they fhould never But this is only a In proportion as would be enlarged:

but that he wants fomething. Now fomething is, and must be always wanting to finite beings, be they raised ever fo high elfe they would be infinite. The fallen angels were unfpeakably above human rank; yet they felt a deficiency, and abfurdly repined at it: Heaven was not good enough for them, and fo they were caft down to hell. Men imagine, that were they but in fuch or such a state, be tempted to think of any thing more. fign, that they do not know themfelves. their fituation was raised, their profpect and they would long to be masters of all within their view. Succefs would encourage them to hope for greater fuccefs yet: and befides, they would be disappointed in the felicity they promised themselves from what they have got; but inftead of learning from thence, in what real felicity lies, would go on to seek for it in fomething else: and be at least as remote from it as they were before. We fee this perpetually, or with the smallest attention may fee it, in the cafe of others and it is astonishing partiality, that we we cannot believe it would be our own. Nay, perhaps we fee it is our own cafe, as far as we have advanced hitherto : and yet are weak enough to imagine it would be quite otherwise, could we but advance a few fteps more: whereas in truth, he that is uneafy merely because he hath not all he would, never will be easy till he grows wifer.

Happily we none of us difquiet ourselves, about every thing that we have not. If we did, how blameable and how pitiable should we be! We all know numbers of things, that we should be very glad of, and yet can bear the want of them very well and why not the want of others as well? What is impoffible, it would be madness to covet. What we cannot obtain, is the fame in relation to us, as if it were impoffible in itself. Therefore we fhould never think of it. And what is very unlikely to be got, fhould fcarcely be more minded, than if we knew that abfolutely we could not get it. But you will fay, how fhall we put these things out of our minds? Turn them to fomething elfe. Recollect the comforts that you have, and rejoice in them. All of us have many fuch. Reafonably good health, wholefome food and refreshing fleep, a provifion of the other neceffaries of life, a fhare of its conveniences, acquaintance that are agreeable

E 2

to us, friends that with us well, and, upon occafion, would fhew it, opportunities of eafy and chearful conversation, the good opinion and esteem of those about us, the very fight of the fun and the view of the face of nature, are things, every one of them defigned and fitted to give us pleasure, if we would but be fo kind to ourselves as to take it. Confciousness, that through the grace of God's holy spirit we mean, and on the whole behave well, perfuafion that, through the merits of his bleffed Son, we are interested in his favour, hopes that his fatherly providence will watch over us here, and his goodness make us perfectly happy hereafter, these are bleffings of a higher order, which we all may have; and as no one ought to be, or with reafon can be, content without them, fo every one furely may well be content with them; and think him. felf enough diftinguished by fuch mercies, let him have ever fo few advantages befides. And we fhould accuftom ourselves to look, more than we do, on the bright fide of our condition; not in order to grow vain and contemptuous upon it, which is the common ufe that is made of contemplating it, but to enjoy it with humble complacency. We fhould place a just value on all our greater comforts: and fetch out of the very leaft as much as they will afford us. Applying our minds to become eafy and fatisfied is evidently right: but why should we reafon ourselves into being miferable, and refolve not to be the better for any thing, because we have not this or that?

1

Perhaps indeed you will allow, that grieving merely because you are not poffeffed of things, that are plainly above you, is very blameable; and will alledge, that you are not guilty of it; that you are willing to be inferior both to what you might have been, and to what many others are. But fill you will plead, that fuch and fuch have no title to pre-eminence over you, or even equality with you: yet they have obtained it, and that you cannot bear. Now confider; thefe yery persons, who give you diffatisfaction and envy, if you knew all, you might fee caufe to pity. You know not how little delight they may have in all their feeming advantages; or what fufferings they may on one account or another undergo; nay, how dearly they may pay for what you imagine to be a principal part of their felicity. For ufually there are great deductions to be made from all appearances of profperity amongst men; and often they, whofe outward show is moft

admired

admired, are the moft wretched within.

Indeed, though

would wish to with whom you

doubtless there are many, with whom you change fome things, there are few, if any, would confent to an entire change; and take their perfon, their age, their health, their temper, their fituation, their employment, their connections, their vexations, their hazards, their circumftances of all kinds, for yours. And if you scarce know, with whofe condition, upon the whole, you would be better pleased; why are you not pleased with your own? For furely, it would be too unreasonable to defire, that you should pick and chufe from each only what you like, and unite it all in yourself.

