DUKE UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 The Glenn Negley Collection 
 of Utopian Literature 
 
AN 
 
 ENQUIRY 
 
 // 
 
 AFTER 
 
 HAPPINESS 
 
 In THREE PARTS. 
 
 By RICHARD JLJJ CAS, D. D. 
 Late Prebendary of Wejhmnjler, 
 
 VOL. L 
 
 Of the Foffibility of obtainmg Happiness. 
 
 lia-ivi^ ya.^ Iccr^iKrj; Bk apB>.^ jj,y) Ta,(; foauq wCaA^yj-jj^ utto rut 
 Q'il4.a. Tuv, Htui; -/i^i (p*?>.oo-.^4fli$ tl (xr, to t?5 -^v^ri!; Kay.li/ kSaXXi?. 
 
 Pythag. apudStob. Serm. 80. 
 !^ui quod tibi parum vidctur eruJitus, ea caufa eji quod nullam 
 Eruditionem ejje duxit, vifi qua: Beatte nj'ita Dijciplinam jwvaret , 
 Cic. de Finib. Bonor. & Mala. 
 
 The Tenth Edition. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. B u c K L a N d, J. Riving ton, 
 G. Keith, R. Baldwin, W. Johnston^ 
 S. C R o w D E R, T. Longman, B. Law, 
 M. Richardson, and M. Fuller. 
 
 M.DCf.LXlv; 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 Dul<e University Libraries 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/enquiryafterhapp01luca 
 

 
 
 5^f 
 
 R 
 
 K 
 
 TO THE 
 
 A U E 
 
 
 T /j^i pleafed Cod, that in a few yean,' I 
 Pdould finijh the more plecifant and delight- 
 ful part of UJe, if fcnfe were to he the^ , 
 judge andjlandard of pleajure ; being confnd, (I 
 'will not fay condemn d) by iiuell nigh utter blind- 
 nefs, to retirement andfoliiude. In this fate con- 
 'verfation has lofl much of its former air and 
 briffznefs: Biifnefs ('wherein I could never pre- 
 tend to any great addrcfs) gives me noiv more 
 trouble than formerly, mid that too, 'without 
 the ufual difpatch or fuccefs. Study (which is 
 the only employme?it left me) is cloggd ivith this 
 '■weight and incumbrance ; that all the afjifaiice 
 I can receive fro?n without muft be convey d bv 
 another's fenfe, not my own ; which it may eafih 
 be believd, are infruments or organs as ill fitted^ 
 and as aulzwardly managd by me, as wgodcn legs 
 and hands by the mainrd. 
 
 A 2 J;^ 
 
 e±30D3 
 
IV To the Reader. 
 
 In this cafe^ Jljould I affcB to procure rnyfdf 
 a decent funeral^ and leasee an honourable re- 
 membrance of me behind'^ fiould J Jlruggle to ref~ 
 cue myfelf from that contempt to ii'hich this 
 condition (wherein 1 may feem loft to the world 
 ajid myfelf) expofes me-, Jljould I ambition fly 
 affeci to have my name march in the train of 
 thofe All (though not all equally) great ones^ 
 Homer, Appius, Cn. Aufidius, Didymus, Wal- 
 kup, Pere Jean I'Aveugle, &c. all of them 
 eminent for their fer'vice aitd ufefulnefs^ as for 
 their afiiSiion of the fame kind of mine \ even 
 this might feem almof a commendable infirmi- 
 ty : for the lafl thing a mind truly great and 
 philofophical puts of, is, the defre of glory. 
 Hence Tacitus (Hifl:. Lib. 4.) clofes his divine 
 charadfer ^Helvidius Prifcus thus-, Erant qui- 
 bus appeteniior fama videretur, quando etiam 
 fapientibus cupido glorijE novifUma exuitur. 
 But this treatife oweth neither its conception nor 
 birth to this principle ; for^ be fides that I know 
 my own injiifficiency too well to fatter myfelf 
 with the hopes of a romantick immortality from 
 any performance of mine, in this ingenious and 
 learned age ; / mufi confefs, I never had a foul 
 great enough to be a5ied by the heroick heat, 
 which the love of fame and honour hath kindled 
 infome. 
 
 Tuta 
 
To the Reader. 
 — Tuta 6c parvula laudo. 
 
 / have ever lovd the fecurity and contentment 
 of privacy and retirement^ almoji to the guilt of 
 jingularity and affectation. 
 
 But the truth is plainly this^ the vigour and 
 aBivity of my mind^ the health and Jirength of 
 my body (being now in the flower of my age) 
 continuing unbroken^ under this afflidiion ; I founds 
 that if I did not provide feme ejnployment that 
 might entertaiti it^ it would weary out itfelf 
 with fruitlefs defer es of^ and vaina ttempts after, 
 its wonted objeBs j and fo that jirength and 
 vivacity of nature^ which fejould render my feate 
 more comfortable^ would make it much more in- 
 tolerable. 
 
 Iconfefs, my zeal feor publick good by the pro- 
 pagation and endearment of divine truths^ was 
 lefs fervent in me^ than could well become the 
 particular obligations of my profrfeion^ or the 
 common ones which every chrifeian^ in proportion 
 to his talents^ lies under. I was almofe indue d 
 to believe^ that this chaflifement which had re- 
 moved me from the jervice of the altar ^ did at 
 the fame time difcharge me from all duty owing 
 to the publick : but my good friend Mr. Lamb 
 
 A 3 revived 
 
vi To the Reader. 
 
 revived ibe dying [parks of a decaying zeal^ and 
 rejlored me to a proper j'enfe of my duty in this 
 point ; for ivhetber by defgn^ or by providence^ 
 governing chance^ I know not (for be never 
 feemed to addrefs or defign the difcourfe particu- 
 larly to fne) he had ever and anon in his mouth 
 this excellent principle^ that the life of man is 
 to be efteem'd by its ufefuhiefs and ferviceable- 
 nefs in the world. A fobcr rcfcBion on this 
 wrought me up to a refoliition flrong enough to 
 contemn all the difficulties^ which the lofs of my 
 fight cculd reprefcnt to me in an enterprise of this 
 nature. Thus you fee o?i what principle I be- 
 came engaged in this work : I thought it my duty 
 to fit 7nyfelf fome tafk^ which might ferve 
 at once to divert my thoughts from a melancholy 
 application on 7ny misfortune^ and entertain my 
 mind with fuch a rational employment as might 
 render tne mojl eafy to myfcf and mofl fer^ 
 viceahle to the world. Bei7ig now abundantly 
 convincdj that I am not releafcd from that duty 
 I owe that body, of which I am fill a mem- 
 ber, by being cut off from a great part of the 
 pleafure and advantages of it : therefore, like 
 one that truly loves his country, when no way 
 elfe is left him, he fights for it on his /lumps j 
 fo will I ever, in the remains of a broken bodyy 
 cxprejs, at Icafl, my affeulion for mankind^ 
 9 and 
 
To the Reader. vii 
 
 end breathe out my laft gajp in their fer- 
 
 vice. 
 
 Thefitnefs and tendency of thisfubjecf to Jerque 
 thefe ends, isfo apparent, that I will not imper- 
 tinently detain the reader by a juflificatioji of 
 this choice. How ft I am for it, ivill be bejl 
 judged by the performance : yet, that this may not 
 fufer any dijadvantage from fuch prejudices 
 *with which the confideration of my Jlafe may 
 eafily prepoffefs men, 1 think myfelj obliged to 
 obviate them by a word or two. 
 
 I have hadfo much experience of all the fe- 
 vera! pie a fares, that I am jiifficiently capable 
 of fitting a true rate and value upon them, and 
 oj judging their fubferviency to true happiiiefs. 
 And I am fo well acquainted with trouble a?id 
 affliBion, that I am fufjiciently fenfible, as of 
 the weakfiefs of human nature, and mifery of 
 this mortal fate -, Jo of the 7iece[fity and power 
 of virtue, in relieving and fupporting mail under 
 both : And, after all, my mi fid lies now in 
 the body (like a Joul in a Jeparate fiate) re- 
 tird, as from the pleafures, fojrom the troubles 
 of the world ; and is therefore the ?nore able to 
 pafs a free and more difpafjionafe judgment upon 
 both, 
 
 A 4. It 
 
viii To the Reader. 
 
 // may probably he feared^ that the fame 
 fiould befal tne, which has many Monkifh ivri- 
 ters-j who, being much retird from the worlds 
 having ?nuch leijiire and few books, did fpin out 
 every fubjeSi into wandering mazes and airyfpe- 
 culations'y like plants, which, deftitute of a well 
 manurd and fat joil, run all into the exuberan- 
 cy of leaves and fruit lefs [prigs : but the com- 
 merce I f?all maintain with the world, may in 
 part prevent this error ; and the nature of the 
 fubjeB, fo fruitful of many neceffary enquiries, 
 will of itjelf lead me on to ifeful and profitabk 
 thoughts. 
 
 There is one thing which may be by fcfne ob- 
 jcBed againfl my manner of treating this fubjeSf, 
 the freedom I ufe in it being not altogether fo 
 common to my profeflon ; but, I hope, it will not 
 he found, that I have abufcd the liberty I have 
 taken, to the dijparagcment of the leaf truth of 
 our religion, or to the Icaji difcouragement oj 
 virtue ; and therefore, I think, it cannot jujlly 
 refeB anv difadvantage upon my calli?2g. 
 
 Befides, I have in a former treatife, where- 
 in I defgnd the fame e?jd, the happinefs of 
 mankind, treated this fiihjeB in a inamicr 
 fuited to the generality oJ readers : but this dif 
 
 courfc 
 
To the Reader. ix 
 
 courfe I defign for fiich who are not content to 
 fubmit to inferences deduced from received prin- 
 ciples^ itnlefs they can be fairly convinced of the 
 reafonablenefs and truth of the principles them- 
 felves. Nor fiould I think it any crime, were 
 I mafier of fiich talents, if I did mii7gle with 
 necefjary truths, all that variety ef thought, all 
 that fneffe and brifknefs of fancy, which 
 might render them as delightful as ufiful -, the 
 example of God himfelf in the great work of the 
 creation, would jufify this liberty, who has 
 created as well leaves and flowers, as herbs and 
 fruit : And in the variety and beauty, in the 
 colours and figures of all that he has producd, 
 he appears plainly to have made provifion, not 
 only to feed the appetite, but even the fancies of 
 his creatures. 
 
 ^herc is, after all, I confefs, one thing tlxU 
 /lands in need of an excufe ; which is, the pub- 
 lifhing what fljould come forth a juji treatife, by 
 fmall parts. To this I may truly fay, having 
 laid together all the materials I faw necefjary 
 to compleat this difcourfe, I found it grown 
 unvoidably to that voluminous bulk, that I took 
 this method, partly out of cofnpliarice to the eafe 
 of my reader ; but efpecially in compliance to my 
 own ; for in my prefent circiunjiaiices I faw 710 
 other way to avoid that confujion which would 
 
 inevi' 
 
X To the Reader. 
 
 inevitably have dijordcrd the contexture of a 
 long dijcourfe^ ij Ifimld have charged my me^ 
 mor\' iviib the contrivance and connexion oj Jo 
 many and various parts at once : and I Jore- 
 faw\ thaf- all the Jirength of my mind^ 'which 
 fkould be collecied and united in the treatiiig 
 every fmgle argument^ would be iinprofitably 
 fpe?it in difiraSledj divided^ and imperfeci 
 efforts. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 INTRODUCTION: 
 
 O R, A 
 
 Brief Scheme of the Defgn of the 
 Whole V/ o r k. 
 
 TO inform man what is his true and proper 
 happinefs, and to mark out before him the 
 right way to it, hath been, and ever muft 
 be, the aim of all philofophy, and all religion •, and 
 yet fo numerous have been and are the aifputcs on 
 this fubjecl, and fo feemingly infuperable the dif- 
 ficulties which encounter us in every way, that the 
 <:/^(air of attaining happinefs, at ieaft in this world, 
 feems almoft as univerlal as the defire of it : and as 
 nature will never give over the purluit of it, fo will 
 man never forbear the tragical complaints of his 
 difappointments, and the raving exaggerations of 
 human mifery. That therefore I may attempt at 
 lead to treat this fubject fatisfadorily, 1 will en- 
 deavour, 
 
 Se5i. I. Tofhewyou, that happinefs is not a mere 
 airy and imaginary notion -, but is a real ftate, and 
 really attainable -, and that our difappointments and 
 unfuccefsfulnefs muft be imputed to ourfelves : and 
 this fhall be the work of this prefent volume. 
 
 Se£l. 2. To explain the nature of happinefs, to 
 examine wherein it confifts, and what is the high- 
 way 
 
xii The IntrodiiEiw7i, 
 
 way to it: in which to proceed fuccefsRilly, I thought 
 the plaineft method 1 could cake, would be this, to 
 iix and define the notion of the moil abfolute and 
 compleat happinefs, that lb we might difcern what 
 it behoved us to aim at, and how near we could ap- 
 proach the perfeiflion of happinefs. Now the moft 
 perfect idea of happinefs that the mind of man can 
 frame, is this : Happinefs is the fiate of a perfecl be- 
 ing in the unmix' d^ uninterrupted^ and eternal enjoy- 
 ment of the mofi perfect pleafure : Such I conceive to 
 be the happinefs of God himfelf. 
 
 In this definition there arc three parts, which ma- 
 nifeftly appear to be the ingredients of a divine hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 Firft, Perfection of being. Secondly, Freedom 
 from trouble. Thirdly, Eternal enjoyment of the 
 moft perfe6l pleafure. 
 
 It's therefore now evident, that to difcover the 
 nature of human happinefs, and the way to ir, 1 
 am oblig'd to difcourle, 
 
 1. Of the being of man, a7id itsperfeElion. 
 
 2. Of indolence, or freeS.omfrom pain or trouble, 
 3- Of fruition, or the enjoyment of pleafure. 
 
 Each of which fliall be the fubjed: of a diflinfl vo- 
 lume. And becaufe there may fome queftions arife 
 of a more general nature ; fuch as, Whether every 
 man's particular happinefs ought to be dearer to him 
 than the happinefs of another -, or whatever elfe can 
 be imagined ? Secondly, On fuppofal that an intire 
 happinels cannot be attained i wh;it part then of it 
 ought to be preferred ? and fuch like ; i will there- 
 fore, 
 
 Se5l. 3. Afilgn a particular volume for the dif- 
 cuflion of fuch queftions, and the eftablilhment of 
 fuch inferences as will naturally refult from the 
 former difcourfes. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 O N T E N T S 
 
 OF 
 
 Part the First. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 OF the motives to this enquiry^ and of the chjcclions 
 which may be formed againfi it. 
 
 Chap, I. The importance^ the neccjjity of it. Page i 
 
 Chap. 2. OhjeBions againfi this enquiry, 
 
 I. Happinefs too divine a fiate for man to dfpire after. 
 1 . The iitmofl happinefs of this life., fo trifling and 
 znconftderahle^ that it cannot reconipcnfe our time and 
 travail. 3. There is no need of ftudy or enquiry after 
 happinefs^ nature and ciifiom being the befl guides to 
 it. 4. The great variety there is in the nature cf men^ 
 and confequently in their happinefs., abundantly re- 
 futes all attempts of this nature.,, and demonfirates 
 it impoffible to frame one uniform notion of human 
 happinefs., or prefer ibe any conflant and general rules 
 for the attainment of it. Page 7 
 
 SECT II. 
 
 Of the attainablenefs or poffibility of happinefs in this 
 life. 
 
 Chap. r. The notion of happinefs ftated\ granted im- 
 perfeEl., compared to that of another life; yet in itfelf 
 corfiderable and dcfirable. Page 24 
 
 Chap. 2. The poffibility of attaining happinefs., offer ted. 
 
 \ . Some happier than other s^ and this owing to their vir- 
 tue. 
 
xiv The Contents. 
 
 iue. 2. Good ayid evil in the world. Obj. Evils more 
 than goody anfiver''d, by ajjerting the contrary. From 
 the ['dfrage of the good. 'The make of the ivorld. 
 The nature of man. Scripture. The confejfion of 
 Atheijls and Epicureans. Obj. 2. Evil more effica- 
 cious than good., anfivcrcd. What impreffions evils 
 ot'ght to make on man^ examiy^d. Natural evils flight, 
 unlefsfJoarpened by ourfelves. Moral evils avoidable. 
 V/hat impreffions evils aclually have., examined. 
 M.cn froved naturally furnifocd with inclination and 
 arts that magnify good, and leffen evil. Obj. 3. 
 Good and evil not dependent of man, anfwer'd, by 
 corfidering the nature of wifdcni and folly. A '^scapi- 
 tulation of the argw./ients of this chapter. Page 27 
 
 Chap. 3. God not the caufe of r:'Mri s r.iifery . 
 
 Obj. I. Imputing to God mati's mifery, anfwer'd; and 
 God's goodnefs and holinefs afferied. The tranfition 
 to the objef^ions. The i-niporta-ice of right notions of 
 God. Polytheifm., fupcrflition, and atheifm. The 
 iffue of wrong ones. SeCt. i . Of the goodnefs of God, 
 I. God proved infinitely good. The abfurdity of the 
 contrary. God the criginal of allpcrfetlions. The 
 teftimony of pagans and fcripture. Obj. i. From 
 Gods dealings with the pagans, anfwered. Obj. 2. 
 Other difpenfations vindicated. 2. Of the influence 
 of God's goodnefs on man. Whether God's goodnefs 
 extends to man, concerns not the main objedlion. 
 That it does, is proved. From whence inferred.^ 
 
 1 . That God is not the caufe of man's mifery. This 
 proved by reafon, and authority, human and divine. 
 
 2. That he is forward to afjift man in acquiring hap- 
 pinefs. 3. Divine aff fiance, what it imports : the 
 
 .mariner of it confidered., and freed from contradic- 
 tion. This afffiance further proved infaol, by God's 
 gDvernment of Chrifiians, Jews, and Pagans. The 
 idolatry of the philofophers, examined. Se6t. 2. Of 
 God's holinefs. From whence is inferr'd, what is 
 r.eceffary on our 'fide to intitle us to divine affifiance. 
 
 Page 5 1 
 
The Contents. xv 
 
 Chap. 4. Of the mfaience of fortune on our happinefs. 
 
 '-The independence of our happinefs on fortune already 
 cleared: and ivhy^ further conjidered. Fortune, what, 
 how far its firay extends. Fortune pretended rie~ 
 ceffary to remove the impediments of virtue. Every 
 man the architect of his own fortune. Fondnefs for 
 the world fprings from infidelity and fenfuallity ^ and 
 the folly of both. Competency what, and the uje of 
 it with reference to our happinefs. The tendency of 
 wealth examined^ with reference to the mind., the 
 body, the outward fiat e of man. The admiration 
 of wealth arifes from falfe and gaudy appearances. 
 
 Page 97 
 
 Chap. 5. Of fate. 
 
 The notion of fate flated. Man^ s fondnefs . Fate frojn 
 fpiritual pride and loofenefs. Fate impugned; i. By 
 authority : Various opinions ah cut it., and its caufes. 
 The extent of its empire. The mind exempt. The 
 true difference between the Pythagorean and Stoick 
 fats. Different opinions about the neceffity imply' d 
 in fate. Chriflian fate worfe than pagan. 2. By 
 rcafo'n and revelation. Fate cannot derive itfclf 
 froth tHatter, nor from God; 'tis repugnant to Jenfe 
 and experience. The confcquences of fate. Scripture 
 cleared from countenancing fate. Demonfrrated from 
 the nature of God, his declared will and government. 
 
 Page 1 1 8 
 
 Chap. 6. Of incapacity. 
 
 the plea of incapacity, fuppofes virtue a fufficient foun- 
 dation of happinefs. hicapacity threefold, iictural^ 
 moral, penal. There is no natural inrapanty of 
 happinefs. Grace and nature reconciled. Thefiragth 
 of each examined, and demcnfirated in fafl, with 
 ■reference to cufiom and fajhicn, pain and pleafure. 
 The force cf inclination, examined. 'Dulnefs con- 
 fidered, and a light, thoughtlefs temper. Sed. 2. 
 Of moral incapacity. The corruption of nature and 
 divine affftmce, how far they influence the prefent 
 fuhjefi. 3. Of penal incapacity . Page 150 
 
 Chap, 
 
XVI The C o N T E N 1* s. 
 
 Chap. 7. Religion no enemy to our prefent happinefs. 
 
 Happinefs the fruit of religion^ proved by plain texts ^ 
 and the natural influence cf faith and virtue. The 
 doctrine of the crofs not inconfifient irith happinefs : 
 nor that of mortification. Page 187 
 
 Chap. 8. Of matter offa^i., or experience. 
 
 The fate of the poor. The gay and the filly. The 
 hiify. Princes. The learned whether happy The 
 happinefs of the devout qiiefiioned and demonfirated 
 by inftances. Page 197 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 The caufes and remedies of man's tinfuccefsfulnefs in 
 hispmfuit after happinefs. 
 
 Chap. I . The general caufe of ill fuccefs. Deviation 
 
 from reafon^ the general caufe of man's ill fuccefs. 
 
 The effeiis of which are^ i. The propofal of falfe ends . 
 
 1. Coldnefs inpurfuit of our true end. Page 2 1 1 
 
 Chap. 2. The particular and immediate caufes of ill 
 fuccefs. Three more particidar and immediate caufes 
 cf ill fuccefs ajfign'd. i . The frame and contexture 
 of human nature. 2. Vicious education, o^. Vicious 
 converfation: The natural ejfe^ls of which are^ i. 
 Inconfideratenefs ; 2. Falfe notions -, 3. Ungovernable- 
 nefs and impctency of -will ■■, 4. Jnfincerity \ 5. Levi- 
 ty and inconflancy. The whole exempliffd. Page 216 
 
 Chap. 3. The cure of the former maladies. 
 
 Conformity to rsafon the general cure. This confor- 
 mity iU'f appear in two things : i . In the propofal 
 of right and true ends \ 2. In the purfuit cf them 
 with zeal and confiancy. Inferred from all., how 
 we are to treat the bcdy. What our education ., 
 what our converfation ought to he. Page 231 
 
 A N 
 
An Erqui.y after Happiness. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the motives to this enquirer, and of 
 the objedtions v/hich may be form'd 
 agrainft it. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 T^be importance^ the necejjlty of it. 
 
 t I ^FIE defire of happinefs is the firft, moft 
 i powerful, and moft univer- 
 -*- fal principle of human ad:i- "^^^ mpor- 
 
 ^j . 1 ■ 1 tance of this 
 
 ons : this moves the prince and pea- er.quhy. 
 fant, the learned and the ideot : reve- 
 lation and reaf:)n take this for granted ; all laws, 
 both divine and human, propoiing our happiiiefs 
 as thefole and fufficient motive to ourobedierice. 
 
 But all this while, tho' all forts of religion 
 and government do unanimoufly confent in the 
 propofal of this one general end ; yet fo great is 
 the diveriity (I may fay contrariety) in the me- 
 thods in vs/hich they purine it, that it fccms to 
 imply the difcoverv of happinefs a matter of 
 no lefs uncertainty than importance ; theie be- 
 ing neceflarily as gre?,t a variety in the opinions 
 
 Vol. I. B of 
 
2 A^ 'Enquiry 
 
 of men about It, as in their lives and adlions, or 
 in the forms of religion and government in the 
 world : fince all thefe feem, according to the dif- 
 ferent judgmentsof men, fo manydifferentpaths 
 which lead to it. 
 
 And yet till I have fix'd the notion of hap- 
 pinefs, and found out what it confiils in, 'tis 
 impoffibie 1 ihould live rationally : how fiiall I 
 fleer the courfe of my life aright, when 1 know 
 not what jiort I would make ? how ihall my 
 a(ft'ons tend to any wife or noble purpofe, when 
 I have no mark prehx'd 'em ? till then I mud 
 live extempore, and adl at random, I mufl 
 abandon myfelf to wind and tide, to time and 
 chance. 
 
 ^0 me ciinque rap'it tempejlas^ defer or hofpes. 
 
 HORAT. 
 
 . Toft by a florniy for my retreat I take 
 Whatever Jhore tU imguided bark can make. 
 
 In a word, till I have fix'd this notion, and 
 know what to aim at, buiinefs will be but a me- 
 chanic drudging out of life, and ftudy but a 
 vain amufement of my mind : whereas, when 
 all the inclination of life and foul fhall have 
 one uniform bent and tendency j when every 
 delire of the fuul, and every adion of life, fliall 
 be a ilep advancing in a dired: line towards hap- 
 pinefs J when the vigour and adivity of my 
 mind (hall not be fufpended and fruftrated by 
 inccrtainties and fluvftuation, nor deluded and 
 loft in wandering errors and deviations, but 
 fhall ever carry me ftraight forwards towards 
 my journey's end^ then certainly all my labours 
 
 will 
 
^^^/-•HaPP INE s s. 3 
 
 will thrive and profper, and my progrefs will 
 be great, tho'my motion {liouia be but feeble 
 and flow. Thus plants, whofe native vigour 
 mounts flraigbt upwards, though their bulk be 
 lefs, yet their height and beauty is greater than 
 theirs whofe luxuriant nourifliment v\ aftes itfelf 
 in gouty knots and difordered branches- 
 Having confidered this, I refolved, that I 
 could not fpend my timiC more manly and phi- 
 lofophically, than in an enquiry, what the hap- 
 pinefs of man is, and how attainable : every 
 advance towards this, is an acccflion to my life 
 and being ; and all travail, which doth not lead 
 me on towards this end, is but fo much of life 
 mif-fpent and loft: v,;hat a fillinefs were it to 
 load my miemory Vv'ith terms and words, with 
 numerous inftances of matters of fa6l ; to mar- 
 {ha.\ up in order lines and figures; to talk of 
 unknown feas and diftant ri:iores ; to tumble 
 over each page in nature's fyftem ? what trifiing 
 cunning to fl-iill the gainful myfteries of trade ? 
 what folemn and laborious foppery to penetrate 
 into all the fubtilties of government, and arts of 
 converfatJon ? if after all, I have no receipt for 
 a troubled mind, no cure for diftempered prd- 
 " fions : if I have no principle to fupport my mind 
 under a finking fortune, or govern it in a rifmg 
 one ; if I have notliing to aim me againft my 
 fears, or to difperfe my griefs ; would any one 
 think I had Intnt my time well, or ftocked my- 
 felf with ufcful knovv-ledo-e ? 
 
