X.

prefent Difpenfation of God's Providence, SERM. even upon Suppofition that it was true, that the former Days were better than thefe. And this I fhall fhew from these two particulars,

First, As it is contrary to Reason. Secondly, As it is contrary to Religion. And Firft, As it is contrary to Reason. Every one pretends to know what is Reafon, and what is not, and would take it very much amifs to be thought not to know it; but when we come to put this Knowledge in Practice, for want of confideration we act as if we knew nothing of the Matter. We are ready enough to pronounce a thing reasonable or unreasonable, when we confider it only as a Propofition, or a Rule, not including ourselves in it; and therefore when a Friend feems under any Unea finess or Discontent, we fall to confidering the thing, and tell him the Unreafonableness of so doing; but when it comes to be our own Cafe, then we cannot fee the Strength of our own Arguments; what we would have to be thought conclufive

one Cafe, we will not allow in a Cafe

of

X.

SERM. of the fame Nature: But whether they will confider it or no, this Temper is very contrary to Reafon. For if there was no fuch thing as Reveal'd Religion in the World, yet the Religion of Nature teaches us thus much, that however it goes with the World without us, we ought to keep the Mind calm and ferene, because from thence proceeds the Happiness or Mifery of this Life: For it will fignify but little to us how the Times are without, if we have no Peace of Mind within.

But the Unreasonableness of this Temper will further appear, if we confider, that whatever happens in this Life is either what we can help, or what we cannot ; both which it is equally unreasonable to complain of: For if we can help it, it is ve ry unreasonable to complain, as if we could and if we cannot, it is very unreafonable to complain, as if we could.

not;

The

Truth of it is, moft of this is what we can help; and if fo, why don't we do it? Why do we complain, when the Remedy is at hand, and in our own Power?

are apt to carry our Views too far;

We

and

to

X.

to look abroad for the Wickedness and SERM Mischiefs that are in the World, when we may find them nearer home, even in our own felves; and a little confideration would fhew us, that we ourselves are the very Men we complain of. Complaints of this Nature imply what is not true, that all are wicked but ourselves; for tho' the Age be as wicked as one can imagine it to be, yet we fhould confider, that we ourselves help to make it fo; and therefore it is a great Folly and Abfurdity to complain of that, which we ourselves occafion: This is to complain of a Confpiracy, when we ourfelves are the Confpirators. 'Tis true

it is hard to make a covetous Man believe when he is talking against Covetousness that he is talking against himself; but then it is nevertheless true, whether he believes it or no.

'Tis a Truth much to be lamented, that we are too blind to ourselves, and too clearfighted to others: We look thro' a falfe Glass, that fhews us the beft fide of our own Qualities, and the worft fide of other People's; whereas we ought to view ourselves

X.

SERM. ourselves and others in the fame Light; and confider, before we complain of the Wickedness of other People, whether we have none of our own to be included; and if we have, then the Unreasonableness of murmuring at or upon the account of others plainly appears: For tho' we cannot help their Wickedness, yet certainly we can help our own; and it will be Time enough to murmur and complain, when we are found to be without Fault ourselves.

The Evils of Life, or what many Men call Evils, are for the most part imaginary; and have no other Foundation than in Fancy and Opinion: And yet Cuftom has made them look as frightful as if they were real. Hence every one is diffatisfied with his own Condition, because it is his own; and is for acting a Part that does not belong to him. One is much griev'd that he has not a plentiful Estate, another that he is not a Privy-Counsellor; the Mechanick would needs be a Gentleman, and the Gentleman a King. In short, every one would be what he is not, without confidering, that our Business is not

to

X.

to chufe what Part we will act in the SERM. World, but to perform that which is alloted us as well as we can. But when People give themselves up to Whim and Fancy, without being at the Pains to confider the Reafon of Things, it is no wonder if they are always uneafy, and they may thank themselves for it; for if they would but think, and fee Things as they are, thefe Evils would immediately vanish.

Whether the Stoical Opinion be right, that all Evils are imaginary, will justly admit of a Difpute; but that the imaginary are more than the real ones, I think is very certain. For tho' there be many things in Life, that have a Tendency to obftruct our Happiness, do what we will, yet we have no need to go out of our way for them; we have no occafion to add Evils of our own making, which we may avoid, to real ones, which cannot be avoided. We cannot chufe whether we will avoid real Evils, but we can chufe whether we will make them more Evils than they are: And this is the Cafe with the greatest Part of Man F f kind.