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SERM. of these malignant diftempers being at most but the habit of the body, Wisdom by effectual antidotes repels them from the heart, and inward parts of the foul. If any thing, fin, and our unworthy mifcarriages toward God, should vex and discompose us: yet this trouble Wisdom, by reprefenting the divine goodness, and his tender mercies in our ever bleffed Redeemer, doth perfectly allay. And as for all other adverfities, it abates their noxious power, by fhewing us they are either merely imaginary, or very fhort and temporary: that they admit of remedy, or at most do not exclude comfort, not wholly hindering the operations of the mind, nor extinguishing its joys; that they may have a profitable use, and pleasant end; and, however, neither imply bad confcience, nor induce obligation to punishment. For,

VII. Wisdom hath always a good confcience attending it, that pureft delight and richest cordial of the foul; that brazen wall, and impregnable fortress against both external affaults, and internal commotions; that continual feaft, whereon the mind, destitute of all other repast, with a never languishing appetite may entertain itself; that faithful witnefs, and impartial judge, whoever accuses, always acquitting the innocent foul; that certain friend, in no strait failing, in no adverfity deserting; that sure refuge in all forms of fortune, and perfecutions of difgrace; which, as Solomon here notes, renders a man's Sleep Sweet, and undisturbed with fearful phantasms, his heart light, and his steps fecure; and, if any thing, can make the Stoical paradox good, and cause the wise man to fmile in extremity of torment; arming his mind with an invincible courage, and infufing a due confidence into it, whereby he bears up cheerfully against malicious reproach, undauntedly sustains adverfity, and triumphs over bad fortune. And this invaluable treasure the wife man is only capable of poffeffing; who certainly knows, and heartily approves the grounds upon which he proceeds; whenas the fool, building his choice upon blind chance, or violent paffion, or giddy fancy, or uncertain example, not upon the steady warrant of good reafon, cannot avoid

being perplexed with suspicion of mistake, and so neceffa- SERM, rily is deprived of the comfort of a good confcience.

VIII. Wisdom confers a facility, expert readiness, and dexterity in action; which is a very pleasant and commodious quality, and exceedingly sweetens activity. To do things with difficulty, ftruggling, and immoderate contention, difheartens a man, quells his courage, blunts the edge of his refolution, renders him fluggish and averse from business, though apprehended never so necessary, and of great moment. These obftructions Wisdom removes, facilitating operations by directing the intention to ends poffible and attainable, by fuggefting fit means and inftruments to work by, by contriving right methods and courses of process; the mind by it being stored with variety of good principles, fure rules, and happy expedients, reposed in the memory, and ready upon all occafions to be produced, and employed in practice.

IX. Wisdom begets a sound, healthful, and harmonious complexion of the foul, difpofing us with judgment to distinguish, and with pleasure to relish favoury and wholefome things, but to nauseate and reject such as are ingrateful, and noxious to us; thereby capacifying us to enjoy pleasantly and innocently all thofe good things the divine goodness hath provided for, and configned to us; whence to the foul proceeds all that comfort, joy, and vigour, which refults to the body from a good conftitution, and perfect health.

X. Wifdom acquaints us with ourselves, our own temper and constitution, our propenfions and paffions, our habitudes and capacities; a thing not only of mighty advantage, but of infinite pleasure and content to us. No man in the world lefs knows a fool than himself; nay, he is more than ignorant, for he conftantly errs in the point, taking himself for, and demeaning himself as toward another, a better, a wiser, and abler man than he is. He hath wonderful conceits of his own qualities and faculties; he affects commendations incompetent to him; he foars at employment furpaffing his ability to manage. No comedy can represent a miftake more odd and ridi

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SERM. culous than his: for he wanders, and stares, and hunts 1. after, but never can find nor discern himself; but always

encounters with a falfe fhadow inftead thereof, which he paffionately hugs and admires. But a wife man, by conftant observation, and impartial reflection upon himself, grows very familiar with himself: he perceives his own inclinations, which, if bad, he ftrives to alter and correct; if good, he cherishes and corroborates them: he apprehends the matters he is fitting for, and capable to manage, neither too mean and unworthy of him, nor too high and difficult for him; and those applying his care to, he tranfacts eafily, cheerfully, and fuccefsfully. So being neither puffed up with vain and overweening opinion, nor dejected with heartless diffidence of himself; neither admiring, nor despifing; neither irksomely hating, nor fondly loving himself; he continues in good humour, maintains a fure friendship and fair correspondence with himfelf, and rejoices in the retirement and private converfation with his own thoughts; whence flows a pleasure and fatisfaction unexpreffible.

