grappled withal and foil'd, and thereby be "came the Saviour of his Country? Confi

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der this; look upon the Powers and Facul"ties, and the. Occafions likewife which God "hath given you to adorn your felves, and "make your felves glorious. It is Bafenefs “ to fit trembling at what may happen; or to fit bewailing the Misfortunes which have happened. The next thing will be as deois lynger, to accufe God, and to make Complaints against Heaven. What elfe is "the Confequence of fuch a cowardly Spi "rit and ungenerous Mind, but Impiety and Ungodliness? Which is the worse, because God hath not only given us those Powers by which we may bear whatsoever befals “ us, with an undejected and unbroken Mind ; "but like a gracious Sovereign and a true CC Father, I do but tranflate the Words of "Arrianus) hath fo put it in our Power, that none can hinder us from being thus happy; but it lies wholly in our own Breast 5 to "become Men of excellent Spirits. Why "fhould we not apply our felves to this, ra"ther than fit ftill and wring our Hands? The Condition indeed is fad wherein we

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are; but it need not be fo long, if we will take Occafion thereby to become good, nay, "the best of Men. More humble, that is, more modeft, more charitable in a profperous Condition when we enjoy it; and more patient, more fubmiffive and refigned to God, more conftant and undaunted, more ftrong

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"in Faith and rich in Hope, and more dif

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pofed to defend and juftify the wife Provi"dence of the Almighty Lord of the World, "while we remain afflicted". This let us study, and we fhall not fuffer, as I faid, more than we gain, by any Calamity.

VI. Let it be confidered also, That Afflictions and Sufferings prepare us, more than any thing else, for Death; that great. Terror of Mankind. And this, I affure you, is a confiderable Benefit; for the Dread of this makes even Life it felf to be but a Death.. They putting us upon continual Thoughts of it, bring us acquainted with it, and put us in mind to dispose our felves to receive it, and make us more willing to welcome it: We having little to leave, but that which we call Mifery, which every one would be gladly rid of. But I'll leave this, and confider only one Thing more, which may be enlarged in many Particulars; and that is,

VII. The great Advantage which we may receive by these Afflictions, in order to the fweetning even of the Enjoyments of Life. By their Austerity and Sharpness, they make a grateful Sauce to all other Things that we poffefs. This, if it can be proved to be more than a witty Saying, will be apt to give us great Content. For what is there that we more defire, than to lead the most pleasant Life? They that look not at the Pleafures of

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the World to come, would gladly know how to enjoy as much of Pleasure as they can here and they that do, would not willingly be without as much of it as they can lawfully enjoy. Now it may be made good, I think, that fome Croffes are very useful to us upon this Account: Nay, that the most perfect Pleasure of fome Kind cannot be attained without them. For,

1. First of all, this is manifeft, that those Things we call evil, difcover, more than any thing else, a true Friend from a falfe: For a Friend (as Solomon faith, Prov. xvii. 17.) loves at all times, and a Brother is born for Adverfity. Now you will all grant, I fuppofe, that there is no fmall Pleasure and Profit too in hearty Friendship. It is one of the sweetest Good of Human Life. It renders all the delightful Things of this World greater, and the troublesome Things lefs. And therefore it is none of the Things that we imagine, (as an Ancient Poet well expreffes it, in the First of Plato's Epiftles) neither Gold, nor Adamant, nor Silver Tables gliftering in Mens Palaces nor large Poffeffions in Lands and Houses, nor. any other Matter, which will fo much conduce to the Satisfaction of Life, s jader årdgør ὁμοφράδμων νόησις, as the confpiring and agreeing Minds of good Men. This Socrates repeats again and again, that it is neither ouvyvaz, c. Kindred, nor Honours, nor Wealth, that will make us happy, but Love only. This 0 3 makes

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makes Heaven upon Earth. Which made that great Lawyer Gerbellius refolve, nibil iniquius ferre Dæmonem, quod finceras Amicitias, that the Devil takes nothing fo heavily, as fincere Friendship: Whereby Men are made fo unlike his ill-natur'd felf, and provide fo much for their own Safety, Security, and Delight, But the more Value we grant this is of, the greater Reason we have to defire, that we may not be deceived by its Counterfeit. One wou'd not willingly be cheated in a Thing of fuch Moment, on which we rely fo much for our Happiness. Nay, we wou'd fain be fure that we are not cheated with Shadows and Appearances of Kindness, inftead of fubftantial and folid Affection. Which it is hard to be, as long as we are in full Profperity, and failalong with a fair Gale, without any contrary Blaft of Fortune. Who is there that will not be willing to court the Rich and the Great? And how easy is it to frequent the Company of thofe that are well, and merry, and joyful? This is not the Time to know, who truly love us; but we are indebted very much for the certain Knowledge of this great Thing to fome Trouble that befals us. This is the Touchstone to which when a Man is brought, it will try him whether he be of the right Stamp. All Sorts of Affliction and Mifery prefently reveals to us what Friendship is fincere, and what is not. And the greater any Calamity is, the more certain the Discovery

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is which we fhall make. Then a grateful Person will inftantly be distinguished, between a base and selfish Wretch; and an hearty Lover and an hollow Flatterer, will no longer pafs under the fame Name of a good Friend. In which Respect, the meanest Man in the World is capable of more Felicity than the greatest Kings: For thefe living ordinarily in a conftant Profperity, never know the Difference between thofe Men that love them, and those that love their Fortune only; and are forced to heap Benefits and Favours on thofe, who love themfelves better than him that beftows thofe Benefits.

This may be fome Comfort to us in Afflictions, if there were no other; but if we look a little further, we fhall find,

2. Secondly, That they difcover to us, in a very perfpicuous manner, the Nature of true Pleasure. And that confifts not in having, but in ufing the good Things of this World: And again, not in ufing them intemperately, but a fober manner; not in fatisfying all the Extravagancies of our Defires, but in reftraining and bridling thofe Exceffes into which they are apt to run. For he that finds how uncertain thefe Things are, will use them freely: And he that confiders an harder Condition may come, will not use them licentioufly. For whofoever is intemperate, can of all other Men least brook Adversity.

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