was girded. And after he had taken his garments, and was fat down again, he said unto them, know ye, what I have done unto you? Ye call me mafter and lord, and ye fay well; for fo I am. If I then, your lord and mafter, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet; for I have given you an example, that ye fhould do as I have done unto you. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, the fervant is not greater than kis Lord; neither be that is fent, greater than he that fent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye, if ye do them*:

* John xiii. I,-17.

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THE

LUKE xxi. 19.

In your patience poles ye your fouls.

HE unpleasant things which befall us, in one part or ano. ther of this life, are fo many; and the impreffions, which they make upon us, are commonly fo ftrong; that being selected by them no otherwife than we ought, constitutes a large and difficult part of our duty which therefore I fhall endeavour to explain and recommend to you in feveral difcourfes. And as fome things are immediately and neceffarily uneafy to us, and some only by means of needlefs and unreasonable reflections and comparisons of our own ftate with what others are, or with what we might have been: I fhall speak at prefent of bearing what we cannot but feel difagreeably, with compofure, which is ufually called Patience; in the next place, I shall direct to the like behaviour under comparative misfortunes, which is generally expreffed by the name of Contentment; and after thefe moral obligations, which however need not and cannot well be altogether feparated from thofe of piety, I fhall proceed to lay before you more diftinctly the religious ones, of refignation first, and then of thankfulness, under every affliction and seeming difadvantage.

Now the feelings unavoidably disagreeable to us, and tempting us to impatience, are chiefly pain, forrow, fear and

anger.

1. Pain: under which may be comprehended also fickness, reftleffness, and languid lownefs. Thefe are often fo grievous, by their degree, or continuance, or both; that we cannot fail, from the very make of our nature, to fuffer under them extremely and ftifling at fuch times all expreflions of fuffering, and earnest wishes of eafe, would ufually require too violent an effort to be lafting; or perhaps to be fafe, even could we

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perfift in it. Befides, thefe external marks of diftrefs were certainly defigned by Providence to excite a proper degree of pity and affiftance from thofe around us; which, without fome powerful calls upon them, would frequently be withheld. And therefore we ought neither to condemn ourselves, nor others, who may poffibly undergo far more than we imagine, for fome ftrong expreffions of prefent mifery: nor think it a very heinous fault, if they now and then exceed the proper bounds. But ftill the more calm and moderate we are, the more we shall appear, if not to need, yet to deferve, both compaffion and relief; and they will both be afforded us with more good-will and regard. Then further, all vehement complaints and immoderate fignifications of our wretchednefs, heighten strangely our own sense of it; and thus either work us up into wild rage, or fink us down into fpiritlefs dejection; and fo make our cafe much worse than it was; when, alas, we have cause to feek out for every alleviation, great or small.

In acute torments, it is a very comfortable circumstance, if we can hope, that they will not be durable. Even a fhort time, indeed, will feem dreadfully long to us. But however, it must be a confolation in a ftorm, that we are making towards a fafe harbour within our view, though we feem to approach it flowly. And as the eafing of pain is not only eafe but delight; we should support ourselves by expecting it, as well as enjoy it when it comes.

In tedious diforders it may be very useful to look back now and then, and fee how much we have gone through already: not in order to load our minds with the burthen of it a fecond time; but to learn, from what we have done already, what we can do more, if need be. And probably, we shall be able to do it with lefs difficulty hereafter, than we did before. For by degrees and proper care, both our minds and bodies become habituated to endure hardship quietly and cheasfully. It is a great proof and inftance of the mercy of our Creator, that we are fo framed. And we ought to make a faithful ufe of his

goodness in this refpect, as well as others.

