the Rivers or Sea, for &s;uffering the Ships to &s;wim upon them: nor to the Trees, for producing Fruits; nor to the Wind, for affording a pro&s;perous Gale: for although all the&s;e are Benefits, yet the Will of bene|fiting is wanting to them. Moreover, that which is to be given to any one, receives its value from the &s;peedine&s;s of the perfor|mance. Some there are, who be&s;towing their Gift, corrupt all the grace of it, by turning away their face, by wrinkling their forehead, by deferring it to a future day. Thus they tire their Friend with delay, they torment him with expectation: and where|as it is the property of a willing <HI>Giver,</HI> to <HI>give</HI> quickly, he who did it not till after a long time, did it not with a willing mind. All Bounty makes ha&s;t, and the Gift is gratefull which meets us.</P>
<P N="2">2. No one can lead a happy life, who looks only on him&s;elf, who converts all things to his own Commodity. Thou mu&s;t live to another, if thou de&s;ire&s;t to live to
<PB N="162" REF="91">thy &s;elf. Why &s;pare&s;t thou as it were thy own? Thou art a Factor. All thou keepe&s;t in thy Iron Coffers, the things &s;uck'd from the blood of others which thou defende&s;t, are none of thine. They were depo&s;ited with thee, and now they belong to another Lord. Either an Enemy, or a Succe&s;&s;or of an ho&s;tile mind, will invade them. Do&s;t thou ask how thou may&s;t make them thy own? By giving them. What is the thing wherein thou fancie&s;t thy &s;elf Rich? A Hou&s;e, Money, Land: If thou giv'&s;t it to thy Neighbour, 'twill be a Benefit, 'twill be a Virtue, which will remain with thee for ever. Then Money is precious, when by the u&s;e of giving, it cea&s;es to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e great things cannot be done with &s;mall charges; as <HI>Liberality</HI> governs moderate expences, &s;o Magnificence rules the great and &s;umptuous layings out. The&s;e two Virtues, in the re&s;t alike, differ in this; that the former appears in little things, the other only in great and excellent. He who hath a mean fortune, may be <HI>Liberal;</HI> but he only can be prai&s;ed for Magnificence, who&s;e wealth is con&s;iderable. Magnifi|cence is properly &s;een in the admirablene&s;s of the work. For if any one be&s;tows a high-priz'd Jewel to the u&s;e of Gods Servants;
<PB N="163" REF="91">he is to be e&s;teemed rather exceedingly <HI>Li|beral,</HI> than Magnificent: but if with the price of that Jewel he builds a Chappel, a Church, or &s;ome other gorgeous and won|derfull monument or work, he will be called Magnificent. Now, by the name of Works upon which great Co&s;ts may be imployed, tho&s;e are under&s;tood which appertain to the Wor&s;hip of God, to the Profit of the peo|ple, to the Publick joy, and to the honoura|ble performance of certain Offices of Man. In the&s;e a <HI>Decorum</HI> is to be ob&s;erv'd, both in re&s;pect of the Worker, and al&s;o of the Faculties. He is not Magnificent, who pro|fu&s;es more than he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es; who runs him&s;elf and his Relations into Debt, that he may obtain the prai&s;e of Magnificence. He is truly <HI>Liberal</HI> and Magnificent, who with|draws from him&s;elf what he gives and &s;pends.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="28" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="164" REF="92">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXVIII.</HI> Of Fortitude. Its Offices. That Death is to be contemned by a Valiant man.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THe Minds of men are &s;oft, and Na|ture is weak, which therefore mu&s;t be arm'd with <HI>Fortitude,</HI> le&s;t terrified with dangers we &s;hould recede from Ho|ne&s;ty. <HI>Fortitude</HI> hath a double Office; one, and the chief, to endure Labours and Dan|gers: the other, to &s;et upon them when 'tis fitting. A Valiant man thru&s;ts not him&s;elf ra&s;hly into Evils, but when they come, he con&s;tantly &s;uffers them: he de&s;ires not dreadfull things, but he de&s;pi&s;es them: he's there lifted high, where others are de|pre&s;&s;ed: there he &s;tands up, where others lye down: no di&s;grace, no repul&s;e, no exile, no injury daunts him: not a Pri&s;on, not Torments, not Death it &s;elf terrifies him: he da&s;hes again&s;t his greatne&s;s all &s;orrow, all &s;ickne&s;s, all trouble: he permits not him&s;elf to be wre&s;ted from what is right, by any Threats, or Entreaties: he lo&s;es not his Courage, although many ob&s;tacles im|pede his well begun enterprizes: he faints
<PB N="165" REF="92">not under the burthen, nor &s;truggles with the Office he hath once undertaken, but per&s;i&s;ts till he hath perfected it: he &s;tands upright, under any weight: no Force, no Power, no Terror makes him le&s;s: he nei|ther throws down his Virtue, nor hides it, when Dangers on all &s;ides &s;urround him. He evermore con&s;iders whither he goes, not what he endures.</P>
<P N="2">2. As one &s;ailing with a pro&s;perous Gale, furni&s;hes him&s;elf with &s;everal helps where|with to entertain the Tempe&s;t: &s;o it will behove thee, whil&s;t Fortune is favourable, to &s;eek &s;afeguards to &s;helter thee again&s;t its future frowardne&s;s. Feign to thy &s;elf, that what&s;oever fini&s;ter chance can happen, is already faln upon thee, Shipwreck, Bani&s;h|ment, Wounds, Torments, Di&s;ea&s;es, Di&s;|graces, Contempt: and behave thy &s;elf in &s;uch &s;ort, as if thou wert now in the very mid&s;t of the&s;e mi&s;eries; that exerci&s;ed by this <HI>Preludium,</HI> thou may&s;t &s;ay in any future event, I have had the&s;e things already in my mind, I have fore&s;een them, and have de&s;pi&s;ed them. 'Tis decreed from Eternity what thou &s;halt rejoyce at, for what thou &s;halt weep: and although each mans Life &s;eems to be di&s;tingui&s;hed with great va|riety; all comes to one &s;um: We receiv'd peri&s;hable things, our &s;elves being to peri&s;h.