 But to find out what would make me hap- 
 pier, to find out what weald free my iriind 
 from the ilavcry of unea fy mflionz j V''hat 
 B 2 YvGuld 
 
4 A7t Efiqiiiry 
 
 would make It lerene, fteady, great and man- 
 ly in all the accidents of life : this every man 
 fees at the firft blufh, to be a wife, generous, 
 and ferviceable employment of my reafon. 
 This, 
 
 /Eqite pauperihus prodefl, locupletihus ceque^ 
 JEque negkdlum pueris fenibujque noccbit, 
 
 'This learning rich and poor alike do need. 
 And its negieB do certain ruin breed, 
 To old and young alike. 
 
 This occafion'd St. Auflins Ingenious reflection 
 on the polytheiim of the Romans: when he 
 conlidered that they worfliipped Fclicitas (by 
 which they meant that Deity that could con- 
 fer happinefs upoi) men) he could not but won- 
 der, why this was not the mod ancient of all 
 their gods j or why when this deity was found 
 cut, thc:y did not prefenrly difcard the other idle 
 multitude of fuperfluous and unneceflary gods, 
 fince this alone was fufficient to fupply a'l the 
 necelTities, and gratify all the defires and appe- 
 tites of mankind. 
 
 But though happinefs fhould be a projed:too 
 
 great, too ambitious for a poor 
 
 The neceffity of this fjDy mortal; yct fure the re- 
 
 7'hui{nf$ry.^'''^' (^'-efs of thofe evils which op- 
 
 prcfs our ftate and nature, is 
 
 fuch an humble and modeft defign. as may well 
 
 become the meannefs of men j and therefore if 
 
 I could not excufe the confidence or prefampti- 
 
 on of this enquiry, by pleading the Innate defire 
 
 of 
 
after Happiness. 5 
 
 of happinefs; yet fure I might, by urging the 
 multitude of chofe evils which infefl human life, 
 which 'tis not only irrational, but inipoffible, 
 fo far to yield and fubmit to, as not to ftruggle 
 to free ourfelves from them, or endeavour to 
 lighten their afflidting weight, or (ludy to pre- 
 vent them : this, I confels, was the firft, and 
 none of the leaft prevalent arguments that 
 engaged me : I love myfelf, and would be, if 
 not happy, at lead not miferable; and I am nei- 
 ther infenfiblejnor fearlefs: Iknow the common 
 portion of man; and I cannot fo far flatter my- 
 felf as not to apprehend approaching evils : nor 
 am I naturally fo hard and tough, as not to 
 fhrink and gall under the weight of them : and 
 I fuppole moif men are of the fame nature with 
 me, and as liable, as I am, to all the evils of 
 time and chance ; and confequently this one 
 coniideration of human mifery ought to work 
 very powerfully in us, and effedually oblige us 
 to this ftudy. 
 
 AriJlotle\ definition of man, that he is a ratio- 
 nal creature, is flat and heavy in comparifon to 
 that of Apiikius the witty, though difTolute 
 Platonic. 
 
 * Men, the inhabitants of earth, are en- 
 
 doivd with fpeech and vaunt * Homines ratione 
 
 ^r ,,„^r^ : . , .!• plaudentes, oratione 
 
 of reafon-, immortal are their l^xi^^,,,^ immorta- 
 
 jouh, mortal their limbs, in- libus animis; mori- 
 
 conllantandanxioiistheir minds, bundis membris. le- 
 
 ] ' ,1 J , . , . vibus & anxiis men- 
 
 Druiijb and obnoxious are their tibus, brutis & ob- 
 bodies ; unlike are they in their "^^^''^ corporibus, 
 
 ;•/ • ^f • diffimilibus moribus, 
 
 manners, like^ in their errors-, i,ra\\\h^s erroribus, 
 
 Jiurdy i^ their confidence, and pervicaci audacia, 
 
 B 3 chjii' 
 
6 A?i Enquiry 
 
 pertinnci fpe, caf- obftinate tldr hope-, frultleP 
 
 io Jaborc fortuna ; . ., •'. .^ . .. ^ 
 
 caducu,volucritL-m- tbeir toil^ uncertain tbetr Jor- 
 pore, tarda fapicntia tunc^ fwift their years ^ and 
 
 cita morte, querela n ti : ' r) n j ^i • 
 
 vitutaras incolunc. >^ ^^'''' uufdom, jpeedy their 
 J^-uL de Deo Su;r. death, and their life jidl of 
 
 plaints. 
 . Thus miferable is our ftate, and fhall we 
 now fit down, and only childiflily bewail our- 
 felves.? iliall we fink under the weight of thofe 
 evils, by adding to them one heavier than them 
 2.\\,.dejpair'? Shall we think "the thread of evils 
 isfo clolely and fatally wove into'one piece with 
 the. thread of life, that no wildom, no induflry 
 can prevent them ? That no philo{bphy(howdi- 
 v^ine ibever) can divide or fcparate the one frorn 
 the other, and confequently never think of any 
 other than that one univerfal remedy of Vir- 
 gil , patience ? 
 
 For f una omnis Jiiperanda ferendo ejl : 
 
 f 
 
 Ah ivretched'natiire ! ah too belplefs Jiate ! 
 If nought but J'liff' ring can o'er come our fate 
 
 No, no! let others do what they will, I'll never 
 thus abandon myfelf, I will not tamely and daf- 
 taidly renounce my hopes of happinefs; I'll ftudy 
 and contend for it whllft I have a'beinsr ; what- 
 ever calamities aifault mc, they Iliall find m.e 
 ready arm'd from head to foot, nor (liall they 
 ever gain o'er me an eafy victory j death itfelf, 
 whenever itcomes, fhallfind meftruggling to the 
 jift for life, eternal life and happinefs ; nor can I 
 enteitain fo unworthy a thought of the mofl 
 .peifcd Being, but that he love's this refolutioii- 
 
 where- 
 
after Happiness. 7 
 
 where-ever he meets it, and will be moft ready 
 to affift his creatures in fq juft and rational an 
 endeavour. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Ohjeclions againft this e?2qmry, 
 
 Tpirji, happinefs is too divine a. ftate for man 
 "*- to afpire after. 
 
 Secondly, The utmod happinefs of this life is 
 ^ fo trifling and inconfiderable, that it cannot re- 
 compenfe our time and travail. 
 
 Thirdly, There is no need of ftudy or enquiry 
 after Happinefs; nature and cuftom being the 
 bed guides to it. 
 
 Fourthly, The great variety there is in the na- 
 ture of men, and confequently in their happi- 
 nefs, abundantly refutes all attempts of this na- 
 ture, and demonftrates it impoffible either to 
 frame one uniform notion of human happinefs, 
 or prefcribe any conftant and general rules for 
 the attainment of it. 
 
 But as the Ifraelites, when they marched in 
 arms to take pofTeflion of the promifed land^ 
 were told of the fons of Anak, gigantic ene- 
 mies, and cities walled and fenced up to heaven; 
 fo fhall I, or any man that goes about to poflefs 
 himfelf of fo great a blefling as happinefs, be 
 difcouraged by worldly and fenfual men, with 
 the toil we are to undergo, with the difficulties 
 we are to encounter, and generally with repre- 
 fentations of the folly and rafnnefs of the at- 
 tempt ? thefe muft indeed be contemned and 
 flighted, but it muft be upon rational grounds ; 
 
 B 4 and 
 
8 An Enquiry 
 
 and therefore I muft confider their weight and 
 flrength before I proceed. 
 
 Various is the working of human fancy ; 
 
 they that will pretend to be 
 
 Objea. I. Happi- acute and wife above the vul- 
 
 itf/s loo di'vine a jlaie r- \ • ^ r r r y 
 
 for man to a/phe of- g^^ P^''^ t)f mankind (for luch 
 ter. are always apt to defpife fpecu- 
 
 lation and learning) look up- 
 on happinefs as too divine and glorious a flatefor 
 fo mean a creature as man to cffed: ; it was not 
 the only vain but finful ambition of our firft 
 parents to afpire to the likenefs of God, Te fialh 
 be as gods. Gen. iii. and what can be more truly 
 the prerogative and peculiar poffeffion of God, 
 than happinefs, or what can make us more like 
 God * ? To atfc6l: this therefore were the folly 
 of thofe earth-born creatures in the poet, which 
 facrilegiouily invaded heaven : let us be content 
 with the portion of man, and reft fuisfied with 
 thofe eafy and obvious pleafurcs which beft fuit 
 this imperfed: nature and imperfect ftate. 
 
 1 know not how well fome may pleafe them- 
 felveSuwith this fort of talk j but this is plain to 
 me, thefe men are contradiclious to themfelves, 
 and their phiiofophy to all true reafon ; ior not- 
 withll:anding this affeded debafing of human 
 natuie, the tranfports of thefe voluptuaries are 
 as bold and ambitious as thofe of the hauohtieffc 
 Sfoick ; and 'tis no ftrange thing to hear an Epi- 
 curean boaft of a paiity or equality with his ^u- 
 piter'm the point of happinefs or pleafure. But to 
 
 anfwer 
 
 * Omnis enim per fe divum natura neceffe ef!, 
 Imniortali a?vo fumma cum pace fxuacur, 
 
 Pijvata dolore omni, privaia periclis 
 
 Ipfa fuis pollens opibus. Lucr. 
 
after Happiness. 9 
 
 anfwer the objedion in a word : be the nature of 
 mankind what it will, I do readily confefs, that 
 it were, if not a finful, yet a vain ambition for 
 man to affed: any other happinefs than what is 
 fuitable to his nature ; for it were to purfue what 
 he was not capable of; it were like the folly of 
 Semele in the poet, when fhe might be enter- 
 tain'd hy Jupiter, not only with the paffion of a 
 lover, but the glory and majefty of a God ; and 
 fo being fatally fuccefsful in her wifli, fhe perill- 
 ed in the embraces fhe had fo proudly begged : 
 this therefore we readily grant, happinefs is a 
 ftate of pleafure, and pleafure is the refult of 
 the proportion and agreeablenefs of the objedl 
 to the capacity or appetite; fo that, he that 
 afpires to a ftate of happinefs that infinitely ex- 
 ceeds his nature, foolifhly doats on contradicti- 
 ons, and affeds a happinefs devoid of pleafure : 
 or, which is all one, covets a pleafure which he 
 cannot enjoy. And thus this 'Epicurean objec- 
 tion vanifhes into air and nothine. 
 
 As to that charge of facrilege and impious 
 boldnefs, which is infinuated in the objection 
 againft our ambition for happinefs, when it is 
 remembered that we propofe no happinefs, but 
 what the make and frame of our nature qualifies 
 and capacitates us for, and confequentlythe God 
 of nature defigned for us; it will be eafilv grant- 
 ed, that God does not only allow of, but direift 
 and delight in man's endeavours after happinefs : 
 thofe faculties and capacities with which he has 
 endowed him, being the faired declaration of 
 the divine will in this point. 
 
 There 
 
"lo j4n Enquiry 
 
 There are others of that (lugglQi and bnitlfh 
 
 temper, that being unable to 
 
 Objea. 2. Happi' raife their conception above 
 
 » 7} here too trijnnq r r J • r 1 
 
 to require much toil, i^nfe, or difcover any charm m 
 a rational and philofophical 
 pleafure, theyfeem to defpife that happinefs the 
 wife and religious part of mankiiid profefs to 
 feek after : and to think all the pleafure man 
 can enjoy, fo little, that it is Icarce worth the 
 while to take much pains for it. 
 
 It is true, I am but a man, that is, a little 
 atom in the vaft matter, and my life is but a 
 fhort moment in an cndlefs ftream of time : but 
 then I feel a (Irange kind of comprehenfivenefs 
 in my foul, it ftretcheth forth itfeif to times 
 pad and to come, it enjoys things that are not 
 feen, by faith and hope, and fometimes things 
 that are not at all, by mem ^y and fancy ; and 
 though my life is but a moment, fitisfadion and 
 pleafure hath its degrees j and therefore if I can 
 polTefsit in its height and perfection, I (hall live 
 much, though not long J I (lia'il enjoy eternity 
 in a moment, the world in a little globe. Nor 
 is this a mere fancy and romance j for when I 
 read St. Aufiin, fo fiir inflamed with the love of 
 true philofophy by Cicero^ book ad Ilortenfiwn^ 
 that he prefently abandons all the lufcious plea- 
 fures of his pagan converfation, for the fake of 
 thofe which he {hould afterwards find in a phi- 
 lofoohical life : when I find Cicero in, furely, a 
 holy ravifhment of foul, preferring one day 
 fpe72t, according to the precepts of virtue, be- 
 fore a finfiil immortality ; and the Pfalmift, 
 almofl in the iame words, as well as the fame 
 
 paflion. 
 
ajter 
 
 Happiness. il 
 
 paffion, One day in thy courts is better than a 
 thoufand, Pfal. Ixxxiv. I cannot chufe but think 
 there are irrefiftible charms and beauties in vir- 
 tue, and plealures in true phi] ofophy, as ravifh- 
 ing as they are pure and facred : and who can 
 reftrain himfelf from the glowing defires of, and 
 refolute endeavours after a fliare in them ? 
 When I have read Socrates dying with a gene- 
 rous charity and ferene hopes, and with an un- 
 difturbed mind eafily parting with all here be- 
 low ; when I have read of Simeon waiting for, 
 and expeding death, as weary labourers do the 
 evening (hades, or as hirelings the reward of 
 their work j when I read St. Paul with humble 
 impatience expreffing his devout defire of death 
 and difTolution ; when I have feen fome(as fome 
 I have feen) fitting in calm, and majefty, and 
 triumph, as if they had attended death as the 
 old Romans once did the barbarous Gauls, in 
 their chairs and robes ; when I have feen men 
 die, not only with content, but almofl in an 
 extafy 3 and the foul breathed forth, not in a 
 groan, but an ejaculation ; I mufl; needs fay, I 
 could not chufe but wifh with Balaam^ Num. 
 xxiii. That I might die the death of the righ- 
 teous^ and that my latter end might be like his. 
 Thefe are degrees of happinefs, which I fliould 
 judge it reafonable to purchafe at any rate, 
 whatever there be hereafter ; a fmooth, con- 
 tented, delightful life, fuch as would not only 
 bear, but invite reflections on it; a chearful, 
 lightfome death, able to make the living in love 
 with it. 
 
 But 
 
12 ^n Rnquiry 
 
 But after all, whether this prefent life be all 
 my portion ; whether I die all ot me together 
 with my body, or whether this life be only the 
 time of our probation and preparation for ano- 
 ther, and death be nothing but the rough paf- 
 fage from one fliore to another, or the horizon 
 that parts the hemifphere of darknefs from that 
 of light, is a quelHon I will not now determine j 
 it is fufTicient to propofe it here as a doubt, 
 whereof one fide or other muft be true. If there- 
 fore this life be in order to eternity, it nearly 
 imports me to confider my piefcnt relation to 
 a future ftate; if it be not, then this life, call it 
 what you pleafe, a fpan, a dream, or a bubble, 
 vet is it my all^ and 1 mull: make the moil of it. 
 But, 
 
 Are not nature and cuflcm the bcfl: guides to 
 
 happinefs ? what needs there fo 
 
 Objefi. 3 77Yr^ much porin? to find out that 
 
 ts no need ofjiudy or i • i • n- rt i i •) 
 
 enquiry after happi- which inltind; leads us to t we 
 mj's, nature and cuf- (Jq not fee that the moft learn- 
 
 tom beino the befl j i i \ ^\ „ ,/l 
 
 vuides toll ^^ clerks are always the molt 
 
 happy men ; let fuch demon- 
 flrate the truth of their philofophy by their own 
 fuccefs : and thus they magnify nature, not out 
 of any honour they delign to do it, or the Au- 
 thor of it ; but that they may with greater fecu- 
 rity contemn the one, and deprave the other by 
 fluggifli luxury and unbridled luft. 
 
 I am not eafily tempted to a contempt of na- 
 ture, or of cuftoms; for by the one Khould feem 
 injurious to God, who is the author of nature j 
 and by the other lilioald prove injurious to man- 
 kind, whofe concurrent fenfe and conflant prac- 
 tice 
 
after Happiness. 13 
 
 tice creates a cuftom. Therefore as to the for- 
 mer part of the objedion, were it but once 
 truly determined what were to be underftood by 
 nature^ this objedion would vaniOi. I think, 
 our fouls within us ^nay be juftly luppofcd to 
 conftitute a part of our nature, as we!) as our 
 bodies ; and therefore I cannot be content that 
 the body, much lefs vicious habits, (commonly 
 called indeed a fecond nature) (hould ufurp the 
 name and authority of nature ; nor confequent- 
 ly can I be content to allow the mere (enfual 
 appetites of the body, much lels the di(5lates of 
 vicious habits, for the la.ws of nature. The bo- 
 dy indeed is an eflential part of our nature, but 
 then it mull be remembered, It is not the go- 
 verning part; and therefore its infllnd cannot 
 arrogate to Itfelf the authority of a law. It re- 
 mains therefore, that though the rational foul 
 within us be but a part of our nature, yet be- 
 ing the better part, the ruling part, Its dilates 
 mud have the force of /^'z^'j ; fo that the law of 
 nature will be nothing elle but the commands of 
 right reafon. I (liall be moft ready to grant, 
 that we ought to follow the conduifh of our na- 
 ture, taking it in this {t\^{t^ 
 Bcate vivit qui fecundum earn , ^''S- contra Aca- 
 partem anima vivit^ quam ao- 
 minari in homini fas efi : He indeed lives hnppi^ 
 ly, whojolloivs the couduB of that part to which 
 belongs the undoubted right of Jovereignty and do- 
 minion in ?nan. 
 
 As to the latter part of this objeOion, which 
 fets up cuftom, that it may exclude philofophv : 
 by cufoms is commonly meant thofe principles 
 
 and 
 
J 4 An Enquiry 
 
 and pracftices which are generally received and 
 falhionable in the place we live. I have a juft 
 veneration for whatever is the i^w^o. of mankind ^ 
 but I think their fuffrage is not to be taken by 
 number, but by wei.j;ht : nor are we to follow 
 the opinion or example of the moft, but of the 
 beft: nor indeed is it poffible to underfland what 
 is the fenfe of mankind in this pointy for we 
 have cuftom againft cuftom, nation againfl na- 
 tion, and religion againft religion. 
 
 It ought further to be confidered, that princi- 
 ples taken upon trufl: have feldom an equal in- 
 fluence upon us, with thofe which we take up- 
 on ftri6l examination and mature deliberation ; 
 that men will eafily be tempted to defert thofe, 
 for which they have no better authority than 
 the vote of a multitude : nor can any thing tend 
 more to the difparagement of any perfuafion 
 than this, that it is not the refult of our judg- 
 ment, but our fortune ; or to the dirtionour of 
 any religion than this, that it is magifterially ob- 
 truded by the authority of laws, and terror of 
 force, and will not fubmit itfelf to the trial of 
 fober philofophy ; and fo I take it to be a credit 
 to the chriftian religion, that it did not force af- 
 fent, but gain it by irreliftible arguments ; that 
 is, fo far from (hunning the trial of impartial 
 philofophy, that it did always invite men to a 
 Sober examination of its evidence j and com- 
 manded its difciples. Be ready to give an an- 
 fwer to every man that ajketh you a reafon of 
 the hope that is in you, i Peter iii. 'Tis true 
 indeed, as the cafe now (lands, religion may, 
 nay, muft be recommended by authority of 
 
 law 
 
after Happiness. 15 
 
 law and cuftom, and ingratiated by particular 
 pradlice of it, but akerwards muft grow up and 
 be confirmed by reafon, hlce a tender plaint that 
 is fixed by the iieip of another's hands, but af- 
 terwards it fiands firmefl: upon its own roots : 
 and this method our Saviour himfelf did fome- 
 timds make ufe of, when either the ftupidity 
 of nature, or prejudice of education, rendered 
 thofe to whom he addrefi'ed hi^ dodirine, incap- 
 able of entering into a thorough examination 
 of it ; 'Then if any man 'will do ?ny will, he fiall 
 know of the doBrine whether it be of God. 
 
 Lailly, To truft: to others, who themfclves 
 with hke ralhnefs and creduHty do truft to others 
 in the matter of the higheft moment of life, 
 feems to me inconfiftent with common pru- 
 dence, with the very conftitution of rational na- 
 ture J for what ufe can be fo much fancied of 
 reafon, if I llight its fervice in fo important an 
 affair as this ? 
 
 It is true, temper, fortune, and education, 
 have, de fatio, fo great a (hare in thehappinefs 
 or mifery of fome kind of men efpecially, tliat I, 
 muft not yet difmits this objedion, till 1 have 
 taken a little notice of fuch for whofe defence 
 and fervice it was at firft found out : thefe are, 
 
 Firft^ The ftupid and brutifli part of man- 
 kind : thefe feem to have met with happinefs 
 whilft they feek it not ; their fancies flat, their 
 profpcd" fhort, and their de fires few and eafy ; 
 and confequently if their pleafures be not rais'd, 
 neither are their troubles deep; time and chance 
 happen to 'em^ and they bear the one, and wear 
 
 out 
 
1 6 An Ejjquiry 
 
 out the other without any very melancholy or 
 tender refentments ; ftupidityin them out-does 
 all the habits of philolbphy m others -, and want 
 of fenfe makes them laugh more loudly, live 
 more fecurely, and die more unconcernedly than 
 the acutefl and thoughtfuUeft of men can. 
 
 Were the incapacity of thefe men great 
 
 enough to juftify their contempt of reafon and 
 
 religion, 1 ihould almofi: be tempted to call them 
 
 happy ; but at the fame moment I {hould de- 
 
 fpife their happinefs * ; for I 
 
 * Nop idea tamen jj ^^^^^ . j^ 
 
 quirquam tcliciadix- , , rlJ^ * 
 
 erit, quibus non eft evcrthcir enjoyments be, whofc 
 felicitatis inteiieaus. fouls are toofluggifli and drow- 
 
 Sen. de Vit. beat. ^ ^ n i n n. 
 
 ly to underltana or reriect up- 
 on their happinefs: or, if I muft call this hap- 
 pinefs, 'tis the happinefs of a beafl:, not of a 
 man : with me to live, is fomewhat greater 
 than to feed and reft j and to be happy, muft 
 be much more than to live. The extreme to 
 thefe are, 
 
 ScccrJly, The gay, the gaudy, the modiftj, 
 the unthinking part of mankind : thefe in their 
 own opinion, and truly In the opinion of the 
 world (moft men being either flatterers orenvi- 
 ers of their good luck) may pretend to happi- 
 nefs; and if their pretence be well founded, 
 their way to happinefs is a more ready, plain, 
 and compendious one, than any that ever was, 
 or ever will be difcovered. 
 
 But alas, fhortnefs of fight cannot pafs with 
 me for wit, nor an unthinking confidence for 
 wifdom : I have feen moft of thofe dreams the 
 world can prefent the gayeft fancy with ; and 
 
 upon 
 
after Happiness. 17 
 
 \ipon the utmoft of my trial, I have perhaps 
 found fomething that would divert my fancy, 
 nothing that could fatisfy a rational foul. I will 
 not here examine what is the employment, what 
 the pleafure proper to a rational being ; nor v/ill 
 I now go about to fhew, that that mind can en- 
 joy no fober or lading peace, much lefs pleafure, 
 which is engaged in fuch a method of life as it 
 cannot give a good account of, or rationally juf- 
 tify to itfelf; both which confiderations would 
 be plain refutations of this gay objedlon : 'tis 
 enough in this place to fay, that this fort of life 
 is repugnant to thofe principles which religion 
 reveals, which reafon feems ready to embrace, 
 and which are back'd by all the authority which 
 the unanimous approbation of the wifefl: and bed 
 part of mankind can give 'em. It behoves us 
 therefore not to abandon ourfclves to this kind 
 of life^ till we have narrowly difcufs'd and try'd 
 thefe principles ; for if they fliould prove true, 
 then will this fenfual, carelefs life, betray us to a 
 miferable eternity : and tho' they fhould be falfe, 
 yet till we are upon rational grounds convinc'd 
 that they are fo, we have little reafon to commit 
 our happinefs to {o great a hazard, where the 
 odds are very great againft us, that we are in 
 the wrong;. 
 
 It remains, notwithflanding all thefe objec- 
 tions, that it behoves every man to purfue his 
 happinefs by a rational enquiry after it, neither 
 under-valuing human nature or its happinefs, 
 nor giving up himfelf to the guidance of the 
 brutifh and blind part of him; but ferioufly 
 and thoroughly to examine whatever end be pro- 
 
 Vol, I. C " pos'd 
 
1 8 An Enquiry 
 
 pos'd to him as his happinefs, or whatever me- 
 thod be propos'd to him as the way to it : but 
 when we have blown off thefe not formidable 
 objections agalnfl: this enquiry, but loofe and 
 wanton excufes of the negledt of it, there are 
 others yet that feem by a fairer ihew of reafon 
 to deter us from it by the difficulty and unfuc- 
 cefsfulnefs of the attempt. 
 
 Happinefs (fay they) is like F rot em in the 
 poet, it puts on fo many diffe- 
 
 Objea. 4, j-g^f forms and fliapes, that it 
 
 Ibe great 'variety _ . „. . *^ 
 
 there is in man, and leCmS impolllble tO CirCUm- 
 
 conjequently his hap- fcribe it wlthlu general rules, 
 
 pinefs, explodes thefe ^ r ^'^ J _ 
 
 attempts. °^ ^° repreleut it under any one 
 
 iixt, definite and fingle notion 
 or idea ; and it deferves well to be examin'd, 
 what weight or truth there is in the vulgar no- 
 tion of happinefs, that for a man to be happy, • 
 is nothin;^ eUe but to live accordino; to his fan- 
 cy : and it feems no lefs abfurd to invite every 
 man to the fame heaven, or gratify every hu- 
 mour by the fame kind of happinefs, than to 
 entertain all appetites with one and the fame 
 difh. 
 
