of power. If you were poffeffed of great wealth, it might lead you, for it hath led many, either to endless defires of still more; or to expenfivenefs and thoughtlefs extravagance, that would end in diftrefs; or to fenfuality and vicious indulgences, or to contemptible indolence and ufeleffnefs. Accomplishments of perfon expofe the poffeffors of them to immoderate felf-efteem, to neglect of useful attainments, to diffipation of their time, often in the unfittest company, to improper freedoms, to great hazards of their reputation and their innocence. Health and firength encourage men to venture upon irregularities, that prove ruinous to both, and to their fortunes at the fame time; whilst they, whom infirmity obliges to be careful, prolong their days in comfort. Strength of genius, and extent of knowledge, often bewilder perfons in fruitless researches, or prompt them to dangerous and hurtful fingularities of opinion: Quickness of parts, and agreeablenefs in conversation, frequently betray them into grievous imprudences of various kinds, contrary to their own intereft, to the peace of those around them, to piety, morals, and common decency.

But whatever may happen to others, you think you should enjoy all the benefits of these pre-eminences, and avoid all the evils incident to them. But why do you think fo? You are just of the same make with the reft of mankind, and liable to all their frailties. Your confidence in yourself is a mark, not of ability, but of weakness and ignorance in a point of the greatest confequence. If you were but humbler, you would be much fafer: and one material fource of fafety would be content. For discontent brings people into mischiefs innumerable. It is a painful ftate in itself: preys upon the spirits, deadens the fenfe of every enjoyment in life, fours the temper, and produces great wickednefs, as well as mifery.

Displeasure with their own condition tempts many to aim at bettering it unlawfully, by force or fraud: and dreadful muft the uneafinefs be, which can drive them to a method of relief, fo evidently criminal. For however fome may pretend they cannot fee what right others have to enjoy fo much more of the world than themselves; yet let but any one, who hath lefs enjoyment of it, apply this reasoning to them, and act upon it, then they can perceive exceeding plainly, that his diflike of his own circumftances in any respect, is no manner of reafon, or excufe, for his ufing other than honeft means to mend

them.

them. For why fhould their property, their character, their quiet, fuffer, because he is uneafy? And yet, what dreadful havock is there often made of all these from no better a motive! The kings and princes of the earth ravage nations, murder and diftrefs millions; the powerful and wealthy, of lower degree, opprefs and injure their fellow-creatures in more ways, than can be reckoned up, merely to obtain advantages, perhaps to which they have no title, certainly which they of all men leaft need, folely because they cannot reft without them; though at the fame time they have no fatisfaction, worth naming, from them. And in lower life, what numbers are there, who difturb their neighbours, to a great extent fometimes, and put things in a ferment all around them, only to carry fome point, which poffibly they ought not to carry, or which is of little use to them; nay, it may be, only to grieve fome innocent object of their refentment, or to find any employment, rather than none, which may divert for a time, the inward chagrin that devours them! So baneful are the fruits of discontent.

But when it is not carried so far, it is often very blameable : as when it incites men to importune and teize others for favours, to which they have no fufficient pretenfions; which is giving them trouble, fometimes a great deal, without any right to do it. And then the next step ufually is, complaining, and being angry, and wanting to be revenged on fuch, as have not done every thing for us that we wanted; though poffibly they have done more than we care to own; or they know or find they cannot do what we with, or are no way obliged to it, or have obligations to the contrary; as they eafily may, of more kinds than one.

But even fuppofing we strive to keep our difcontent to ourfelves, yet if it rife within us to envy against others, this is a great fin. Barely indeed feeling our own disadvantages or difappointments, the more ftrongly on the view of another perfon's pre-eminence or fuccefs, is hardly avoidable, and may be nearly or quite innocent. Wishing our own condition were as good, as we take his to be, is not wishing ill to him, but only well to ourselves. But if we grieve, not that we do not enjoy what we would, but that he doth; or fecretly rejoice in the fight, or the thought of any misfortune, that may bring him down lower and nearer to us not only we fhall be tempted to do ill, if we can, to one whom we wish ill to; but the wish itVOL. I. F

felf

felf is malice, unprovoked by any injury, (for his fuperiority to us is no injury;) the directly contrary difpofition to that love and good will, which is, under all provocations, the great precept of humanity and of the gospel.