<PB N="166" REF="93">Why art thou Angry? At what complain|e&s;t thou? Although all things peri&s;h, no|thing of thine peri&s;hes: 'Tis better to give what God demands back, than to be forc'd to pay it. <HI>Epicurus</HI> him&s;elf profe&s;&s;es, that a Wi&s;e man may be happy even in his Tor|ments: Were he in the Belly of <HI>Phalaris</HI>'s Bull, &s;ayes he, he will &s;ay, How plea&s;ant is this? How little doth it concern me? Sure|ly a great word, but not incredible to us, who have extant among&s;t us &s;o many ex|amples of Martyrs, who&s;e Con&s;tancy in their torments, who&s;e Alacrity in their fiery tryals was &s;o great, that they &s;eem'd to have no feeling of their &s;ufferings. <HI>To him who loves God, all Puni&s;hments are Plea&s;ures.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The excellency of <HI>Fortitude,</HI> appears no where more illu&s;triou&s;ly, than in the dan|ger of <HI>Death.</HI> 'Tis a difficult thing to per|&s;wade the Mind to a contempt of Life, with which mo&s;t men are &s;o enamoured, that they e&s;teem nothing more happy, nothing more precious: But if thou art Wi&s;e, as thou ought&s;t to be, thou wilt cea&s;e to ac|count <HI>Death</HI> among&s;t Evils, which &s;urely is the end of Evils, and the beginning of Life. Thou art therefore to go forth with a wil|ling mind, being to return again. <HI>Death</HI> hath no invincible Nece&s;&s;ity: &s;o that to
<PB N="167" REF="93">fear it, is the part of a Mad-man: for things which are doubtfull, are dreaded; but things which are a&s;&s;ured, are expected. Con&s;ider that Children, and people faln from their Wits, fear not <HI>Death:</HI> 'Tis a pittifull thing, that Rea&s;on &s;hould not afford thee &s;o much &s;ecurity, as Fooli&s;hne&s;s gives them. <HI>Life</HI> was given thee, with the ex|ception of <HI>Death:</HI> He would not have Liv'd, who will not Dye.</P>
<P N="4">4. Nature hath gratified us, in that it hath granted us for a certain time the u&s;e of its Objects to be look'd upon: that time being now expired, we mu&s;t depart. What Wi&s;e man, at his la&s;t ga&s;p, if his Life were again given him, would be willing to re-enter the Pri&s;on of his Mothers womb, to re&s;ume the follies of Infancy, the fears of Childhood, the dangers of Youth, the cares of Virility, the labours of Old-age? No one hath liv'd &s;o happily, as that it would plea&s;e him to be born again. Ob&s;erve therefore whither thou goe&s;t, and from what thou de|parte&s;t: The cau&s;e of thy fear, is the empti|ne&s;s of good works, which thou beginne&s;t to de&s;ire at the end of thy life: other|wi&s;e thou would'&s;t not tremble, &s;tanding upon the thre&s;hold of Eternal Felicity. It were a puni&s;hment for a ju&s;t man to be born, unle&s;s <HI>Death</HI> followed.</P>
<PB N="168" REF="94">
<P N="5">5. No one receiv'd <HI>Death</HI> cheerfully, but he who for a long time before di&s;|pos'd him&s;elf for it. Render it familiar to thee by freequent reflections, that when it comes thou may'&s;t with alacrity enter|tain it. Not the Days, not the Years, make thee to have liv'd long enough; but a Mind glad to go forth, and to fly back to its beginning. <HI>He hath liv'd long, who dyes well. He dyes well, who hath liv'd well.</HI> Wilt thou prepare for thy &s;elf a peaceable <HI>Death:</HI> Accu&s;tom thy &s;elf to de&s;pi&s;e all things. He cannot fear <HI>Death,</HI> who hath already depriv'd him&s;elf of more then <HI>Death</HI> can bereave him. Wilt thou make thy life plea&s;ant? Ca&s;t off all &s;olicitude concerning it: Stand pre|pared for any kind of <HI>Death;</HI> let it be to thee indifferent whether a Sword or a Fea|ver cuts off thy Life: and &s;o di&s;po&s;e it, that thou may&s;t daily &s;ay, I have <HI>Lived.</HI> He <HI>Lives</HI> &s;ecurely, and <HI>Dyes</HI> chearfully, who every day carries him&s;elf out to his <HI>burial,</HI> to whom it is granted when his <HI>Life</HI> is ended. <HI>Thou can&s;t not Live well, unle&s;s thou Die&s;t daily.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="29" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="169" REF="94">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXIX.</HI> Of Magnanimity. The De&s;cription of a Magnanimous Man.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>MAgnanimity.</HI> &s;ounds &s;ome great thing in its very name; 'tis a high Virtue, who&s;e &s;tronge&s;t force tends evermore to great matters. Without this, all the endeavours of the other Vir|tues fall down to nothing: For &s;ince in practi&s;ing them, many difficulties occur, the mind is to be erected, and embold|ned to proceed again&s;t them; nor ought it to de&s;i&s;t, till having broken through all interpo&s;ed ob&s;tacles, it generou&s;ly gets the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the propo&s;ed Good. This <HI>Magnanimity</HI> performs, which evermore inclines man to high and heroick acti|ons, and &s;upported by Gods A&s;&s;i&s;tance, &s;ecurely and promptly &s;ets upon all &s;orts of difficulties. Somthing is to be attempt|ed, if thou wilt be any thing. A great matter cannot be atchieved with little labour, Man is a great thing, when he is truly a Man.</P>
<P N="2">2. A <HI>great mind</HI> a&s;pires always to <HI>great
<PB N="170" REF="95">things;</HI> and contemns all tho&s;e things as little, which the Vulgar look on as great|e&s;t. He performs works which de&s;erve high honor; but as for the honor it &s;elf, he neither &s;eeks it when 'tis deny'd, nor, &s;corns it when 'tis offred, unle&s;s Gods honour and Obedience otherwi&s;e require. He doth nothing for O&s;tentation, all for Con&s;cience; and expects the reward of his well done action not from the Peo|ples applau&s;e, but from the deed it &s;elf. He &s;tands always aloft, eminent, invinci|ble, like to him&s;elf in all accidents and occa&s;ions: nor doth he thru&s;t him&s;elf into higher places, content with his own Great|ne&s;s. He's above all, being the Lord of all, and therefore he &s;ubmits him&s;elf to no one; He craves <HI>nothing,</HI> becau&s;e out of him&s;elf he wants <HI>nothing.</HI> There's no|thing that can terrifie him, or make him crouch. He puts him&s;elf forward, and is willing to be look'd on, not out of Vani|ty, but in con&s;ideration of the degree in which he lives, and of the Guifts of God wherewith he is endowed. Yet with all the&s;e things his profound Humility &s;tands un&s;haken before God, becau&s;e he renders back to him all the Good, all the glory, as certainly knowing that he of him&s;elf hath <HI>nothing,</HI> can do <HI>nothing,</HI> is <HI>nothing.</HI> This
<PB N="171" REF="95">is to know the ends of Virtue, to have an humble e&s;teem of ones &s;elf and of ones own proceedings; and yet with mode&s;ty to admit the Honours done unto them. <HI>Glory is to follow, not to be affected.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. He receives into his open Brea&s;t all the Darts of oppo&s;ition without reluctan|cy, that he may get up to the highe&s;t emi|nency of Virtue. With men of mean and low condition, he conver&s;es with mode&s;ty and moderation: before Princes and Rich people, he neither falls down nor Flatters; nor doth he permit his own liberty to be oppre&s;&s;ed by their Power. Such things as de&s;erve hatred or love, he openly hates, openly loves; and &s;uch things as ought plainly to be &s;aid or done he freely &s;peaks and acts, becau&s;e he neither Fears nor hopes for any thing. He does the &s;ame as other men, but not in the &s;ame manner; and therefore he di&s;&s;embles among&s;t the Vulgar people, and doth not ea&s;ily in|termix him&s;elf with them. He remem|bers no Injuries; and in tho&s;e which mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be endured, he is neither a Complainer, nor an Entreater. He prai|&s;es few, nor doth he de&s;ire prai&s;e, but to do things prai&s;e-worthy. He lives not at the beck of another man, unle&s;s it be of