 But as in that great variety of complexion, 
 feature, fhape, and motion, and in that great 
 diverfity of capacities and endowments v/hich 
 we behold in men, there is yet one common na- 
 ture wherein they all agree, whereby they are 
 conllituted creatures of the fime fpecies ; juft 
 fuch accidental varieties may the happinefs of 
 man be capable of, and yet the life and being, 
 the foul and fubltance of it, may be one and the 
 fame, and confequently may be comprehended 
 
 under 
 
after Happiness. 19 
 
 binder general rules. And if this anfwer were 
 not fufficient, it would not be abfurd to fay, 
 that happinefs, like beauty, may put on vari- 
 ous dredes, and yet be flill charming and de- 
 lightful in each ; or that this bread, like that of 
 heaven (for fo the Rabbi?is tells us of Manna) 
 has that in it vvhich gratifies every palate; there 
 are fovereign and unallay'd bleilings, fuch as 
 iife^ perfecliony indolence^ d'lc. which take with 
 every appetite, and are univerfally welcom'd 
 to all the fons of men. Or, I may truly fay, 
 that happinefs mud not only be prepared and 
 fitted for man, but man for his happinefs; he 
 mull: become a rational creature ere he can en- 
 joy a rational pleafure : 'tis from this want of 
 preparatioi] that diverfity of opinions concerning 
 happinefs fprings, which is fo univerfal a dif- 
 couragement. For, 
 
 It cannot be denied, but that the opinions of 
 men concerning happinefs have been and are ex- 
 tremely various : all the different fedls of philo- 
 fophy and religion being fo many different paths, 
 which the ditferent apprehenfions of the minds 
 of men have mark'd o-jt to happineis. I have 
 no undervaluing thoughts of the abilities of man- 
 kind, or overweening opinion of my own j I 
 cannot think myfelf clearer lighted, nor can I 
 promifc that I (hall be more fortunate or more 
 induftrious in my fearch, than others : this is my 
 comfort, that my mifcarrying in this attempt is 
 more honourable, than fuccefs in a trifling and 
 impertinent one 
 
 ' — -Magnis tamen excidit au/is, 
 
 C a Nof 
 
20 An Enquiry 
 
 Nor can I think that uncertainty, which this di- 
 verfity of opinions feems to imply, fufficient to 
 deter any wife man's enquiry. No fick man in 
 his wits will renounce the dedres or hopes of a 
 cure, becaufe phyficians differ in their opinions 
 about the method of it : the ftudy of philofophy 
 has never been utterly forfaken, tho' that of one 
 age baffle and overthrow that of another ; and 
 this flands rather upon the weaknefs and obfcu- 
 rity of the former, than its own ftrength or evi- 
 dence. The academics do not feem to have en- 
 tertain'd fo grofs an abfurdity as fome have fan- 
 cy'd, when they taught that wildom coniifted 
 in the fearch of truth, even at the fame time 
 when they believ'd that it could not be fully 
 found out : for where certainty cannot be had, 
 it is not unreafonable to follow the faireft pro- 
 babilities. And if this were rationally praiftifed 
 in any ftudy, certainly much more in that of 
 happinefsj lince the neceffity of this ftudy above 
 any other, doth more indifpenfibly oblige us 
 to it: for all labour and learning that promotes 
 not the great end of happi'nefs is to no pur- 
 pofe, fince we are ne'er the better for't; for to 
 be the better, and to be the happier for't, is all 
 one. 
 
 But there is no reafon why we fliould take up 
 with thefecold and lifelefs anfwers, which will 
 fatisfy none, but thofe who are extremely well 
 inclin'd: we may now boldly fay, the difficulties 
 that former ages met with are of no fort e now 
 to deter us ; we can now free ourfelves from 
 the diftracfling terrors of an invifible Power, 
 without banifliing him cut of that world w.hich 
 
 himfelf 
 
after Happiness. 21 
 
 himfelf created ; we can now prove a judgment 
 to come without the affiftance of poetic dreams, 
 and the exigence of fouls after death, without 
 their pre-exiflence before oar birth : to be (hort, 
 we have row revelation for our rule, and every 
 good man a divine Spirit for his guide j nay, 
 every man, (if he be fincere) in fuch enquiries 
 as thefe. If any of you lack isafdom^ let him 
 afk of God, who gheth to all men liberally^ 
 and upbraideth 7iot -, and it jJmll be given him^ 
 James i. So that now we may very rationally 
 conclude, that fatal ignorance or fatal error in 
 this point muft be imputed either to a lazy and 
 fottiOi contempt of that knowledge we are moft 
 nearly concerned in, and the means conducing 
 to it, or to an obftinate refinance of that convic- 
 tion which God endeavours to beget in us by 
 his word and his Spirit, or at leaft to the want 
 of that juftconfideration v/e ought to allow to 
 rcveal'd truths, or of that neceflary preparation 
 which fits us for divine alliftance, and enables us 
 to underftand the divine will ; and for this rea- 
 fon the diffentions and {liarp contentions of Chrif- 
 tians, ought to be no prejudice to the authority 
 or perfpicuity of revelation, or to the affertion of 
 the Spirit's condud: and affiftance : for, befides 
 that unity of faith is an unity of fundamentals, 
 not of fancies ; it mud be confefs'd, that our 
 fed:s and divifions have their rife and propaga- 
 tion from thefe and fuch like caufes ; nothing 
 being more common than that mens tempers, 
 and complexions, and educations, and interefts, 
 and paffions fhould give a bias to their judg- 
 ments, and a tindlure to their tenets and opinions: 
 
 C 3 it 
 
2 2 -An Enqtdry 
 
 it is eafy to fee, that the errops of fome are the 
 dreams of a drowfy carelefsnefs j of others, the 
 wanderings of a wanton confidence; of others, 
 the crooked windings of defigning intcreft, and 
 foon : for it may with much truth bCfeffirm'd, 
 that all erroneous philofophy in matters neceffary 
 and fundamental, Is the refult of fome unworthy 
 luft and pafiion : but all thefe matters, namely, 
 the ufe of revelation and God's Spirit, the vanity 
 of all objections forni'd againft religion, diflen- 
 fions about it, the difficulties the heathens were 
 to encounter in their enquiries after happinefs, 
 &c. fliall be more fully treated of in their pro- 
 per places. 
 
 Thus, I think, I have in this fedion, Firji^ 
 fufficiently evinced the importance and neceffity- 
 of an enquiry after happinefs, fince 'tis impoffi^ 
 ble to {leer the courfe of life aright, without ^ 
 clear knowledge of that which ought to be the 
 end, the center of all our deiires and endeavours, 
 that is, happinefs: without this, 'tis riot only im- 
 pofiible to be happy, but, what ought ferioufly 
 to be weighed, impcffihle not to be miferable. 
 Secondly, 1 have cleared this undertaking from 
 thofeol:>jcd:ions with which it is generally aiTault- 
 ed. Let us not therefore fo far difparage and 
 undervalue human nature, or diihonour the Au- 
 thor of it, as ever once to fancy that happinefs 
 is too p^reat for us, or we too little for it ; or that 
 
 o 
 
 God Ihould difallow, as a faci-ilegious ambition, 
 the moft rational attempts of a rational creature, 
 I mean thofe of becoming happy ; iince we 
 feek no other happinefs than what the make and 
 frame of nature, and confequently the God of 
 
 nature, 
 
after Happiness. 23 
 
 nature, appears plainly X<:> capacitate us for, and 
 defign us to, thegreatnefs of which nothing can 
 fo well exprefs, as the tranfports and raptures of 
 happy men. 
 
 But let us not think this happinefs fo eafy a 
 purchafe, that it will run into the lap of the 
 fluggilh, or proftitute itfelf to the embrace of 
 fenfelefs brutifli luft. No, no j nothing but in- 
 duftricus reafon, pure and vigorous philofophy, 
 can ever attain it: the ilnsjo-ard or the wanton, 
 the fool and vain, may have fome fits of mirth j 
 only the rational, only the philofopher, can pof- 
 fefs true and lafting happinefs : nor let the end- 
 lefs quarrels, the numerous contentions of vain 
 and proud pretenders, difcourage from follow- 
 ing the condudt of reafon and revelation j thefe 
 are the contentions of luft, not philofophy. 
 Truth and happinefs (as fome have lately fan- 
 cy 'd of love) inhabit a palace, into which none 
 can enter but humble, fincere, and conftant 
 lovers. 
 
 C 4 SECT. 
 
24 ^^^ Enquiry 
 
 SECT. IL 
 
 Of the attainablenefs or poffibility of 
 happinefs in this life. 
 
 ■ I ■ I ■ I K 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 ^he notioJ2 of happinefs Jlated ; granted imperfedi, 
 compared to that of another lifd y^t in itfef 
 confide r able and de fir able. 
 
 HAving removed fuch dlfcouragements as 
 were lefs confiderable, I come now to ex- 
 amine that which attacks my defign with the 
 rudeft violence, and undermines the very foun- 
 dation of it : I mean the impofjibility of obtaiq- 
 ing happinefs in this world. 'Tis true, if our 
 endeavours after happinefs here could fucceed 
 no further than to lecure it to us hereafrer, none 
 could deny them reafonable upon this fole ac- 
 count : yet, becaufe this perfuaiion would blunt 
 the force of one of the moft powerful modves 
 to relieion, which is. That its waxs are ivaxs 
 of pkcifantnefsy and all its paths are peace^ 
 and confequently very much abate our vigi- 
 lance and induflry in purfuit of it; I judge it 
 indifpenfibly necellary to enter into a full dif- 
 cuffion of this point. In managing which, I 
 will, Firjl, AiTert the poffibility of obtaining 
 happinefs, ^y plain, and, as I think, unanfwer- 
 •able arguments; and then, zdJy, I will endeavour 
 
 to 
 
' after Happiness. 25 
 
 to give full latisfa(ftion to all objedllons to the 
 contrary. But, before I do either of thefe, as 
 well for order and inftrudtion fake, as to obvi- 
 ate miftakes, I think 'tis fit I fliould explain my 
 notion of the happinefs 1 propofe : 1 muft there* 
 fore acquaint my reader, that I do not promife 
 him a heaven upon earth ; that 
 I do not promife him the happi- '^^^ happnefs of this 
 
 r r y \ ^ r i l^f^ granted imper' 
 
 nefs or angels, but or men J and y^^/ 
 that I Ao not underhand hap- 
 pinefs in this propofition of that which is every 
 way perfed; and abfolute, to which fancy it- 
 felf can add nothing j but of that which is, like 
 our nature, incompleat and imperfed:, fpeaking 
 comparatively, and yet truly great and excellent 
 jn itfelf too. Seneca doth fomewhere defcribe 
 this happy man much after this manner : " He 
 " is one who defpifes all thofe things which are 
 ** fubjed: to change ; who accounts nothing 
 " good or bad, but virtue and vice ; who is not 
 ^' puffed up '-v profperous events, orcaft down 
 ^* by adverle ones ; one whofe great pleafure is 
 *' to defpife pleafure; one above either defire or 
 " fear, content with the riches v/hich are the 
 " true and proper poffeflion of virtue, and co- 
 ^' veting nothing more : fuch a one, he thinks, 
 ^* cannot chufe but be happy." And I think fo 
 too; and, 1 fear, a great deal happier than any 
 man on earth can ever be. This is a gay dream, 
 but well fuiting that philofophy which requires 
 the tranquillity, and fteadinefs or conftancy, of 
 God to be joined with the frailty of man; acom- 
 pofition of things infinitely more incompatible 
 than th^t of an immortal foul and mortal body 
 
 6 can 
 
26 Aft Rnquiry 
 
 can be fancy'd to be. For my part, I am con- 
 tent to call a building beautiful, tho' there be 
 fomething in it which doth not anfwer the teil 
 of the ftricteft art, or at leaft of the moft accu- 
 rate fancy : I am content to call it day^ tho' 
 flitting clouds and (ho\ver> do now and then a 
 little cbfcurc ih*:^ light ; lb can 1 not chufe but 
 call him righteous, who is fincere, though not 
 perfed: ; whufc life is, generally (peaking, bright 
 and exemplary, though not utterly void of fpots 
 and blerniflies ; vvhofe motion is a progrefs to- 
 wards virtue, though it be fometimes retarded, 
 nay, fometinies interrupted : and fo I am con- 
 tent to think him n happv man, not who is 
 utterly exempt from nil diilarbances in mind 
 or body ; not who lives in corjftant cxtafy ; but 
 him whofe pleafures are more and greater than 
 his troubles, whofe hopes aie more and greater 
 than his fears ; one whofe enjoyments, though 
 they do not tranfport, do fatisfy him \ one whofe 
 ferenity and calm of mind, though it niay fuffer 
 interruptions, fuffbrs but icw ai^d flight ones, 
 I will intreat the reader to admit of this no- 
 tion of happinefs here, till we gradually ad- 
 vance to a clear and full difcovery of it. Nov/, 
 as we are not to lay afide any advice of being 
 virtuous, becaufe we cannot arrive at the height 
 and conflancy of holy angels ; fo neither are 
 we to call off all thoughts of happinefs, becaufe 
 we cannot equal theirs: for if we are happy 
 in fuch a degree as the imperFedion of our na- 
 ture and this inferior ftate will permit ^ if we 
 can free ourfelves from thofe miferies which do 
 involve the foolifn and vicious part of mankind ; 
 
 if 
 
after Happiness. 27 
 
 if we can pofTefs ourfelves of thofe humble and 
 modeft joys that human nature is here capable 
 of, it will be worth all the time 
 
 ' ., r J , The poffikhtjyScc, 
 
 and travail we can Ipend upon ^^.^^J^ 
 the defign ; and, that we may 
 advance thus far, the following confiderations 
 will, I think, render it more than probable. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 The pofiibility of attaining happinefs, 
 aiTerted. 
 
 I . Some happier than others ^ afid this owi?ig to 
 their virtue. 2. Good and evil in the world. 
 Obj. Evils more than goods ^ anfwered, by af- 
 ferting the contrary. From '.he juffrage of the 
 good. The make of the li.orld. ^he nature of 
 man. Scripture. The co?ifJfion of AtheiJIs and 
 Epicureans. Obj . 2 . Evil more eficacious than 
 good^ anfwered. What imprejjions evils ought to 
 tnake on man., examined. Natural evils, fight y 
 u?2lejsfiarpened by ourfelves. Moral evils a-\ oid-^ 
 able. What imprejjions evils aBually have, ex- 
 amined. Man proved naturally furnijhed with 
 ■inclinations and arts that magnify good., and lef 
 fen evil. Obj. 3. Good and evil not dependant 
 of man ^ anfwered., by co7ifderifig the nature of 
 wijdom and folly. A recapitulation of the ar- 
 guments oj this chapter, 
 
 JCflrfy It cannot be denied but that fome men 
 -^ are more happy, or at ieail more miferable, 
 
 than 
 
28 A?i Enquiry 
 
 than others ; who will deny 
 Becaufe fom are 7^//^^ to have been infinitely 
 
 more happy than o- , ^, tit <o ,t-'- 
 
 then. more happy than Nero 4 Titus, 
 
 whofe government of the Ro- 
 man people was not more mild and gentle than 
 the impartial refleftions of his confcience upon 
 himfelf and anions, if we credit Suetonius (in 
 vita Titi) in his relation of his death ? Nero, 
 that guilty wretch, whofe confcience was no 
 lefs a plague to him than he to Rome^ Who pre- 
 fers not the character of Mitio in the comedian, 
 before that of Demea ? (Terent.) Mitio, whofe 
 fmooth and kind, as well as prudent behaviour, 
 rendered him eafy and amiable to his family and 
 relations, and made the fortune of his whole life 
 flow calmly and gently to the end ? Demea^ 
 whofe four, fufpicious and fevere behaviour did 
 exafperate and ruffle the minds of all that relat- 
 ed to hiin, and did diilurb and muddy that 
 ftream of his affairs, which would otherwife 
 have run fmooth and clear ? Who will compare 
 the pleafant retirements, the modell: content- 
 ments, the regular and virtuous enjoyments of 
 Aiticus, with the turbulent popularity of Grac- 
 chus, or the fatal luxuries of Catiline^ or the 
 proud cruelties of Sylla and Marius? What 
 then ? Shall we attribute no (hare of happinefs 
 or mifery to the virtues or vices of the one or the 
 other ? or no part of their virtues or vices to 
 themfelves, but to (I know not what) fatal and 
 irrefiftible caufes? If we alfert the former, with 
 frontlefs confidence we contradict unqueftion- 
 able matters of faft; if the latter, we rob the vir- 
 tuous of that merit which reader'd 'em belov'd 
 
after Happiness: 29 
 
 in their lives, and ever fince has preferv'd their 
 memories facred and honourable; and we acquit 
 thofe from all blame and guilt, which the laws 
 of their own country, and the common fenfe of 
 all mankind have ever condemn'd and detefted. 
 What grofs and monftrous abfurdlties are thefe ? 
 Shall we now, after the improvement of fo 
 many ages, (for we pretend to grow more 
 wife and learned daily) difpute whether vice 
 or virtue be the better guide of human a6tions> 
 or the more ferviceable to human life ? Shall 
 iloth and luxury be thought to conduce as much 
 to the profperity and decency of our lives, as 
 induftry and frugal temperance ? Shall ambiti- 
 on, pride and choler, be now judg'd asinftru- 
 mental to promote and preferve the peace and 
 repofeof our minds and ftates,asmodefly,meek- 
 nefs, and charity ? Or if this be too daring a 
 defiance to fenfe and experienc, (hall we contend 
 that the flothful and luxurious, the unjuft and 
 cruel, are as blamelefs and innocent ; nay, if we 
 extend the principles to their jufl confequence, 
 as commendable and worthy of praife as the in- 
 duflrious and temperate, the meek and gentle, 
 thejuft and charitable? For this muft inevitably 
 follow, if neither mens virtues nor vices be in 
 any degree to be afcribed to themfelves. Wretch- 
 ed and defperate is that fliift that equals the juft 
 and unjuft, the induftrious and fluggard, the 
 great mind that ftands upright under and out- 
 braves misfortune, and the dangerous one which 
 effeminately fhrinks and breaks under it ! 
 Wretched the fhift that equals the tyrant and 
 moft gracious prince, the loyalift fubjedt and 
 
 the 
 
30 An Enquiry 
 
 the traitor, the faithful friend and perfidious 
 flatterer j and all this we mufl: be driven to, or" 
 elfe, as we cannot deny that fome are happier 
 than others, fo we muft not deny that the 
 happinefs of the one, or the mifery of the other, 
 is owing, in fome meafure at leaft, to their vir- 
 tues and vices, and th^fe to themfelves. And if 
 this be true, 'tis evident we may be happy if we 
 will ; and tho' we may not equal the moll hap- 
 py (for I will not exclude temper, education, for- 
 tune, from all (hare in mens mifery or happinefs) 
 yet lince every degree of happinefs is truly va- 
 luable, let us with all our might endeavour to 
 be as happy as we can. 
 
 AVf quia defperes i?2viBi membra Glyconisy 
 ISfodofa corpus noli prohibere Chiragra : 
 
 JS/? qiiiddamprodire teuus- Hor. 
 
 The mighty G\yco'sJIref?gth you cant attain ; 
 Dont therefore j'corn to free your limbs front 
 
 pain 
 Of knotty gout : eafe^ thd not Jlrength to gain y 
 Is no f mall happinefs 
 
 But to purfue our proof : 
 
 2. It is a great abfurdity to confound or e- 
 
 qual virtue and vice ; but 'tis 
 
 Becaufe there is j^ot the grcateft they commit 
 
 pood and evil in the t j , /ruTi. c ^ 
 
 %jorid. who deny the poliibility or at- 
 
 taining happinefs : forhe, who„ 
 banifhes happinefs out of the world, does at 
 the fame time banifh good and evil out of it 
 too: for good being nothing elfe but the fub- 
 ferviency of fome things to our true intereft 
 and pleafure, and evil the tendency of others 
 
 to 
 
after Happiness. 31 
 
 to our trouble and injury ; it muft needs follow, 
 if there be good and evil in the world, that he, 
 who has a greater (hare of good than evil, is a 
 happy man j and he, that denies good and evil, 
 may with asplauiible a confidence deny all hu- 
 man paffions, and ailert that there is neither 
 love nor hatred, neidier joy nor grief, nor hope, 
 nor fear, nor pity, nor envy : for good or evil 
 are the objects or caufes of all theie. I may 
 then, I think, take it for granted, that no man 
 will take the confidence to fay, that there is no 
 fuch thing as good and evil in the world ; and 
 and confequently all men muft be obliged to ac- 
 knowledge fuch a ftate as happinefs in the 
 world too, unlefs they will affirm one of thefe 
 three things -, either firft, that evil grows up 
 every v.'here in thick crops j good, thin, fcat- 
 ter'd, and rarely to be found, efpecially grown 
 up to its maturity ; that, confequently, there 
 are none whofe (hare of evil doth not infinitely 
 outweigh that of good. Or, Secondly, That 
 evil hath fo much of venom and malignity in 
 it, that a little evil contributes more to our 
 mifery, than a great deal of good can to our 
 happinefs ; fo ripe and full-grov^^n is evil ; fo 
 lank, under-grown, and every way imperfect 
 is good in this world. Or, Thirdly, That we 
 ourfelves can contribute nothing to that good 
 or evil which is our portion 5 'tis the product, 
 .not of reafon or indufiry, but of time and 
 chance, or of fome other principle which is 
 not in our power. All thefe deferve to be 
 weighed, not only becaufe the examination of 
 them will tend to chear and encourage the 
 
 minds 
 
32 An Enquiry 
 
 minds of men, and to render the great Creatof 
 and Governor of the world more dear and ve- 
 nerable to US; but alfo, becaiife it will be of 
 fome ufe and fervice to the whole enquiry. 
 
 Firji^ Therefore let us examine what truth 
 
 there is in that fancy which 
 
 1. E'vih not more fuDDofes the Weight and num- 
 
 than poods in the i r ^i m • ..i iJ • 
 
 n.orld:From thefuf- Dcr of the evils in the world m- 
 frageo/thegeod. finitely to excecd that of good 
 things. I know there are a fort 
 of four and murmuring, of proud and ambitious 
 wretches, who deal with their God as with their 
 prince or patron -, and eftimate favours and be- 
 nefits, not according to their merit, but expec- 
 tation, greedy and haughty expectation which 
 even prodigal bounty cannot fatisfy : 'tis the 
 ftrange temper of fome men that they wither 
 and grow lean with difcontent and envy ; event 
 whilft their fludied meals diftrad the wanton 
 appetite, and their very attendants are fleek and 
 full, and fat with the remains of their feaft ; 
 and the meaneft of their relations thrive into 
 pride and iiifolence by the mere fprinklings of 
 their plenty. I know 'tis natural to fome to 
 blafpheme God and the King, to quarrel with 
 and reproach providence and their government ; 
 while loaded with good thiiigs, they ftretch 
 themfelves on filken couches, under roofs of 
 cedar, and loll at eafein their gilt coaches; and 
 yet ai the fame time the honeft countryman, 
 who with fecurity, though much drudgery, 
 
 E loughs and fows, and reaps a few acres, eats 
 is plain meals with chearfulnefs, lleeps with- 
 out 
 
. after Happiness. 3-^ 
 
 wit]}oat diflurbance, blefTes God. and magni- 
 fies the goodnefs of his prince. The content- 
 ment of one is an evident proof of God's bounty 
 and goodnefs ; vvhofe provifion doth far exceed 
 the neceffities of his creatures : the difcontent 
 of the other can be no difparagement to it, fince 
 he has dealt extremely hberally with 'em, tho' 
 they enjoy not what thev pofTefs. We are not 
 therefore to judge of the world by the cla- 
 mours and invedlives of fuch as are always mu- 
 tinous and dilfatisiied, but by the fuffrages of 
 thofe moft humble, modeft, and gratefuf fouls, 
 who know how to value the favours of heaven 
 and themfelves as they ought to do; who do not 
 mar and corrupt every bleffing by peevilhnefs, 
 or envy, or pride, or wantonnefs ; but can weigh 
 their enjoyments, their hopes and their merits, 
 m juft and equal balances ; and difcerning how 
 much the one does exceed the other, chearfullv 
 adore and .praife the world's Author and Gover- 
 nor. If this controverfv were to be determin'd 
 byfuch, we fhould find thefe even under uneafy 
 and tyrannical governments, and in the more 
 barren and nigrrardly countries, confuting this 
 objedion by their chearfulnefs and contentment- 
 what would they have done, if providence had 
 planted 'em there where a fertile foil and thriv- 
 ing trade had unladed the wealth and plenty of 
 the world into their arms, and a mild and 
 gentle government had fecured and guarded 
 their enjoyments ? 
 
 But let us decide the controverfy, not by votes, 
 butreafons; let us confider the 
 ftate and nature of the world ; ,/wf ""'^' "^ 
 Vol. I. D ' is 
 
34- ^« Enquiry 
 
 is there one In a thoufand who is left utterly 
 unfurnifh'd of all means of wife and wholfome 
 infcriidion, which is the good of the foul of 
 man ? or is there one in a thoufand maim'd and 
 defcdive in the powers and faculties of the foul, 
 or fenfes and members of the body? Is there one 
 in a thoufand born under fo unlucky and envi- 
 ous planets, that he cannot by any induftry or 
 virtue provldehimfelf a comfortable fubfiftance? 
 View and furvey the world j examine and con- 
 fider man, and tell me whether there be any 
 room for thofe reproaches, and fplteful refledti- 
 ons, by which fome men have fo outrag'd nature 
 and providence? Philo Judaus (de plantatione 
 Noe) tells us a rabbinical ftory to this purpofe, 
 that when God had created the world, he de- 
 manded of a proohet, whether he faw any thing 
 wanting t . confarnmate and compleat the glo- 
 rious work r Wiio told him nothing but an in- 
 telligent being to praife the wife and gracious 
 archited;. The Hebrew philofophers (it feems) 
 thought tlie world exadly perfed; fuch a work 
 as might befpeak God the Author of it : and no 
 wonder, for they were infplr'd by MofeSy who 
 brings in God refleding upon his own creation, 
 thus : And God faw every thing that be bad 
 madcy and beldold it was very good. How un- 
 like is all this to the Epicurean philofophy, 
 whofe great patron Lucretius endeavours to in- 
 fer, from the ill contrivance, the manifold de- 
 feats, the innumerable evils of the world, that 
 God could not be the creator of it 1 That ever 
 the work by which God deiign'd to exalt his 
 glory, fhould be diavrn into an occafion of dif- 
 
 honouring 
 
after Happiness. ;J5 
 
 honouring and reproaching him ! That ever tha^ 
 wo k which deferv'd the praifes of men and an- 
 gels, (hould at lad ftand in need of apologies 
 and defences ! If we look np to the heavens, 
 fuch is the beauty of thofe bodies, fo uniform 
 and regular their motions, fo exa<5tly are they 
 difpos'd both for ornament andfervice, that the 
 fpeculation naturally exalts the mind, and in- 
 fenfibly raifes it above the body : nay, it has 
 tempted fome to think every ftar mov'd and 
 ad:ed by fome underftanding fpirit. If we look 
 upon the earth, fo wonderful is the variety, fo 
 inconceivable the wealth and plenty of it, that 
 it is not only fufficient for the needs and defires 
 of the fober and temperate, but even for the 
 luxury and wantonnefs of the fanciful and in- 
 temperate : every place almofl: is a paradife ; 
 there is V'.o country almoft which cannot afford 
 us 'Tempc or Campania^ opus gaudentis natU7'{t^ 
 a work which nature feems to have created 
 when in the gayefl: and the kindefl: humour. If 
 there were room for fancy in facred things, one 
 would almoft think that Mofes^ out of ignorance 
 of other countries, or love of his own, had con- 
 iin'd Ede?2 within thofe narrow bounds he fets 
 it 5 and that it had only been loft there, becaufe 
 a fuller difcovery of the world had now found 
 it almoft every where : this is the world we 
 complain of. 
 
