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would rather continue as we are, than make a thorough exchange. Generally speaking, whatever seeming inequalities there may be, yet they are adjusted either by the real fatisfaction which virtue gives, or by the false pleasures, which conceitedness and vanity afford its votaries. Variety of worldly goods will not produce contentment; a small uneafiness, appetite or paffion not gratified, will take away the relish of what is agreeable in life, if headstrong: and no condition can make us happy, unless a foundation be laid for it in the due regulation of our own tempers. There is no ftate of life, even the most defirable, but is attended with many peculiar difadvantages of its own. We find several, who have no confiderable advantages, either of fortune, or honour, or power, contented and eafy; and feveral, who poffefs them all, yet extremely discontented and miferable. We even often think we fee others that are happier than we, and with whom, as to many things, we would willingly change conditions. Are we engaged in a life of action and business? How do we applaud the happiness of those that live in eafe and privacy, and can command their own time! Do we, on the contrary, live in retirement, and have but few affairs to mind? Well, then our time lies upon our hands, and we complain for want of employment, and call only thofe happy that are men of bufinefs. Are we in great and fplendid circumftances, above the rank of common men? Then we feel the cares and burthens that this brings upon us, and only cry up the fecure quiet state of those that live in a lower sphere. But are we, on the contrary, in a low condition? Who then with us, but the great men that carry the world before them! Thus are we generally unfatisfied with the prefent condition in which we -are, and apt to like any other better than our own. Such is the nature of mankind, or the nature of things themselves, that no earthly delight or comfort can pleafe us long. A rational way of thinking is therefore an effential ingredient of happiness. We muft poffefs ourselves with just apprehenfions of things: we wind up our imaginations too high; and things, as they are in nature, will never anfwer to the gay florid ideas, which a luxuriant fancy forms of them. Anundisciplined imagination may suggest, O how happy should I

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be, if I could compass fuch a fituation in life!" But if calm reafon might be suffered to put in its plea, it would answer, Why, juft as happy as those that are already in poffeffion of it, and that is, perhaps, not at all.' If we place our happinefs in moderating our defires, we may be happy even now: but, if we place it in enlarging our poffeffions, we shall not be happy even then. These imaginary wants are often more vexatious to the opulent, than real wants are to the poor. If they are fupplied, it is but vanity, and contributes very little to their real enjoyments: as foon as the glofs of novelty is worn off, they become tastelefs and infipid. If they are not fupplied, it is a vexation of fpirit, and a perpetual fource of uneafinefs. They cannot retrench their pomp and equipage, even when their fortune is confiderably impaired. They must, through an ambitious poverty, maintain the fhew, when the fubftance is gone. Their joys are pompous and visible, but false and fantastick: their cares fecret and concealed, but real and folid. Riches, by making pleasures familiar to them, flatten their relish for them, but give a keener edge to every pain which they must feel as well as other men: they dull their enjoyments, but point and quicken the sense of anguish and affronts. Therefore let us labour to have our minds content in any ftate, and endeavour to fuit ourselves to any condition, which will not furnish occafions for discontent and uneafiness; *and above all, purfue religious courses; for it is written, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, viz. not fo as wholly to exclude the care of other things; for that is impoffible in this present life, and to pretend to it is but enthusiasm, and hinders the spreading of true religion: But feek this chiefly, and in the first place; make this your principal and main care; fuffer nothing to interfere or come in competition with it: do this above and before all other things; and yet other things need not be left undone. Yet, We must never expect to be religious without diligence in the pursuit of virtue. There are in the course of a Diligence. christian life many duties to be performed, which require pains and care; temptations to be refifted, which will keep us continually upon our guard: and the fcripture frequently

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See Chriftian Fortitude and Patience, in Sund. 16. Sect. V.

hood, that as his labour is really the most difficult, so it is most useful and profitable to all; as may evidently appear from this reasoning on the contrary part. For