<PB N="172" REF="96">his Friend and of his Superior; nor is he apt to admire things, becau&s;e no|thing &s;eems to him Great or New. In every Accident he being &s;afe in him&s;elf, is moved with no events of things. He hath a &s;low motion, a grave voice, and a con&s;tant and &s;ober &s;peech: for he makes no ha&s;t who looks after few things; and he contends not vehemently, who is con|tent with him&s;elf.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="30" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="173" REF="96">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXX.</HI> Of Patience. The Occa&s;ions and Effects of it. The &s;igns of perfect Patience. An Admonition and In&s;truction to Endure all Adver&s;ity. The Nece&s;&s;ity of Per&s;eve|rance.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>PAtience</HI> is a Virtue, whereby we &s;uffer the <HI>Evils</HI> of this world with an equal and indifferent Mind. And be|cau&s;e the&s;e <HI>Evils</HI> are many, it hath many Names, according to the variety of the Evils which it is to &s;u&s;tain. It is pro|perly named <HI>Patience,</HI> when it Valiantly receives Injuries: <HI>Equanimity,</HI> when it is employ'd in bearing the lo&s;s of External Goods: <HI>Longanimity,</HI> when it fortifies the brea&s;t again&s;t the delay of the thing which is expected: <HI>Constancy,</HI> when it arms the Will to endure all other Evils what&s;o|ever, our own or our Neighbours, private or publick. There's no Virtue which hath more frequent occa&s;ions to be exerci&s;ed. For &s;o many Troops of <HI>Evils</HI> ru&s;h in upon us, &s;o many Adver&s;aries be&s;iege us, that Mans life is rightly &s;aid to be <HI>a Warfare
<PB N="174" REF="97">upon Earth.</HI> There &s;carcely &s;lides by us a|ny moment, in which we are not to fight &s;toutly. Where outward Enemies are wanting, every one is to him&s;elf &s;uffici|ently trouble&s;om. From our &s;elves and in our &s;elves &s;pring up &s;uch things, as will both afflict and exerci&s;e us. From Weep|ing we begin our lives, unskill'd in all things but Tears. This we fir&s;t learn, to this we apply our &s;elves even till Death. <HI>Many</HI> are found, who have not <HI>laugh'd; None,</HI> who never <HI>Wept. Patience</HI> there|fore is nece&s;&s;ary, to arm the brea&s;t, to &s;trengthen the Spirit, to perfect Virtues. No one can tell what he is worth, till he is tryed by Tribulations. <HI>He is not Prudent, who is not Patient.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. It goes ill with that man, who ne|ver had the experience of adver&s;e Fortune. Phy&s;itians &s;ay, there's nothing more to be feared than an over healthy con&s;titution of body: and a too quiet Calm is &s;u&s;pected by Marriners. If Calamity &s;courges and tares thee, 'tis not a Cruelty but a Com|bat. Unle&s;s thou <HI>Fighte&s;t,</HI> thou wilt not <HI>Conquer:</HI> unle&s;s thou <HI>Conquerest</HI> thou wilt not <HI>Triumph.</HI> Now, <HI>If Christ was to &s;uf|fer, and &s;o to enter into his Glory:</HI> Wilt thou pre&s;ume to be made partaker of ano|thers <HI>felicity</HI> without any <HI>Tribulation.</HI>
<PB N="175" REF="97">Thou erre&s;t mo&s;t gro&s;ly, if thou feigne&s;t to thy &s;elf any other way to go to Heaven. The Sacraments of Virtue are the&s;e, to <HI>do good</HI> and to <HI>&s;uffer Evil.</HI> The &s;ignes of thy having already obtain'd <HI>Patience,</HI> are, to bear contentedly other mens Evils; Not to murmur at Gods Cha&s;ti&s;ements; Not to &s;hun the Conver&s;ation of them who bring afflictions upon thee, Among&s;t con|tempts to keep thy &s;elf from Hatredi, To a&s;cribe to the Divine will what&s;oever afflicts thee; To be &s;ilent in Evils; to love them who bring Evils upon thee; to com|plain to God alone of the Injuries thou en|dure&s;t, and to offer thy &s;elf to him, as one prepared to &s;uffer all Mi&s;eries with joy and thank&s;giving. Finally he is acknow|ledged to be truly patient, who is not angry at his Neighbours imperfections.</P>
<P N="3">3. In the lo&s;s of External Goods, 'tis a great Comfort to reflect upon their unfaith|full condition. What&s;oever thou po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e&s;t, what&s;oever thou love&s;t, retains a natural fleetingne&s;s: it is with thee, but it is not thine. Do not mock thy &s;elf with a de&s;ire of an imaginary &s;tability. Nothing is firm to an infirm per&s;on; nothing is eternal to a frail Creature, be&s;ides <HI>Virtue:</HI> This is the one immortal thing which belongs to mor|tals; the re&s;t bring their Deaths along with
<PB N="176" REF="98">them. Put therefore all thou ha&s;t in &s;uch a place, as that there may be a great di&s;tance between them and thee. Nothing is taken from a Good man, becau&s;e he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es nothing as his own. Why lamente&s;t thou the lo&s;s of a little Money, the burial of a Son, the burning of a Hou&s;e: but at the lo&s;s of Mode&s;ty, of Fortitude, of Virtue, thou weepe&s;t not? <HI>Tho&s;e</HI> things are neither Good, nor Thine: but <HI>the&s;e</HI> are both good, and thy own. If thou grieve&s;t, when thou lo&s;e&s;t <HI>them,</HI> thou &s;hew'&s;t thy &s;elf worthy of the lo&s;s. Thou would&s;t conceive thy &s;elf to have lo&s;t nothing, if thou loved'&s;t nothing inordinately. External things trouble not a Wi&s;e Man; becau&s;e they touch him not.</P>
<P N="4">4. When thou enterpri&s;e&s;t any Work, con&s;ider all its adjuncts; thou wilt find many things which may trouble thy Mind, if not fore&s;een. Thou Calle&s;t a Boy? He perchance is not ready at hand, or doth not what thou de&s;ire&s;t. Thou go'&s;t to give a vi&s;it to &s;ome one? It may be he is clo&s;e &s;hut up, the Dores are made fa&s;t again&s;t thee, he within neglects thee. Fore&s;ee the&s;e accidents and all will fall out pro&s;perou&s;ly. He, this day refu&s;ed to ad|mit me, whereas he admitted others; He &s;hew'd an aver&s;ion from my di&s;cour&s;e: He
<PB N="177" REF="98">placed me in the lowe&s;t &s;eat: The&s;e are the complaints of a &s;ickly mind. He ob&s;erves no &s;uch things, who is not affected to them, who knows all &s;uch things are the Tributes of this Life. 'Tis be&s;t to endure, what thou can&s;t not amend. If thou art offended at the Malice or Impudence of any one; think whether 'tis a likely matter that there &s;hould be no impious or impudent per|&s;ons in the World. But if this cannot be imagined, what new thing hath now hapned, if a bad man after his manner doth ami&s;s? See whether thou thy &s;elf art not rather to be reprehended, who fore-&s;awe&s;t not that he would thus offend. The World was ever con&s;tant to it &s;elf; there are Vices where are Men.</P>
<P N="5">5. When thou art afflicted, attend not to what thou &s;uffere&s;t, but to what thou ha&s;t done. If thou wilt &s;peak truth to thy &s;elf, thou wilt confe&s;s thou art worthy of more &s;evere puni&s;hments. 'Tis God, from whom all things come. He cha&s;ti&s;es thee, that he may cure thee, that he may exerci&s;e thee, that he may harden thee and prepare thee for him&s;elf. He re&s;erves them for fu|ture pains, whom he &s;eems now to in|dulge.