 Let us now confider man, and we fhall find 
 with the Pfalmift, That he is 
 
 J r 1] 1 I • / . From the nature of 
 
 ivonderjully made', he is but „^,^_ 
 little lower than the a?igeh ; 
 he Js crcujtied with glory a?2d honour, and all 
 
 D 2 the 
 
36 An Enquiry 
 
 the creatures are put under his feet^ all the 
 fowls of the air J and all the beajh vf the field, 
 Pfal.viii. and cxxix. How infinitely wife, as well 
 as kind, does God appear in his contrivance ? So 
 modeft are his appetites, that a fmall portion of 
 nature's good, is a full meal or feaft ; and yet fo 
 various, that there is nothing in all the provifion, 
 in all the joys and luxuries of nature, which he 
 is not capable of tafting and enjoying. If we 
 regard the mind of man, 'tis capable of a moft 
 furprifing fatisfadlion in the contemplation of the 
 hidden powers, the fecret laws and operations of 
 nature ; nay, it rifes higher, it pailes the bounds 
 of mechanic nature, it entertains itfelf with mo- 
 ral perfedlions, and the fpiritual excellencies of 
 an invifible world, and gazes on thofe charms 
 and glories which are not fubjecl to the bodily 
 eye : vulius nimis lubricos afpici : fuch is the 
 nature of the foul, that when it pleafes it can 
 retire within itfelf, withdraw from fenfe, and 
 be fecure and happy in its own flrength and 
 wealth, ipfafuis pollens op i bus : and when it 
 pleafes it Can walk forth like Dinahs to fee the 
 daughters of the land, thofe beauties that fenfe 
 prefents it witl) ; and that too (if guarded by 
 awful virtue) without the danger of a rape. To 
 fay all of it in a word, 'tis capable of a fhare in 
 all the good, and not iieceflarily fubje<5t to any 
 of the evil of this world. 
 
 'Fatis avclfi vchintas. 
 
 'There are no fates that can confroul 
 The fovereign freedom of the fouL 
 
after Happiness. 37 
 
 If this be a true account of man, and the ftate 
 of the world which he inhabits j if the one be 
 £ird with all things necefTary and delightful, and 
 the other be endowed with all thofe capacities 
 and appetites that fits him to enjoy 'em : nay, if 
 his foul can raife itfelf above the pleafures, and 
 exempt itfelf from the changes and revolutions 
 of it J nothing is m.ore manifeft, than that the 
 evil in life cannot be greater than the good, un- 
 lefs it be owing to ourfelves. 
 
 And to leave this matter beyond difpute, 
 no man pretending to receive 
 revelation, (hould admit of the From/cnputre, 
 contrary opinion : for no texts 
 of divine writ are more plain, than thofe 
 which proclaim to us God's love of mankind ; 
 'That he doth not dfflit'i or grieve wiUhigly the chil- 
 dren of vien: that the book of creation and pro- 
 vidence is writ all over with the legiblecharad;ers 
 of love; fo legible, that it renders the idolatry 
 and wickednefs of the Gentiles inexcufable : and 
 finally, T\\'i.\.he gives us richly cU things to en- 
 joy^ I Tim. vi. where the apoftle excellently ex- 
 preffes at once" the bounty and defign of God : 
 his bounty, in that he gives us all things richly ; 
 his defign, not to enkindle, and then delude our 
 defires, like the tree of life or knowledge^ made 
 only to be forbidden us, but on purpofe to be 
 enjoy'd by us. So then the Chriftian cannot be- 
 lieve the evils to outweijj;h the poods of life, 
 without con tradiding revelation; nor the Atheift 
 or EpicureaUj as (liall appear from what follow s, 
 without contradicting himfelf. 
 
 D c* If 
 
38 An Enquiry 
 
 If nature has contriv'd the world lo ill, if it 
 
 has fcatter'd good things with 
 
 Trom the c9i,fef:on ^^^^j^ ^ fparinp; and envious 
 
 r>f Aiheilh and hpi- . , / o n 1 r 
 
 cunans. hand, whence are all thole 
 
 tranfports and extafies we meet 
 with amongO: thefe men ? What is the ground ? 
 What is the matter of them ? Whence fo rich 
 a crop of worldly fenfual pleafures ? Whence- 
 fo much dotage on, and fondcfs for the world 
 we io much complain of ? Vv' hence are the 
 charms and iiiefiftibie temptations which the 
 generality of mankind is vanquifncd by ? 
 Whence is it that men are fo willing to fet up 
 their reft on this fide Canaan .^ Whence that 
 dread and averfion for death, as the moft for- 
 midable evil ? 
 
 Again, if nature has been fuch a flep- mother 
 to man, if it has frowardly and peevhhly defign- 
 ed him litde elfe but mii'chief : whence that fa- 
 gacity and penetration of mind, fearching with 
 <lelieht into all the redrements of nature? 
 W'hence that comiprehenfive and almoftim.menfe 
 capacity of pleafure ? Whence that ftrength 
 'And greatnefs of foul enabling not only to con- 
 front, but to defplfe evils, and to be happy in 
 dcfpite of them ? Thefe are advantages fo in- 
 comparably great and good, that no evils can be 
 balanced againlf them : and 'ds evident that no 
 writings, no, not of die Stoich thcmfelves, were 
 ever more lluffcd with boafting and daring ac- 
 counts of the nature of man, than thofe of the 
 Epicureans. And thus, from all put together, 
 whether we confult the nature and flate of the 
 world And man, the teflimony of revelation or 
 5 rcafon, 
 
after Happiness. 39 
 
 reafon, the fuffrage of the good-humour'd and 
 grateful part of mankind, or the confeflions of 
 the voluptuous and athelftical, 'tis evident the 
 good does outweigh evil in the defign of God 
 or nature. But have I not myfelf, in the begin- 
 ning of this treatife, acknowledg'd the weight 
 and number of evils great ? Yes, but evils not 
 of God's creation, but our own : for the truth of 
 the whole is, rapixa-cr^i rag av'^^ooTnn; 8 ra 'sypccy- 
 fztxja aXXix -srsfii ruv 'srpccf^txrcov oof^.ocra. Not 
 things themfelves, but the (hades and fantafms, 
 wanton, fuperftitious, effeminate or froward 
 minds do raife about 'em, difturb the quiet and 
 repofe of man. So then, if we ourfelves do not 
 multiply the number of our evils, our fliare of 
 good in life may be much greater than our fliare 
 of evil J and if v/e be not acceffary to our own 
 mifery, we may be happy j unlefs, 
 
 Secondly, 'EvW hath fo much venom and malig- 
 nity in it, that a little evil con- 
 tributes more to our mifery z.1 he efficacy of evil 
 
 .1 ^ J 1 r J , not preater than that 
 
 thanagreatdeal of good canto ,_^|,,^, aww .- 
 ourhappinefs. We may judge 'vih contemptible to 
 oftheforceandener^yofaood '^'' ^^'-tuous Moral 
 
 oy ^o ones a-voiaable. 
 
 and evil, either by that influ- 
 ence they generally have^ or they ought to have 
 upon the ftate of mankind. If we confider 
 what impreffion they ought to make upon men, 
 the queflion will come to a fpeedy and a happy 
 iffue 3 for then we muft either reckon nothing 
 an evil but a moral one, that is, fin and vice ; 
 or at leafl: we muft acknowledge that the venom 
 of other evils is not comparable to that of moral 
 ones. This latter opinion is an unqueftionable 
 D 4 ' truth: 
 
4® An Rnqurry 
 
 truth : for who will not make a wide di fT^^rence 
 between a misfortune and a crime, between an 
 afflidion and a punifhment, between thcfe in- 
 conveniencies, trouble, and pain which we fuf- 
 fer as guihy criminals, and thofe we fuffer as 
 unfortuiiate innocents, or afflided heroes or 
 faints ? For notvvithftanding the evils or pains 
 fliould be, in the matter of 'em, the fame, yet 
 there is a vafl: difference in the fufferingj the one 
 makes man much moremiferable than the other; 
 for our misfortunes only reach the body, not the 
 mind : but when wc fiifFer for our crimes, the 
 whole man fuffers, the foul as well as the body. 
 Misfortunes, when the ftorm is o'erpafs'd, leave 
 no deform'd ruins, no wounds, no fears behind 
 'em i but our crimes leave ilains and guilt be- 
 hind, which haunt the mind with perpetual 
 horror. From this didindion of the nature 
 and effedts of evils, we may infer this com- 
 fortable concluiion, that nothing: can make man 
 wholly^ truly miferable, but himfclf ; nothing 
 can opprefs him by the weight' of moral evils 
 but his own choice j for nothing can compel or 
 neceffitate him to be wicked : the (Irokes, the 
 wounds of natural evils (fo I will call all the reft 
 diflind from moral, and owing their being to 
 the revolutions of time, and chance, and nature) 
 are faint and flight; the mind of man ought -not 
 to fuffer itlelf to be too deeply and fenfibly af^ 
 fe(fted by them. It is the work of reafon and 
 religion to fortify the mind againfr the imprcf- 
 fions of thefe evils : and truly that mind that is 
 furnifli'd with true notions of things, with a 
 rational and folid faith, with fleady and well- 
 
 groundecl 
 
after H a p p in f. s s. 41 
 
 grounded hopes, may bear the impetuous (liock - 
 of all thefe waves and ftorms calm and un- 
 mov'd: nay, I may boldly affirm, not only 
 that virtue checks and controuls thefe evils, 
 blunts their edge, and abates their force ; but, 
 what is more, that their natural ftrength, their 
 own proper force is v^^eak and contemptible, 
 unlefs our own vice be combined and confe- 
 derated with them againft us. Our pride mufl 
 aid our enemy to render his affront provok- 
 ing J our covetoufnefs and ambition mufl 
 aflift fortune, to render its contempt or ha- 
 tred of us dellrudive to the tranquillity of our 
 ftate. Falfhood, under a difguife of friendfhip, 
 could never have abus'd our confidence, by be- - 
 traying our infirmities, or for forfaking us in af- 
 flidion, had not our own folly and felf-conceit 
 firfl betrayed us, expofing us a naked prey to 
 flattery and treachery. The coldnefs or negle(fl of 
 great men could never wound us, the hollow 
 deceitful profeflions <ii thofe above us, could ne- " 
 ver fool or fret i>s, did not the fondnefs of our 
 own dcfires Ltiray us firft into vain prefumpti- 
 on, and a fiattenng credulity. The fiorm that 
 fnatcheih av/ay a relation or a friend, could ne- 
 ver overthrow me, if I ftood upon my own bot- 
 tom, if 1 were not guilty of one of the greateft 
 weaknefies, of placing my happincfs in any 
 thing out of my own power, and fo making my- 
 felf dependant upon another mean's fancy or for- 
 tune. Finally, Death itftlf muft derive its ter-^ 
 ♦ors from the mournful folemnities v/e drefs it 
 in, from the darknefs and horrors of cur deluded 
 imaginations 3 or elfe it would prove but a con^ 
 
 temptible 
 
42 An Enquiry 
 
 temptible bugbear, a very inconliderable evil, or 
 none at all. Thus 'tis evident, that if we diftin- 
 guifh evils into natural and moral, we (hall have 
 little reafon to think the influence of evil fo ma^ 
 iignant and deadly, fince 'tis in our own power 
 to avoid moral evils; and natural ones ilrike but 
 halfway ; they wound not the foul that is arm- 
 ed and guarded with reafon and religion. 
 
 But now, if, with the Stoicks.'w^ fhould admit 
 of no other fort of evil, but what is moral ; if 
 we (hould allow the name of good to nothing 
 but virtue, or of evil to nothing but vice ; then 
 we muft look upon temporal and external mis- 
 fortunes, as inconveniencies and difadvantages 
 only ; they may make us lefs happy, but they 
 cannot make us miferable. And truly, if we 
 ihould here fuppofe, or take for granted, that 
 there were another Hfe, or that the pleafures of 
 virtue triumphing over calamities and afflictions, 
 were confiderably great; this opinion cannot im- 
 ply fo great an abfurdity as fome would faften 
 upon it, or be a mere Aoyo^a;^^/^, or idle conten- 
 tion of words, fince I cannot tell with what 
 confonancy to truth, or propriety of fpeech, wc 
 can call thofe troubles or hardships evils^ which 
 diredly tend to procure for us an infinite good, 
 or a pleafure which doth abundantly outweigh 
 our fufferings. 
 
 1 think, 'tis now fufficiently evident, that na- 
 tural evils are not of that migh- 
 iFLat itKpreff.ons ty cfficacy and deadly veno- 
 
 e'vih do in fact make i- ^i .•^/v ijia* 
 
 upon men. "^"^"^ quality, that It (hould ht 
 
 thought that a little evil doth 
 
 njort effectually contribute to mifery, than a 
 
 great 
 
after Happiness. 43 
 
 great deal of good can to our happinefs : 'tis ap- 
 parent how flight the impreffions are, which 
 they ought to make upon us. It will now be 
 time to conlidcr, what impredions they do ge- 
 nerally make upon us, what tlieir real efred: 
 commonly is, how men are generally moved and 
 a£fed:ed by them. 'Tis true ; there are fome 
 who mix heaven and earth upon every flight 
 cccafion ; that will receivegood, but no evil at 
 the hand of God j moft inlenfible of bleffings, 
 but extremely tender and fenfible of any evil : 
 but this fpeaks not the nature of evil, but of man; 
 it fpeaks him ungrateful, but not the evil intole- 
 rable. Nor is human nature to be meafur'd by 
 this wining querulous humour of a few, but by 
 the fenfe and temper of the generality : amongft 
 whom 'tis eafy to obferve, how inf^incfl: teaches 
 us to elude the flroke and force of evil : nature 
 opens its arms, and enlarges itfelf to receive 
 good, and all the powers of the mind greedily 
 ftrive to fhare in it : but it contrads and flirinks, 
 retires and flands upon its defence at the ap- 
 proach of evil : 'tis apt to flatter itfelf, and apt 
 to hope, apt to lelfen evil and magnify good, 
 apt to put off the thoughts of approaching trou- 
 ble and to anticipate its pleafures : 'tis full of 
 great defigns and gaudy projeds, and eafily 
 prone to delight and content itfelf with thin, 
 airy, and imaginary fchemes of good : this, and 
 much more is evident in a thoufand daily inflan- 
 ces of human life; by which 'tis plain, nature in 
 the contrivance of man kindly defign'd to fit and 
 difpofe him for happinefs, by giving him fuch in- 
 clinations as might ferve to ieflen the evil, to in- 
 
 creafe 
 
44 -^n Enquiry 
 
 creafe the good, to fupply the defed of this mor- 
 tal and imperfecftftate. Is it not manifcfl:, that 
 whereas evil looks lefs to us, good looks bigger 
 at a diftance; we are willing to help fortune, and 
 call in the aids of fancy, to adorn and enrich 
 her gifts. Nor is it eafy to defeat man of this 
 humour : he dreams of a bottomlefs abyfs in 
 every good, in every pleafu re; and, notwithftand- 
 ing the daily confutations of experience, he ftill 
 defires to repeat his enjoyments over again, as if 
 he did ftill hope to findfome nevvuntailed fvveet, 
 fome pleafure undifcovered, untried before. 
 How apt are we to flatter ourfelves, and willing 
 to be flatter'd! every man reprefents himfelf and 
 ftate under the faireft idea that he can poflibly 
 frame of it, and turns away his eye and thought 
 from every thing that may offend him j beau- 
 ty, ftrcngth, health, underflanding, wifdom, 
 reputation, attendants, power, wealth, and 
 whatever future good he can form, tho' but 
 a (lender prctenfion to, make up the gay idea ; 
 nay, and even long life and undifturb'd lecurity, 
 are there drawn as two pillars to fupport the 
 buildino:, the darin? but kind confidence of man, 
 that makes himfelfthemafter of fate and fortune! 
 If you (liould mark this tablet with never fo pry- 
 ing and curious an eye, you wouki not be able 
 to difcover either deformity or folly, or disho- 
 nour, or poverty, or difeafe, or death: for thefe, 
 man, kind to himfelf, baniihes far from his 
 thoughts, and fuffers not to enter into the pour- 
 traiture of himfelf. And hence it is, that moft 
 men never dilturb life with the apprehenfion 
 of its end, and never feel death till they are 
 
 dying j 
 
after Happiness. 45 
 
 dying ; kind inftind: (hewing us an ea(ier way 
 to leilen this evil, than the reafon of mod phi- 
 lofophers ever could, making our fuffering ex- 
 tremely (hortj and even then too, almoft in the- 
 midft of death, men fondly dream of, and hope 
 for life, and can fcarcely fuffer their hope to 
 expire in the laft gafp : nay, fo willing to be 
 deluded, fo eafy to be impos'd upon are men, 
 that they make even thofe things which are the 
 trophies of death and the monuments of man's 
 frailty and vanity, minifter to them fome flight 
 comforts at leaft againft mortality ; they divert 
 and entertain themfelves with the mournins: 
 and pomp of their obfequies, with blacks and 
 tombs, with the dying echo's of furviving re- 
 putation, and with the grandeur and felicity of 
 their pofterify ; as if they did fondly perfuade 
 themfelves that they (houid be concerned in all 
 thefe things, that fomething beyond the grave 
 did relate to them, and that they did not ut- 
 terly perifli and die. And if this kind as well 
 as obftinate hope do in fome meafure break the 
 force of the greatell: evil, that is death, we can- 
 not but exped that it fhould be highly fervice- 
 able to man inm.oving him to defpife, or enabling 
 him to vanquiOi lefs evils : hence 'tis that no ex- 
 amples of the inconftancy or change of fortune, 
 of the incertainty of royal or popular favour, no 
 inllances of flighted fervice, deluded hope, fud- 
 den death, or any thing of this kind, are fuffici- 
 ent to difcourage the attempts, the purfuits ol 
 mankind after worldly things. Vv^e boldly ad- 
 venture upon thofe feas which we fee fcattered 
 over with numerous wrecks, and confidently pur- 
 
 iue 
 
46 An Enquiry 
 
 fue thofe paths, where we every moment meet 
 with the ominous rains of difappointed hope, 
 and fruitlefs drudgery, and baffled prefumption. 
 Thus it is J I determin'd not that thus it ought 
 to he, I examin'd not what is here the office of 
 philofophy, or the work of virtue; I have barely 
 reprefented the humour and incUnation of man, 
 only that you may fee that he is not fuch a de- 
 fencelefs, (hiftlefs creature, but that his reafon 
 dares confront, and can vanquifl"j evils in open 
 battle and by downright force, and his inftincft 
 elude them by various, and thofcj (if well-con- 
 dudted) ufeful and innocent arts. It doth there- 
 fore appear, that as the number of evils is not 
 greater than that of goods> fo neither is the vi- 
 gour and energy of the one fo much greater 
 than that of the other, that a little evil Ihoald 
 outweidi a e:reat deal of "ood ; that a little evil 
 (hould contribute more to a man's mifery, than 
 a great deal of good to his happinefs. There 
 remains nothing further to be examined, 
 but, 
 
 TZ'/n/Zy, That fancy which afcribcs man's 
 
 3. Mans good cr P^^^^^^" ^^^S^^^^^^ ^"^ ^^'^^ ^? ^^"^^ 
 
 ruiiaeiends upon him- or chauce, ^^ c. not man s vir- 
 /eif, from the nature fue or indutlrv, to anv thing 
 of^^i/Jon. and Jolly. ^^^ ^^ himfcif : and he ihat can 
 
 with confidence affirm this, may with as good 
 grace affert, that there is neither wifdom nor 
 folly in the world ; for, if there be, this imagi- 
 nation muft foon vanifh, lince wifdom is no- 
 thing elfe but the choice of true good, and re- 
 jedion of evil, the purfuit of our true happinefs, 
 by all the moil rational aud probable iiieans, 
 
 and 
 
after Happiness. 47 
 
 and a declining and flying from all thofe things 
 that are repugnant to it. And tho' fuccefs and 
 good fortune do not always attend wifdom and 
 virtue, yet you (hall never perfuade any but 
 mad men or fools, that 'tis in vain to be vir- 
 tuous, or irrational to be wife. Solomon has in- 
 deed obferved as an inftance or proof of the vani- 
 ty of all things. Thai the race is not to the jwift^ 
 ?ior the battle to the Jlrong, ?ieiiher yet bread to 
 the ivife^ nor riches to men of tinderjtanding, nor 
 yet favour to men ofJktlU Ecclef. ix. I exempt 
 not the wife from fubjedion to time and 
 chance, which is all that Solomon complains of 
 here : but notwithflanding, I muft ever think 
 with him, That wifdom excels folly as much as 
 light doth darknefs^ Ecclef ii. Not only becaufe 
 chearful, delightful to itfelf, but alfo becaufe 
 'tis the happiefl guide of human life, blefl gene- 
 rally with fuccefs, as well as rich in intrinlick 
 good, and in fome meafure felf-fufficient : nor 
 does our Englijh proverb, Fools have the For- 
 tune^ imply any more, than that the profperity 
 of fools is to be imputed to their fortune, that 
 of wife men to their merit : that fuccefs does 
 commonly wait upon virtue and wifdonij and 
 nothing but an extraordinary chance can turn it 
 upon the fool or finner ; tho' all this while I un- 
 derftand fuccefs in things neceffary, not fuper- 
 fiuous ; for I cannot fee, how it can be any dif- 
 paragement to providence to turn that plenty 
 another way, which would not, like foft dillili- 
 ing rains and dew, cheridi, refrefh, and increafe 
 the tender plants, wifdom and virtue; but, like 
 a flood, wafli away the earth from their roots, 
 
 and 
 
48 A 72 Enquiry 
 
 and either utterly extirpate them, or leave them 
 oppreft and buried in rubbilh. Yi this were 
 not true, if the experience as well as rcafon of 
 mankind did not confirm it, men would not 
 ferve apprenticelhips to trades, men would not 
 ftrive with toil or hazard to make their point ; 
 but lazily and fecurely ftay till fortune rain in 
 golden (howers into their laps. 
 
 By a recapitulation of all that has been hither- 
 to dilcourled, it may eafily appear how far I 
 have advanced in the oroof of that aflertion I 
 undertook to make good, namely, that happi- 
 nefs may be attained in this world. I have 
 fliew'd, thai fome are happier than others, or at 
 leaft lefs milerable ; and that this difference of 
 condition or ftate, is to be imputed to the virtues 
 of fome, and the vices of others. I have prov'd, 
 that the world abounds with good things, and 
 there is no appetite nor capacity of man, that 
 may not find objeds proper and agreeable, and 
 fuch as in a great meafu re may delight and fatisfy; 
 and that man is endow'd with fuch a variety of 
 faculties and fenfes, that there is fcarce any thing 
 in all the variety of beings the world contains, 
 which he is not capable of enjoying. From 
 whence it clearly follows, that man may be hap- 
 py in the enjoyment of thefe good things, un- 
 lefs the evil of life four and embitter the good, 
 or the attainment of the good be out of th(i 
 power of man. To remove all fufpicion of both 
 which, 1 difcours'd fomething, tho' briefly, of 
 the nature of evil, and the nature of man, evin- 
 cing plainly the impotence and feeblenefs of the 
 one, and the ftrength and preparations of the 
 
 •Other : 
 
after Happiness. 49 
 
 ot'her : and, for the clofe of all, I have endea- 
 vour'd to make it manifefi, that good and evil 
 are not fo much the lefLilt of time or chance, 
 6>V. as the neceflary confequence of wifdom and 
 folly. From all which the conclufion that na- 
 turally anfes, is thisj that if a man be miferable, 
 'tis his own fault ; or, which is all one, a man 
 may be happy if he will, which was the thing 
 to be prov'd. 
 
 Let' us now make a clofe application of all 
 that has been laid, to the wants ^ . , 
 
 , ,-v- . r I • 1 -^ recapitulatory 
 
 and neccliities or mankind ; comlu/ion. 
 what the evidence, what the 
 conviction, what the real ule and force of this 
 difcourfe is. 1 am unhappy, I am miferable ; 
 whoe'er thou art that fay ell fo, thou muft needs 
 mean one of thefe two things. Thou dofi en- 
 joy no good, or art oppreft with evil : if the 
 latter, I demand what evil ? Speak out, fpeak 
 plainly. There are three forts of evils ; the 
 evils of the mind, the evils of the body, the evils 
 of fortune. Which of thefe art thou opprefc by ? 
 The evils of the mJnd.^ Thefe are either finful 
 paffions, or, what is the effeCl of them, guilty 
 tears : nothing can compel tnee to be wicked ; 
 ceafe to be wicked, and thou wilt ceafe to fear. 
 The evils of the body ? They are generally the 
 efi-ed: of unruly paffions and a difoiderly life ; 
 and where they are not, the pleafures of the 
 mind will outweigh the pains of the body. 
 The evils of fortune ? 'Tis in my power whe- 
 ther thefe fliall be really evils, or no : they befal 
 thy poffeffions, not thee: the foolifh and vicious 
 mind only fuffers in thefe 5 the wife and virtu- 
 VoL.l. E . CU'^ 
 
50 An Rnquiry 
 
 ous one is much above them : 'tis therefore thy 
 own fault, if thou be oppreft with evil. But, 
 wilt thou fay the former ? I enjoy no good, no 
 fatisfadiory good. Why, is there no good to 
 be enjoy 'd ? I have already proved the con- 
 trary J and, if I had not, how eafy were it here 
 to do it ? There's truth to entertain thv under- 
 {landing, moral perfedions to delight thy will, 
 variety of objeds to treat thy fenfes, the excel- 
 lencies of the vifible and invifible world to be 
 enjoy 'd by thee : Why th^n doft thou defer to 
 hve } Why doft thou not begin to enjoy ? Here 
 'tis evident that thou mud: be forced to fay one 
 of thefe two things ; either that thou art not ca- 
 pable of enjoying the bleffings, or that they are 
 out of thy reach, out of thy power : To fay, 
 thou art not capable of 'em, is to renounce the 
 faculties of thy foul, and the fenfes of thy bo- 
 dy : to fay they are out of thy reach, is in effed: 
 to fay, that virtue and vice, wifdom and folly are 
 all one; or, which is every jot as abfurd, that 
 thou art wicked and fottilh, and canfl: not help 
 it. And this is that indeed which in effecft all 
 do fay, that accufe fortune, or fate, or nature, 
 or any thing but themfelves, as the caufes of 
 their mifery ; and yet, as abfard as this is, it 
 muft now be examined; becaufethe minds of 
 men are perverted and difcouraged by fuch no- 
 tions. I v^'ill therefore now proceed to the next 
 thing, that is, to anfwcr the objedtions againfl 
 the attainment of happinefs. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
after Happiness. 51 
 
 CHAP. IIL 
 
 God not the caufe of man's mifery. 
 
