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in the habitual courfes of fin. For if we confider the general defign of Christianity, it propounds to us in this world nothing that is of difficult purchase, nothing beyond what God allots us by the ordinary and common providence, fuch things as we are to receive without care and folicitous vexation. So that the ends are not large, and the way is eafy and paffed over without much trouble, and those ends are obtained without difficulty.

He that propounds to himself to live low, pious, humble, and retired; his main employment is nothing but fitting quiet, and undisturbed with variety of impertinent affairs: But he that loves the world and its acquifitions, entertains a thousand bufineffes, and every business hath abundance of employment, and every employment is multiplied and made intricate by circumstances, and every circumstance is to be difputed, and he that disputes ever hath two fides in enmity and oppofition to each other.

The ways of virtue are very much upon the defenfive; and the work is one, uniform,

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form, and easy: They are like war within a ftrong caftle; if those within stand upon their guard, they have little elfe to do. But vice is like ftorming of a fort; full of noise, trouble, labour, danger, and difeafe.

How easy a thing is it to reftore the pledge? but if a man means to defeat hirm that trufted him, what a world of arts muft he ufe to make pretences? to delay firit, then to excufe, then to object, then to intricate the bufinefs, next to quarrel, then to forfwear it, and all the way to palliate his crime, and reprefent himself honeft? And if an oppreffing and greedy perfon have an intention to defraud the unwary, or to get his neighbour's land; the cares of every day, and the interruptions of every night's fleep, are more than the purchafe is worth: fince he might buy virtue at half that watching, and the lefs painful care of a fewer number of days.

A plain ftory is fooneft told, and beft confutes an intricate lie. And when a perfon is examined in judgement, one false anfwer afks more fill for its fupport and maintenance,

maintenance, than a whole history of truth. And fuch perfons are put to fo many fhameful retreats, false colours and pretences, to avoid contradiction or difcovery; that the labour of a false story seems in the order of things to be defigned for the beginning of its own punishment.

The ways of fin are crooked, rocky, and uneven; they are broad indeed, and there is variety of ruins, and allurements to entice the unwary; but they are nothing fmooth, or fafe, or convenient. The ways of virtue are narrow, but not crooked. Labour indeed there is in them, as in all things excellent; but no confufions, no distractions of thought, no amazement, or intricacy of counfels. It is like the labour of husbandry, full of health and chearfulness, plain and profitable, requiring diligence, but fuch in which crafts. and painful stratagems are useless and impertinent. But vice hath oftentimes fo troublesome a retinue, and fo many objections in the event of things, is fo entangled in difficult and contradictory circumstances, hath in it parts fo oppofite to each other,

and fo inconfiftent with the prefent condition of the man, or fome fecret defign of his; that those little pleasures which are its covering and pretence, are less perceived, and leaft enjoyed; whilst they begin in vanity, rife up in smoke, and end in diffatisfaction.

IV. Virtue conduceth infinitely to the content and fatisfaction of our lives; and vice doth the quite contrary. The bleffings of this life, that make it happy, are fuch as thefe; peace and quietnefs, content and fatisfaction of defires, riches, love of friends and neighbours at home, and honour and reputation abroad.'

Peace was fo much intended by our bleffed Saviour, that he framed all his laws in compliance to that defign. He that returns good for evil, a foft answer to the afperity of his enemy, kindness to injuries, leffens the contention always, and fometimes gets a friend. He that doth his duty to his neighbour, that is, all offices of kindness, gentleness, and humanity, nothing of injury and affront, is morally

fure never to meet with any great vexation. or disappointment. For as one injury provokes another, fo a kindness will invite a kindness. And if men would but live according to the difcipline of the Chriftian religion, one of the great plagues which vex the world would be no more. There would be no wars, if that inftitution were fuffered to prevail, which establishes an univerfal peace. This world would be an image of heaven, if all men were charitable, peaceable, juft, and loving.

We are required alfo to be content in every state; and because Christianity teacheth us this leffon, it teacheth us to be happy. For nothing from without can make us miferable, unless we join our own confents to it, and entertain it as an enemy. And this precept is fo neceffary, that it is not more a duty, than a rule of prudence ; and in many accidents of our lives, it is the only cure of fadness. For it is certain that no providence, lefs than divine, can prevent evil and crofs accidents : But that is an excellent remedy to the evil, which Q4 makes

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