XI, Wisdom procures and preferves a constant favour and fair respect of men, purchases a good name, and upholds reputation in the world: which things are naturally defirable, commodious for life, encouragements to good, and preventive of many inconveniences. The composed frame of mind, uniform and comely demeanour, compliant and inoffenfive converfation, fair and punctual dealing, confiderate motions, and dexterous addreffes of wife men naturally beget efteem and affection in those that obferve them. Neither than these things is there any thing more commendable to human regard. As fymmetry and harmony to the animal fenfes, fo delectable is an even temper of foul and orderly tenour of actions to rational apprehenfions. Folly is freakish and humo rous, impertinent and obftreperous, inconftant and inconfiftent, peevish and exceptious; and confequently faftidious to fociety, and productive of averfation and difrefpect. But the wife man is ftable in his ways, confonant to himself, fuiting his actions to his words, and

those to his principles, and all to the rule of right reafon; SERM. fo that you may know where to find him, and how to I. deal with him, and may easily please him, which_makes his acquaintance acceptable, and his perfon valuable: befide that real worth of itself commands respect, and extorts veneration from men, and usually prosperity waits upon his well-advised attempts, which exceedingly adorn and advance the credit of the undertaker: however, if he fail fometime, his ufual deportment falves his repute, and eafily makes it credible it was no fault of his, but of his fortune. If a fool profper, the honour is attributed to propitious chance; if he miscarry, to his own ill management: but the entire glory of happy undertakings crowns the head of Wisdom; while the disgrace of unlucky events falls otherwhere. His light, like that of the fun, cannot totally be eclipsed; it may be dimmed, but never extinguished, and always maintains a day, though overclouded with misfortune. Who lefs efteems the famous African captain for being overthrown in that last fatal battle, wherein he is faid to have fhewn the best skill, and yet endured the worst of success? Who contemns Cato, and other the grave citizens of Rome, for embracing the juft, but improfperous caufe of the commonwealth? A wife man's circumftances may vary and fluctuate like the floods about a rock; but he perfifts unmoveably the same, and his reputation unfhaken: for he can always render a good account of his actions, and by reasonable apology elude the affaults of reproach.

XII. Wisdom inftructs us to examine, compare, and rightly to value the objects that court our affections, and challenge our care; and thereby regulates our paffions, and moderates our endeavours, which begets a pleasant ferenity and peaceable tranquillity of mind. For when, being deluded with false fhews, and relying upon illgrounded prefumptions, we highly efteem, paffionately affect, and eagerly pursue things of little worth in themselves, or concernment to us, as we unhandsomely prostitute our affections, and prodigally miffspend our time, and vainly lose our labour; fo the event not answering

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SERM. our expectation, our minds thereby are confounded, disturbed, and diftempered. But when, guided by right reason, we conceive great esteem of, and zealously are enamoured with, and vigorously strive to attain things of excellent worth, and weighty confequence; the conscience of having well placed our affections, and well employed our pains, and the experience of fruits correfponding to our hopes, ravishes our mind with unexpreffible content. And fo it is present appearance and vulgar conceit ordinarily impose upon our fancies, disguifing things with a deceitful varnish, and representing those that are vainest with the greatest advantage; whilft the noblest objects, being of a more subtile and spiritual nature, like fairest jewels inclosed in a homely box, avoid the notice of grofs fense, and pass undiscerned by us. But the light of Wif dom, as it unmasks specious impofture, and bereaves it of its falfe colours; fo it penetrates into the retirements of true excellency, and reveals its genuine luftre. For ex ample, corporeal pleasure, which fo powerfully allures and enchants us, Wisdom declares that it is but a present, momentany, and tranfient satisfaction of brutish sense, dimming the light, fullying the beauty, impairing the vigour, and restraining the activity of the mind; diverting from better operations, and indifpofing it to enjoy purer delights; leaving no comfortable relish or gladfome memory behind it, but often followed with bitterness, regret, and disgrace. That the profit the world so greedily gapes after is but a poffeffion of trifles, not valuable in themselves, nor rendering the mafters of them fo; accidentally obtained, and promiscuously enjoyed by all forts, but commonly by the worst of men; difficultly acquired, and eafily loft; however, to be used but for a very short time, and then to be refigned into uncertain hands. That the honour men fo dote upon is ordinarily but the difference of a few petty circumstances, a peculiar name or title, a determinate place, a distinguishing enfign; things of only imaginary excellence, derived from chance, and conferring no advantage, except from fome little influence they have upon the arbitrary opinion and fickle