poffeffed of great Wealth, it might lead you, for it hath led many, either to endless Defires of still more; or to Expensiveness and thoughtless Extravagance, that would end in Distress; or to Senfuality and vicious Indulgences, or to contemptible Indolence and Ufeleffness. Accomplishments of Perfon expose the Poffeffors of them to immoderate Self-esteem, to Neglect of useful Attainments, to Diffipation of their Time, often in the unfitteft Company, to improper Freedoms, to great Hazards of their Reputation and their Innocence. Health and Strength encourage Men to venture upon Irregularities, that prove ruinous to both, and to their Fortunes at the fame Time; whilft they, whom Infirmity obliges to be careful, prolong their Days in Comfort. Strength of Genius, and Extent of Knowledge, often bewilder Persons in fruitless Researches, or prompt them to dangerous and hurtful Singularities of Opinion: Quickness of Parts, and Agreeableness in Conversation, frequently betray them into grievous Imprudences of various Kinds, contrary to their own Interest, to the Peace of thofe around them, to Piety, Morals, and common Decency.

4

But

But whatever may happen to others, you think you should enjoy all the Benefits of these Pre-eminences, and avoid all the Evils incident to them. But why do you think so? You are just of the fame Make with the rest of Mankind, and liable to all their Frailties. Your Confidence in yourself is a Mark, not of Ability, but of Weaknefs and Ignorance in a Point of the greatest Confequence. If you were but humbler, you would be much fafer and one material Source of Safety would be Content. For Discontent brings People into Mischiefs innumerable. It is a painful State in itself preys upon the Spirits, deadens the Senfe of every Enjoyment in Life, fours the Temper, and produces great Wickedness, as well as Mifery.

Displeasure with their own Condition tempts many to aim at bettering it unlawfully, by Force or Fraud; and dreadful muft the Uneafinefs be, which can drive them to a Method of Relief, so evidently criminal. For however some may pretend they cannot see what Right others have to enjoy fo much more of the World than themfelves; yet let but any one, who hath lefs Enjoyment of it, apply this Reasoning to them, and act upon it, then

they

1

they can perceive exceeding plainly, that his Diflike of his own Circumftances in any Refpect, is no Manner of Reason, or Excufe, for his using other than honeft Means to mend them. For why fhould their Property, their Character, their Quiet, fuffer, because he is uneafy? And yet, what dreadful Havock is there often made of all these from no better á Motive! The Kings and Princes of the Earth ravage Nations, murder and distress Millions ; the powerful and wealthy, of lower Degree, opprefs and injure their Fellow-creatures in more Ways, than can be reckoned up, merely to obtain Advantages, perhaps to which they have no Title, certainly which they of all Men leaft need, folely because they cannot reft without them; though at the fame Time they have no Satisfaction, worth naming, from them. And in lower Life, what Numbers are there, who disturb their Neighbours, to a great Extent sometimes, and put Things in a Ferment all around them, only to carry fome Point, which poffibly they ought not to carry, or which is of little Ufe to them; nay, it may be, only to grieve fome innocent Object of their Refentment, or to find any EmployVOL. V.

P

ment,

ment, rather than none, which may divert for a Time, the inward Chagrin, that devours them! So baneful are the Fruits of Difcontent.

But when it is not carried fo far, it is often very blameable as when it incites Men to importune and teize others for Favours, to which they have no fufficient Pretenfions; which is giving them Trouble, fometimes a great deal, without any Right to do it. And then the next Step ufually is, complaining, and being angry, and wanting to be revenged on fuch, as have not done every Thing for us that we wanted; though poffibly they have done more than we care to own; or they know or find they cannot do what we wish, or are no Way obliged to it, or have Obligations to the contrary; as they eafily may, of more Kinds than one.

But even fuppofing we strive to keep our Discontent to ourfelves, yet if it rife within us to Envy against others, this is a great Sin. Barely indeed feeling our own Difadvantages or Disappointments, the more strongly on the View of another Perfon's Pre-eminence or Success, is hardly avoidable, and may be nearly

or

or quite innocent. Wishing our own Condition were as good, as we take his to be, is not wishing ill to him, but only well to ourselves. But if we grieve, not that we do not enjoy what we would, but that he doth; or fecretly rejoice in the Sight, or the Thought of any Misfortune, that may bring him down lower and nearer to us: not only we shall be tempted to do ill, if we can, to one whom we wish ill to; but the Wish itself is Malice, unprovoked by any Injury, (for his Superiority to us is no Injury;) the directly contrary Difpofition to that Love and good Will, which is, under all Provocations, the great Precept of Humanity and of the Gofpel.

Nay further, though we feel no Malevolence at all against any one else, yet if the comparative Disadvantages of our Condition fill us with Emotion and inward Agitation, we are still in a wrong State of Mind. It may feem perhaps, that our Defire of any Thing, apprehended to be good, must be ftrong, in Proportion as we apprehend it to be a great Good. But in Reality, we have no Defire at all for Things that are quite above us; partly, to be sure, because we have no diftinct Notions of them;