Nay further, though we feel no malevolence at all against any one clic, yet if the comparative diiadvantages of our condition fill us with emotion and inward agitation, we are still in a wrong ftate of mind. It may feem perhaps, that our defire of any thing, apprehended to be good, must be strong, in proportion as we apprehend it to be a great good. But in reality, we have no defire at all for things that are quite above us; partly, to be fure, because we have no diftinct notions of them; but partly alfo, because we look on them as not belonging to 11s. Now would we but confider whatever we certainly cannot have, in the fame light, and whatever we probably cannot have, in nearly the fame, it would fave us great uneasiness and guilt. The condition of many, who are much difcontented about it, is in truth almost as good as this world admits; for it doth not admit any high happiness: and what can they get then by difquicting themfelves that it is not better? Moderate defires will excite reasonable endeavours to mend it, if there appears room: and immoderate ones will only add vexation. Sometimes the vehemence of our purfuit is the very cause that we mifs our aim. And were it always the likelieft way to fuccefs, yet when difappointments happen, as they will frequently happen, it must aggravate the forrow of them very greatly. Nay, mere delays may give cager fpirits much more pain before they attain their ends, than the attainment will ever give them pleasure afterwards. For every one experiences what yet no one will believe, against the next time, that the largeft increase of worldly advantages is commonly little or no increase, but often a diminution, of felf-enjoyment: though indeed were this otherwife, bringing down our wishes to reafon is fo much the furer and more practicable method of being eafy, than bringing every thing to yield to our wishes, that it scarce needs the further recommendation of being the more virtuous method alfo.

Still, paying fome attention to our worldly interefts, is a requifite part of wifdom: and it may be very blameable, not to ftretch out our hand and take what providence offers. But to covet with earneftnefs, and purfte with impetuofity, an object

that

may

that feems to fly from us, when God alone knows what it prove, if we fhould overtake it, is generally, if not univerfally, prefumptuous and rafh. Yet this is the courfe that we commonly take. Whatever we see others follow, we follow too, just as fast, without asking ourselves why; encourage our wild fancies, inftead of checking them; fill our hearts with imaginary wants, and become as eager for multitudes of things one after another, all which we might do very well without, as if the whole felicity of our being confifted in them. If men allow themselves in fuch behaviour, all that fuccefs can do for them, is to engage them ftill deeper in the fame folly. For these cravings have no end, and therefore should be curbed and quieted in the beginning.

But though men are not vehemently agitated by difcontent, yet if they are dejected and funk by it, mourn over the difadvantages of their condition, and live in a state of affliction, be it ever fo calm affliction, on account of them, even this is by no means right. It may indeed fometimes be in a great measure, mere bodily disease: or it may, when the degree of it is low, be the fault of one, who is, on the whole, virtuous and good. But ftill it fhews an undue attachment to this world, yet unfits perfons at the fame time both for the comforts to be enjoyed, and the duties to be done in it. If indulged to any confiderable length, it may disorder not only the temper, but the underftanding. And to ftrange lengths it fometimes runs in people, of whom one must think, that if they have caufe to lament, it is hard to fay, who hath caufe to be fatisfied.

Or fuppofe the various difadvantages of men to be as great as they think them; yet happinefs doth not arife from outward circumftances, or the accomplishments ufually admired: elfe how unspeakably happy would the rich and great, the learned and ingenious, the beautiful and gay be, who all, at times, confess themselves to be far from it; and how miferable the rest of mankind, who, God be thanked, relish their being very comfortably! Every ftate hath not only its inconveniences, but its confolations: and the difcontented would fee this, if they did not perversely look folely at the former in their . own cafe, and the latter in that of others: magnify what they themselves want, and under-rate what they have; overvalue what their neighbours enjoy, and forget to make allowance for what perhaps they fuffer. We know the worst of the

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the condition we are in: but what evils belong to that which we wish to be in, we know not. Befides, every one cannot have every thing, that he defires: and where is the greater hardship, that we fhould fail of it, than that others fhould? Many appear or fucceed better, it may be: but many alfo not near fo well. Would they have caufe to be wretched, were they in our circumftances? If not, why have we?

But further yet: perhaps our disadvantages proceed from ourfelves: poffibly it is our virtue and our honour that keeps us back from what we long for: and furely, the poffeffion of good qualities ought to give us more pleasure, than any disappointments owing to them should give us pain. Or poffibly fome fault of ours produces what we complain of our negligence or expenfivenefs brings us into ftraits, our imprudences create us difficulties, our ill temper makes things uneafy round us, our irregularities impair our health and fpirits: correct thefe errors, inftead of repining at their confequences, and all will be well,

It may be you will fay indeed, that you have endeavoured to correct your faults, but without fuccefs; and your chief difcontent is at yourselves. Now if this be really your cafe, it is a very uncommon one. Many are diffatisfied with other perfons and things, fome with almost all about them; but few with their own temper and conduct, Such as really take pains to amend it, deferve great esteem; and, when they find the work peculiarly difficult, as they often may, especially after long indulgence, great pity likewife. But though they should never be fo far contented with themselves, as to ceafe from the attempt of reformation, yet, while they are fure they attempt it in carnest, they should acquiefce very calmly, notwithstanding that their progress is but slow. The nature of all men is both imperfect and corrupt: and that of fome much more than of others. The difparity of the faculties of our minds and the difpofitions of our hearts is as great, as of our bodily qualifications or external circumstances: and every one must fubmit to his lot in the former, as well as the latter; for grieving and murmuring will make nothing better in either. Thofe creatures, which cannot at all improve themselves, appear to be content with being what they are: but we can improve ourfelves greatly; and if we labour to do it chiefly in what beft deferves our labour, goodness and virtue, we shall out of weak

nefs