<PB N="178" REF="99">From whence can I di&s;cern what courage thou ha&s;t again&s;t <HI>Poverty,</HI> if thou flowe&s;t with <HI>Riches?</HI> How can I come to know thy con&s;tancy again&s;t di&s;graces and the peoples hatred, if thou art grown old amid&s;t their Applau&s;es? I have heard thee giving Comfort to others in their tribulations; I de&s;ire to hear thee comforting thy &s;elf, and command|ing thy &s;elf not to be grieved. If thou give&s;t both Thanks and a Reward to thy Phy&s;ician, burning and cutting thy Members; why do&s;t thou not acquie&s;ce to the <HI>Medicine</HI> which God admini&s;ters? 'Tis a madne&s;s to think tho&s;e are <HI>Dammages,</HI> which are <HI>Remedies.</HI> If <HI>Po|verty,</HI> if <HI>Sickne&s;s,</HI> and the re&s;t which thou calle&s;t <HI>Evils,</HI> could contend in words with thee; they would in&s;ult over thee, and &s;ay: Why, O Man, art thou &s;o much again&s;t me? Art thou through my fault depriv'd of any good? of <HI>Prudence,</HI> of <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> of <HI>Fortitude?</HI> May&s;t thou not with me enjoy a chear|full mind? Tho&s;e things will be good which thou fancie&s;t are Evil, if thou wilt couragiou&s;ly &s;hew thy &s;elf to be above them. <HI>'Tis a great Evil, not to be able to endure Evil.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. In other mens Ca&s;es, thou may&s;t
<PB N="179" REF="99">&s;ometimes di&s;&s;emble thy Con&s;tancy, but never in thy own. Let thy Tears ac|company the afflicted weepers, not for the Tears &s;ake. De&s;cend and &s;toop down to the afflicted, that thou may&s;t rai&s;e them up. No one can lift him up who lies on the ground, unle&s;s he bows low to his a&s;&s;i&s;tance. But becau&s;e all things have a double handle, the one tollerable, the other intollerable; if any one hath done thee an Injury, take not thy hold on that part, in which the Injury is done, for this is the handle in which he cannot be endur'd: but con&s;ider him as redeemed with the &s;ame Blood of Chri&s;t, and called to the &s;ame Glory? So thou wilt lay hold on him on the &s;ide in which he is tollerable. And becau&s;e <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> hath a very &s;mall voice in gi|ving free Reprehen&s;ions, alwayes endea|vour to hear Truth from thy Adver|&s;ary. He being perpetually watchfull, prys into thy actions; and thy mi&s;|carriages will more ea&s;ily deceive thy &s;elf than him. He will traduce thee to thy Neighbours, and in the Streets, and being incens'd again&s;t thee, will lay open the di&s;ea&s;e of thy Mind, which thou either conceale&s;t or neglecte&s;t. Strive to make thy profit from him: He more attentively
<PB N="180" REF="100">watches over him&s;elf, who knows he hath an Adver&s;ary alwayes ready to cen|&s;ure him.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Per&s;everance</HI> is the Crown and Con|&s;ummation of all <HI>Virtues.</HI> A <HI>Reward</HI> is <HI>promi&s;ed</HI> to <HI>Beginners,</HI> but it is <HI>given</HI> to <HI>Per&s;everers.</HI> Wherefore before all things take care of this, that thou be con&s;tant to thy &s;elf. Nothing which is in its pa&s;&s;age, is &s;o profitable. Thou &s;lide&s;t back again, if thou &s;trive&s;t not to go onward: and if thou beginne&s;t to &s;tand, thou &s;ink|e&s;t down. Appoint what thou wilt, and per&s;evere in it till thy end. 'Tis the pro|perty of an uncon&s;tant Mind, to a&s;&s;ume daily new Exerci&s;es, to &s;eek oftentimes new dwellings. It doth not behove thee to be in another place, but to be another Man. The Tree which is often tran&s;|planted, dwindles away at la&s;t: and the frequent change of Remedies, hinders the Health. If the Apo&s;tle, the Ve&s;&s;el of E|lection, not looking upon what he had already done, but what he ought to do, judg'd that he had in no &s;ort compre|hended: what wilt thou do, who may&s;t wi&s;h that in thy End, thou might&s;t be compar'd to his Beginning? The de&s;ire of Learning cannot be &s;atisfied, the love of Riches is in&s;atiable, the thir&s;t after Ho|nours
<PB N="181" REF="100">is not to be quenched. Things which are &s;hortly to have an end, are &s;ought after without End: and if thou ha&s;t had only a light ta&s;t of the Divine Wi&s;dom, wilt thou imagine thy &s;elf pre&s;ently full? He invites thee to perfection after another manner, who &s;aid, <HI>Be ye Perfect, as your Heavenly Father is Perfect.</HI> This Mark is propo&s;ed to thee, to give thee to under&s;tand, that there is alwayes a place above thee, for the encrea&s;e of thy Virtue.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="31" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="182" REF="101">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXXI.</HI> Of Temperance How much &s;hamefac'dne&s;s conduceth to it. Of Ab&s;tinence, and of Cha&s;tity.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>TEmperance</HI> rules the plea&s;ures which are taken in <HI>Ta&s;ting</HI> and <HI>Touch|ing:</HI> it hates and drives away all &s;uch plea&s;ures as are &s;uperfluous, and admits only &s;uch as are nece&s;&s;ary, as far forth as right Rea&s;on permits. This Rule of <HI>Tem|perance</HI> is Infallible; To take meer Ne|ce&s;&s;ity for its mea&s;ure in what belongs to the Body; and never to admit Plea&s;ures for Plea&s;ures &s;ake. By this Virtue it is brought to pa&s;s, that thou do&s;t not dege|nerate from a Man into a Bea&s;t. To it, <HI>Mode&s;ty</HI> very much contributes, which is the Bridle of bad manners, the Badge of a good di&s;po&s;ition, the Guardian of Purity, the Witne&s;s of Innocence. If this hath gotten the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of thy Mind, it will teach thee to fear all Filthine&s;s, to ab&s;tain from all unlawfull Actions, to reverence Gods Commandments, to &s;tand alwayes in an apprehen&s;ion of thy own frailty, and
<PB N="183" REF="101">to be evermore in love with that intelligi|ble Beauty, which appears chiefly in the works of <HI>Temperance.</HI> And thou wilt then perceive thy &s;elf to be mode&s;t, when thou tremble&s;t at the very name of <HI>Intemperance;</HI> when thy Chamber-walls cover thee, and do not hide thee, with which many con|ceive them&s;elves to be encompa&s;&s;ed, not that they may live more &s;afely, but that they may Sin more &s;ecretly. But to what purpo&s;e do&s;t thou &s;hut up thy &s;elf, to avoid the Eyes and Ears of Men? God is al|wayes with thee, who every where be|holds thee: Thy Con&s;cience is with thee, which every where accu&s;es thee.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Ab&s;tinence</HI> and <HI>Sobriety,</HI> moderate the u&s;e of Meat and Drink; but that which concerns the Touch, is rul'd by <HI>Cha&s;tity</HI> and <HI>Pudicity.</HI> And &s;urely 'tis a matter of very great difficulty, not to be drawn beyond the bounds of Nece&s;&s;ity, in the u&s;e of Food. The Belly hath no Ears to admit com|mands: It demands, calls and exacts a daily tribute. But with how little it may be put off, with how &s;mall a &s;tipend it may be &s;atisfied, few con&s;ider. We force Na|ture to &s;erve Vices; and we irritate Hun|ger and Thir&s;t, which may ea&s;ily be ap|pea&s;ed with natural Remedies, by various Sawces and Sea&s;onings. <HI>Cha&s;tity</HI> is al&s;o hard
