VII. DISC. occafión. No fymptom of inward uneafinefs is fuffered to appear in it. He holds his paffions in the moft abfolute subjection. "Hitherto (fays he to every one of them) "fhalt thou come, but no farther." He takes patiently and cheerfully affronts and infults. He bears and forbears. Can the Stoic, can the inhabitant of le Trappe do more? Exemplary inftances of mortification and self-denial are not confined to the defart, or to the cloifter. They may be found in a court. ધો How often does the candidate for literary fame purfue his propofition, or his problem, or his fyftem, regardless of food and reft, till his eyes fail, his nerves are shattered, his fpirits are exhaufted, and his health is gone! But greater things than these are still behind. vga divat. skalus At the call of honour, a young man of family and fortune, accustomed to the gratifications of the table, and a life of eafe and voluptuoufnefs, quits every valuable and ten der VII. der connection at home, and fubmits at once DISC. to all the painful duties and hard fare of a camp, in an enemy's country. He travels through dreary fwamps, and inhospitable forefts, guided only by the track of favages. He traverses mountains, he paffes and repaffes rivers, and marches feveral hundred miles, with scarcely bread to eat, or change of raiment to put on. When night comes, he fleeps on the ground, or perhaps fleeps not at all; and at the dawn of day refumes his labour. At length, he is so fortunate as to find his enemy. He braves death, amid all the horrors of the field. He fees his companions fall around him-he is wounded, and carried into a tent, or laid in a waggon; where he is left to fuffer pain and anguish, with the noise of deftruction founding in his ears. After fome weeks, he recovers, and enters afresh upon duty.And does the Captain of thy falvation, O thou who ftyleft thyself the foldier and fervant of Jefus Chrift does He require any thing like this, at thy hands? Or canft thou deem him an auftere Mafter, because thou art D DISC. enjoined to live in fobriety and purity, to VII. fubdue a turbulent paffion, to watch an hour fometimes unto prayer, or to mifs a meal now and then, during the feason of repentance and humiliation? Bluth for fhame, and hide thy face in the duft. More ftrange and inexcufable ftill will this conduct of the Chriftian appear, when we confider, in the Fifth and last place, the rewards annexed to the practice of felf-denial. ir mui. •, Many and great are it's advantages in the prefent life. The lightness of spirits, the cheerfulness of heart, the ferenity of temper, the alacrity of mind, the vigour of understanding, the obedience of the will, the freedom from bad defires, and the propenfity to good ones, produced by a prudent and judicious abftinence, are inconceivable by thofe who have never experienced them, and fully justify to thofe who have experienced them the highest enco encomiums pronounced by the ancient fa- DISC. thers of the church on this evangelical precept, and the bleffedness of obferving it. For think not that the felicity, any more than the virtue, of man confifts in gratifying at all times his own humour, and following his own will; since his humour is perverse, and his will depraved. We are, in very deed, the oldest of us, children, wayward children; and unless we would be miserable, as well as vicious, we must treat ourselves as we do our children. Now" compare the "child that is taught fubmiffion and obe"dience, with him that is humoured in every thing. How rational, cheerful, 66 . agreeable, and happy is the one! How ridiculous, peevish, difagreeable, and unhappy is the other! The smallest favour "done the firft, is received and acknowleged as a particular obligation: the greatest "kindness done to the other, is either re"jected with disdain, or received with "thanklefs ill manners. The more you ftrive to please him, the more difficult he is to be pleased; till at length nothing VII. DISC," will fatisfy or oblige him, because he hath VII. "been obliged in all things. Betimes therefore accuftom your defires, like chil dren, to disappointments. Deny them every thing they afk for, that is improper se "for them to obtain, nay, every thing (be it what it may) which they ask for in t an improper manner. This will be fo far "from fouring the temper (as fome have weakly fuggefted in the cafe of chil dren) that it will give you, as well aser "them, a confirmed habit of acquiefcing "in what is right; of cheerfully fubmitting, when your wills are over-ruled; of 66 46 receiving every thing with pleafure and gratitude, in which you are indulged ; above all, of controuling every fudden paf fion that may arise of commanding and "moderating every defire; of refigning to "the appointments of Providence, through every fituation and period of life." And if this be not happiness, fay, where is it to be found, and where is the place thereof? -It is the happiness of a hero, the joy and the glory of a conqueror, returning from |