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Actions. You feel Defires, like inward Springs, put you into Motion, and very eager fometimes you are of doing what you are verily perfwaded is good. But, even when the thing it felf is commendable, the Intention and Motive Men go upon, ought to be nicely confidered. For it makes a Mighty Difference, whe ther I, or Themselves,be principally in their Thoughts. Now this difcovery is not hard to make. For, if my Honour be their great Concern ; howfoever my Providence difpofes their Affairs, they will conclude what I do beft, and will be contented with it; but if under this Difguife of Holiness, there be a lurking Corruption of Private and By-refpects, if Gain makes Men Frugal, or Ambition Virtuous, or the Praise of the World Charitable; or the Confideration of their own Health Temperate ; thefe are Principles, upon which no dependance can fafely be had: Their Conduct will be unequal, and vary as Events do; and every Disappointment of their Expectations will produce Trouble and Impatience.

Do not therefore be too confident of every fort of Inclination to do well; but firft advise with Me, and take care to build upon a good Foundation. For Men, who act upon indirect Ends, very often repent when it is too late; And that which at firft they propofed great Satisfaction and Advantage from, proves at long run their Torment and Lofs. Nay, I must give you this farther Caution yet, That even good Inclinations are not to be taken at firft fight, nor rafhly purfued without a diligent and prudent Obfervation. For it may be convenient fometimes, to put fome Restraints upon the very beft Intentions. They who neglect this, and give free fcope to their Zeal by too great Eagernefs, often exceed the Bounds of Moderation and Decency; fometimes give Offence to their Brethren by their extravagant Heats, and impetuous Sallies; and fometimes, upon any Refiftance or Difficulty, which

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obftructs thofe precipitate Fervours, lofe all their inward Peace, defift from their good Defigns, and fall from the Heigth of Rapture, to the Extremities of Melancholy and Defpair. So that to make thy Zeal in Well-doing, in all Points what it ought to be, it is by no means fufficient, that it be honeft and well difpofed, unless it be alfo fober, and regular, and difcreet.

Again, There are fome Occafions and Circumftances, which render a fort of holy Violence neceffary, and oblige Men to act quite contrary to their Inclination. To bear no manner of Regard to Flefh and Senfe, or what will be moft agreeable, any farther than may serve to fet the Mind in array against them, and refolutely engage in a formal War, for the reducing, or keeping them in Obedience to the Superior Faculties of the Soul. For, by thus frequently controlling, and counter-working all that Human Nature hath a tendency to, the Outward Man is by degrees qualified for Duty; and acquires a great Readiness of doing, or fuffering, whatever fhall be impofed upon it. And in thefe Exercises the first Foundations are laid, of Contentednefs with a Little, of Satisfaction in a private and neglected State, a mean and narrow Fortune; and of Patience under any Croffes or Calamities, without thofe mumuring Thoughts, which are apt to beget hard and irreverent Reflections, and too often break out in wicked Complaints, and faucy Expoftulations, againft the Juftice, and Wifdom, and Goodness of God, and Providence.

CHAP.

CHAP. XIII.

The Neceffity and Reasonableness of Patience.

Difciple.B from my dear Lord's Inftructions, and

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the little Experience I have of the World, Patience feems to me a moft neceffary Virtue: For the Condition of Man in this Life is fo expofed to Calamities and Sorrows, that in defpight of all his Endeavours after Peace, Troubles await him every-where, and his State is that of Warfare and continual Suffering.

Chrift. It is fo, my Son; Nor is it fit it fhould be otherwife. For those Men have a wrong Notion of Peace, who make it confift in freedom from fuffering; and, either having no Troubles, or being infenfible of any. This is a State neither attainable by a Man, nor convenient for a Chriftian, The Peace, I would have thee afpire after, is fuch as confifts very well with Afflictions: And This is gained, when a Man hath brought himself to that equal Compofure, and refigned Temper of Soul, as firmly to perfift in his Duty, and to reft fatisfied in the Difpenfations of God, when he thinks fit to try his Virtue, by very great and grievous Adverfities. If this appear a hard Saying, think how much harder it will be to endure the Torments of Hell, and the implacable Vengeance of an Angry God. Nature, as well as Religion, teaches Men, of Two Evils to chufe the lefs. And this is dene when they fet themfelves fubmiffively to undergo i: bulation here, for the fake of God and a good Con fcience, that they may, by fuch patient Suffering, liver themfelves from the dire Effects of his Wrata, and never-cealing Punishments hereafter.

