(3.) The Mind is apt to be prejudiced against or in favour of certain Things and Actions, as well as certain Sentiments and Perfons. Do you not fometimes find dull disagreeable Ideas annexed to certain Places, Seasons or Imployments, which give you a fecret Aversion to them? These arife from the Remembrance of fome unpleafing Incidents you have heretofore met with, and which you apprehend may again befal you on fuch Occasions. But they are often nothing more than the mere Misrepresentations of Fancy; and ought to be repelled, because they will be apt to lead you to neglect the Duties of your Character. If therefore you find in yourself a secret Disinclination to any particular Action or Duty, and the Mind begins to cast about for Excufes and Reasons to justify the Neglect of it, confider the Matter well: Go to the Bottom of that Reluctance; Reform an Injurious Perfon if you can; if not, remember your Patience was given you to bear with him. That the Gods patiently bear with fuch Men, and sometimes bestow upon them Health, and Fame, and Fortune. Id. Bock 9. § 11. When People treat you ill, and fhow their Spite, and flander you, enter into their little Souls, go to the Bottom of them, search their Understandings; and you will foon fee, that nothing they may think or fay of you need give you one troublesome Thought. Id. Book 9. § 27. That is the beft Thing for a Man which GOD fends him; and that is the best Time when he fends it. Id. Book 10. § 2. It is fometimes a hard Matter to be certain, whether you have received ill Ufage or not; for Mens Actions oftentimes look worfe than they are: and one must be thoroughly informed of a great many Things, before he can rightly judge, Id. Bock 13. $18. Conf. tance; and fearch out what it is that gives the Mind this Averfion to it. Whether it be the Thing or Action itself, or some discouraging Circumstances that may attend it; or some disagreeable Confequences that may poffibly flow from it; or your fuppofed Unfitnefs for it at prefent. Why, all these Things may be only imaginary. And to neglect a plain and positive Duty upon fuch Confiderations, fhows that you are governed by Appearances more than Realities, by Fancy more than Reason, and by Inclination more than Conscience. But let Fancy mufter up all the discouraging Circumstances, and set them in the most formidable Light, to bar your Way to a supposed Duty; for instance, it is very difficult, I want Capacity, at least am fo indisposed to it at prefent, • that I shall make nothing of it; and then it will be attended with Danger to my Person, Re'putation, G 2 Confider how much more you often fuffer from your Anger and Grief, than from thofe very Things for which you are angry and grieved. Id. Book 11. $18. When you fancy any one hath tranfgreffed, fay thus to yourself: How do I know it is a Fault? But admit it is, it may be his Con• science hath corrected him: and then he hath received his Punishment from himself.". Id. Book 12. § 16. To these I shall add two more Quotations out of the Sacred Writings, of incomparable greater Weight and Dignity than any of the forementioned, Prov, xix. 11. The Discretion of a Man deferreth bis Anger and it is his Glory to pass over a Tranfgreffion. Rom. xii, 20, 21. If thine Enemy bunger, feed him; if he thirst, give bim Drink: for in fo doing thou shalt beap Coals of Fire on his Head. Be not overcome of Evil, but overcome Evil with Good. 'putation or Peace; and the Oppofition I am like to meet with is great, &c. But after all, is the Call of Providence clear? Is the Thing a plain Duty? Such as Reason, Confcience, and Scripture; your Office, Character, or Perfonal Engagements call upon you to discharge? If so, all the aforefaid Objections are vain and delusive. And you have nothing to do, but to fummon your Courage, and in Dependance on Divine Help, to fet about the Business immediately and in good Earneft, and in the beft and wifeft Manner you can; and you may depend upon it, you will find the greatest Difficulty to lie only in the first Attempt; thefe frightful Appearances to be all vifionary, the mere Figments of Fancy, turning Lambs into Lions, and Mole-hills into Mountains; and that nothing but Sloth, Folly and Self-Indulgence, thus fet your Imagination on work to deter you from a plain Duty. Your Heart would deceive you, but you have found out the Cheat, and do not be imposed upon (i). Again, fuppofe the Thing done; confider how it will look then. Take a View of it as paft; and whatever Pains it may coft you, think whether it will not be abundantly recompenfed by the inward Peace and Pleafure, which arife from a Consciousness of having acted right. It certainly will. (i) « The Wife and prudent conquer Difficulties, "By daring to attempt them. Sloth and Folly And Rowe. d nd And the Difficulties you now dread will enhance your future Satisfaction (k). But think again how you will bear the Reflections of your own Mind if you wilfully neglect a plain and necessary Duty; whether this will not occafion you much more Trouble than all the Pains you might be at in performing it. And a wise Man will always determine himself by the End; or by such a retrofpective View of Things, confidered as past. Again, on the other hand, if you find a strong Propenfion to any particular Action, examine that with the like Impartiality. Perhaps it is what neither your Reason nor Conscience can fully approve. And yet every Motive to it is ftrongly urged, and every Objection against it flighted. Sense and Appetite grow importunate and clamorous, and want to lead, while Reason remonftrates in vain. But turn not afide from that faithful and friendly Monitor, whilst with a low, ftill Voice fhe addresses you in this soft, but earneft Language. Hear me, I beseech you, but this one Word more. The Action is in• deed out of Character; what I fhall never ap་ prove. The Pleasure of it is a great deal over'rated; you will certainly be difappointed. It is ⚫ a false Appearance that now deceives you. And ' what will you think of yourself when it is past, and you come to reflect seriously on the Matter? Believe it, you will then with you had "taken me for your Counsellor, inftead of those G 3 • Ene "Enemies of mine, your Lufts and Paffions, which have fo often mifled you, though you • know I never did.' Such fhort Recollections as thefe, and a little Leisure to take a View of the Nature and Confequences of Things or Actions, before we reject or approve them, will prevent much falfe Judg.. ment and bad Conduct; and by Degrees wear off the Prejudices which Fancy has fixed in the Mind, either for or against any particular Action ; teach us to diftinguish between Things and their Appearances; ftrip them of thofe falfe Colours that fo often deceive us; correct the Sallies of the Imagination, and leave the Reins in the Hand of Reason. - Before I difmifs this Head, I must obferve, that fome of our strongest Prejudices arife from an exceffive Self-Esteem, or too great a Complacency in our own good Senfe and Underftanding. Philantus in every Thing fhews himself well fatisfied with his own Wifdom; which makes him very impatient of Contradiction, and gives him a Dif taste to all who fhall presume to oppose their Judgment to his in any Thing. He had rather perfevere in a Miftake than retract it, left his Judgment fhould fuffer; not confidering that his Ingenuity and good Senfe fuffer much more by fuch Obftinacy. The Fulness of his Self-suffici. ency makes him blind to those Imperfections which every one can fee in him but himself. So that however wife, fincere and friendly, however gen tle |