<PB N="184" REF="102">to be pre&s;erved among&s;t &s;o many provoca|tions of <HI>Lust,</HI> unle&s;s it is held in with the Fear of God, with a Flight from all Occa|&s;ions, with a carefull cu&s;tody of the Sen&s;es, and with a great reverence towards ones &s;elf. He who fears not him&s;elf, cannot fear others. Wilt thou be Cha&s;t? Contain thy Eyes, le&s;t thou may&s;t <HI>love unwillingly,</HI> what thou ha&s;t <HI>behold unwarily.</HI> Why admire&s;t thou the fleeting and fal&s;e beauty of the Creature? Expect a little while, and it will be no more. Ugly Wrinkles will furrow the &s;mooth Forehead, a &s;ad Cloud will ore|cover the &s;parkles of the Eyes, a &s;curvy Mo&s;&s;ine&s;s will cover the Ivory of the Teeth. Avoid al&s;o the company of the Bad, fly from all Effeminatene&s;s, tame thy Fle&s;h with Fa&s;tings, and treat it rigorou&s;ly; He is lo&s;t, who too tenderly loves his Se|pulchre.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="32" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="185" REF="102">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXXII.</HI> Of Meekne&s;s, and Clemency. The Offices and Excellency of them both.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. TO mitigate the violence of <HI>Anger, Meekne&s;s</HI> is nece&s;&s;ary; le&s;t thou &s;hould&s;t tran&s;gre&s;s the bounds of what is right, either on one &s;ide or the other. <HI>Anger</HI> is the Dart of Nature, which thou may&s;t lawfully make u&s;e of, when thy Office obliges thee to reprove and cha|&s;ti&s;e Offenders: and when Di&s;cretion di|ctates, that thy own or anothers injury is to be in due manner repre&s;&s;ed; lea&s;t impunity &s;hould give increa&s;e to the li|centiou&s;ne&s;s of the wicked. He is equal|ly cruel who pardons all, and who par|dons none at all. Now, when Ju&s;tice &s;o requiring, the guilty are to be puni&s;h|ed; be thou then Mindful of <HI>Meekne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Clemency.</HI> Puni&s;h as it were unwil|lingly; and be thou &s;uch a one towards Offenders, as God hath been to thee. As he &s;upported thee that he might make thee better: So do thou &s;upport them that they may be corrected. Thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t the Phy|&s;itian,
<PB N="186" REF="103">if thou de&s;paire&s;t of the Patient. The Sick mans cure is as ea&s;ie, as is the Prudence and Benignity of the Phy&s;itian. A Meek man appears as a Rock in the Sea of <HI>Anger,</HI> di&s;&s;olving the Waves which da&s;h again&s;t him; being not always con|tent with puni&s;hment, but &s;ometimes with penitence. The Saviour of the World ex|claims to the collected multitude of Man|kind; <HI>Come ye all and learn of me,</HI> not to cure the Sice, not to clean&s;e the Leapers, not to re&s;tore light to the blind, or life to the Dead. But what? <HI>Learn</HI> (&s;ayes he) <HI>of me, to be Mcek.</HI> He &s;eems to have re|duc'd all the trea&s;ures of his Wi&s;dom and Science, that we &s;hould Learn of him the Le&s;&s;on of <HI>Meekne&s;s.</HI> So Excellent a thing is <HI>Meekne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. As <HI>Meekne&s;s</HI> Moderates <HI>Anger,</HI> &s;o <HI>Clemency</HI> tempers <HI>Puni&s;hment. That</HI> be|longs to <HI>All; this</HI> to <HI>Princes</HI> and <HI>Superiors.</HI> Its Office is, to mitigate the puni&s;hments which the Laws exact, not for Fear, Gain, Friend&s;hip, or out of any other &s;uch like Motive; but out of a gentlene&s;s of Mind. There's no need to delve into the &s;ides of Mountains, and build Ca&s;tles in the high Tops of Hills: <HI>Clemency</HI> will render the Prince &s;afe in the open plain. This is an unexpugnable Fortre&s;s, which &s;ecures his
<PB N="187" REF="103">Empire. A bad Prince is hated, becau&s;e he is feared; and he will be feared becau&s;e he is hated. Now the &s;ubjects hate him they fear, and would willingly have him peri&s;h whom they hate. He is <HI>Ma&s;ter</HI> of the Kings Life, who is a contemner of <HI>his</HI> own Life. He vainly &s;trengthens <HI>him&s;elf</HI> with power, who is not garded with the good will of his people. Many puni&s;h|ments are &s;hameful to a Prince, as many Funerals are to a Phy&s;itian. If a King keeps back his &s;trength; if he looks down from above upon all injuries and offences with contempt; if he &s;acrifices &s;ome to the an|ger of others, none to his own: then he &s;hews him&s;elf to be truly a King. 'Tis the part of a <HI>Magnanimous</HI> man, to be plea&s;ing and peaceable.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="33" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="188" REF="104">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXXIII.</HI> Of Mode&s;ty. The Double Office of Studio|&s;ity. What Rule is to be ob&s;erved in Mirth.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. <HI>MOdesty</HI> wonderfully adorns the re&s;t of the Minds Dowries. 'Tis the &s;orm of <HI>Hone&s;ty,</HI> and the Curb of <HI>Viees.</HI> Though thou &s;ay&s;t not a Word, thy Habit and Ge&s;ture will &s;peak what thou art. An Argument of Virtue may be taken from the lea&s;t things. The Countenance, the Laughter, the Gate, the Glaunce of the Eyes, &s;hew oftentimes what a man is. Live &s;o, as that all men may know thou belonge&s;t to the fellow&s;hip of An|gels. Ob&s;erve a <HI>decorum</HI> in all the Moti|ons of thy Members, in thy behaviour, in thy Voice, in thy Looks, that nothing may appear Effeminate and remi&s;s, nothing that is har&s;h and clowni&s;h. True <HI>Mode|&s;ty</HI> flows from the Mind into the Body, from the inward gravity of Manners in|to the outward carriage; that &s;o the mind may behold abroad as it were, its own hou&s;hold-&s;tuff. A <HI>Modest</HI> Man is the live|ly
<PB N="189" REF="104">Image of God: for his &s;ole A&s;pect com|po&s;es the beholders. And what a good is this, to be &s;een and to profit? It belongs al&s;o to <HI>Modesty,</HI> not to exceed the condi|tion of thy State, in Garments, in Move|ables, in the Ornaments of thy hou&s;e, and in the multitude of Attendants. The&s;e are the Impediments of thy Mind, where|with not thou, but the things without thee, are garni&s;hed. Why therefore do&s;t thou joy in thy Evil? Why admire&s;t thou vain things, and glorie&s;t in the mul|titude of impediments? Thou may&s;t rightly call this troop of Servants which environ thee on every &s;ide, <HI>an Ho&s;tile Army,</HI> from which thou can&s;t &s;carcely be &s;ecure. They will know what thou do&s;t, not what thou Commande&s;t. There's nothing more humble then their <HI>Ingre&s;s,</HI> nothing more in&s;olent then their <HI>Pro|gre&s;s,</HI> nothing more odious then their <HI>E|gre&s;s.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Studio&s;ity</HI> hath two Offices; One is to temperate and moderate the appe|tite of knowing, which for the mo&s;t part is greater then ju&s;tly it ought to be: The other is, to &s;hake off &s;luggi&s;hne&s;s, and to excite the Minds indu&s;try to learn things nece&s;&s;ary. Nature hath given man a curious Wit, and being con&s;cious of