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Now Tribulation is a Portion diftributed in common to all the Sons of Men; diftributed in large Meafures, even to thofe Children of this Generation, which thou perhaps vainly imagineft to be moft exempted from it. For even the gayeft and most profperous of them all, are not without their many and fore Evils. 'Tis true indeed, They take a great deal of Pleafure,indulge their Inclinations without controul, and fo their Mifery makes a lefs fenfible Impreffion upon their Spirits; but Miferies they have. Or, put the very beft of their Cafe, and fuppofe their Joys to be without any Interruption, their Wishes without any Difappointment; Yet, even thus, how long would their Happiness last? Alas! they vanifh like a Dream, and all their Profperity foon fcatters like Smoak; Nay, not only their Enjoyments themselves, but the very Remembrance of them, perish in a Moment. Their Life is but a Vapour; and Death will be sure to swallow up them and their Gayeties, in fpeedy and perpetual Oblivion.

But this is putting the Cafe more favourably than it ever happens in reality. For, even in this Life their Plenty and Pleasures are chequered with Misfortunes, and all their Sweets allayed with a bitter Mixture of Cares and Fears, and inward Perplexities of Heart. The very Objects, that minifter Pleasure, bring Pain along with them too. And this is one great Argument, how wife a Providence the World is governed by, that the very Inordinacy of thofe Affections, which pursue the Pleasures of Senfe fo eagerly,fhould prove a Torment to the Guilty Mind, and embafe those very Pleasures they indulge. Thefe very Pleafures too are fhort and fleeting, treacherous and deceitful, irregular and exorbitant, a Shame and Blemish to Human Nature; And, if Men be not fenfible of this, That Ignorance proceeds from their own Inadvertency. Their Reafon is intoxicated with prefent

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Delights, and their Minds blinded by Vicious Habits, by which they degenerate into Brutes, ftupidly abandon themselves to the tranfitory Pleafures of Sin and Luft, at the Expence of Everlafting Pains; and confult the prefent Gratification of a vile mortal Body, with the Ruin of a precious and Immortal Soul.

Go not thou therefore after their Exceffes, nor place thy Happiness in ferving, but rather in commanding, fubduing, denying, mortifying, thy own Inclinations. Delight thou in the Lord, and be fhall Pfal. xxxvii. grant thee thy Heart's Defire. For this De

light will teach thee that the Happiness of Man confifts in Inward and Spiritual Satisfactions, in the Contempt of this World and its empty Gayeties. And the less these are efteemed and affected, the greater and more ravishingly fweet fhall thofe generous and noble Pleasures prove, which refult from the Experience of God's Favour, and the fubftantial Comforts of a Good Confcience.

But ftill these Comforts are not to be had, without much Labour, many Conflicts, and fharp Sufferings. For the Corrupt Inclinations of Flesh and Blood, and the confirmed Habits of Vice, create great Difficulties; and ask Time and Pains to conquer. And conquered they may be, by introducing the contrary Habits of Virtue. The Flesh indeed will recoil, and think it felf ill used; but Reafon and Religion will filence thofe Grumblings, and refolute Perfeverance in good Works vanquish all thy Reluctances. The fubtle old Serpent will feduce and importune thee, but Prayer and good Thoughts drive the evil Spirit away; and Fafting and holy Exercife, or conftant lawful Bufinefs, will keep him out. For he never enters fo eafly, fo fuccefsfully, as when Idlenefs fets open the Door, and an empty Heart makes room for his wicked Suggestions.

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