They that will not reftrain their defires, must often earneftly wish for fatisfaction, which they cannot in the leaft hope to obtain; and this directly brings on repinings, defpondence, mifery. And ufually fuch as do hope, will alfo fear; and continue, perhaps a long time, in a very disagreeable fufpenfe between both. Or let hope, if it can, be fo ftrong as to exclude fear, and full expectation give the utmost pleasure, not to fay, that fuch pleasure, whilft it lafts, is tumultuous, waftes the fpirits, and wears the frame; only think how often, in a world fo uncertain, it will vanish all at once; and what effects a fudden fall from this paradise must have on a mind impatient and undisciplined! But fuppofing no fuch disappointment to happen; perfons of an eager and reftlefs temper, after gaining one point, are apt to be immediately just as folicitous about another; fo they are always in purfuit, and never contented. What hath man of all bis labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the fun? All his days are forrows, and his travel grief: yea, his heart taketh not reft in the night. This alfo is vanity*. Very gentle and governable defires would fufficiently excite us to confider what is really worth acquiring; and to beftow upon it the labour which it deferves. Befides, not uncommonly people mifs the object of their wishes, merely by over-great anxiety about obtaining it. And being anxious for any thing beyond its capacity of giving us true happiness, can do us no fervice, but much harm it eafily may. Now, that the feveral things which mankind run after so passionately, do not make them happy, is a notorious fact. Every day we fee thofe, who have been the moft fuccefsful in the race, as miferable as any; or we might fee it, if we would, with the leaft reflection. And to what is it then that they are facrificing the real prefent enjoyment of their beings? Another paffion, in which we are extremely prone to be exceffive, and wretched by the excefs, is anger. We let very fmall matters move us very greatly; fometimes imaginary faults of others; and fo we difquiet and torment ourselves, as well as them, without any manner of cause. A little study of moderation would prevent all this, and more evil; would fuppres Eccl ii. 22, 23. fupprefs that abfurd unreasonableness, which puts us often out of humour, and now and then violently, without knowing why we are fo; would teach us to distinguish (which we commonly forget to do), thofe who have not offended us from those who have; and would never allow us to punish the innocent with the guilty. For want of this, refentment boils within us, and perhaps flames out to our extreme hurt, in feveral refpects, against fuch as very innocently, from accident or ignorance, or a juít regard to themfelves or their friends, or, it may be, a kind one to us, ftand in the way of any thing that we want to do or have. But even fuppofing that men really treat us ill, yet it must be our wisdom and our intereft to confider coolly what alleviations may be pleaded; what mistake or inadvertence of theirs, what indifcretion of ours, or fuggeftion of others, may have occafioned the mifdemeanor. And a calm temper will prefume, that there may be alleviations, where none appear. Or if there be none, it would ftill reflect, that in this world things will go wrong, and human creatures a&t amifs; that we must prepare ourselves for such events, and not be shocked at them; that the offender is our brother, whom we ought to love; and that, with all his faults, we are but too like him; fubject, if not to the fame, yet to others; and poffibly, all circumstances weighed, nearly as bad, or worfe. Now, fuch reflections, made habitual, would contribute unfpeakably to the tranquillity and comfort of our lives. Anger always gives pain to him who feels it; and we fhould avoid feeling that pain as much as we can. It rifes alfo, with amazing fuddennefs, almoft in spite of us, if once we give it vent, to the most unexpected and pernicious extremities. Even the lower degrees of it displease, and are intended to displease, the persons against whom it is expreffed: this excites them to make such returns as cannot fail to be uneafy to us, but often do us great, and lafting, and irreparable mifchief: and from hence a very large part of the mifery that men undergo, proceeds. We have but feldom really confiderable provocations; and therefore it is abfurd to be affected, as if we had them frequently: and how confiderable foever they may be, it is highly impru dent to let ourfelves be hurried away, we know not whither, by a blind and injurious rage, the parent of innumerable inKL. 2 conveniences conveniences and fruitlefs repentance, inftead of poffefing our fouls in patience *; and endeavouring to remove, by meekness of wisdom t, whatever would make our paffage through life uncomfortable. But we ought to be fingularly mild towards those who in reality give us no provocation; as they certainly do not, who only presume to differ from us in opinion, be it in religion or politics, or any other point. Yet fuch differences have produced more of that wrath of man, which worketh not the righteousness of Godt, more bitter contentions, and more fhocking barbarities, even amongst the profeffed difciples of the meek and lowly § Jefus, than almost any other caufe hath done any where on earth. Two other paflions, nearly allied, which often run to a miferable excefs, are fear and grief: as indeed, when defire of and delight in any thing of this world is too vehement, the apprehension of lofing it will be vehement in proportion. And therefore we must endeavour to moderate the two former of thefe emotions, if we would moderate the latter effectually. But indeed, we can often be much afflicted on parting with that in which