apprehenfion of it before it comes, than by fuffering it when it is come. This is a great, but common weakness, which a man fhould endeavour to arm himself against by fuch kind of reflections as these :

"Are not all thefe events under the "certain direction of a wife Providence? "If they befal me, they are then that "fhare of fuffering which God hath ap"pointed me; and which he expects I "fhould bear as a Chriftian. How often "hath my too timorous heart magnified "former trials? which I found to be less "in reality than they appeared in their "approach. And perhaps the formidable "afpect they put on, is only a ftratagem "of the great enemy of my beft intereft, "defigned on purpose to divert me from "fome point of duty, or to draw me in"to fome fin, to avoid them. However, "why should I torment myself to no pur"pofe? The pain and affliction the dread"ed evil will give me when it comes, is "of God's fending; the pain I feel in "the apprehenfion of it before it comes, "is of my own procuring. Whereby I " often make my fufferings more than "double; for this overplus of them, which I bring upon myself, is often greater

than

"than that measure of them which the "hand of Providence immediately brings 66 upon me."

(3.) Difmifs, as foon as may be, all angry and wrathful thoughts. Thefe will but canker and corrode the mind, and difpofe it to the worst temper in the world, viz. that of fixed malice and revenge. Anger may fteal into the heart of a wife man, but it refts only in the bofom of fools, Ecclef. vii. 9. Make all the moft candid allowances for the offender; confider his natural temper; turn your anger into pity; repeat 1 Cor. xiii.; think of the patience and meekness of Chrift, and the petition in the Lord's prayer; and how much you ftand in need of forgiveness yourself, both from God and man; how fruitlefs, how foolish is indulged refentment; how tormenting to yourself. You have too much good nature willingly to give others fo much torment; and why fhould you give it yourself? You are commanded to love your neighbour as yourself, but not forbidden to love yourself as much. And why should you do yourself that injury, which your enemy would be glad to do you? Efpecially,

(4.) Ba

The Chriftian precept in this cafe is, "Let not

"the

(4.) Banish all malignant and revengeful thoughts. A fpirit of revenge is the very fpirit of the devil; than which nothing makes a man more like him, and nothing can be more opposite to the temper which Christianity was defigned to promote, If your revenge be not fatisfied, it will give you torment now; if it be, it will give you greater hereafter. None is a greater felf-tormentor than a malicious and revengeful man, who turns the poison of his own temper in upon himself *.

(5.) Drive from the mind all filly, trifling, and unreafanable thoughts; which fometimes get into it we know not how, and feize and poffefs it before we are aware; and hold it in empty idle amufements, that yield it neither pleasure nor profit, and turn to no manner of account in the world; only confume time, and

prevent

the fun go down upon your wrath," Eph. iv. 26. And this precept Plutarch tells us the Pythagoreans practifed in a literal fenfe: "Who, if at any time in

a paffion they broke out into opprobrious language, before fun-fet gave one another their hands, and "with them a difcharge from all injuries; and fo, "with a mutual reconciliation, parted friends." Plut. Mor. Vol. i. pag. 89.

Malitia ipfa maximam partem veneni fui hibit. -Illud ven num quod ferpentes in alienam pernis ciem proferunt, fine fua continent. Non eft huic fimile; hoc habentibus peffimum eft. Sen. Epift. 82.

prevent a better employment of the mind. And indeed there is little difference whe ther we spend the time in fleep, or in these waking dreams. Nay, if the thoughts which thus infenfibly iteal upon you be not altogether abfurd and whimsical, yet if they be impertinent and unfeasonable, they ought to be difmiffed, because they keep out better company.

(6.) Caft out all wild and extravagant thoughts, all vain and fantaftical imaginations. Suffer not your thoughts to roam upon things that never were, and perhaps ever will be to give you a vifionary pleafure in the profpect of what you have not the leaft reafon to hope, or a needlefs pain in the apprehenfion of what you have not the leaft reafon to fear.The truth is, next to a clear confcience and a found judgment, there is not a greater bleffing than a regular and well-governed imagina tion; to be able to view things as they are, in their true light and proper colours; and to diftinguish the falle images that are painted on the fancy, from the reprefentations of truth and reason. For how common a thing is it for men, before they are aware, to confound reason and fancy, truth and imagination together? To take the flashes of the animal fpirits for the light

K

light of evidence; and think they believe things to be true or falfe, when they only fancy them to be fo; and fancy them to be fo, because they would have them fo; not confidering that mere fancy is only the ignis fatuus of the mind; which often appears brighteft when the mind is moft covered with darknefs, and will be fure to lead them aftray who follow it as their guide. Near a-kin to these are,

(7.) Romantic and chimerical thoughts. By which I mean that kind of wild-fire, which the brifknefs of the animal fpirits fometimes fuddenly flashes upon the mind, and excites images that are so extremely ridiculous and abfurd, that one can fcarce forbear wondering how they could get admittance. Thefe random flights of the fancy are foon gone; and fo differ from that caftle-building of the imagination before-mentioned, which is a more fettled amufement. But thefe are too incoherent and fenfelefs to be of long continuance ; and are the maddeft fallies, and the moft ramping reveries of the fancy that can be. -I know not whether my reader underftands now what I mean; but if he attentively regards all that paffes through his mind, perhaps he may hereafter, by expe

rience.

(8.) Re