<PB N="190" REF="105">her Art and Beauty, hath brought us forth to be Spectators of her works; for &s;he would lo&s;e the fruit of her &s;elf, if &s;he &s;hould &s;hew only to a &s;olitude, &s;uch great, &s;uch glorious &s;uch curious Pro|ducts. But we abu&s;e Natures goods, by diving &s;ubtilly into &s;uch things, as were better unknown, He is not Wi&s;e who knows many things, but who knows what makes to his purpo&s;e. Tho&s;e Things are fir&s;t to be learned, which belong to thy Salvation: nor do I debar <HI>thee</HI> from reading the re&s;t, &s;o thou <HI>referre&s;t</HI> to Man|ners what&s;oever thou reade&s;t. But &s;ee whether the reading of many Books, &s;a|vour not &s;omething of evagation and in|&s;tability. Thou art to dwell upon cer|tain Wits, and be nouri&s;hed by them, if thou de&s;ire&s;t to draw from them what may &s;tick fa&s;t in thy Mind. Various Reading plea&s;eth, but 'tis the Certain which profits.</P>
<P N="3">3. A Relaxation is &s;ometimes to be granted to the Mind; and Re&s;t is to be intermix'd with labour; for that cannot long continue which wants convenient re|po&s;e. The makers of Laws appointed certain days, in which the People &s;hould meet together in publick for their recrea|tion, to repair their forces. Now there
<PB N="191" REF="105">are divers actions which contribute to this Relaxation of Mind: As walking in a plea&s;|ant and open Field, where in the free Ayr, the Mind may rai&s;e it &s;elf to Heaven, and the Members get new vigour. A Country Rece&s;s, remote from the &s;moak and noi&s;e of Cities; Hawking or Hunting, and &s;uch Diverti&s;ments as misbecome not thy condi|tion, and Fi&s;hing which is more innocent: Stu|dies which are more calm and plea&s;ant: A con&s;ort of Mu&s;ick, and &s;ome hone&s;t Play: Finally, harmle&s;s Je&s;ts, and facetiou&s;ne&s;s, which mu&s;t be evermore free from the lea&s;t injury and undecency. Some there are, who are too &s;evere, who are men-haters, and who &s;it brooding upon their own darkne&s;s, never permitting a merry word to be wre&s;t|ed out of their Mouths: Others, addicted overmuch to Je&s;ting, &s;eldom apply them|&s;elves to &s;erious thoughts, and never with|draw them&s;elves from the people. Now the&s;e extreams are to be interwoven and al|ternated; for Solitude will beget a <HI>de&s;ire</HI> of Company, and Frequency, of thy &s;elf; and &s;o one will be a Remedy to the other. Re|mi&s;&s;ion will cure the hatred of labour, and labour the tediou&s;ne&s;s of Remi&s;&s;ion. S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters"> al&s;o there are, who not knowing how to di&s;|pence their own forces, exerci&s;e an immo|derate Empire over them&s;elves. The Mean
<PB N="192" REF="106">is wanting to them. They can neither tell when to remit their Studies nor when to re|take them. When they &s;ettle them&s;elves to Labour, the Days are joyn'd to the Nights; nor do they de&s;i&s;t, till them&s;elves are de|&s;troyed. Again, when they give way to Re|creations, they &s;o ingulph them&s;elves, as that they can &s;carcely be brought back to their former Cu&s;toms. Wherefore an Inter|val is &s;o to be afforded to the Mind, that it may be remitted not Re&s;olved. To this end, <HI>Eutrapely,</HI> that is, <HI>Fe&s;tivity,</HI> and <HI>civil Mirth,</HI> is very nece&s;&s;ary, which is to pre&s;cribe cer|tain Limits, not to be tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed without a crime. <HI>The Be&s;t things become bad, if the Mean is exceeded.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="34" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="193" REF="106">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXXIV.</HI> Of Humility. Wherein it con&s;i&s;ts, Of Self-knowledge. The Character of a truly hum|ble Man.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. FRom Chri&s;t comes <HI>Humility.</HI> He promulgated it by his <HI>Word,</HI> taught it by his <HI>Example.</HI> This, after the Theological and Intellectual Virtues, hath the prime place among&s;t the re&s;t; for it removes <HI>Pride,</HI> which is the Root of all Evil. This renders us amiable to God, becau&s;e <HI>with the Humble is his Di&s;cour&s;e.</HI> Without this, which is the Foundation of Virtues, what&s;oever Super&s;tructure is rai&s;ed in the Spiritual Edifice, will neither be &s;olid nor &s;table Now although it's very Name &s;eems to betoken &s;ome ba&s;e and mean thing, yet it is the Virtue of the Magnanimous, and of the Perfect, and rai&s;es up the Mind to high matters. It enterpri&s;es illu&s;trious actions, without danger of being puff'd up, heroick acti|ons without apprehen&s;ion of difficulties, continuing always &s;tout, couragious, and
<PB N="194" REF="107">unalterable. <HI>Humility,</HI> doth not (as the Vulgar Imagin) con&s;i&s;t in a &s;elf-de&s;pi&s;al and abjection; but in that moderate appeti|tion of Glory and Honour, which both avoids Exce&s;s, and recedes from De|fect. The Humble man de&s;ires Glory as the &s;tipend of Virtue, with a mind di|rectly intent, upon the Action, not for O&s;tentation, but for Virtue alone, and as much as it demands. Unlawful is all Honour, which Virtue brings not forth. But becau&s;e an humble man, being of a di&s;cerning Spirit, is an impartial Judge of him&s;elf, he is aver&s;e from almo&s;t all Honour; both becau&s;e he knows how little it is that he contributes of his own to the works of Virtue: and al&s;o becau&s;e he fears le&s;t out of a de&s;ire of due Ho|nour, he may conde&s;cend to admit that which is not due. 'Tis mo&s;t &s;afe to de|&s;pi&s;e Honour; for the ampli&s;ies it who refu&s;es it, he encrea&s;es it who contemne it.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou art therefore not Humble, becau&s;e thou know'&s;t not thy &s;elf. There's no Country &s;o remote, of which thou wilt more ea&s;ily believe a fal&s;e Re|lation. What is Man? A weak and frail Body of it &s;elf unarm'd, wanting the help of others, and ca&s;t out to all
<PB N="195" REF="107">the injuries of times. A lump of Dirt, a filthy animal, prone to all Evil, and of &s;o perverted and depraved a di&s;po&s;iti|on, that it preferrs earthly things before the Heavenly, tran&s;i&s;tory before the e|ternal. <HI>Every living Man is an univer&s;al Vanity.</HI> No Animal hath a Life more frail, a Madne&s;s more fierce, a Fear more confu&s;ed, a Lu&s;t more violent. Whence then this Pride, O thou Mi&s;erable Creature; and of others the mo&s;t unhappy? Look upon thy own wretehedne&s;s, and if there remains a|ny &s;park of Rea&s;on in thee, reflect up|on thy own ba&s;ene&s;s and unworthine&s;s. Then thou wilt be perfectly Humble, when thou ha&s;t perfectly learn'd Self|knowledg.</P>