we had little pleasure, and extremely disturbed with fear of what is by no means likely to happen; or, if it fhould happen, would do us but little harm; and will certainly do us not the lefs, but the more, for being immoderately difquieted about it beforehand, or grieved at it afterwards, But I fhall dwell no longer on thefe two paffions, because the weakness and wretchedness of indulging them is univerfally acknowledged; though that acknowledgment is far from putting men fufficiently on their guard against them. Only it fhould be added here, that avoiding excefs of anxiety, under the troubles of life, as it is a very common meaning of the word tranflated moderation, was that, in all likelihood, which St. Paul had chiefly in his mind. For it immediately follows: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing, with thankf giving, let your requests be made known unto God: and the peace of God fhall keep your hearts and minds, through Jefus Chrift. Here, therefore, I fhall conclude this head. For there would be no end of reckoning up minutely the inftances of being *Luke xxi. 19. James iii. 13. #James i. 20. $ Matth. xi. 29. | Phil. iv. 6, 7. being too ftrongly agitated by worldly things, and the mifchiefs that follow it precipitate judgments, rash resolutions, and hafty choices, made and perfevered in; partial fondneffes, unreasonable averfions, endless animofities, obftinate pursuits of our own ruin; then utter difcontent with ourselves, the whole world, and the Maker of it; every folly, every fin and fuffering, of which an ungoverned mind is capable. Thus then the present wisdom appears of diligently cultivating, and, I muft add (for without it all your diligence will be in vain), earnestly praying for that calmnefs and moderation of fpirit, which the apoftle requires that we should not only have, but should alfo let it be known unto all men: an expreffion comprehending feveral particulars of great moment; that we fhould not be fatisfied with our own opinion; that we rule our paffions well (a matter about which we are daily deceived), but proceed in the difcipline of them, till every one else allows us to be mafters; that the good effects of our compofure fhould be perceived and felt, not only at fome times, and by fome perfons, but always by all who are concerned with us; and, laftly, that we should be careful to fhew the world around us, by our example, fet before them with decency and modefty, how poffible, how becoming, how beneficial, the practice of this virtue is. And the motive, fubjoined to this precept, is a powerful one indeed; which, therefore, I propofed to lay before you III. Its importance to our obtaining a favourable fentence in the approaching day of judgment, and eternal bleffedness in our future life. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. However plainly it appears, that ftrict felf-government is the true fecret for felf-enjoyment here, yet the whole world hath agreed and refolved upon it, that the contrary shall be true; that the life for a man to lead, who will make the most of his time on earth, is in a course of eager defires, vehement purfuits, and high expectations, unbounded indulgence in what he likes, and keen refentments against all that would difappoint him. Each confirms the other in this way of thinking and acting. That we fee one another miferable by it, nay, feel ourselves to be so, this avails not; we go on still; and fcarce any one hath the courage to truft himself, and call ་ the judgment of mankind in queftion. If it must be so then, let that point be infisted on no longer. But be the happiness of this life what it will; yet if this life be not all; if it be but a fmall part of what we are concerned in, it will deferve but a small part of our attention. And looking on human affairs in this light, will foon place before us a very different fcene from that which ufually attracts our eye. Here we are pursuing pleasures, riches, rank, power, fome imagination or another, belonging falely to this present state of things, as our great good: our whole hearts are engaged and overwhelmed in fears and hopes, and joys and forrows, arifing from these objects, and nothing elfe; for any continuance affects them. Yet all the while, this present state, and every thing in it, is confeffedly a trifle, compared to that eternal one, which is to follow. What are we about then, and how unaccountably do we deceive ourselves! We are not really miferable, if things go contrary to our wishes here: we are not truly happy, if they go according to them. This world looks confiderable, because its objects are near and glaring; but it deludes us. The whole that we have to do with it, is the leaft and meaneft part of the bufinefs of our existence: and the time will , come, when we fhall fee its enjoyments and its fufferings, all it can promife or threaten, to be nothing; and that the difference between having gone through it in profperous or adverfe circumstances, is not worth mentioning. Now, what we shall fee to be true hereafter, is true at prefent: and we fhould endeavour to be affected by it accordingly. If we were, we should be little affected by any thing befides; but fhould pafs our days in a happy calm; and pity thofe, who voluntarily fill theirs with difturbance and hurry; walk in a fhadow, and difquiet themselves in vain *. But the thought of a future ftate hath a yet further and ftronger influence in this cafe. The felicity of it is provided for thofe only, who have made themfelves fit for it, through the help of God's grace, by an innocent behaviour, and religious frame of foul; neither of which is confiftent with being attached and given up to the things here below. A heart and affections tied down to them, will grow like them; be come *P. xxxix. 6-7. |