But in order to acquiefce more patiently under our fufferings, we should look beyond the bitterness to the poffible benefits of them. Our liableness to them may teach us caution and prudence in many parts of our conduct, in order to avoid them; may preferve us from follies deftructive to our fortunes, our reputations, cur health itself. For numbers have prefum

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ed fo far upon their strength, as utterly to deftroy it by irregularities, while the happy neceflity of being discreet in the management of themselves hath carried on many who were very infirm, comfortably enough, to a good old age. There fore, on the whole, perhaps bodily complaints may prove a fecurity against greater inconveniences: and, were thefe lefs; yet only the difference between the one evil and the others ought to be computed, as clear lofs to us. Nor is it only from follies, that men are thus kept back, but frequently from fins alfo from fome, to which, if they would examine themselves, they might perceive they should have been exposed: and poffibly from others, of which they have no fufpicion. Firmness of constitution, vehemence of appetites and paffions, flowing fpirits, confidence of being able to do and to bear almost any thing, mislead men unaccountably in the conduct of life: make them forgetful of God and their latter end, prompt them to debauchery, intemperance, violence, injuftice, to regard only present indulgence, and take the good things of this world for their portion. Better were it for fuch as refift not these temptations, if they had experienced in their ftead the feyereft difcipline of pain and ficknefs. Thefe remind us of our dependence on him who made us; of the vanity of earthly enjoyments, of mortality and its confequences; of pitying and lef fening the afflictions of our fellow-creatures; of fhewing kindnefs, as we often need it. And the exercife of devotion towards God, and goodness to thofe around us, will fo pleafingly employ our thoughts, fo effectually footh our minds, and reconcile us to ourfelves and our condition, that we hall find the rougheft attacks on our outward frame very fupportable.

I fhall only obferve farther under this head, that poverty and want, when they are so extreme as to bring on actual bodily fufferings, are to be placed to the account of pain: but fuch pain very seldom, if ever, arifes to near the height which vari ous difeafes caufe; and is much more conftantly cured or mitigated by the care of charitable perfons. Indigence, therefore, in this view, is very confiftent with patience: and that in the other, of reflection and comparifon, it is equally compatible with contentment, fhall be fhewn you hereafter.

2. The next source of impatience before mentioned is Sorrow: which fometimes is mere fympathy with the calamities of others. But this does not commonly rife to the height of impatience: much oftner we are impatient with the wretched through

through our want of fympathy. There are thofe, however, who are made fo uneafy by the diftreffes which they fee, that they will not bear the uneafinefs of attending to them enough to give them due affiftance. Now this exceffive tenderness is an unhappy infirmity. It argues indeed fomewhat of a right difpofition but perverted to a quite different purpose from what nature meant. And we should moderate the paffive feeling, in order to exert the requifite active goodness; nor would this, on trial, be found very difficult.

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But our grief is ufually for things happening, which we apprehend to be evils to ourselves and they may be of various forts. The more confiderable are, unkindnefs or lofs of friends, diminutions of fortune, disappointments in worldly views, imputations on our characters, confcioufnefs of imprudent or finful behaviour. All thefe may be needlefsly aggravated by the voluntary workings of our own minds; and fo far belong to the head of difcontent: but much of the concern, which they give, is unavoidable, and relates to the prefent fubject.

Unkindness, where we had peculiar reafon to expect the contrary, is one of the bittereft afflictions of life. We fhould labour to prevent it, by chufing the objects both of our love and efteem with great caution; and reftrain our affection towards them within due bounds; inftead of letting it run, or perhaps forcing it, into romantic extremes, which muft end in fomething wrong; and we should mcft attentively endeavour to give no caufe of dislike and alienation. When it happenś notwithstanding, that our most reasonable hopes are frustrated; change of opinion concerning the blameable party must naturally, if we are confiderate, produce in us change of regard. And we muft comfort ourselves, that the fault is not on our fide; take care to continue ftill equally unreproachable; apply our thoughts to the duties of fuch other connections and ties, as remain upon us after this is weakened or diffolved; raise our hearts more to him, who always makes a gracious return; and then no ingratitude or infidelity, which we can experience on earth, will be able to overwhelm us.

Concern for the lofs of our friends by death, in itself a fore trial, is aggravated fometimes by a confufed imagination, as if death were a misfortune to them: whereas, if they were good and virtuous, it is in truth the greateft poffible gain. It can therefore be only ourselves, that we bemoan with justice: and

the