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vice is very proper and neceffary for thofe unhappy Perfons, whofe Paffions are grown very head-ftrong, and have held them in long Captivity Let any fuch one avoid what he can the Temptations to his Luft, whatever it may be, and when he cannot do that altogether, let him oppofe and weaken the first Attacks that are made upon him by fuch Temptations, to prevent the ill Effects thereof with all his Might; and in a word, let him do all that he can: for a little Advantage is not inconfiderable and to be defpifed. A Man that hath been contracting an ill Habit a long while together, must be content to mend by degrees; and he may gradually get Ground for a compleat Conqueft of himself, if he doth his beft. Thus, for Inftance, Men of furious and cholerick Tempers, have by conftant Refolution, by a conftant Eye upon themselves, by flopping of a fudden, by rebuking themfelves after they have been furprized, by going on in this good Way, even they (I fay) have at length come to a Spirit of Meeknefs and Patience: And that is the main Point we fhould labour to gain, to wit, Rectitude of Temper; for then the Government of Paffion will not be very difficult, as hath been noted.

Wherefore this one thing more especially I would advife in order to our having Rule over the inferrour Affections; and that is, We must be renewed in the Spirit of our

Mind, as the Apostle exhorts, Eph. 4. 23. This Foundation we muft lay for the Government of ourselves; for we know a meekfpirited Man is not apt to break out into Fury, nor one of a patient Spirit to fall into tormenting Despair, nor a Philofopher of a more even Temper, to be extravagantly and indecently raised or depreffed at the Prosperity or Adverfity of this World. I do confefs the chief Difficulty lies here, to wit, in reforming the Difpofition of our Souls, where it is wrong, and renewing the Inner-Man. It is not fo hard for a bad Man to abftain from one fingle Act of Sin, or peradventure to do a thing that is good, as it is to be converted from an evil Temper, which certainly leads him to Vice, and renders him averse to Virtue. As for Instance; it is far easier for a ftingy Mifer to give an Alms upon occafion, than to be cured of that Covetoufnels, which is ever a Root of Injuftice and Uncharitablenefs; and it is easier for a cholerick Perfon to curb and fuppress his Paffion, and restrain himself from Wrath once or twice in a while, than to get free from that haftiness of Spirit, which at all other times prompts him to Rage upon any Provocation; and easier for a licentious Voluptuary, to deny himself a vicious Pleasure now and then, than to throw off that Effeminacy, which exposes him ordinarily to the Power of Temptation: But tho' there may be Difficulty in mending and purifying

the

the Mind, yet it is what muft be done; for this our moft Holy Religion calls upon us to do in fuch Gospel Precepts as thefe, Let us cleanfe our felves from all filthiness of Spirit, 2 Cor. 7. 1. and, Be transformed by the renewing of your Mind, Rom. 12. 2.

In Socrates's time there was a certain Man, that pretended much to know Men's Tempers by their Looks, and by their Countenances the Complexion of their Minds, who having viewed Socrates, gave this Judgment of him, That furely he was a fowr and ill-natur'd Perfon: Upon which the Difciples of Socrates derided him, as miftaken in Socrates, for they knew him to be quite another fort of Man, but Socrates hearing that they laugh'd at the Man as much out in the Judgment of their Mafter, told them, That the Man had reafon to say so of him, as he did, and that truly he was an Artist in what he profefs'd, and Mafter of his Faculty; for he confefs'd, that his natural Temper had been fo, as the Man judged by his Face, but that he had corrected it by Philofophy. And if Philofophy could' change an evil Difpofition, fhall not the Faith of Chrift, and the Belief of Immortality, have a greater Power to do it?

But then we muft not forget to make our Prayers to God, That he who giveth Wisdom liberally, and upbraideth not, would teach us the Wisdom of Governing our Paffions, and by his ftrengthening Spirit would give us the

Victory

Victory over them, that he would create in us a clean beart, and renew a right spirit within us, and fanctify us wholly. When an unruly Paffion is brought into fubjection, and a bad Temper is corrected, we have as it were a new Nature put into us, and that is to be born again; and every one that is thus born anew, is born of God. The Regeneration of the Soul must come from God; and this is one Thing that makes Religion neceffary, that without it Virtue could not be practiced, the Life and Spirit of it could not be attained: For thefe great Bleffings we must depend upon God by daily and fervent Prayer.

Laftly, Thefe means of governing our Paffions, all our Vigilance over our felves, and Pains with our felves, and our earnest Entreaties at the Throne of Grace, we must apply particularly against that Sin which doth fo eafily befet us, against that Paffion, that we have the leaft in our Power; for that expofeth us to the first Mischief, and requires the greatest Care and Strength to fubdue it. We muft labour most of all to fet Nature right and strait, where it is moft crooked, and when we have done this, we may be faid to have Rule over all our Paffions, because the Government of the reft will more eafily follow: And fo then we fhall keep our Ground, we fhall maintain the inward quiet and ferenity of our Minds,and being freed from the Bondage of Sin, we fhall enjoy the happy Liberty of the Children of God. FINI S.

BOOKS Printed for JAMES and JOHN KNAPTON, at the Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard, London.

BOOKS written by the Right Reverend Father in God EDWARD Lord Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.

A

Defence of Chriftianity from the Prophecies of the Old Teftament Wherein are confidered all the Objections against this Kind of Proof, advanced in a late Difcourfe of the Grounds and Reasons of the Chriftian Religion. The Third Edition, 8vo.

A Vindication of the Defence of Chriftianity from the Prophecies of the Old Teftament: In Anfwer to the Scheme of Literal Prophecy confider'd. In two Vols. With a Letter from the Reverend Mr. Maffon, concerning the Religion of Macrobius, and his Teftimony touching the Slaughter of the Infants at Bethlehem. With a Postscript upon Virgil's fourth Eclogue.

A Sermon preach'd at the Cathedral Church of Worcester, on the 7th of June, 1716. being the Day of Thanksgiving for the Bleffing of God, in fuppreffing the late unnatural Rebellion.

A Sermon preach'd before the King, at the Royal Chapel at St. James's, on Christmas-Day, 1717. Publifh'd by his Majesty's fpecial Command.

A Sermon preach'd before the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in Parliament affembled, in the Abbey-Church at Westminster, on the 30th of January, 1717-18. Being the Day of the Martyrdom of King Charles I.

A Sermon preach'd to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, at St. Mary le Bow, on Monday, January 4. 1724.

Written by the Right Reverend Father in God BENJAMIN Lord Bishop of Sarum.

THE Reafonableness of Conformity to the Church of England. With the Defence of it, and the Perfuafive to Lay Conformity. To which is added, the Brief Defence of Episcopal Ordination. The Fourth Edition, 8vo. pr. 6 s.

The Meafures of Submiffion to the Civil Magiftrate confider'd. In a Defence of the Doctrine delivered in a Sermon preach'd before the Right Ho nourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London, Sept. 29. 1705. The Fifth Edition. In which are addded, I. An Acceffion Sermon, preached March 8. 1704-5. II. A Sermon concerning the Unhappiness of abfolute

Monarchy,

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