Idlen'fs

*

Whence proceeds fo great an increase of the poor of this kingdom? To what are their miseries owing, but brings po- to floth and idleness? To the neglect of parents, verty, &c. who took no care to educate them, when they were young, in learning or labour, in fome honeft way of trade or business, in which they might employ themselves, when they are grown up, and be able to provide an honest maintenance. So that, being grown up, they become, what they really are, the very bane and peft of fociety, wafting and devouring the fruits of the diligent man's labours; robbing those who are poor indeed, of the charity which is their due, and which would otherwise be afforded them; and all the while doing no fort of service to God, their prince, or their country, but, what is still worse, fpending the time which lies upon their hands in the most profligate courfes of lying, fwearing, and drinking; in committing fometimes the most detestable crimes of theft, whoredom, and murder. This fhould be a warning to all parents, and to fuch as are intrufted with the care and government of youth, that they improve their minds with found principles of religion and good morality, and bring them up to learning, or in fome honeft trade and employment, that when they are grown up, they may be able by their own skill and industry to provide a competent maintenance for themselves, and to afford some supply and relief to the real wants and unavoidable neceffities of their neighbours. And now fuppofe a man were born to, or has by his induftry obtained fo plentiful an estate, Is the root that if he should take his eafe, or indulge himfelf of all evil. in floth and luxury, there would be no danger of his falling into poverty; yet in all probability he would thereby render his condition as unhappy as that of the meanest beggar; he would lofe even the taste and pleasure of worldly things by a too frequent ufe of them, and would most certainly endanger his health by an idle way of living; for it

See the duty of charity to the poor, Sunday 12.
See the duty of parents, Sunday 8, Sea. VII.

is

is known by experience, that ease and fleep and want of exercise are the chief causes of most bodily distempers.*

Its danger

tradesmen.

Yet of all forts of idleness that of artificers or labourers is furely the most blameable, who loiter away that time for which they receive wages; this is a to all ferdownright cheat upon those whose bufinefs they vants and have undertaken; it is robbing them of their money, and may prove more injurious than common robbery, if the affairs they are intrufted with should miscarry thro' their careleffness. God, who will not fuffer the labouring man to be defrauded of his hire, but declares that the cry of fuch injustice afcends up to him for vengeance, does as much abhor any fraud that is committed on the labourer's part: the apostle therefore commands christians, that no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter: and furely all eye-servants, all who receive wages for their time, if they fquander it away in idleness, are guilty of the greatest fraud:† But let them confider what the apostle there adds, The Lord

is their avenger. What fhall we fay then of those An arguenthusiasts, who neglect and quite lay afide their ment of endomeftick concerns, their families, their children thufiafm. or fervants, or the employments by which they should get their livelihood, under a pretence of a purer religion? Such men certainly do not confider the nature of the chriftian religion, which is to make men holy in their perfons and in their lives, but not in the leaft to take them off from their worldly callings, or from ufing those talents, which God hath given them for the benefit of the country where they live: nor do they confider the obligation they have to the publick fociety whereof they are members; for hereby they are not only rendered useless to the commonwealth, but they do oftentimes a great deal of mischief to it, by unfettling and fubverting other men, and filling their heads with abundance of foolish notions and fcruples in religion, which And oppofite are dangerous to government, and the publick to religion peace and happiness. And as for the better ferving and jociety. God, by thus leaving their callings, it is a mere pretence: for

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See Time, in Sunday 16. Se&t. I.

+ See duty of fervants, in Sunday 9. Se&t. VIII.

10

he:

The power the devil

has to tempt

man.

He has no power over our perfons, or our wills. He can only fet before us baits and allurements; but we cannot be hurt by them, except we yield to them and chufe them. The treachery and corruptness of our own hearts within is much more dangerous than all the affaults of the enemy from without. Let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; that is, let no man plead, as an excufe for his fin, that God permitted the devil to tempt him into it. For God, as he cannot himself be tempted with evil, fo neither tempteth he any man; neither doth he permit the devil to tempt any one farther, than by laying before him fuch allurements, as 'tis in the perfon's power, and it is his duty, and it is the proper trial and exercife of his virtue, to refift. But every man is then, and then only, tempted; then only effectually and finfully tempted; when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed. The enemy of man's falvation can do nothing more, but only entice the covetous with hopes of gain; puff up the ambitious with expectation of honour; allure the voluptuous with profpects of pleasure. And, where the mind is not under the power of any of thefe corrupt affections, the tempter finding nothing in it, his temptations can take no hold, and his power is at an end. Refift the devil, fays the apostle, and he will flee from you. The apprehenfion therefore that many melancholy pious perfons have fometimes entertained of the great power of the devil is very erroneous and groundlefs. But it is a much greater fault in bad men to magnify the devil's power, as they are very apt to do, in order to excufe their own crimes: as if, because the devil tempted them to do ill things, therefore the doing thofe ill things was a lefs fault in themselves. Which is an error arifing from a very falfe notion of the devil's power of tempting men; it being nothing more, but like that of wicked men's tempting one another. Yet,

How to

We must not rely too much upon ourselves; we must in cafes of confcience apply to those who watch over our fouls, the minifter and steward of the myftegainfi temp-ries of God. We are all apt to be too partial to ourselves, and are too prefumptuous when we lean

guard a

pation.

1

too

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