 Objed:. I. Imputing to God mans mifery^ an- 
 fweredj and Gods goodnefs ami holinej's aiferted. 
 The tranJitio7i to the objeBions, The irnportance 
 of the right notions of God. Polytheifm, ju- 
 ferjlition and at he if m. The ijfue of wrong 
 ones. Se6l. I. OJ the goodnejs oj God. i.God 
 proved infinitely good. The abfurdity of the 
 'co72trary. God the original of all perfeBions. 
 The tejlimony of pagans and jcripture. Obje(ft. 
 1. From God's dealifigs with the paga?is, 
 anfvvered. Objedt. 2. Other dijpenfatiom 
 vin dicated . 2 . Of the injluence of God's good- 
 nefs on man. Whether God's goodnefs extended 
 to man^ concerns not the main ohjeSlion. That 
 it dieSy is proved ; from whence inferrd. i . 
 That God is not the caufe of maris mifery. This 
 proved by reafon and authority^ human and 
 divine. 2. That he is f 07' ward to ajfijl man in 
 acquiring happinefs. 3. Divine affijla?2ce, 
 what it imports. The manner of it confidered 
 and freed frofn contradiBions. Tiois ajf fiance 
 farther proved infaB^ by Gods government of 
 ChriftianSy fcws, and Pagans. The idolatry 
 of the phiiofophers, examined. Se<ft. II. Of 
 God's hoUnefs. From whence is inferr^^^ what 
 is necefjary on our fide to intitle us to divine 
 aflillance. 
 
 E 2 Would 
 
5" 2 An Enquiry 
 
 WOuld men talk coherently, the aiTertlon 
 of my former chapter would meet but 
 few oppofers ; none can be rationally allow'd to 
 deny thepollibilityof happlnefsjbut fuchas affert 
 fate ; for he that leaves to man his liberty, leaves 
 him in a capacity of happinefs j it being hardly 
 poflible to conceive, that man fliould be free in 
 his choice of good or evil, and yet nccclTarily or 
 unavoidably miferable : befides,few of thofe who 
 are fond of fate, are willing to extend its empire 
 over the liberty of man's mind : it being as eafy 
 to confute their fancy, if they did, by fome in- 
 ftance of a free choice, as it was by moving or 
 walking to confute his, who denied motion. 
 
 If it be in the next place confidered, that 
 none can rationally maintain fate, but fuch as 
 deny a God, lince the belief of a God does na- 
 turally include his creation and government of 
 the world ; and this again naturally infers, ei- 
 ther vice or virtue, rewards or punidiments : 
 but on the other hand, the denial of a God, and 
 the admitting no principle of all things but mat- 
 ter, does not only introduce a fatal connection 
 and depende/iCe of events ox\ their caufes, but al- 
 fo renders every notion of the mind of man as 
 necelfary and determinate, as that of iire, wind, 
 or water. All this put together amounts to 
 thus much, that none (liall exclude happinefs, 
 but fuch as exclude C^od and liberty out of 
 the world j and fince very ^tvi^ I hope, are 
 guilty of this, I ought to have very few anta- 
 goniils. But when I am to anfwer the objec- 
 tions, I am not to conlider fo mut;h what men 
 
 fhould 
 
after Happiness. 53 
 
 Ihould fay, as what they do j nor muft I chalk 
 out my own path, but follow men in that they 
 take, tho' it be far enough from being the near- 
 eft way. Since therefore men are wont to im- 
 pute their mifery one while to God, and another 
 while to chance, now to fate, and anon to in- 
 capacity, I muft examine what truth or juftice 
 there is in thefe complaints. 
 
 In this chapter therefore I (liall not only vin- 
 dicate God from all afperiions and calumnies, 
 but alfo fully aflert the love of God to mankind; 
 whereby I lliall not only baffle all the poor pre- 
 tences of fuch as charge God directly or oblique- 
 ly with their mifery ; but alio more ftrongly 
 eftablifli my own pofition, by demonftrating 
 God's readinefs to contribute all affiftance that 
 is neceftary to our attainment of bappinefs. In 
 profecuting this, I (hall, 
 
 Firjl^ Evince the importance of entertaining 
 right notions of God. 
 
 Secondly, Becaufe of all God's attributes, his 
 goodnefs and holinefs have the moft dire(5t 
 influence on the prefent queftion, I fball parti- 
 cularly confine myfelf to thefe two. To begin 
 with the firji. If v^hat Epic- 
 tetus faid with refpea: to ^'^f'"' "'''""' 'f 
 
 , , , , ^ ^ , (joa, of great impof' 
 
 many gods had been ipoke tame. 
 with refped to one, nothing 
 
 had ever been faid with more exa(ft truth, or 
 a better pois'd judgment. The firft and chief 
 
 thing in religion is to have ra- _ . , , , , 
 
 tional and true notions of God, \<^^i °j« -^o xv^i^^Taio* 
 
 It being otherwile impoliible 4£,?wjp^«;t£v?;)^e,v. 
 
 that religion (hould ferve the ^p'^^" ^nchir. cr.37. 
 
 E 3 great 
 
^4 -^^ Knquiry 
 
 great intereft of God's glory and man's happl- 
 nefs; for falfe and unworthv notions of him miiil: 
 needs bereave God of the honour and worlliip 
 due to him from his creatures, by alienating the 
 minds of men, and betraying them into fuperfti- 
 tion, idolatry or athcifm : and thus that religion, 
 which wasdefigned to glorify God, by the ma- 
 nifciraiion and acknowledgment of his divine 
 excellenci.^b and perfe(ftions, and to advance 
 man into a fra^e ot bleO'ednefs, by intluencing 
 his life, and fiiiing hi.-> mmd with fecurity and 
 chcirfiiincfs, thall be pcrveittd to ends dire6l- 
 1} connary, and pro^'e mftrumental to dilho- 
 nour God- and render n"jan m lerable. The 
 truth of rhis h-^i been too evident in thofe 
 vifiblc fff(r«.-t- of ignorance, or mifreprefenta- 
 tion (>f tiie divine nature an^onglT: tl:ie Genttles; 
 the wan'' of conceiv ng arig ir his omnipotence 
 and immenfiry, ^c. joined with the numerous 
 neceflities of mankind, did bring fortii, or at 
 ledlconfi m polythcifm ; grc^undlefs a iprehen- 
 fl oiiS of crueltv in God broueht forth, fuperfti- 
 " tion, and the abfurdities of polytheifm and iu- 
 perftition gave being to atheifm ; and at this 
 day there are many mifchiefs. which I mull: im- 
 pute either to falfe notions of God, or want of 
 juft confideration of the true oies, or at leafi, 
 to not ar 'uing clearly and tru'y. hoai 'em. For 
 from one of thefe reafons it pr':cseds, that the 
 woriliip of f)me men are fo flight, empty and 
 triliing ; the reigion of others fo melancholy 
 and uncotn^ortable, and truly fuperftitious : 
 and [ am afraid, there is t :o much of atheifti- 
 cal loofenefs, fenfual, carnal prefumption and 
 
 v/retchlefa 
 
after Happiness. 55 
 
 vvretchlefs defpair, and many other evils ow- 
 ing to the fame caule. Had men worthy no- 
 tions of God, how were it poffible they (hould 
 ever fancy that God would accept the fincerity 
 and devotion of a communicant fitting, but not 
 kneehng ? after fupper, but not in the morning ? 
 that the whitenefs of the garment would pol- 
 lute and unhallow the fpiritual facrifice of prayer 
 and praifes ? and fuch like. Would not a right 
 notion of God eafily convince fuch a weak and 
 fcrupulous trifler, that God was not to be 
 pleafed, but by fincere and fubfiantial holinefs 
 and righteoufnefs j nor to be difpleafed, but by 
 voluntary wickednefs ? all things elfe weighing 
 nothing in the balance of the fan(5taary, and 
 not defervinj the notice or re2:ard of the Go- 
 vernor of the world : and tho' fuch a one fhould 
 fuppofe his fcruples warranted by divine com- 
 mand ; and confequently becaufe the fovereign- 
 ty of God renders all his commandments indif- 
 putably authoritative and binding, he (hould 
 therefore think himfelf as indifpenfibly oblig'd 
 to rejed: thefe things, as to fhun a fin ; yet even 
 here a ri^ht underftandin": of the divine nature 
 would foon inilru6l him how to diflinguifli the 
 divine commands, and teach him that thofe 
 which did enjoin holinefs and righteoufnefs, 
 were the (landing and fundamental laws of the 
 divine government ; that thofe, which did en- 
 join duties fubfervient to that end, were of an 
 inferior nature, and did bind in proportion to 
 their nece(fity and tendency ; that fuch, as did 
 enjoin or forbid things of a more remote and 
 diftant nature, circumftantial, ritual, ^c. were 
 
 E 4 merely 
 
c6 An Enquiry 
 
 merely pofitive and arbitrary, temporary and 
 mutable ; and the interpofing neceiTuy of fu- 
 periqr duties is at any time fufficient to fupei- 
 fede their obligation. To proceed to other ef- 
 feOs of mif-conceptions of the divine nature ; 
 how were it polTible that any one, who rightly 
 underflood the unfpeakable goodnefs of God, 
 ihould, after he had done all he could, be tor- 
 mented with doubtful fears and jcaloufies con- 
 cerning his ftate, nay, fometimes with a melan- 
 choly dread of God, as If he were a hard mafter, 
 and impofiible to be pleas'd ? or how could 
 fuch a perfuaiion as this, that one were damn'd 
 from eternity, and that neither prayers, nor 
 tears, nor induftry, could ever reverfe the fatal 
 fentence, find any entertainment in that man 
 who was polTefled with a true fenfe and firm 
 belief of the boundlefs love which God has for 
 all his rational creatures. 
 
 ■ It is evident therefo;e, of what importance 
 'tis to propagate and fettle in the minds of men 
 a right underflanding of the divine nature j and 
 of all the^attributcs of God, there are none that 
 have a more immediate and powerful influence, 
 titifrer upon the condud of man's life, or the 
 comfort of his mi'id, than thefe two, his holi- 
 iDcfs and goodnefs : thefe make us willing and 
 defirous to believe that there is a God ; thefe 
 make us loye him and depend upon him, as one 
 from whom we may rationaly expert all that is 
 
 , „ > , . good ; He that comes to God 
 -ri Jx« xaxi? hxai»i. (faith St. Paiil) niujl believe 
 
 *"' ' that he is, and that he is a re^ 
 
 warder of all thoje that diligently feck him. 
 
 Thefe 
 
after Happiness. 57 
 
 Thefe words do not only aiTert the being of a 
 God, but alfo his holiners and gcodnefs; both 
 which may be clearly inferr'd from three propo- 
 fitlons couch'd in thofe words of the apoftle, 
 that he is a re'warder of them that diligently feck 
 him. Firfl, That all men may feck God dili- 
 gently if they will. Secondly, That it is the de- 
 fire of God that they (hould do fo. And, Third- 
 ly, That God will reward all that do fo. On 
 thefe principles is religion founded, on thefe prin- 
 ciples the honour of God, and the happinefs of 
 man muft be eftabiiftied. I will therefore dif- 
 courfe here, firft, of the goodnefs ; and fecond- 
 ly, of the holinefs of God ; which I diftinguifh 
 from one another only for method's fake. 
 
 Treating of the goodnefs of God, 1 will, 
 
 Firft^ Prove it by undeniable arguments. 
 
 Secondly^ I will fhew that it extends itfelf to 
 man. 
 
 ^hirdiy^ I will explain the nature of divine 
 affiftance, I mean, that which God vouchfafes 
 man in order to happinefs. 
 
 Fiffi therefore to begin with the proofs of 
 God's infinite goodnefs. 
 
 Cruelty was the property of the Gentile gods, 
 and not of the true God ; hu- 
 man blood, in which the Ca- ^^f ^^^ ^o"^"'/^ »/■ 
 naanites , Carthagtjiia77s , and 
 others facrificed, was an oblation fit for Baal, 
 Moloch^ &;c. that is, for devils, not for God : 
 innate wrath and cruelty is inconfiftent with a 
 happy nature or happy ftate ; for thefe are fu- 
 rious and tormenting pafilons ; nor can we 
 itnagine that fuch a being fhould make its refi- 
 
 dence 
 
5 8 A7i Ejjquiry 
 
 dence in heaven, a place of peace and love, or 
 be delighted with hallelujah's and adorations of 
 angels : this were no pleafure, no mufick to a 
 beingj in whom wrath and cruelty were pre- 
 dominant. Nor were thofe good, thofe holy, 
 thofe charitable fpirits fit attendants, fit mini- 
 flers for fuch a being. No, could we fuppofe 
 (as fome hereticks once fancied) that there were 
 two firfl principles, a good, and bad one j could 
 we fuppofe, there were an evil God, one Iq 
 whom cruelty and wrath were his beloved at- 
 tributes J we muft necedarily conclude, that he 
 would make hell his court, that his guards and 
 courtiers would be fiends and furies, and that 
 the flirieks and torments of wretched creatures 
 would be the pleafure, the harmony he delight- 
 ed in: this were a God fit for a HobbiJI ; one 
 who can difcern no difference between virtue 
 and vice, between good and evil, between love 
 or charity, and deviliflmefs. And yet I cannot 
 in charity but retract and condemn this thought : 
 for oh ! no other God is fit for him, but he 
 whom he dcnieth ! no other God is fit for fuch 
 a wretch but the God of love and mercy! to 
 whom 1 recommend him, and proceed. 
 
 All who believe a God, muft believe him a 
 moft perfcd being ; for whence elfe fhould the 
 fcatter'd perfections of his creatures have begin- 
 ning ? But if any man Vv^ill fay, that there is no 
 differencebetweenperfcdionsandimperfe(5tions, 
 I would know why doth he reverence wifdom 
 more than folly ? or why he dotes on beauty ra- 
 ther than deformity ? or, if he tell me, that he 
 acknowledges adifiindion between natural, but 
 
 none 
 
after Happiness. 59 
 
 none between moral perfections or imperfedions ; 
 not to urge, that the virtues of the ilUI are as 
 truly natural as thofe of the utiderftanding, the 
 capacities ot, and aptitudes to each, being born 
 with us, tho' not the habits ; and the one being 
 as agreeable to the nature, and confonant to the 
 inrereft of man as the other j I will aik him, 
 why he does not love the frovvard and peevidi, 
 as well as the fweet and gentle ? the cruel and 
 implacable, as well as the kind and charitable? 
 the proud and wilful, as well as the humble and 
 modeft ? and whatever anfwer he gives me, 
 will abundantly ferve to refute his fancy. If 
 then there be natural and moral perfedions, and 
 God be the moft perfed: being, we muft needs 
 afcribe to him thofe properties which we look 
 upon as perfections in his rational creatures, and 
 that fuch in degrees as exempt him from all im- 
 perfedion : if therefore goodnefs, charity, cle- 
 mency, be univerfally acknov/ledged for per- 
 fedions, we muff necelTarily fuppofe them in 
 God in the moft perfed: degree. Nor let any 
 one think it abfiird that ihe fame fliould be the 
 virtues of God and man, of a h>iite and infinite 
 being ; for we fuppofe them in God in a man- 
 nf^r iuitable to his nijajefty, and in man in a 
 manner fuifable to his meannefs ; and unlefs we 
 acknowledge this there cannot poilibly be any 
 fettled and certain reafon for our love, or hope, 
 or dependence, the great parts of the divine wor- 
 flTip. That Therefore God is good and merciful, 
 a Ipver of man, v^as ever the conftant and una- 
 nimous fenfe of the wife and good part of man- 
 kind : poets indeed and painters, degenerous, 
 
 daf.. 
 
6o An Enquiry 
 
 daftardly, cruel and vicious men, did reprefent 
 the Deity under hideous fhapes, and in fuch co- 
 lours as their guilty fears or vices furnifh'd 'em 
 with : but philofophers, as 
 'A»9Si.»vu»?4;» t;;» tcd Plutarch obferves, were al- 
 <-iT.,T<^ ^ /u£y<tX84'5'^crvfls ways wont to reprelent him 
 ^i^ifd^^^firfi^mnT'^' mofl: amiable and lovely ; al- 
 ways tempering his majefty 
 with love and goodnefs ; his power and juftice 
 with tendernefs, mercy and compaffion. Hence 
 \l was, that they were wont to attribute all 
 thofe things which were extremely ufeful and 
 beneficial, to God as the Author of them j as 
 government, laws, arts, and fciences : they look'd 
 upon their gods as the guides and guardians of 
 men, and afcribe to them whatever they at- 
 chiev'd bravely and happily in life. But on the 
 other hand, frowardnefs, wrath and cruelty did 
 ever feem fo ugly and deteftable to wife and 
 vicious men, that they not only defpis'd, but 
 abhorr'd as well the wickednefs as folly of fu- 
 perftition, which reprefented God, or rather 
 dilhonour'd him, under fuch characters. And 
 
 oij=5.e^.e-<i.^?.p- ^h^s "^^^°" ^^^^^^ ^?^^y' ""'^l'^^' 
 
 TO ti/u,£V£t, 5 Tj/pivvixov reprefented that being which 
 ^3 *..5«,uov,rov, y^Toi- was kind and benign, as terri- 
 ^.j5,iyp.ov5H.£jEj. ^|g ^^j dreadful; which was 
 
 gracious and fatherly, as tyrannical; which was 
 friendly and careful of us, as injurious and hurt- 
 ful ; which was mild and gende, as fierce and 
 fava^e ; gave fuch a diftafte and difgufl: to all 
 ingenuous tempers, that they thought atheifm a 
 much more excufable impiety than fuperftition. 
 I^ence is that of Plutarch (fo generally prais'd 
 
 by 
 
after Happiness. 61: 
 
 by all writers ;) I had rather 'e-/»v 5v Sv £01^0.^* 
 men ihould lay ol me, there y^rvsTf ei i,«s ^.iSrc 5/eye- 
 neither was, nor is luch a one ^.v^. m^ra/xcv ^ Vey^rr, 
 as Plutarch, than that they ^ nK«T«,,j^:^ j^v «,- 
 fhould fay, that he was a man ^oKc?,^xH^^j^?°i_ o^yh,- 
 otanck.le,unconltant,jroward, y.o^, ^rK^xvitc;. ibid. 
 revengeful and implacable temper. Let us not 
 therefore entertain fuch an idea of God, as hu- 
 man nature would recoil from, and flart back 
 pale and fcar'd at the fight : let us not faften 
 thofe charaders upon God, which a good tem- 
 pered man, if charg'd with them, would look 
 upon as the foulefl reproaches and moft inju- 
 rious accufations ; efpecially fince a dcfedt is 
 not only more confpicuous, but more reproach- 
 ful, where there fliould be nothing but perfec- 
 tion: and peevifhnefs and cruelty are infinitely 
 more mifchievous in an Almighty, than im- 
 potent being. I might fhun Poly cr ate s, Dio- 
 nyfMS, Periander ; but how (hall I fliun God ? 
 I might leave Samcs, Sicily, or Qorintk, and 
 where clemency and jufiice made their abode, 
 I might make mine ; but v*'hether (hall I go, 
 what place (liall be my refuge, if the gover- 
 nor of the world were but an almighty ty- 
 rant ? thus it is manifefl, fuch kind of repre- 
 fentations of God tend not to enamour man 
 of God, but to alienate and efi:ran?e him : 
 they tend not to advance religion, but fuper- 
 ftition i they tend to make men dread God, 
 but not to love him : they are therefore to be 
 banifli'd out of the world, and God is to be 
 reprefented fuch as our dear Lord, who lay in 
 the bofom of his Father, has revealed him, a 
 
 God 
 
ixiith 
 
 62 ^n Efiquiry 
 
 God of hope ^ a God of love, a God, idIjo is a 
 reivarder of them that diligently feek him. 
 This is the di(5tate of nature ; this is the dic- 
 tate of the Spirit, God is love. Let it not be 
 thought an abfurd or barren tautology, tho' I 
 fhould recite this one text a thoufand times 
 oftener than I do : for no tongue can exprefs 
 the divine nature fo much to the life, as he who 
 was infpired by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of 
 love. 
 
 Nor let God's dealing with the gentile world 
 before the revelation of Chriftia- 
 
 Gcdj dca!:>,g ^^ be alleda'd as an obieaion 
 
 'h the Fagam ' • r\ r r i^ ■> 
 
 dicatcd. again It the goodnefs of God, 
 
 and his tendernefs and compaf- 
 fion f )r mankind : 'tis true, God in times paft 
 fuffered all nations to walk in their own ways ; 
 and the times of this ig?iorance he winked at, 
 Adls xiv. and xvii. He publidi'd no reveal'd law 
 to the Gentiles from heaven ; he deputed no 
 prophets to 'em, as to his people the jews, with 
 a commifiion to redore by figns and miracles, 
 that natural religion, conformably to Vv'hich 
 they were to worihip God ; which is the im- 
 port of thofe places of St. Paul : and yet 'tis 
 true that the belief of the living and true God, 
 and the natural law of good and evil, was 
 flrangely effaced and obliterated amongft the 
 Gentiles. But notwithftanding all this, it muft 
 be remembered too, i . 'That God left not him^ 
 felf without a witnefs in any age of Gentilifm ; 
 the heathen were never deilitute of fo much 
 light, as might haveconduded 'em to God, and 
 that happinefs he deiign'd 'em : for, beiides the 
 
 traditions 
 
after Happiness. 63 
 
 traditions tranfmitted from Noah to pofterity, 
 the book of nature and providence was ever 
 open to 'em, and this did in moft legible cha- 
 rad:ers afTert the being of one fupreme God, and 
 inftiuCt 'em in the knowledge of his power and 
 goodnefs. Thus St. Paul-, Neverthelefs he 
 left not himfelf without a witnefs, in that he 
 did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and 
 fruitful feafons, filling our hearts with food 
 and gladnefs. Ads xiv. Nor Sunt autem alii phiio- 
 was this teftimony fo unfuc- %^^''. ^ ^i quidem 
 
 rr ^ \ ^ \ • n maeni atque nobiles, 
 
 Cefsful, but that in all ages q.rDe.rum mente 
 
 there were fome excellent atque ratione omnem 
 
 men, who did afcribe the ori- "^"ndumadminiftrari 
 
 ' &: regi cenleant; ne- 
 
 ginal and government of the queveroidfoluni,fed 
 world to God, and gave fuch f^'^"^ ^^ iifdcm vitx 
 
 r \ • \ \- r 1 hoininum confuh & 
 
 an account or nis nohneis and provideri: nam&fru- 
 
 goodnefs as was fufficient to ges&reliquaquaeter- 
 
 have founded a rational and [!,P'?ilt3vr 
 
 tes, ac temporum va- 
 eXCellentWOrillip upon: ihefe rictacis.cceliquemuta- 
 
 were fo many lights ^<\x\m<i '^°''"' q^ib^^s omnia 
 
 2, \ \ r qu.-e terra gignat, ma- 
 
 m dark places, as lo many turata pubefcat a diis 
 
 iuftifications of divine provi- immortalibus tribui 
 "j 1 i_ r ' eeneri humano pu- 
 
 dence,and reproaches ot mans fa„,. ckA. x.dena- 
 
 wilful ftupidity. tura Deorum. 
 
 2. 'Tis not ifi the lead to be doubted, but 
 that the nature of their duty, and confequently 
 the condition of their happinefs, was propor- 
 tion'd and confined to thofe manifeftations 
 which God made 'em, to thofe obligations which 
 he laid before 'em, and to that ftrength and afli(- 
 tance which he vouchfafed 'em : for God is not 
 a hard mafter, he will not make good the accu- 
 iluion of the wicked fervant ; be will not take 
 
 up 
 
64 An Enquiry. 
 
 up what he laid not downy nor reap what he 
 did not fow, Luke xix. In a word, if God do 
 at the lafl: day deal with men according to thofe 
 feveral oeconomies of his providence which 
 they were under ; and if he has afforded all na- 
 tions means proportionable to thofe duties he 
 required of them, and to thofe degrees of hap- 
 pinefs to which he defign'd them : then he was 
 always the God of the Ge?itili's as well as once 
 of the yews, or now of the Chriflians j and 
 there is no one part of the whole feries of provi- 
 dence, which can give us any colour to call in- 
 to queftion the care or goodnefs of God towards 
 mankind. This, I think, is enough to remove 
 this objedtion as it lay in my way: if my deiign 
 did not haften me on, and I did not judge this 
 fatisfadory, I could eafily make appear God's 
 goodnefs to the Gentiles^ by prefenting the 
 reader with a fcheme of the religion of the Py^ 
 thagoreansy Platonics, and Stoics j by examin- 
 ing the difterence of the idolatry of the wife 
 and virtuous part of the Gentile world, and 
 that of the fcttifli and vicious part of it j by 
 confiderinp- the affiftance that God vouchfafed 
 'em, and tjivinp- an account whence it came 
 to pafs, that the v/orfhip of one true God by 
 holinefs and virtue, was fo far flifled and op- 
 prefs'd in the Ge?itile v/orld: but I have faid 
 enoueh to vindicate the goodnefs of God : and 
 the ftate of Gentiles and infidels does not fo 
 nearly concern mv prefent enquiry, as to deferve 
 fo exa<ft a difcuffion. 
 
 The 
 
after Happiness. 65 
 
 The barrennefs of fome countries,- thefervi- 
 tude and poverty of fome peo- 
 pie, is a much flightcr objedi- ^^Zj:^!^' 
 on ; for till it can appear, that 
 poverty is an enemy to virtue, or that wealth, 
 which is the inftrument to luxury, and the nurfe 
 of floth and wantonnefs, is abfolutely neceffary 
 to man's happinefs ; it will weigh but very little 
 againfl io many demonftrations of divine love, 
 that he has not heaped upon all nations fo many 
 temporal bleffings as might put them into a ca- 
 pacity of being lazy, wanton, and infolent. 
 
