Actions. You feel Defires, like inward Springs, put you into Motion; and very eager fometimes you are of doing what you are verily perfuaded 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 Holinefs, 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 Difappointment of their Expectations will pro duce Trouble and Impatience.

Do not therefore be too confident of every fort of Inclination to do well; but firft advife 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 muft 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 best Intentions. They who neglect this, and give free Scope 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 Heighth of Rapturé, 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 discreet.

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 Flesh and Senfe; or what will be moft agreeable any farther han may ferve 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 firft Foundations are laid, of Contentedness 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 murmuring Thoughts, which are apt to beget hard and irreverent Reflections, and too often break out in wicked Complaints, and faucy Expoftulations, against the Juftice, and Wisdom, and Goodness of God and Providence.

CHAF

CHA P. XIII.

The Neceffity and Reasonableness of Patience.

Difciple.]

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Y all the Collections I am able to make from my dear Lord's Inftructions, and the little Experience I have of the World, Patience seems to me a most neceffary Virtue: For the Condition of Man in this Life is fo expofed to Calamities and Sorrows, that, in defpite 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 otherwise. For thofe Men have a wrong Notion of Peace, who make it confift in Freedom from fuffering; in either having no Troubles, or being infenfible of any. This is a State, neither attainable by a Man, nor convenient for a Christian. 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 Adversities. 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 done, when they fet themselves fubmiffively to undergo Tribulation here, for the fake of God and a good Confcience; that they may, by fuch patient Suffering, deliver themselves from the dire Effects of his Wrath, and never-ceafing Punishment bereafter.

Now Tribulation is a Portion diftributed in common to all the Sons of Men; diftributed in large Measures, even to those Children of this Generation, which thou perhaps vainly imagineft to be moft exempted from it. For even the gayeft and moft profperous of them all are not without their many and fore Evils. 'Tis true indeed, They take a great deal of Pleasure, 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 best of their Cafe, and fuppofe their Joys to be without any Interruption, their Wishes without any Disappointment; Yet, even thus, how long would their Happiness laft? Alas they vanish like a Dream, and all their Profperity foon fcatters like Smoak: Nay, not only their Enjoyments themfelves, 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 purfue the Pleafures of Senfe fo eagerly, fhould prove a Torment to the guilty Mind, and embase thofe very Pleasures they indulge. The fe very Plea fures 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 Pleasures of Sin and Luft, at the Expence of Everlasting 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 Pfal.xxxvii. Inclinations. Delight thou in the Lord, and be fhall grant thee thy Heart's Defire. For this Delight 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 Pleafures prove, which refult from the Experience of God's Favour, and the fubftantial Comforts of a good Confcience.

But ftill thefe 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; Fafting and holy Exercife, or conftant lawful Bufinefs, will keep him out. For he never enters fo eafily, fo fuccefsfully, as when Idlenefs fets open the Door, and an empty Heart makes room for his wicked Suggestions.

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