But further, your condition is juft what it is, let that of others be what it will: fuppofing they enjoy more, or fuffer lefs, than you; ftill your enjoyments and fufferings are just the fame, as if this were quite the reverse. And why do you set yourself to think the contrary, and difquiet yourself with a false imagination? There will, and there must be inequalities in the world. Nothing can prevent it, but continual miracles: and if it were prevented and we were all on a level, we should probably, on the whole, have great cause to be forry. Think then why is it harder, that you should be inferior to others, than that they should be inferior to you? Would your ftate be ever the better, if theirs were made worfe? Would you wish theirs to be worse, that you might have comfort in the comparison: If you would, yours is already much better than you deferve. Impatience and exceffive agitation, under great pain, forrow, fear, provocation, is at fome times, and in fome degree, hardly poffible to be avoided, and therefore excufable. But the difcontent of thofe, who have no fuch evils to complain of, is of their own choice: they might be eafy if they would. And refolving not to be so, because they imagine others are more fo than they, is not only unreafonablenefs, but ill-will and malice. The torment, which they feel, is a guilty one: it punishes them juftly here; and they will be liable, for indulging fo unchriftian, fo inhuman, a temper, instead of rejoicing with them that rejoice*, to far feverer punishments hereafter.

But you will fay perhaps, that your inferiority in this or

that

Rom. xii. 15.

that particular makes you defpifed: and who can bear contempt? But indeed scarce any one is despised for being what he is, and cannot help being, but only for affecting to be what he should not or cannot be. The loweft in all refpects may be useful; and if they behave properly, will be valued according to their usefulness. At least they can never deserve contempt and the confcioufnefs that they do not, will enable them to flight and overlook the little they may meet with: and indeed often to defpife thofe who defpise them. For worldly advantages only ferve to leffen the esteem of fuch as use them ill: and fome of the greatest, and, in their own and the vulgar opinion, the most acccomplished, are often the fartheft of all people from being truly refpectable.

:

But probably you will plead further, that the perfons, who excite your diffatisfaction, are vicious, or at least unworthy of their pre-eminences: and they will do harm with them, or however, little or no good. Now, in all likelihood you think them worse, or lefs worthy than they are: they may have good qualities with their faults, though you are unwilling to fee them; and you certainly have faults with your good qualities, though you are defirous to overlook them and how much better you are upon the whole than they, it may perhaps be neither eafy nor fafe for you to judge. But be they ever so bad, providence may over-rule them, and keep them from executing their bad purposes, or may use them for its inftruments, to correct the faults of others, that are as bad, or exercife the virtues of others, who are much better; poffibly to correct and exercise you. Therefore do not fail under the trial. But is this fear of their doing harm the real motive of your difcontent, or only an excufe for it to others and yourself?

You will probably reply, that however that be, had you had fuch and fuch advantages, which you have not, you would have done a great deal of good. But perhaps others will do it. in your ftead and you may if you will, and you certainly fhould, take pleafure in it, by whomsoever done, and not repine at it. But it may be you would not have been able to do the good you fancy, and would only have brought difquiet on yourself by attempting it. Nay, it, may be, you would not have attempted it: for difference of circumftances makes a great difference in the ways of thinking of the fame perfons;

and

and we often do not prove to be what we fully imagined we fhould.

Still, at least, you will fay, what you wish for would make you very happy and therefore you regret the want of it. But regret it as little as poffible, and be as happy as you can without it. Perhaps you would be fcarcely, perhaps not at all, happier than you are. Multitudes find this to be true every day: they obtain what they defire; and very foon after, if not inftantly, perceive that their condition is never the better for it. But they are thought happy, you will fay, and admired or envied: and that alone is a defirable thing. Now furely it is very poor comfort, indeed it is rather an aggravation of forrow, when we feel our condition wretched or infipid, to have it thought joyful and defirable: to be congratulated on our fituation, when we know it is a fubject of condolence; and so to have pity from none, but the ill will of many, to load us with more uneasiness, when we inwardly groan under too much already. The wise king faith, Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous but who can ftand before envy*? Our defire of producing it in others is immoral; for it is a defire of giving them pain: and the imprudence fully equals the guilt. For all pre-eminences, especially when accompanied with oftentation of them, or too vifible complacence in them, to which all who have them are extremely fubject, ftir up malignity in the obfervers of them: who often find means to make thofe very miferable, whom they would have let alone, and fuffered to go on quietly, if they had not been provoked by thinking them over-happy.

But fuppofing the advantages, which you pine for, whatever they be, would raise no malice against you, but only admiration of you: how often hath that, nay even the shadow of it, mere flattery, made perfons vain and indiscreet, misled them into great errors, and plunged them into grievous mifery!

Indeed, without either, all forts of fuperiority carry their dangers along with them. If you were placed in a higher ftation, perhaps you would be at a lofs how to behave in it; for there are many difficulties in all fuch; you would be found by others, you would find yourself, in one respect or another, unequal to it: or if not, it might tempt you to pride and abuse Q£

Prov. xxvii. 4.