 Now give me leave to make a ftand, and, 
 like a traveller when he has gained an afcent, 
 look back upon the way I have gone, and fee 
 how much of my journey I have difpatched. 
 My undertaking was, to demonftrate the love 
 of God to mankind ; thus far I have advanced 
 towards this with undeniable evidence. I have 
 proved, that peeviflinefs, malignity^ and cruel- 
 ty cannot belong to God, becaufe this were in- 
 confiftent with the perfedion of his nature, or 
 the happinefs of his ftate : nor can it rationally 
 be fuppofed, that the fame properties fhould 
 belong to tliofe evil fpiritSj which for a long 
 time deluded the world, and that God, whcp 
 has done io much to deftroy that kingdom of 
 darknefs, to refcue man, and to reftore him to a 
 capacity of happinefs and glory. How could it 
 be, that God fliould have done fo much, as it 
 appears he has in the contexture of our nature, 
 and the contrivance of our flatc, to make us 
 in love with goodnefs, and irreconcileable ene- 
 mies to tyranny, cruelty, arbitrary revenge, ^c. 
 -. ■ Vot, L ' F . if 
 
66 An Enquiry 
 
 H he hlmfelf were paffionate, furious and arbi- 
 trary in his cruelties ? Nay, I have advanced 
 further, and have prov'd, Secondly^ that bound- 
 lefs love and goodnefs are the unqueftionable 
 attributes of God : for the very fame argu- 
 ments which exclude all manner of imperfec- 
 tions and evil from the Deity, do neceffarily af- 
 fert to it all manner of perfection and good : 
 nor doth the unconceiveable majefty and emi- 
 nence of the divine nature only, but alfo the in- 
 digence and weaknefs of human nature, require 
 this ; fince without it he could not be the objecfl 
 of our love, or dependence, and confequently 
 our worfhip. 
 
 Having proceeded thus far, and proved, that 
 tyranny and cruelty are utterly repugnant to 
 the divine nature, and boundlefs love and good- 
 nefs the efTential and infeparable properties of 
 it J I can fcarce think It neceflary to prove that 
 the emanations of this his goodnefs do extend 
 even to man : for tho' ihQ Epicureans acknow- 
 ledging Gcd p-rrfed:, did at the fame time allow 
 him no other employment than the enjoyment 
 of his own perfections ^ and though Ariftotle 
 confined the providence of God, and confe-^ 
 quently the irradiation of his goodnefs, with- 
 \i\ heaven ; and tho*, laftly, before the creation 
 of the world, we are uncapable of conceiving 
 any fubjeds about which divine love could ex- 
 ercife itfelf, and confequently can conceive of 
 it no otherwife than confined within himfelf: 
 all which feems to conclude thus much, that the 
 Deity may be infinitely good, and yet this good- 
 nefs not extend itfelf to man : all this concerns 
 
 not 
 
after Happiness. 67 
 
 not our prefent queftion: for tho' man fliould 
 not be the objed of divine goodnefs, yet if God 
 be ii. finitely good, this will be enough to free 
 man from unreafonable and fuperftitious fear 
 of him, and to acquit God from the Icaft fuf- 
 picion of being the caufe of human mileryj 
 which is the utmoH: I was obliged to make good 
 in purfuance of the defign of this chapter. Be- 
 fides, they who accufc God of their mifery^ do 
 not fuppofe him unconcerned about all things 
 but himlelf, as Epicurus -y nor bound and li- 
 mit his providence within theinclofures of hea- 
 ven ; but do plainly fupp.;fe al! tlie atfairs of 
 mankind to depend upon the fir If contrivance of 
 God in the creation, or upon the over-ruling 
 influences of his proviLJence in his prefent go- 
 vernment of the world. 
 
 However, I am not willing to quit one inch 
 of the ground I have got ; and therefore, 
 
 Secondly^ I mud now take notice, that the 
 goodnefs of God extends to man, 
 
 11 -1 J i 7 he goodnefs cfGod 
 
 and hasa particular regard to ,,J^, ,/J,. 
 his happinefs. The world be- 
 ing now created, and mankind formed after 
 God's image (r^ yao yiv<^ 'ia-fJLiv, We are his 
 offsprings faith St. Faul out of the poet) un- 
 acftive and unconcern 'd love feems to me a con- 
 tradidion, and infinite boundlefs goodnefs, con- 
 fined within heaven, cannot but feem as grofs 
 an one : let it therefore remain an unfliaken 
 truth, that God is good, and that his goodnefs 
 doth exert and exprefs itfelf towards mankind -, 
 and we (hall from hence gain thefe two points. 
 
 F 2 I. That 
 
68 An Enquiry 
 
 1. That God is not the caufe of man's mlfe- 
 ry : and, what is more yet, 
 
 2. That he is moft ready and willing to fur- 
 ther and allifl: him in all his endeavours after 
 happinefs. 
 
 The firfl of thefe is apparent : for if God be 
 infinitely good, then every thing that came 
 out of his hands, muft in the flate of his crea- 
 tion have been exceeding good ; the end of 
 the creation muft have been fomething ex- 
 tremely kind and gracious j and the law he 
 prefcribed his creatures for the attainment of 
 that end, muft be as good as wife : this muft 
 have been the gracious Hate of things when God 
 contrived this wonderful frame of nature, when 
 he erected this vail work, the world ; and in all 
 the continued progrefsof divine providence, we 
 are to expecl no other ads of government than 
 what may become the moft glorious prince, 
 the moft tender father : for the fame immenfe 
 goodnefs that once created, doth ever continue 
 to rule the world. Ler us not therefore accufe 
 God, but ourfelves, if we be not happy. Blef- 
 lings indeed and mercies, like warm fun and 
 fruitful feafons,defcend upon us without our im- 
 portunity or merit; but evils ami mifchiefs come 
 not till our fins and provocations have pulPd 'em 
 4down upon us. Solon indeed in Hercdotus Xt\h 
 Cf'^jtiS, TO ©sTo'j ^o:^7;oou ic, rocon^uticg, ih.i': the 
 Deity was envious and froward, and dev' hted 
 to magnify itfelf in the difturbance of the . ;tled 
 
 happinefs 
 
after Happiness. 69 
 
 happlnefs and calm of poor men : but alas ! 'tis 
 our fondiiefs or our pride, our peeviOinefs or our 
 wantonnefs, which raifes in us tbefe unworthy 
 thoughts of God J he may indeed, like a kind 
 parent, train up a fon, through a ftrid: dircipline, 
 to virtue and glory; he may throw difficulties 
 mto our way on purpcfe to reward our con- 
 queft J he may, like a wife phyfician, reflore 
 us to our health by bitter potions, and will, like 
 an excellent governor, punifli, if need be, our 
 vyanton contempt of love and mercy, by feve- 
 rity and chaRifements; but he will never, like 
 a favage tyrant, delight in the fuffeiings or 
 rum of innocent or humble fahicOs ; he will 
 never prefcribe impoffible laws, 'that he may 
 enjoy the pleafure of bloody executions ; he 
 will never make the groans of wretched people 
 his mufick; nor think mifery and death the 
 belt marks of his abfolute power, or faireft or- 
 naments of his throne : no, we Oiall never need 
 anv other proof to clear the divine Majefty 
 from any fuch imputation, than to examine cur- 
 lelves, and refled upon our own behaviour; 
 we fhall !oon find that we alone are ouilty of 
 our ruin, and that God is utterly freelfrorn it j 
 our exceffive enjoyments create the difeafes of 
 tne body, and our exceffive paffions the painc - 
 and torments of the mind, and moil of the 
 changes in our fortune derive themfelves fron-^ 
 both : a langni&ing body, and a ]an<?ui{li^ 
 jng reputation, a broken eflate, and a dejefted 
 niind, are the common efteds of a difor- 
 deny and debauch'd life ; and iligh a life h 
 the natural eifca of a mind enilaved to the 
 ^ 3 body. 
 
o An E 
 
 nquiry 
 
 body, and eflranged from God, not only by a 
 negledl, but by a contempt and defiance of all 
 thole means by which a good God defigned 
 to bring him througl"! virtue to glory ; and then 
 at laft a g'nlty confcience, a diftrad:ed mind, 
 and a moft melancholy, miferable death, is 
 the confequence and end of all. This is the 
 progrefs which our voluntary fin and folly 
 makes j we cannot think that a good God can 
 diredl or necefTitate us to thefe courfes ; they 
 are as repu2;nant to his laws, as to our own 
 intereft : and the fame time we forfeit our hap- 
 pinefs, we difappoint his love and goodnefs : 
 all the ways and methods of God are kind 
 and >racious, and wife, and rational : inani- 
 mate bodies do not defert thofe offices he has 
 prefcribed them : animals move regularly by 
 thofe iiiftinds he has implanted in them, and 
 fo both he one and the other do neceflarily 
 ferve thofe excellent ends for which they were 
 created. But man having no neceffity, but li- 
 berty wove into the conftitution of his nature, 
 and having no compulfory, but only direding 
 law picfcribed' him, has perverted his own 
 ways, abus'd his liberty, and made that his 
 ruin, which, if well ufed, had inhanc'd his me- 
 rit and reward. This is the account which the 
 fcripture gives us of man's mifery ; it imputes 
 it wholly tohimfelf, and reprefents his obftina- 
 cy as ungrateful and difpleafing to God^ as 'tis 
 fatal to himfelf: O Ifrael, thou hafi dejiroyed 
 thyfelj\ Hof xiii. As I live, I delight not 
 in the death of a fmner ; turn ye^ turn ye, 
 why 'will ye diet Ezek,xxx\ '^ Jerufalem, Je- 
 
 rufaiem, 
 
after Happiness. 7J 
 
 rufalem, thou that killcjl the prophets andjionejl 
 them ivhich are fent vjito thee : how often would 
 I have gathered thy childre?i together ^ even as 
 a hen gathers her chickens under her wings ^ and 
 ye would ?iot'i Matth. xxii. Nor is this ac- 
 count of things which the fcripture gives us, 
 any other than that which was generally em- 
 braced by the heathens, this being not the fenfe 
 of any particular prepoffsflions or private opi- 
 nion inftili'd by cuftom or education, but of 
 natural reafon, and fairly and eafily deduced 
 from thofe notions of divine goodnefs which 
 were univerfally entertained by all judicious and 
 underflanding heathens : and how fcandalous 'jl 
 thing were it, if that comfortable and heavenly 
 truth, which the darknefs and idolatry of the 
 fuperftitious could not extinguifli in the pagan 
 world, (hould be rejeded or 
 fupprefs'd by Chriftians ? not , O' ©»j t^v nax^v er<r:» 
 the will of the gods, but the f »9i <rV«v aKoxa«r.'«t 
 uxury and not 01 men, is the rva<r„ n.^^'ji^a, aiiai. 
 caufe of thofe evils whichinfeft J^:.r7;St" ^1^ 
 the body, ^c. Hence that chari- ^''" Pyt^ag. 1, i, & 
 table piece of heathen devotion J 
 
 Zeu 'TTocrs^ tj ttoXXuv ts acacuv irccvcrsioig wrrocvra^j 
 
 O father Jove, from numerous evils free 
 Mankind, or Jhew 'em their rui?j's not from 
 
 theey 
 A gracious and benign Deity : 
 But from themfelves 
 
 F 4 I will 
 
'J 2 yJn Enquiry 
 
 I will here add a teftimony of ApuUius, as 
 containing the fenfe of the Platonick philofo- 
 phy in this point of God's government of man- 
 kind : all the motions of providence are wife 
 
 ^ . and refTLilar; nor muft any 
 
 Omnia qiiac na*u- -i i - -i i >"t i • 
 
 raliter k nropter a ^^'^ ^C alCriDtd tO GoQ aS itS 
 
 rt-fte fu-uncur, pro- caufe. But this is not all we 
 
 ;t"a;:",":f:ni:; ■ g«"\ ^'?^ .'h^ ^^fl^^^^ce of 
 
 nialicaufaDeopote- God's infinite goodnefs, that 
 rit afcribi. JpuL de ^^^ j^^y^. ,-.^3 TcafoH to anpre- 
 
 Dogm. flaton. , . , .-T', . ,. 
 
 nend an harm or milchier 
 from him, that he cannot be the author of our 
 mif^ry : but we may confidently perfuade our- 
 felves on the other fide. 
 
 Seccudl\\ T\yaI he is moft ready and willing 
 to further and aflill us in all our endeavours af- 
 ter happinefs. And now, methinks, 1 am fo far 
 from qucnioning the poiTibiiity of attaining 
 happinefs, that I begin ah'cady to feel and enjov 
 it; 1 fee the day breaking in upon me from 
 above : how can he chufe but be happy, who is 
 the love, the care of God 1 I may walk, like 
 Peter o:i the weaves, and bid defiance to the 
 fiorms ; I know 1 Ihaii never fink, whilfi: that 
 Ciod upholds me, who calls me this way to 
 him: lean now eafily believe tliat iiiy tem- 
 per may be. transformed, my corruptions may 
 be put off, and I be made partaker of a di- 
 vine nature ; hncQ the Spirit of God will dwell 
 with me, x.hQ light of God will always 
 ihine upoii me, and the power ot God will 
 aUvays fuccour and aid me: can I imagine 
 as much as any colour or pretext, Vvhy I 
 il^ould not now be able to attain to an excel- 
 lent 
 
afttr Happiness. 7*3 
 
 lent ftate of virtue, or why this virtue fliould not 
 be able to vanquifh all thofe difficulties that op' 
 pofe my happinefs. fince I am affur'd that God 
 will not refufe me his Spirit if I afk it, and that 
 his grace will be fufficient for me ? 
 
 You fee of what vaft importance this truth is, 
 that God will be always ready to affift every man 
 in his endeavours after happinefs j and therefore 
 tho'it ftandshere as a neceffary and undeniable 
 conclufion from the foregoing difcourfe; tho' 
 the perfedlion of the divine nature do amount to 
 little lefs than ademonflratlon 
 of it : for -•• beneficence to his • e;^.^ ,,. ,.,,,,, j, 
 creatures is as necefiarilv in- »^'^«pz/>.«;^e^«»^T«eKi,", 
 cluded m the notion or per- ;)ce?, /-"i^e Ti\s,ov. ws? :.-. 
 fedion, as perfedion is in the SJ xTSJ^yv^'xa^i 
 notion of a God : yet, as well ^^\/^.\,7''^^''"^%, '■* 
 for my own pleafure, as the -^^^^ '^^T^^ex'^'^'h^' >^'0* 
 
 rt f r' • , . , Js Try liryuy 5tJva7-( fin- 
 
 intereitot my pohtion, which xo^iv<^ a ^ai e>«v xaj 
 is nearly concerned in this 'm^ tT.dI^V:? 
 truth, I will dwell a little lon- 
 ger on the confirmation and Divine ajjljiante 
 illuftrationof it.Therearethree '"^<-'^'«' ^^ unpcrts. 
 eminent adis of divine affift- 
 ance ; xh^firfl is, fuch diredion of the events 
 of fecular aitairs, that they may tend to our 
 good : the fccond is, his atTiftance of us in the 
 attainment of virtue : and th^ third h, his re- 
 cruiting us by frefh fupplies of urength in all our 
 hazardousconflidsand extraordinary trials. Nov/ 
 tho' I could not give an account of the manner 
 how God performs this kind work of his pro- 
 vidence, yet ought not that to diffuade me from 
 the belief of it^ becaufe we know, that our 
 
 com- 
 
74- -^^ Enquiry 
 
 prehenfion ought not to be the ftandard of divine 
 perfedlions, nor the narrow bounds of our imagi- 
 nation be the utmoft extent of the Almighty's 
 power. However, 'tis not difficult to explain this 
 affiftance of God in fuch fort as may free it from 
 the lead fufpicion of implying a contradidion. 
 
 For, Ftrft^ As to his diredtion and condudl 
 of temporal events, how eafy will it be for us 
 to conceive this poffible to God, if we confider, 
 JF/Vy?, That God can form what impreffions he 
 pleafes in the minds of men, and infpire them 
 with what affedlons he (hall think moft fervice- 
 able to his deiigns ? For there is not the leaft 
 pretext or colour to imagine, that the foul is 
 any more exempt from the fovereignty of God, 
 than the body ; or that God cannot do that 
 'which the great, or the cunning, or the elo- 
 quent, nay, the popular and ambitious do fel- 
 dom fail to do, raife what paflions he pleafes in 
 the mind of man: or, if we confider, Secondly y 
 That the power and efficacy of nature is wholly 
 in his hands 5 that life and death, plenty or po- 
 verty, every thing depends upon his will : for 
 the winds and feas, earth and air, fire, hail and 
 vapour obey his voice, and are all of them, as 
 often as he pleafes, the inftruments and execu- 
 tioners of his will : he that ftills the ragings of 
 the multitude, and becalms the paffions of the 
 mighty ; he, at whofe command new creatures 
 enter upon the flage of the world, and the old 
 leave it : what is it impoffible for him to do ? 
 nay, what is it this Almighty Governor can- 
 not do, without moving one ftep out of the 
 common road of his providence, without em- 
 
 ployiBg 
 
after Happiness. 7^ 
 
 ploying any extraordinary inftrument, or exert- 
 ing any act of extraordinary power ? for what 
 fecular intereft can there be imagined whofe 
 fuccefs or difappointment depends not upon fome 
 or other of thefe natural caufes ? And yet we 
 mufl acknowledge further, thirdly. That the 
 Almighty has not prefixed or fet himfelf fuch 
 immutable, unalterable laws, but that he has 
 referved to himfelt the prerogative of fufpend- 
 ing or over-ruling 'etn when he pleafes, I mean 
 with refped: to the motions of natural bodies 
 or revolutions of fecular affairs: and if fuch an 
 interpofal of a divine power cannot be conceiv'd 
 to be other than a miracle, I muft confefs, I 
 do not look upon one age only, but every age, 
 an age of miracles j nay, I believe fuch as thefe 
 wrought every day for the protedlion or relief 
 of thofe who depend upon this Governor of 
 the world j for I know not to what purpofe I 
 fhould, like 'Jonah or his niariners, call upon 
 God in a ftorm, if it were never to be laid till 
 jt had naturally fpent its force and fury \ I know 
 not to what purpofe I fliould implore the Al- 
 mighty's diredion upon all my deliberations, 
 in perplexed and entangled affairs, if I could ex- 
 ped: no other light than what my labouring 
 mind could give itfelf ; I know not why] fhould 
 addrefs myfelf to God in the pains and daii^er 
 of an infupportable difeafe, if the medicines 
 will be the fame, and their virtue the lame, 
 if the fever will abate, and its flames be extin- 
 guifhed, or extinguifh life in the fame degree 
 and manner, if I pray^ or if I do not. All 
 thefe ways of divine providence are very plam 
 
 and 
 
y6 An E7tquiry 
 
 and ii)telligible ; and therefore 'tis manifeil that 
 we may without any abfurdity afcribe to God 
 fuch a fupeiintendency and direction over hu- 
 man affairs, as may render the iffue of 'em moft 
 ferviceable to the true intereft of thofe that wor- 
 {hip him. 
 
 As to the fecond part of divine afliftance, 
 vyhich confifts in aiding us in the attainment of 
 holinefs and virtue, I do readily acknowlege, 
 as far as this is performed by the internal opera- 
 tions of his Spirit, by the influx of divine light 
 or heavenly vigour j I do no more underftand 
 the TO Tfug, the manner of find:iiication, than 
 that of the creation of the foul ; this I know, 
 that virtue is the rational work, of a rational 
 creature ; 'tis the work of man, tho' affifted by 
 God ; 'tis a rational work, which implies the 
 knowledge of our duty, and a power to perform 
 it : and therefore this 1 know, that this aid muft 
 confift in the improvement of my rational fa^ 
 culties in fome acceflion to the reafon of my un- 
 der {landing, and to the power and liberty of my 
 will. Now, tho' I cannot comprehend how 
 God does this, yet how eafily can I believe it 
 poffible for him to do it, fince 'tis natural to 
 imagine, that he, who created my underftand- 
 in'^, can improve it, and he, who inverted me 
 with a rational liberty, can conn.m or enlarge 
 it, or, if you pl^ le, re(cue it f in that difeas'd 
 and fervile conaition, unto v/nich i^ was dege- 
 nerated and redore it to th ; health and found- 
 nefs of its firft flate ? 
 
 The third ad of divine providence does not 
 imply a new manner^ but a new degree of aiTift- 
 
 ance. 
 
after Happiness. ^7 
 
 ance, and therefore contains in it no new dif- 
 ficulty : and as to the truth and certainty of this 
 fort of afliftance, no man who believes the 
 gofpel can queftion it, fince this every-where 
 afcribes as well perfe&ion as conver/wn to God, 
 as well xhtfinifiing as the beginning oi fandiifi- 
 cation to his grace ; it every-where promifes us 
 the might ^nd power of God's Spirit \oJirengthen 
 and ejiablifi us, and exhorts us to come boldly to 
 the throne of grace ^ that we may obtain mercy and 
 find grace to help us in the time of need. 
 
 This time which I have fpent upon the illuf- 
 tration of divine goodnefs towards man, v^ill 
 not, I hope, be judged mifemployed or loft, if 
 it be confidered that fuch is the confidence, or 
 rather fuch is the wanton ncfs of fome men, that 
 they rejed every thing which carries in it, I 
 will not fay, any feeming contradidion, but any 
 feeming difficulty. 
 
 But it does not fo clearly concern the happi- 
 nefs of man to be inftruded in 
 the manner, as to be throuP:hIy ^/''^'KT'"'^ 
 
 ^ , J _ a '■J of di'vme ajjijianct 
 
 perluaded ot the truth of di- ffomdi^nego'verTj* 
 vine affiftancei and therefore """'■ 
 chufing rather to be tedious than defedive in the 
 proof of it, I will add to thofe arguments taken 
 from the nature of God, whatever force and 
 ftrength can be deri/ed from the confideration 
 of divine governn-.:v.t, which is the exprefiioii 
 of the divine nature, and the image of its per- 
 fed: on vifible in its eifeds. 
 
 lae gofpel contaiiis this dodrine in almoft 
 ■every page, and the lives of apoftles and mar- 
 tyrs are fo maiivilluftrious -in (lances of the di- 
 vine 
 
78 An Enquiry 
 
 vine faithfulnefs and love, performing thofe pro- 
 mifes which he had made *em by his Son. Th^ 
 Jewidi polity was a Theocracy. God did for a 
 great while prefide over them immediately, and 
 govern them (if I may fofpeak) without a fub- 
 iHtute or viceroy ; repeated miracles, repeated 
 prophecies, extraordinary manifertations of him- 
 felf,and extraordinary revelations, w^ere the illuf- 
 trious proofs of God's afFecftion and care for that 
 people J io that it were to infult over my reader's 
 patience, or to reproach his ftupidity, if I (hould 
 go about to confirm this truth from the Old or 
 jMew Teflament: 'tis therefore only neceifary to 
 examine what the heathen thought of the ne- 
 ceffity of this divine affiftance, and what in- 
 flances of it may be found amongfl: them. 
 
 Whether the Gentiles had any notion of the 
 fall and corruption of man, is not here necef- 
 fary to be enquired, but this I am fure, they 
 were extremely fenlible of that oppofition which 
 virtue met with from the world and the body ; 
 they were extremely fenfible that the inclinations 
 of the one, and the afliuence and troubles of the 
 other did naturally tend to engage 'em in vice; 
 and therefore tho' they do fometimes magnify 
 human nature, yet they were not fo forgetful 
 of their own infirmities, or the condition of 
 this life, as not to judge the afliftance of God 
 indifpenfibly neceifary to render them virtuous 
 and happy : hence 'tis, that Pythagoras, So- 
 crates and Plato were eminent in prayer and 
 invocation : Luz^cxTvig £ig U.sipa.'i'oe. KxTsviei ttoo- 
 
 ?y f^iog I^uK^ccrag [A.s^og eJ%K. The life oj So- 
 crates 
 
after Happiness. 79 
 
 crates isoas a life of prayer ^ Max.Tyr. DlfTert. 30. 
 And hence it was, that they did generally 
 afcribe their laws to thofe gods from whom they 
 received their oracles ; the Cretans^ Romans^ Sec. 
 not more confidently believing that they re- 
 ceived their laws from Minus^ Numa PofnpiliuSy 
 &c. than that thefe received them from Jovej 
 JEgeria^ and other gods. And I wonder not, that 
 Cicero fliould fome where {z.-^ ^Nunqiiam 'vir mag- 
 nil s fine divino aflat u, That there never was a 
 great man who enjoyed not fome divine impulfe ; 
 iince it did fo generally obtain through the Pa- 
 gan world, to attribute all the furprizing excel- 
 lencies, or extraordinary exploits of their heroes 
 and eminent men to the immediate favour and 
 patronage of their gods. Muft Vefpafian reftore 
 life to the expiring ftate oiRome ? Prodigies and 
 miracles fhall prepare his way ; and the extraor- 
 dinary marks of fome divine ailiftance {hall con- 
 fecrate and defline him to this great work. Muft 
 Alexander conquer the eaftern world ? Miracles 
 fhall attend his march, as it did that of Mofes^ 
 and the Pamphilian fea retreat before the one, 
 as the Red fea did before the other : nor let any 
 one think that this was ufual only amongfl: the 
 barbarous people ; Athens itfelf, Athens, the 
 very abode of wit and philofophy, did attribute 
 the perfe(5tions of Eleiifinian Melefagoras and 
 Cretan Epitnenides to the inftrudion of fome 
 divine being ; and thofe of Socrates to his guar- 
 dian angel, as well as the Scythians to thofe of 
 their Zamolxis ; or they of Proconefus thofe of 
 ArifeaSy to the peculiar favour and affift- 
 
 ance 
 
So An Rnquiry 
 
 ance of their gods. Nor ought it to fecrrt 
 (Irange, that the works of He/iod, Homer, or 
 other poets, (hould be afcribed by the heathens 
 to divine infpiration ; fince thofe o^ Aboliah and 
 Bezaleel are by Mofes himfelf afcrib'd to the Spi- 
 rit of God : for the poems of the forni'^r could 
 not but feem to the heathens as rich a piece of 
 fancy, as the embroideries of the latter did to 
 the Jews. And this puts me in mind of an ex-* 
 cellent argument Maximus Tyrius makes ule of 
 to prove virtue derived from the affirtance and 
 bounty of God. If arts (faith he, Differ. 22.) 
 lej's excellent in their nature , andlefs ufefulin their 
 end^ be oi2)ing to God, hoiv much more virtue, the 
 divine guide and comfort of human life .^ if there 
 be no good that defcends not from above, much 
 ]efs furely the chief and fovereign good of man ; 
 aXKu ^juYiv iovj eg-iv aXXo oiv'^PCovroTg cx,ycc^ov ^vj 
 iTocPcl ^Bcav B^x^Txi. Thus far 1 have proceeded to 
 iliew you what the heathens thought of the ne- 
 ceflity of divine ailiftance, particularly in the 
 attainment of virtue ; for as to fecular matters 
 andtemporal events,theirfenfeof theover-ruling 
 power and influence of divine providence, was 
 fo notorious, that 'tis not to be call'd in quelVion : 
 the being and providence of God feemed fo in- 
 feparable, that the Epicurean, who denied the 
 latter, could never find belief when he pro- 
 fefs'd himfelf to own the former : nay, even 
 thofe very men who cculd not be convinced 
 of a providence by the bounty, were con- 
 vinced of it by the feverity of God in his chaf- 
 tifement of fins. Hence that bold and briflc, 
 
 tho' 
 
after Happiness. 8'I 
 
 tbo' not very religious refledlion of Tacitus [Lib, 
 i.HiJi.) upon the miferies the /^c?;?^;^ empire fuf- 
 fered under Galba, Otho and Fitellius ; Nee enim 
 unquam atrocioribus popidi Romani cladibm^ ma- 
 gi fve jujiis ju.Uciis approbatitm eji : fio?i ejfe ciirce 
 diis fecuritatem nojiram, effe iiUioiiem : The jujiice 
 and the greatncfs of our plague abundantly evince 
 the gods concerned y thd not for our prof perlty^ yet 
 for our puntjhrnent. Such is man's difmgenuous 
 temper, that he is more eafiiy convinced by the 
 widenefs and fatahty of a wound, that it was in- 
 fiicfted by an almighty arm, than he is by the 
 greatnefs of the benefits he receives, that they are 
 diftributed by a divine munificence, tho' the 
 number and infinite value of the goodnefs we re- 
 ceive, be in itfelf a much clearer proof of a divine 
 providence, than the evils we (uffer can be. There 
 needs nothing to be fald to convince you what 
 the heathens thought of providence with refped: 
 to outward and temporal things ; nor is it, I 
 think, now to be queftioned, whether it were 
 their opinion, that the divine afiifiance was ne- 
 celTary to the attainment of virtue and happi- 
 nefs ; nor would I add a word more, but that 
 the words of Hierocles on this fubjed: carry in 
 them not only fo full a convidion, but alfo fo 
 extraordinary a relifh of a wife and religious hu- 
 mility, that 1 cannot prevail with myfeif to pafs 
 them by : that is, JVehiecd no v .^. ^^ . . 
 
 mottve or incentive to vice but x^?- ^-^-^ ev^^ttoxp^ev-,?, Ste 
 our own inclinations : but to Ucvtk^. 'Ayaszv h sh 
 make us virtuous, we (land in "a-~?(^«^'r« «^' m,^; 
 
 i'p-^o; Xoyof. Hieroc, in Pyiliag. Aur, Catm. 
 