<P N="3">3. A truly Humble man totally de|&s;pi&s;es him&s;elf; nor is he willing to be reputed Humble, but of no account: he referr's to God all the honour which is due to him&s;elf, and di&s;tru&s;ts him&s;elf in all things: He rejoyces in being con|temned; in this onely prov'd, that he Sleights humane prai&s;es. He con|&s;iders him&s;elf according to what he hath of him&s;elf, and others according to what they have of God, and &s;o comparing him&s;elf with them, he jud|ges
<PB N="196" REF="108">him&s;elf the very wor&s;t of all: for this is the Genius of Humility to compare ones own Evils with the Goods of others; from whence even he who is mo&s;t Perfect, may with|out a Lye, e&s;teem him&s;elf more Im|perfect then others. Furthermore, a truly Humble Man &s;ubjects him&s;elf with all Obedience to his Superiours, performs not his own de&s;ires, di&s;co|vers freely his defects, &s;u&s;tains pa|tiently all injuries, embraces joyfully the meane&s;t things, avoids carefully all &s;ingularity, ab&s;tains always from much talking, de&s;ires &s;till to lye con|cealed and unknown, places all things beneath him&s;elf, and him&s;elf beneath all, and &s;huts up him&s;elf within his own Nothing. He is &s;hame-fac'd and circum&s;pect: He &s;peakes not but when nece&s;&s;ity urges him, and then mode&s;t|ly, being willing rather to weep then to Laugh. He &s;hews the <HI>Humility</HI> of his Heart, in his Body, in his Eyes &s;ix'd on the ground, in his grave and compo&s;ed gate, in his ca&s;t-down Coun|tenance, like a guilty per&s;on ready to be &s;ummoned before Gods dreadful Tri|bunal: Con&s;cious of the Crimes he hath committed, uncertain of Grace, and
<PB N="197" REF="108">fearful of his Salvation; and therefore not daring to lift up his Eyes to Hea|ven, he &s;tands aloof off with the Pub|lican, imploring with fervent Prayer, pardon for his Offences. Finally, he dreads all his own doings, he de&s;pi&s;es all earth|ly things, he tramples upon all world|ly Pomps and Vanities. For he thinks the whole world to be <HI>Nothing,</HI> who be|lieves him&s;elf to be <HI>Nothing.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="35" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="198" REF="109">
<HEAD><HI>CHAP. XXXV.</HI> Of the &s;tate of the Perfect. The Image of a Perfect man. The End of a Perfect Life, it &V;nion with God.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. HE is faid to be <HI>Perfect,</HI> to whom nothing is wanting. And what can be wanting to him, who being purg'd from Sin, cleans'd from Vices, and adorned with Virtues, intimately adheres to his God, and becomes one Spirit with him for ever|more? This is the top of Chri&s;tian Per|fection, the la&s;t End to which thou art to a&s;pire. For whereas every thing is then judg'd to be perfect, when 'tis joyned to its End, and <HI>God is thy End;</HI> thou art then ne|ce&s;&s;arily perfected, when perfectly adhe|ring to God, thou returne&s;t to him from whom thou had&s;t thy beginning. But no one is thus perfect, without Gods &s;pecial Help. And becau&s;e there are few found among&s;t Mortals, who di&s;po&s;e the &s;upe|riour part of their Mind to receive Gods &s;ingular illap&s;es and inlocutions, therefore there are &s;o few Perfect. Each Age hath produced few of them.</P>
<PB N="199" REF="109">
<P N="2">2. Thou may&s;t call him a Perfect man, whom thou &s;ee&s;t undaunted in Dangers, untouch'd with Cupidities, happy in Ad|ver&s;ity, content in Di&s;graces, quiet amid&s;t Tempe&s;ts, Laughing at what&s;oever others Fear and De&s;ire, pa&s;&s;ing by all things as Little, &s;hining with no good but his own, evermore free, alwayes con&s;tant to him|&s;elf, &s;till like him&s;elf, erected, elevated, empty of him&s;elf, and full of God: from whom no Violence can force his Goods, who turns Evil into Good, who is fru&s;tra|ted of nothing, who is hurt by no Accident: who puts a value upon things, not from mens Opinion, but the things of Nature: who being eminent above all, ca&s;ts him&s;elf into the whole World, and extends his con|templation into all its proceedings, him&s;elf remaining peaceable and un&s;haken: who for the major part of him, dwells perpetu|ally there from whence he de&s;cended. As the Sun-beams, although they touch the Earth, yet are there from whence they are darted: So a <HI>Perfect</HI> man conver&s;es indeed with us, but he is ab&s;ent in his better part, and adheres alwayes to his End. His mind is &s;uch as the &s;tate of the World is above the Moon; there's a perpetual Calm. He is ignorant of any defect of things; he knows not what a various Mind is; all ages
<PB N="200" REF="110">&s;erve him; he views all things round about, equally as the Sun doth, and rejecting all multiplicity, he quietly repo&s;es in the mo&s;t &s;imple Unity. He de&s;ires nothing, he &s;eeks for nothing out of him&s;elf, having no need to call in that Felicity from a far off, which he bears about him inclo&s;ed within his own Heart. He works for God alone, he lives to God alone, being alwayes ready to de|part. Apply this Line and Level to thy Life, and thou wilt under&s;tand how far thou art from Perfection.</P>
<P N="3">3. This is a greater and higher matter, than thou can&s;t reach, unle&s;s he draws thee upward, who &s;aid, <HI>without me, you can do nothing.</HI> And moreover, there are prece|dent di&s;po&s;itions which are nece&s;&s;ary. The End of a <HI>perfect</HI> Life, is an intimate <HI>&V;nion with God.</HI> And &s;ince he dwells in an un|acce&s;&s;ible Light, thou wilt never get to him, unle&s;s thou drive&s;t away from thee the darkne&s;s of the Creatures. Man cannot be made partaker of the Divine Nature, ex|cept he tran&s;cends him&s;elf and all created things in Mind and Affection. Every Ad|he&s;ion, even the lea&s;t, to any thing what|&s;oever, is like to the little Fi&s;h <HI>Remera,</HI> which if it bites the Keel of the Ship, &s;tops it, and detains it in the middle of its cour&s;e. It happens no otherwi&s;e to many Souls,
<PB N="201" REF="110">which like Ships fraught with Heavenly: Riches, would happily &s;ail to the Haven of ble&s;&s;ed Union, were they not detained by &s;ome Vitious Affection. God is one, and mo&s;t Simple; <HI>A Soul can never be fit for &V;nion, unle&s;s it becomes One, and mo&s;t Simple.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="111">
<PB REF="111">
<HEAD>THE INDEX.</HEAD>