 Vol. I. G need 
 
82 An Enquiry 
 
 need of the aid of God, johied icifb thiit of 
 reafon. 
 
 And" this opinion of the neceffitj' of God's 
 affidance fprung not only from the experience 
 of the weaknefs and corruption of human na- 
 ture, but aho of the power and goodnefs of the 
 divine nature ; for 1 cannot think that the order, 
 beauty and greatnefs of the creation, the lixt and 
 conftant returns of fruitful [ea.ions jhefi/Ii??g mens 
 hearts ivith food fjid gladnefs^ were the only tedi- 
 monies which God gave the Gentiles of himfelf 
 and his care for mankind : when 1 read that an- 
 gels aie the miniftring fpirits of God ; when I 
 read in Daniel^ of the princes of Grcecia and 
 Perfa and find that provinces were committed 
 toingclsas thevice-roys and lieutenants of God, 
 I cannot think thatthofe devout and charitable 
 fpirits did with lefs zeal in their provinces, la- 
 bour to promote the ho ^-ir of God and the 
 good of man, than ev'i fpirit- did the dillio- 
 nour of the one- and the ruin or the other : 
 and unlefs the frequent appearances of angels 
 in the beginning had poff-Ucd mens minds 
 with a fi m periualion that there was a con- 
 flant commerce maintained between heaven 
 and eardi ; and that fpirits verv frequently did 
 vifiblv engage rhemfelves in the protetflion and 
 affiilance of men ; I cannot as much as ima- 
 gine what foundation there could be for the 
 numerous impofVjres of oracles, or upon what 
 ground the cuftom of putting themfclves un- 
 der the patronage of fome tutelar fpiiit, could 
 fo generally have prevailed in the pagan world j 
 without this fuperflition, the poetrv of Homer 
 
 had 
 
after Happiness. 83 
 
 had been fo far from being entertained as fa- 
 cred and infpired, that it had been univerfally 
 contemned and difliked as an idle rhapfody 
 of unnatural, incredible, and fuifome charac- 
 ters of their gods. Hov/ could any man, who 
 had never heard of the appearances of fpirits, 
 nay, v/ho could not conceive any other notion 
 of fuch fancies than as fomething abfurd and 
 impoffiblc, ever digeft the grofs confidence of 
 a poet bringing in a god upon the ftage at every 
 turn ? I do not therefore doubt, but that the 
 Gentile woild received very many good offices 
 and advantages from good angels, as well as 
 fuffer'd many mifchiefs from evil ones : and I 
 think I might with good probability believe, 
 that every good heathen as well as Socrates^ 
 had the affiftance of a good fpirit very fre- 
 quently. 
 
 Nor was the mini/lry of angels the only af- 
 fiftance that God afforded the Gentile world, but 
 in every age he raifed up wife good and men 
 to be his prophets or interpreters of nature's 
 law to the Gentiles : I know St. ^'lujiin does, in 
 two places at leaft of his retraftions, cenfure 
 and condemn that charity which he had elfe- 
 where exprefled for the phiiofophers or excel- 
 lent men among the Gentiles -, which is the 
 more to be wondered at, fince he fo frequently 
 acknowledges himlelf to have been firftinriam- 
 ed v^^ith the holy love of true philofophy, hy. 
 reading a piece of TuUy : but were the matter 
 to be carried by votes, I do not queflion but I 
 could produce teftimonies in favour of thofe 
 men, of fuch, whofe antiquity, learning, and 
 
 G 2 piety 
 
84 ^>i Eiiquiry 
 
 piety might more than balance the authority o 
 St. Aujiin. 'Tis true their faith differed much 
 from that of a Chriflicm j and no man, I think, 
 in his wits, could expe(ft it otherwife : for how 
 vaft is the diftance between the light of nature 
 and that of revelation ? But if we look upon 
 thofi motives and principles to virtue by which 
 they were adted, they were fich as a Chriftian 
 need not blufh at, or be afham'd of: they look'd 
 upon it, not only as the peifedtion of human 
 nature, the bond and lupp >rr cf fociety, the de- 
 light, guide and comfort of every particular 
 man's life; butalfo as the image of God, that 
 which did render us like him, and therefore ac- 
 ceo'-able to him ; as the only thing that could 
 unite man to God, that could raife man above 
 the bodily p')llutions of tenfuality, that could 
 enable him to outbrave the fears of fortune and 
 death, as that which could fit him for the con- 
 verfition of heaven j and laftly, they look'd upon 
 it as the gift of God. 
 
 'Tis true, together with all this, you'll fiiy, they 
 
 v» ere idolaters ; I do not quef- 
 ne idolatry of the ^j^,^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^j^ ^^^^^ partake 
 
 guijh'd/romthe'zul- m thc pollution of the Idola- 
 J^*""- trous multitude. But if we 
 
 regard the idolatry of their religion, and com- 
 pare it with that of the heathen multitude, there 
 was a vaft difference between both ; and that in 
 thefe three points; the objedl, the acfls of wor- 
 fhip, and the effedls of it. 
 
 As to the objeBy the philofophers, 'tis true, 
 did worlTiip fpirits, but good ones ; the multi- 
 tude did worship devils: how contradidoiy are 
 
 thofsj 
 
^fr Happiness. 85 
 
 thofe charadlers which the fenfual infatuated 
 multitude beftow'd upon their idols, and thofe, 
 by which the philofophers defcribe the nature of 
 their gods, or their Ge77n f Luft and cruelty 
 make up the one ; purity, goodnefs, and chaf- 
 tity the other : this needs no proofs 'tis evident 
 from almort all the writings of ancient philofo- 
 phy that are extant. Yet, I think, it cannot 
 feem fuperfluous to produce one teftimony con- 
 taining an accv)r,.it of the nature of their Genii 
 or guardian angeh ; by which it will be eafy 
 to conclude, what notion they had of thofe fu- 
 perior fpirits whom they (uppofed to dwell al- 
 ways in heaven in the pref.nce of the fupreme 
 God J and whom, tho' they called them gods, 
 they thought infinitely inferior to that one 
 God, their Creator and ours ; but vet much fu- 
 perior as well in the excellency of their nature, 
 as dignity of their place, to thofe angels which 
 they looked upon as the melTengers and mi- 
 niflersof God to man; and as the guardians of 
 man, and the interpreters or conveyers of his 
 requefts to God, Thefe are thus defcribed by 
 Apiikius; the fubftance of all 
 which is. This our truly euardi- ^'^ quem dico 
 
 1 . J. ' r prorfus cuftos, fin- 
 
 an-angel our immediate fuper- guiarispr^feaus.do- 
 intendent, the domeftickTpy of meftkus fpecuiator, 
 
 all our af>ionS, the COnlciouS Foprius curator, in- 
 ' , timuscognator, aln- 
 
 witnefs of our deiires and duus obfervator, in- 
 thoui^hts, the approver and en- ^ividuus arbiter, in- 
 
 "-^ r • It feparabilis teuis,ma- 
 
 courager uf our virtue, and tne lorum improbator, 
 hater and difcourager of our bonorum probator, 
 
 »,;^a. TU^U U Jr IT .^' J fi rite animadverta- 
 
 Vice; il he be heedfully mind- ,„,^ f^^^j. ^^^^^^^ 
 
 ed by us, rightly knov>^n and catur, reiigiofe cola- 
 
 ^ G 3 reli- 
 
tibi quea: turn in 
 fomniis, turn in fig- 
 nis, turn etiam for- 
 tafle corum, cum u- 
 fus poftulat, mala a- 
 verruncare.bona pro- 
 fperaie, humilia iub 
 limare, nutantia ful- 
 cire, oWfcurare clara- 
 re fecunda regcre, 
 adverfa corrigeic. A- 
 pul. de Deo Socrat. 
 p. 68. 
 
 86 yln Enqteiry 
 
 tur, ita ut a 'Socrate ^eliaioufly WOrflllpped with 
 iuftitia & in ocentia . .P r r i- 
 
 cultus eft, in rebus righteoulneis andinnocence, as 
 inccitisprofpeftor.du- he vvas by Socrates^ will be our 
 
 bus pra^monitor pe- ^^^^^^.j j^ doubtful, OUr PUard 
 iiculons tutator, ege- rr • r-.^ ° t^ 
 
 ris opitulacor ; qui in hazardous artairs, <sc. But 
 all this while they were idola- 
 ters. Admit all this : if they 
 were damn'd for this idolatry, 
 good God! whar will become 
 of that great partof the church, 
 whofe pra(5tice at this day is in- 
 finitely more inexcuiiible than 
 theirs was? Becaufe God has 
 publickly declar'd, that he has 
 appointed one Mediator, thro' 
 whom he wills us to approach him. There 
 was then room for the plea of humility 3 but 
 ROW a pretence of humility, what can it be in 
 reality, but wanton fondnefs, or prefumptuous 
 wilful nefs ? 
 
 Thus widely did the virtuous and underftand- 
 ing part of mankind differ In the objecfl of 
 worfhip from the fenfual and ftupid herd. And 
 fince the manner of worlhip is naturally deriv'd 
 from the notions rr\en entertain of that Being 
 which is the objedl of it ; it could not be 
 otherwife, but that they mufl: differ as widely 
 in the effential parts of \vor{hip, as they did in 
 the objedls of it. Hence it was, that whilft 
 the people offered to their gods their lufts and 
 paffions, and facrific'd to them in uncleannefs or 
 cruelty, the philofophers thought that nothing 
 could be fo welcome a facrifice to theirs, as the 
 imitation of their purity and goodnefs, holy 
 
 af- 
 
after Happiness. %'^ 
 
 afledlions and good works. From both thefe 
 dilfcrences there followed a 
 
 nird, Gonfi'ling in the different cffedls which 
 the religion of the one, and the other did pro- 
 duce ihe ido'atry of fhe one (as wn^kedncfs 
 always wiii) utfe"ly eltranged them mu-e and 
 more- from the lervice of God ; the idolatry 
 ot the other (for fo I call it to avoid difpute) 
 feemed to unite them more and more to ! im, 
 fince they looked upon the fpirits chey worfhip- 
 ped, not only as the creatures, but mofl lively 
 im?tges of the true God ; and acknowledged, 
 that ail good gifts proceeded from him, though 
 they received 'em by the miniflry and mediation 
 of angels ; and that virtue, which they looked 
 lipon as the only grateful worfhip of God, did 
 exalt their mjnds ; and by retidernig them more 
 like him, muft needs render them more near to 
 him. Thus they talked ; whether thus they 
 lived or no, is not very material to my prefent 
 purpofe : for after all, tho' their lives fliould 
 not have come up to their philofophy, thefe 
 their dilcourfes could not chufe but be fome 
 way ferviceable to mankind, being, a manifefc 
 reproof to ihe iVjpid idolatry, to the brutifh and 
 barbarous worfliip which then prevailed in the 
 world. Thefe dodrine? could not but mani- 
 feftly tend to convince the world of the being 
 and nature of ;he f.ipreme God; they could not 
 but tend to reftore the law of nature to \^9 jufl 
 authority, aod prefent the corrupt and degene- 
 rate world with a natural, that is, a lovely idea 
 of virtue ; and give 'em a iud (^wiQ of the obli- 
 gation they lay under, and of the fandtions by 
 
 G 4 which 
 
88 . An Enquiry 
 
 which God eftablifli'd that law which he writ 
 in the minds of men. Who fees not now, that 
 God by railing up fuch men, and by affifting 
 them with a fpirit of wifdom and a fpirit of 
 courage, which the conflancy of a great many 
 of them in fufFering for thefe truths, and the 
 ^uftre and beauty of their writings in thofe dark 
 times abundantly teftify, was an undoubted 
 proof of God's goodnefs to the Gentiles^ and of 
 his concern for their true intereft and happinefs ? 
 Why fhould not this light, which God lent the 
 then wandering benighted partof mankind, be as 
 kindly interpreted by man as it v/as defign'd by 
 God r Why Hiould not the philofophers of the 
 Gentiles be looked upon as pricfts and prophets 
 well enough fuited to the oeconomy of the law 
 of nature i^ Very excellent ufe have Chriftians, 
 even the mod learned and pious, made of them; 
 and furely they ought to have proved as much 
 more beneficial to the world they liv'd in, as they 
 were then more necefiary. 
 
 I think, I have bv this time faid enough, not 
 only to extinguilh iii iir.y man all fuperititious 
 'fears, and unworthy apprehenfions of the divine 
 majefly, but alfo to enkindle in him a grateful 
 love of God, and chearful hopes of true happi- 
 nefs, by eftabiiihing this periuafion upon unOia- 
 ken foundations : that God is a go(^d and gra- 
 cious God : that he is always ready to further 
 and alTiii every man in his endeavours after hap- 
 pinefs. But now let not that dodrine be pervert- 
 ed to the betraying of us into fioth, which was 
 defign'd to infpire the mind with a freiL vigour, 
 ■to quicken and confirm us in an induftriouspur- 
 
 fuit 
 
after Happiness. 89 
 
 fuit after our true happinefs : for we muft re- 
 member, that God is not only good and gra- 
 cious, but alfo 
 
 Holy too : I (hall not infill: long on this point, 
 becaufe I think 'tis already 
 proved; hohnels being as ne- -^o^^ ^ '' 
 
 ceffarily imply'd in perfedion, 
 as love of goodnefs. I know fome have talked, 
 as if God were a mere arbitrary Being, as if his 
 laws were not the image or exprefiion of his 
 nature, but merely the politive precepts of an 
 arbitrary will. If any man can be fo fenfelefs, 
 as to believe that the moil: peifed: Being cam 
 love or hate without any realbn for't; or that all 
 the laws and adions of God (liall be confonant 
 to the ftridlefl: rules of jn-f^icc snd goodnefs, and 
 all this by charce ; for mere arbitrary motion 
 is blind and ung-uided : fuch a one feems to me 
 as uncapable as he is unworthy of inftruftion : 
 I can as foon believe lighcningr and thunder, 
 wind and ftorm a God, as believe him to be a 
 mere arbitrary Being. The heathens believ'd a 
 God, Proteus, that could turn himfelf into all 
 fhanes: but thefe men believe what is infinitelv 
 more abfurd, a God not of various and uncertain 
 (happs only, but alfo of an unfixed, uncertain, 
 indetermin'd nature : for the will muft always 
 be agreeable and confonant to the nature of that 
 being whofe will it is. Thus liberty and inde- 
 termination of will in man proceeds from fome 
 contrariety in the principles which conftitute 
 him: unfteadyjudgment produces unfteady will, 
 and bratifh nature brutllli will or inclination. 
 If we confult the fcriptures, nothing is more evi- 
 dent 
 
90 An Rn^uiry 
 
 dent than the fandlity of the divine nature: we 
 are there exhorted to walk in the lights becaufe 
 God is light ; and to be hol)\ becauje he is holy ; 
 which holinefs doth not regard the declaration 
 of his will, but his nature ; this being given us 
 as a motive to oblige us to walk according to 
 his righteous precepts : becaufe this alone is that 
 which can pleafe a righteous God, this alone is 
 that which can make us like and dear to him : 
 from that attribute of God, that is, holincfa, we 
 may plainly infer, 
 
 Firji, That we are not to exped any affift- 
 ance from him, but then, when that which 
 we enterprize isjuft and lawful, and weourfelves 
 are not wanting to ourfelves: for 'tis incon- 
 fiftent with the holinefs of God to make his pro- 
 vidence the refuge of lazinefs or impiety, 'a^s- 
 riig yoio eXTTtg o t)eof gg'/y, a osiAiug TTocfpoLfngy kjoa 
 is the hope of virtue y not the excufe of JJothy 
 and cowardice. (Plutarch de Juperjiitione.) 
 'Tis a rational and well-weighed prayer which 
 yofephus puts into the mouth of Mofcs, land- 
 ing on the (hore of the Red-fea; inacccfiible 
 rocks and mountains denied the Ifraelites paf- 
 fage one way, the numerous hoft of the Egyp- 
 tians had fill'd all others : before them was the 
 Red-fea, whofe waves thi-eatened as certain and 
 more dreadful a deftiu6tion than the fword of 
 the Egyptians ; there was no weapon for iight, 
 no provifion for a c-mo, no olace i-^r flic^ht. 
 In this C2.ie Mofes prays thus. j^T oc-Jrog ; b otyvoeTg, 
 &c. Lord, thou knoweji that no contrivancCy 
 indufiry^ or force oj ours can here avail us \ 
 'tis in thee alone to find cut a li^ay to the re/cue 
 
 of 
 
after Happiness. 91 
 
 of this people, who by thy comm.md and under 
 thy conduct have left Egypt : dijpainng of all 
 other ways we flee to thee alone for fuccoiir : 
 Lordy let it come fpeedily ; give us a dear proof 
 of thy divine omnipotence and faithfulnefs ; we 
 are in great ftraits, great to us, but flight and 
 inconfiderahle to ihee. The fea is thine, and it 
 flops our progrefs ; the mountains that Jhut us up^ 
 are thine j thou canfl divide this Jea, or turn its 
 waves into firm land, and make us find a fafe 
 paffage through the devouring deep : or, if thou 
 thinkefi fit, thou canfl make us march in triumph 
 aloft through the open fly. This was a noble 
 faith ; this was indeed an expectation almoft as 
 wonderful as the fuccefs it met with : but then, 
 it was no lefs rational than fuccefsful ; their con- 
 dition was capable of no deliverance but a mi- 
 raculous one ; and it was their obedience to the 
 divine commands had reduced them to this con- 
 dition. This is a fafe rule m guide our fai'h and 
 reliance by ; in all our difiref^Vs and cifficulties 
 we muft have recourfe unto God j for thofe are 
 the times wherein human infirmity 'tquires -he 
 fupport and comfort of livine afTiftan'-e; the 
 utmoft flrength and perfection oi virtue is too 
 weak to bear the (hock and bnmt of calamity 
 alone, 'iv^oc ^et uurvj Qeh (ruXKyiTrjo^og Koct <rvvuyoi-> 
 vigi zai TToc^ocgara ; It mufl be ^-eivfcrced by power 
 from above, (Mux. Tyr. Drflert. 26.) But then 
 thefe difficulties mufi be fucii to which our vice 
 has not betray 'd us j and our own courage and 
 induftry muft be as vigorous as our prayers : for 
 in vain do we beg new fupplies of ftrength, if 
 
 we 
 
92 An Enquiry 
 
 we ufe not what we enjoyed before. Divine 
 bounty doth never fuperfede man's induftry 5 
 fruitful rtiowers and enlivening rays do not pi e- 
 vent, but fecond the labours of the hufbandman : 
 God obferves the fame method in the production 
 of a nobler fort of fruit, wiidom and virtue j 
 the foul, as well as the field of the lluggard, 
 Ihall be over-run with weeds ; there only fliall 
 the divine fruit of philofophy and happinefs 
 grow, where religious difcipiine tills the ground, 
 and wakeful fludy fows the feeds of thriving 
 truths among the furrows. Accordingly, if wc 
 confider the lives and pradiice of excellent men, 
 none were ever fo much favourites of heaven, 
 that its gifts grew up in 'em, like corn and '.vine 
 in the golden age, without culture and drefling: 
 Infpiration itfelf did not exempt man from the 
 necellity of indudry, bat oblige him to a greater; 
 thus under the Old Teftament a prophetick life 
 was a life of a greater ftridlnefs and retirement 
 than that of others ; and in the new, not to 
 mention the watchings, the failings, the retire- 
 ments, the prayers of our Lord and iMafter, that 
 account of himfelf which St. Paul gives us, will 
 inform us, not only what his life Vvas, but what 
 it was expe-fted the life of every one fliould be 
 that Ihared widi him in the miniftry and dignity 
 of an apoftle. But hi all thiitgs approving our- 
 fehes as the miiiijicrs of God, in much patience^ in 
 
 ajii^ions, in necefjities^ in diflreffes, in lahours, 
 
 in patchings ; by purenefs, by knoivlcdge, 2 Cor. 
 vi. Amongft the heathens, whatever perfcvfton 
 and excellency they attributed to human narure, 
 
 whatever 
 
after Happiness. 93 
 
 whatever they attributed to an £y(pvfcc, a contex- 
 ture and frame of nature more than common ; 
 whatever, laftly, they attributed to the favour, 
 the extraordinary favour of God ; yet did they 
 always judge a Piri£t life and indefatigable induf- 
 tiy necellary to trie acquiring of true philofophy 
 and happinefs : their Pythagoras^ fo dear to their 
 gods, that it feemed to be a doubt amongft 
 them, whether he were not himfelf a God incar- 
 nate ; not content to have been the fcholar firft 
 o{ Pherecydes, Syrus, and afterwards Hermoda- 
 mas, travelled firft into Egypt, and afterwards to 
 Babylon and I know not whither, purfuing wif- 
 dom and happinefs with great induftry, and as 
 great abftinence. Socrates, however infpir'd by 
 his genius, did yet learn mulick of Comus, poetry 
 of Eve?ius, agriculture of IJchomachus, geometry 
 of 'Theodorus, &c. And to all this he added the 
 religious difcipline of mortification, even to a 
 ijoluntary poverty. What fhould I multiply in- 
 ftances ? there is not a man amongft the Gentiles 
 remarkable for wifdom or virtue, that is not as 
 remaikable for that travail and felf-denial, by 
 which he purchafed both ; I add felf-denial, in- 
 duftry alone being not judg'd fufficient : for, 
 
 Secondly, 'Tis eafv in the next place to infer 
 from the fan6litv of God, that they who ex- 
 pect his afliftance, lliould endeavour to be good 
 and holy : 'tis virtue that conftitutes a man a 
 fubjedt of the heavenly kingdom, and a favourite 
 of God ; and therefore 'tis this that gives him 
 the beft claim to his protedion and patronage : 
 vice is a ftate of rebellion and defiance agn -ift 
 
 God, 
 
94 -^-^^ E?iquirj 
 
 God, and he that has put ofthis allegiance, can- 
 iiot^ expedl rationally the benefits of that govern- 
 ment which he refules to be under. 'Tis true, 
 the infinite goodnefs and clemency of God 
 which is not eaiily vanqui(h'd by man's ingra- 
 titude, may purfue fuch a man with repeated 
 overtures and tenders of grace and pardon, and 
 may leave him in the pofl'effion of common be- 
 nefits, fuch as health, plenty, friends, &c, but 
 God will never confer upon him the moft ex- 
 cellent gifts, the marks of his fpecial prefence 
 and particular favour : he will withdraw from 
 him the aids of his Spirit, and leave him to him- 
 felf, a blind, indigent, and forlorn creature : 
 The holy Spirit of difcipline loill fiy deceit^ 
 and will not abide when imrighteoufnefs comes 
 in, Wifd. i. Which is nothing more than that 
 the heathen by the light of nature did affirm 
 concerning his Genius, locv ^l -sr^ i^ox^v^ixv oe/|>?? 
 ipu;^?ji/, ai/E5';©o avrtj kou KvsTng-ccTfp:^, JVicked 
 fouls have no good angels fojourneying with them, 
 or prefidijig over them. (Max. Tyr. Dijfcrt, 
 26.) Our fouls, like temples, muft be pre- 
 pared and confecrated to him, if we would have 
 God dwell in them. Righteoufnefs and holi- 
 nefs are the only things that charm and capti- 
 vate God : nothing elie can invite him to dwell 
 with man. This very reafon Maximus Tyrius 
 afligns for the refidence and abode of a Damon 
 with Socrates after (o extraordinary a manner. 
 Do ft thou wonder that a prophetick fpirit 
 Jhonld dwell with Socrates fo intimately united, 
 jo friendly, fo infeparabk, that he feemcd only 
 
 mt 
 
after Happtness. 95 
 
 not mixf, and become one with 
 hts own mind ^ w^tb S-.crates, ,,f,:' tt^,::^"^:;; 
 whofe purify of body, rharrf\\ i^'^vruhy. iii wa^e-nra/Ae. 
 and gGodnefs of foui., jt^'ictnejs airs ivaxExse^tvov, ^v- 
 oj conv€rfa:ion, depth or judg- i^^^es j, ^;,, ^^-x^v, i! 
 mtnt.mpkdK and pertuaf^M'nefi ""f'! J' ""l" ^"'"■^*: 
 of fpd'cb, r."li^ion tOxcardi God ^\ '^•^f" ^'^ ^^ 7° ^e-w 
 and megrtty ioisjarasman^ren- ^pinaa.- idem. ib. 
 der dhim wcr hy of fuchaguejl^ 
 Judo a fimd? From all vvhich it is evident, 
 
 T.bird/y .W i^Rt d;fterent rates we are to let up- 
 on tae diiieient gifts of God : Every good grfty 
 and every perfeB gift comes down from above ^ 
 James 1. B^t every gift is not equally good, 
 equally perfed: ; being neither equally necelTary, 
 nor profitable. Wealth, power, friends, rela- 
 tions, health, ftrcngth, beauty, wit, difcretion, 
 virtue, are ail good, but not all equal ^ their 
 val-ie is different, and therefore the degrees of 
 our importunity, and of our faith or reliance 
 upon God, !i>uft be proporti(^.n'd accordingly : a 
 confident tai h. and an almoft impatient zeal, 
 doth well become us, u'hen we feck the kins:- 
 dom of he ?ven r*nd ^he rif5;hteoufnefs thereof; 
 Wiirn we ic. k of God the divine gifts of wifdoin 
 and virtut ; w-m an humble modefty, and a moft 
 profound f •bmiilion, is the ornamentand beauty 
 of thole who -^.rc petitioners for inferior temporal 
 bleflings: for God has prnmis'd the former to all 
 that earneftly fue for them, peremptorily and 
 without any tacit refervations: but his promifes 
 of the latter do always imply this condition. If 
 they JJmII be for our good : for the perfections of 
 the mind are moral and immutable beauties; but 
 
 thof^j 
 
96 A71 E?7quiry 
 
 thofe of the body, and all the gaudy things of 
 fortune, are like the fading beauties of a flower, 
 the heat fcoichcs it, the cold nips it, every little 
 chance cracks the Italk, and the hand of a child 
 will ferve to crop it. Nothing therefore is more 
 acceptable to God, th.in the modefty of our pe- 
 titions r oi theje good things, f\nd the fervency of 
 them for the other j nothi;ig more dehghtfulto 
 him, unlefs the granting of them. The things 
 therefore that we are to beg ot God, not only 
 with the greateft importunity, but alfo in the 
 firft place, are thofe which Maximiis TyriuSt 
 DiJJerf. 30. thought the fubjccft ^:)i Socrates's 
 „ , . ., . . prayers : ^F/jat are thcfe ? A 
 saix^aT);! oW*? airaj 'uiriuGUS muid, d Quiet Jlate^ 
 fljx" "A&.i»a»oy. — i\\' anunblamcable hje ,anaa chear- 
 
 ein, yj i;a.^v aixifATiiov, yj Tjoefe "were the matters of his re- 
 quejts y not wealthy or honour, 
 or popularity. This at once brings to my 
 thoughts another objcilion rais'd againft the 
 poffibility of attaining happinefs, and inftruds 
 me how tg anfwer it. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
after Happiness. 97 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Of the influence of fortune on our 
 happinefs. 
 