<P><HI>A</HI> Preface to the Reader.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 1.</HI> Of Mans last End. What an Evil it is to &s;werve from it. The Means and Method to come to it. <HI>Pag. 1.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 2.</HI> Who &s;o de&s;ires to live well, mu&s;t make choice of an In&s;tructor. What manner of man this ought to be. The Duties of a Di&s;ci|ple. <HI>Pag. 7</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 3.</HI> Of Purgation from Sin. All Affe|ction to Sin is to be laid a&s;ide, and Vice rooted out. No Remedy is more efficacious again&s;t Vice, than the con&s;ideration of Death and Eternity. <HI>Pag. 13</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 4.</HI> Of Gluttony. Its Evils. Its Re|medies. The Signs of its being conque|red. <HI>Pag. 22</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 5.</HI> Of Luxury. How foul a Vice it is. How en&s;ie the Relap&s;e into it, and how to be avoided. <HI>Pag. 27</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="112">
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 6.</HI> Of Avarice. Its Malice is &s;harply reproved. The Compari&s;on between a Poor, and a Rich man. The deceit and vanity of Riches. <HI>Pag. 33</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 7.</HI> Of Anger. The Character of an Angry per&s;on. The Effects, Gau&s;es, Reme|dies of Anger. <HI>Pag. 40</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 8.</HI> Of Envy and Sloath. The De&s;crip|tion and Cure of Both. <HI>Pag. 53</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 9.</HI> Of Pride, Ambition, and Vain|glory. The Image of a Proud man. The Vanity of Dignities, and their Dangers. The Evils of Hautine&s;s, and the Cure of it. <HI>Pag. 57</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 10.</HI> Of the Government of the Body. Of the Cu&s;tody of the Sen&s;es. How far the Body is to be Indillged, &amp;c. <HI>Pag. 67</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 11.</HI> Of the Cu&s;tody of the Tongue. Of how great moment it is, and how diffi|cile. What is to be ob&s;erved in Speaking, what to be avoided. How the bad Tongues of others, are to be endured. <HI>Pag. 73</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 12.</HI> Of the Internal Sen&s;es. The &V;&s;e of Opinions. The Mind is to be &s;tered with good Thoughts. Of re&s;training the Sen&s;i|tive Appetite: and of its depraved Affecti|ons. Several Precepts to that purpo&s;e. <HI>Pag. 80</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 13.</HI> Of Love. Its Nature, Cau&s;es, Effects, Remedies. Something added of Hatred. <HI>Pag. 85</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="112">
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 14.</HI> Of De&s;ire, and of Flight. What is to be de&s;ired, what to be fled from. <HI>Pag. 91</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 15.</HI> Of Joy, and of Sadne&s;s. How a good man ought to rejoyce. He who fore|&s;ees all things, is not contri&s;tated. Several Antidotes against Grief. <HI>Pag. 96</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 16.</HI> Of Hope, and De&s;pair. How we are to mederate them both. <HI>Pag. 102</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 17.</HI> Of Fear: How vain it is, and how to be vanqui&s;hed. Boldne&s;s to be awid|ed. Something again of Anger. <HI>Pag. 105</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 18.</HI> Of the Powers of the Rational Soul. The &V;nder&s;tanding is to be re&s;train|ed from Curio&s;ity. To what Study one &s;hould chiefly apply him&s;elf. How bad a thing it is to enquire into other mens Man|ners. The Judgments of others, are to be contemned. Of the denial of our Will. <HI>Pag. 111</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 19.</HI> Of the State of Proficients. Se|veral Helps to Proficiency. The value and u&s;e of Time. The Pre&s;ence of God, Ne|ce&s;&s;ary. <HI>Pag. 118</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 20.</HI> Of the good of Solitude. Evil Se|ciety to be &s;hun'd. What, and how many the Worlds Vices are. The &s;tudy of a Pre|ficient, is the acqui&s;ition of Virtues. Certain Signs of Virtue's being obtained. <HI>Pag. 124</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 21.</HI> Of the Theological Virtues; Faith is to be approved by Works. Confidence is to be placed in God alone. Motives to love
<PB REF="113">God. The love of our Neighbour is mani|fe&s;ted by Benefits. An Exhortation to Alms-deeds. <HI>Pag. 132</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 22.</HI> Of Prudence. Its Nece&s;&s;ity, and Difficulty. The Duty of a Prudent man. <HI>Pag. 137</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 23.</HI> Of Ju&s;tice, and of Religion. The Acts of both. What Penance is, and where|in it con&s;i&s;ts. <HI>Pag. 141</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 24.</HI> Of Piety and Ob&s;ervance. Obe|dience is commended, and al&s;o Gratitude. How a Benefit is to be Received and Re|payed. <HI>Pag. 146</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 25.</HI> Of Truth, and the &V;&s;e of it. Sim|plicity is prai&s;ed. Acts of Fidelity. <HI>Pag. 150</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 26.</HI> Of Friend&s;hip. With what Offices it is to be entertained. Certain Pre|cepts appertaining to mutual Conver&s;a|tion. <HI>Pag. 154</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 27.</HI> Of Liberality. What it is, and how to be exerci&s;ed. Wherein it differs from Magnificency. <HI>Pag. 160</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 28.</HI> Of Fortitude. Its Offices. That Death is to be contemned by a Valiant man. <HI>Pag. 164</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 29.</HI> Of Magnanimity. The De&s;crip|tion of a Magnanimous Man. <HI>Pag. 169</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 30.</HI> Of Patience. The Occa&s;ions and Effects of it. The &s;igns of perfect Patience. An Admonition and In&s;truction to Endure
<PB REF="113">all Adver&s;ities. The Nece&s;&s;ity of Per&s;eve|rance. <HI>Pag. 172</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 31.</HI> Of Temperance. How much &s;hamefac'dne&s;s conduceth to it. Of Ab&s;ti|nece, and of Cha&s;tity. <HI>Pag. 182</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 32.</HI> Of Meekne&s;s and Clemency. The Offices and Excellency of them both. <HI>Pag. 185</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 33.</HI> Of Mode&s;ty. The double Office of Studio&s;ity. What Rule is to be ob&s;erved in Mirth. <HI>Pag. 188</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 34.</HI> Of Humility. Wherein it con&s;i&s;ts. Of Self-knowledge. The Character of a truly Humble man. <HI>Pag. 193</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chap. 35.</HI> Of the &s;tate of the Perfect. The Image of a Perfect man. The End of a Perfect Life, is &V;nion with God. <HI>Pag. 198</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