 ^he independence of our happinefs on fortune aU 
 reads cleared: and ivby^ further confidered. 
 Fortune^ what ; how far its [way extends, 
 Fortune pretended necejfary to remove the im- 
 pediments of virtue. Every man the architeB 
 of his own fortune. Fondnefs for the world 
 fprings from infidelity and fenfuality^ and the 
 Jolly of both. Competency^ what \ and the ife 
 of it with reference to our happinefs. The ten- 
 dency of wealth examined^ with reference to 
 the mindy the body^ the outward fate of man. 
 ^he admiration of wealth arifesfromfalfe and 
 gaudy appearances. 
 
 Second thing which men charge with the 
 ^ ^_^ guilt of their ruin, \% fortune. I might 
 pafs over this point (lightly; becaufe afflidti- 
 ons will Come more properly to be conftdered 
 in that part, where I treat of indolence : and 
 becaufe I have already cleared two great 
 truths, which are of themfelves abundantly fuf- 
 ficient to baffle and defeat this trifling objection ; 
 namely; Firji, That virtue and vice, wifdom 
 and folly, are the things to which, generally 
 fpeaking, we owe our temporal prosperity or 
 adver/ity ; and confequently that thofe, fuppof- 
 ing the ordinary aOiltance of God b.^ing in our 
 power, thefe mull be fo too. Seco.idly, That 
 Vol. I. H we 
 
gS An Enquiry 
 
 wc are aflured of the aflidance of God, even in 
 thefe things, as far as he fliall lee them trnly 
 fubfervient to our good ; however, becaufe the 
 perfuafion of the ufefuhiefs, nay, abfolute ne- 
 cefTity of the favour of fortune, has taken fuch 
 deep root in the minds of men, that it would be 
 thouglit little lefs than a contradicftion, to ima- 
 gine that a man can be unfortunate and happy 
 (fo that even Seneca himfelf has let fall one of 
 the s;reateft paradoxes a Stoic was ever guilty 
 of) fuch an expreffion as this better becoming 
 the mouth of a peafant than a philofopher : That 
 - , . ... not only beg; inner s, but profi- 
 
 Sed ei qui ad vir- . / .<^ / •' -^ 
 
 tutemtenJit, tciaiufi cients tu virtU:% till they have 
 multum proceint, o- put off' mortalitv, iinll flaud in 
 
 pus ell tamen aliqna j rr • ''j i rr 
 
 fortune induigemia, «^^^ ^fp'^^ indulgence of for^ 
 adhuc inter humana time. And fevv men find any 
 
 Juaa.vi,dam nodum y^^^xd with the WOrld, whcil 
 ilium exolvit, & om- n r i r 
 
 re vinculum moria- they talk of the Contempt of 
 le. Seneca de <uit.be- wealth, it being generally in- 
 terpreted either in the lazi- 
 nefs of an unacflive and degenerous mind, or the 
 diflimulation of one who affe^ls to be thought 
 to defy fortune, while he doth fecretiy and in- 
 wardly repine and fret at the ncgled: and cold- 
 nefs (he expreifcs towards him. I will therefore 
 beftow a little time on the confideration of this 
 objedion. 
 
 What dod thou mean by fortune .? if mere 
 , chance, then to envy the lot of 
 
 Fortune, nx'ijat. . •' , 
 
 Others, or murmur at thy owiij, 
 is fjlly ; if providence, then it is impiety; for 
 whatever gor>dncfs, guided by unerring wifdom, 
 doth, mult be fo well done that it cannot 
 
 be 
 
after Happiness. 99 
 
 be mended ; and whatever is merely in the 
 powerof a blind, giddy, andinconftant humour 
 (which is the notion by which men chufe to ex- 
 prefs fortune) can neither be prevented, fixed 
 nor regulated. But what is it, 
 Secondly^ thou dofl: put in the extends. ^'^■''^^^ 
 power of fortune ? the under- 
 l^anding and liberty of mens minds; wifdom, 
 temperance, induftry, courage, and in one word, 
 virtue ? If thou doft not, (he has no influence 
 on thy happinefs, fhe cannot prevent thy attain- 
 ment of it, nor bereave thee of it when at- 
 tained : If thou doft, thou dofl enlarge the em- 
 pire of fortune too too far ; let her rule and in- 
 fult over foldiers, courtiers, lovers, factious de- 
 magogues and time-fervers, but not over phi* 
 lofophers : let thofe who are her minions, be 
 her flaves ; let her difpofe of money, lands, 
 farms, commiffions, benefices, honours, graces, 
 fame : nay, if you will, crowns and kepters 
 too : virtue and happinefs and fouls, are too 
 precious commodities to be the fport and traf- 
 fick of fortune. Solomon obferved long ago, 
 Wtjdom cries out^ fie utter eth her voice in the 
 ftreets ; fie cries out in the chief place of con^ 
 courfe^ in the openings of the gates ; in the city 
 fie utters her words, Prov. i. Our Saviour 
 in the great day of the feaft cried, faying, 
 If any man thirjl^ let him come unto me and 
 drin'k'j John vii. which is an invitation of the 
 fame nature with that of the prophet, E'-ce- 
 ry one that thirjieth^ come ye to the waters, 
 and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy and 
 eat, buy wine and milk without money, and 
 H 2 without 
 
100 Afi Enquiry 
 
 without price ^ Ifa. v. This ever was, and ever 
 will be true j a great fortune is not neceilary for 
 the attainment of faich, hope, or charity: and he 
 that is endow'd with thefe, can't be miferable ; 
 you may learn the whole fyftem of divine and 
 important truths ; you may acquit yourfelf with 
 all the beauty and enjoyments of virtue at a very 
 cheap rate; and you may learn temperance, for- 
 titudejuftice, modefly, conilancv, patience, con- 
 tempt of the world, without the affiftance of 
 much more wealth than will' ferve to feed and 
 clothe you : and canft thou not be content witlj 
 thefe polTeirior.s ? is not this a fort of merchan- 
 dize to be preferred before that of fine gold ? 
 -'-I linow, the greater part of thofe who accufe 
 ••' their fortune of miferv, do at 
 
 ^^^a^Tr^^c Jeaif pretend that their conditi- 
 the impeaiments of ou ^nd circumftances of life are 
 '^"■^"^' fo incommodious, that they 
 
 have not time to attend to the great intereftof the 
 foul, or at leaft not with that application which 
 they (hould. Alas, thus not the mean only, but 
 almoft all talk, from the porter to the prince: the 
 circumflances of one are too ftrait, too narrow ; 
 of another too full of trouble, becaufe too full of 
 ilate : one complains that he is withdrawn from 
 his jrreat end, bv the many allurements and fen- 
 fual temptations to which his rank and quality 
 in the world expofes him ; another, that he is 
 daily fretted and indifpos'd by the little crofs ac- 
 cidents, and the rugged converii^tion which he 
 is neceflarily obliged to bear with : one complains 
 of too much bufinefs, another of too little -, the 
 hurry and multitude of things diflrads the one, 
 
 infidel 
 
after Happiness. ioi 
 
 infidel fears and anxious defpondencies the other; 
 one complains that his acquaintances and friends 
 are too numerous, and intrench too far upon his 
 precious hours : another is querulous, melan- 
 choly, and peeviO), becaufe he looks upon him- 
 felf either for his meannefs negled:ed, or for his 
 misfortune deferted and forfaken : company is 
 burdenfome to the one, and folitude to the other. 
 Thus all conditions are full of complaints, from 
 him that trudges on his clouted flioe, to him 
 who can fcarce mention the manners or the for- 
 tunes of the multitude, without fome expreffions 
 of centumelv and difdain. Thou fool, dofl: thou 
 not fee that all thefe comolaints are idle contra- 
 did:ions ? for fhame corred: the wantonnefs of 
 thy humour, and thou wilt foon corred thy for-, 
 tune : learn to be happy in every ftate, and, 
 every place : learn to enjoy thyfelf, to know and 
 value the wealth that is in thine own power, I 
 mean wifdom and goodnefs : learn to affert the 
 fovereignty and dignity of thy foul. Methlnks^ 
 that if philofophy could not, pride and indigna- 
 tion might conquer fortune : 'tis beneath the 
 dignity of a foul that has but a grain of fenfe, to 
 make chance, and winds, and waves, the arbitra- 
 ry difpofers of his happinefs ; or what is worfe, 
 to depend upon fome mu(hroom uoftart, which 
 a chance fmile raifed out of its turf and rotten- 
 nefs, to a condition of which his mean foul is fo 
 unequal, that he himfelf fears and wonders at 
 his own height. O how I hug the memory ot 
 thofe honeft heathens, who in a ragged gown, 
 and homely cottage, bade defiance to fortune, 
 ^nd laugh'd at thofe pains andhazards the vanity 
 :; . ' ^ 3 ^^^'^ 
 
102 All Enquiry 
 
 and pride of men, not their misfortune, drove 
 them to ! Men may call this pride, or fpite in 
 them ; as the beg arly rabble doth ufually envy 
 the fortune it doth defpair of: but there were 
 a great many of thefe who laid by envy'd great- 
 nefs, to enjoy this quiet, tho' generally defpi- 
 cable meannefs: but let the contempt of the 
 world be what it will in a heathen ^ let it be 
 pride or peeviHinefs, vain-glory, or any thing, 
 rather than a reproach to Chriftians ; what fay 
 you to the followers of our Lord and Mader ? 
 Then, [aid Peter, fiher a fid gold I have none, 
 Adsiii. None? what haft thou then, thou poor 
 difciple of a poor mafter ? a true faith, a god- 
 like chavitv, and unfhaken hope: biefled art 
 thou amongft men, nothing can make thee 
 greater, nothing richer, nothing happier, but 
 heaven. You lee plainly then, a man may be 
 virtuous, tho* not wealthy ; and that fortune, 
 which' prevents his being rich, cannot prevent 
 his bei'.^.g happy. 
 
 This difcourfe will never down ; this is not 
 calculated for this age: philofophy muft be a 
 little more mannerly, and religion a little more 
 genteel and complaifant than formerly, ere it 
 can be adapted and accommodated to the pre- 
 fent ftate of things. Go on then, let us try how 
 far it will be neceffary to condefcend. You can- 
 not be happy ; why ? becaufe you are not rich ; 
 go then to God, and beg you may be rich-, I 
 have not the face to put up fuch arrogant and 
 intemperate requefts to God : 'tis plain then, 
 'tis not neceffary to be rich in order to be hap- 
 py : for whatever is neceffary to this, thou 
 
 may'ft 
 
after Happiness. 103 
 
 roay'lT: with good afTurance beg of God. But 
 thy defires are more humble and modeft ; thou 
 aimeft at nothing but what is very necefiary j a 
 fairer houfe, another fervant, a difh or two of 
 meat more for thy friends, a coach for thy con- 
 venience or eafe, and a few hundred pounds 
 apiece more for thy children: O heavenly ingre- 
 dients of a rational pleafure ! C) divine inllru- 
 ments of human happinefj^l O the humble and 
 mortify'drequedsof modell: fouls! Well, ifthefe 
 things be lO neceffary, and thefe defires be fo 
 decent and virtuous, if thou canft not be happy, 
 and confequently muft be miferable, without 
 them: put up a bill, reprefent thy condition in 
 it J fuch a one wants a more commodious houfe, 
 more fervants, more di(hes, ^c. and defires the 
 prayers of the congregation for fupport under 
 this afflidlion. You are profane : far be it from 
 me; I would only let thee fee the wantonnefs 
 of thy defires. If thou think'ft this would ex- 
 pofe thee to publick laughter, go to thy mini- 
 fler, unfold thy cafe to him, let him pray for 
 thee J he is a good man, and his prayers will go 
 far; you rally and ridicule me. Enter then in- 
 to thy clofet, (hut thy door, thou may 'ft truft 
 God, he pities and confiders even human infir- 
 mities ; I could even alnioll: in my mind delire 
 it of him ; but I am alham'd to do it in a Jet 
 and Jolemn prayer. I could almoft make the 
 petition in the grofs, but I blufh to think of de- 
 fcending to particulars. Well, then I fee plain- 
 ly, that wealth in any degree of it, is fo far 
 from being neceffary to our happinefs, that it 
 has fo little of ufefulnefs or conveniency in it, 
 H 4 that 
 
104- An 'Enquiry 
 
 that in thy confcience between God and thee, 
 thou canti: not think, fit to complain of the want 
 of it. 
 
 But this anfvver will never fatisfy him who 
 complains of want, or of being 
 
 Every vtan the ar- gnpaaed in continual troubles, 
 
 ehited of bn otonjor- i /-r i i i i -i i 
 
 fune. 2nd tolled by the daily changes 
 
 and revolutions of the world. 
 I confefs, it will not : but I muft tell fuch a one 
 if So!o?nons obiervation be true, The ha?id of 
 the diligejit maketh rich^ Prov. x. and that 
 other, i^eefi thou a man diligent in his bufmefsy 
 he JJ:all ftand before kings, he fhall tiot ft and 
 bejore mean men, Prov. xxii. Then his poverty 
 is his crime, as well as his calamity j he muft 
 redeem himfelf from this his puniihment by in- 
 duflry and prayer. As to calamities, this muft 
 be acknowledged, that the mind of a good and 
 great man, which ftands firm upon its own bafis^ 
 a good God, a good Saviour, and a good con- 
 fcience, may remain unmov'd, when the earth 
 trembles, and the fea roars round about him. 
 Chances indeed befal things temporal j but he 
 leans not upon them. I may fay farther, that 
 he, who upon mature deliberation, and upon 
 necefTary obligations of duty engages himfelt in 
 a juft caufe, may be unfortunate, but he cannot 
 be miferable : his fufi:erings carry a fecret plea- 
 furein them, and his misfortunes are full of hope 
 and glory ; if he confider, if he refled, if he do 
 not feed ori vain and airy projedts, and fuffer 
 himfelf to be unwarily tranfported by very irra- 
 tional, though feeminglyjuft pafiions. I muft 
 laftly add, that 'tis not tlie neceffity of their 
 
 affairs. 
 
after Happiness. 105 
 
 affairs, nor the iniquity of times, which doth 
 commonly involve and intangle men in publick 
 or private calamities, bur fome leciet vani.y, 
 fome blind impetuous paffion, fomeill-iaid pro- 
 je6l, or fome treacherous or difhonourable fear. 
 The ftate of Rome never felt more or greater 
 changes than in the life of Atticus, as is obvious 
 to any one who {lial\ refle(5l upon the hiflory of 
 his time : and yet in all the turns and mi;=;luy 
 changes of fortune, Atticm enjoyed a conftiHit 
 tranquillity and well fettled peace, being fcarce 
 ever reduced to the neceflity of a retirement but 
 once, as I remember. Nor was it the meannefs 
 of his quality, or thenarrowncfs of hisforkine 
 that fecured him ; he was a man great in both : 
 lior was it the fecrecy of a private life, Or the 
 fluggiflinefs of a flupid mind, which rendered 
 him unworthy of any man's fear, and unable to 
 provoke a danger. N(), he was a man, as well 
 for the eminence of his parts, and vigour of his 
 mind, as for the largenefs of his fortune, well 
 known to the greateft and moft adive men of all 
 parties ; and yet fleering his life by the rules of 
 virtue and true wifdom, he lived untouch'd by, 
 unconcerned in, the ftrange alterations of fo long 
 a life as his : which v^'ere fuch, and fo many, 
 that the hiftorian has obferved, that they, who 
 were one day in the height of power a'd ho- 
 nour, were the next in the gul;.)h of danger and 
 defpair: fo that his remark is generaflv very 
 true, Sui cuique mores fjigunt jortunam Eve- 
 ry man may faflnon and jhape hii jortune as he 
 will his manners, (Corn. Nep. in vita Atii:i!) 
 
 Nor 
 
lo6 A?t Enquiry 
 
 Nor was the fuccefs of his behaviour lefs in pri- 
 vate than in publick : for Cornelius Nepos has 
 oblerved in his life, that thofe friendships he en- 
 tered into, he was very happy and conftant in ; 
 nay, fuch was the gentlenefs, fuch the difcretion 
 of his behaviour, that it preferved him in the 
 favour of an uncle (I think) of his, who was fo 
 four and peevifh, that none could pleafe him ; 
 fuch a Nabalj a man could not fpeak to him : 
 nay, he not only kept in with him, but pofTefT- 
 ed him him fo entirely, that he was left his heir. 
 Nor was all this in Atticus, the efFed of temper 
 or nature, but of virtue : Neque id fecit natura 
 Jolum^ quanquam omnes ei par emus ^ fed etiam doc- 
 trina ; nam & principium philofophorum it a per- 
 cepta hahuit prcecepta^ lit iis ad vitam agefidam^ 
 non ad ojlentationem^ utebatur : (Ibid.) For he 
 hadjludied philofophy^ not for oflentatioUy but the 
 conduSl of his life. I might now prefume I had 
 given fatisfadlion to this objedlion, efpecially 
 fince I oblige myfelf to take the cafe of temporal 
 and outward calamities into full confideration 
 hereafter j but the infedion is got into the mafs 
 of blood, and has diffufed itfelf thro' mankind, 
 and 'tis not a flight and weak medicine that can 
 purge it out : therefore 1 have obferved that the 
 heathens were never more copious, or more ve- 
 hement than in the refutation of this error. Our 
 baptifm doth fcarce proclaim a more folemn war 
 againil: the pomps and vanities of the world, than 
 philofophy did in all ages ; no doubt therefore 
 the expunging this fancy, which makes man's 
 happinefs depend upon his fortune in the world, 
 
 muft 
 
after Happiness. 107 
 
 muft needs be a matter of great importance, fincc 
 both revelation and reafon have lb earneftly and 
 folemnly endeavoured it ; I (hall not therefore, 
 I hope, feem impertinent or tedious, if look- 
 ing upon this objedion as con fider able, in opi^ 
 nion, iho' not in itfelf, I treat it with more re- 
 fped and folemnity than it really deferves. 
 
 My defign therefore is to examine what real 
 good or convenience there is in wealth, how 
 valuable, or how neceflary 'tis, and that not in 
 a declamatory orfophiftical, but fuch a foberand 
 rational manner, as maybe fatisfadory and con- 
 victive to every unprejudiced mind. 
 
 Firji, therefore, I will give fome account, 
 whence 'tis that men are fo intent upon their 
 worldly intereft, fo wholly bent upon being rich. 
 
 Secondly, I will ftate what is meant by a 
 competency, and what the advantage and ne- 
 ceffity of it is. 
 
 Thirdly, I will confider what the natural ten- 
 dency of wealth is. From all which it will eafily 
 appear, what connexion and dependence there 
 is betw^een our fortune and our happinefs. 
 
 If we enquire whence 'tis men are fo intent 
 upon the world; one reafon is „ r .. 
 
 V • r ^ \' J J • ^ecifon of lo've of 
 
 a fecret infidelity; men are de- ^^, ^,,/^^ infidelity. 
 iirous to lay fuch a foundation 
 as time cannot wear, nor winds and tempefls 
 o'erthrow; they cannot truft providence, till 
 they fee, or at lead, fancy themfelves in a con- 
 dition to defy it : and this they look upon as a 
 great piece of prudence, to provide for them- 
 felves a fafe retreat at once from the ftorms and 
 changes that generally purfue mankind^^nd the 
 
 contempt 
 
I 
 
 1 08 ^n Rnquiry 
 
 contempt which unjuftly purfues thofe who arc 
 oveiLakcn by them: 1 cannot tell which is the 
 
 reater, the folly or the impiety of this humour ; 
 
 or 'tis a wretched folly to flatter ourfelves with 
 the vain hopes of a fecurity which is not to be 
 found any where beneath heaven ; or to ima- 
 gine tliat a great eftate is lefs liable to the blafts 
 of fortune, than a fmall one j or to fancy that 
 the contempt which attends thofe who never 
 rife, is more infupportable than that which at- 
 tends thofe who fall : nor is the impiety one 
 jot lefs than the folly j for what can be more 
 wicked than amidfi fo many vifible and unde- 
 niable proofs and affurances of a God and provi- 
 dence, to let the fame anxious and jealous fears 
 fill and diflurb our minds, which would fcarce 
 be pardonable, if there were neither ? What 
 greater affront can we offer to the goodnefs, the 
 wifdom, the omnipotence and faithful nefs of 
 God, than to refufe to repofe the care, the truft: 
 of providing for us upon him, when he not 
 only offers, but prelTes himfelf upon the em- 
 ployment ? 
 
 A fecond caufe why we fo eagerly purfue 
 - - ,. wealth, is fcnfuality : being 
 
 Itrangers to the peace and joy. 
 of faith, infenfible of the divine delight of cha^ 
 rity; uncapable of the extafies, of the full affu- 
 rance of hope, and in general, of the rational 
 pleafures of a philofophical mind j what can be 
 expeded but that both wind and tide fliould 
 drive us violently on another fliore ? I mean the 
 whole force and inclination of our nature (hould 
 impetuo\jlly tend towards fenfual, worldly plea- 
 fures 
 
after Happiness. 109 
 
 fures and enjoyments, and confcquently towards 
 wealth, as the neceffary inftrumcnt of both. 
 You grant therefore that wealth is neccllary to a 
 pleafurable life ? To a pleafurable one 'tis, to a 
 pleafant one 'tis not. The fenfaal pleafures of a 
 fenfual man, i. e. one who is all body and fancy, 
 requires a good fund of wealth, but the tempo- 
 ral enjoyments of a virtuous man do not. I grant, 
 that eafe and reft are necefTary to the fl'jggifh, 
 ftate and height to the proud, variety to the in- 
 temperate and the wanton, and to all this wealth 
 is neceflary ; but I deny, that floth or pride, in- 
 temperance (I will add nicenefs) or wantonnefs, 
 is necefTary to our happinefs : nay, 1 will con- 
 fidently affirm, that a vigorous mind and active 
 body, is a much greater pleafu re than flug^irti eafe: 
 that an humble, if contented, ftate is much more 
 eafy than the proud grandeur, and the aXa^oiei- 
 a^iMy GT the ojientation of life in St. John ; that 
 fober and thrifty temperance is a far greater plea* 
 fure than variety ; and the modefty, conftancy, 
 and friendftiip of a virtuous altedion, is not only 
 a more calm, generous and fteady, but a more 
 tranfportingfatisfadtion, than the fanciful rambles 
 of a wandering luft. And i hope, none will be fo 
 fond as to judge wealth neceflarv to the obtaining 
 thefe virtues: if any are, their fiilinefs and vanity 
 are to be exploded and laught at, not ferioufly 
 confuted J for who in his wits can believe, that 
 e^-fe is the beft nurfe of induftry : that affeded 
 ftate and ambitious grandeur are the parents of 
 humility and contentment; that affluence and 
 daily delicacies arethemoftefFedual inftruments 
 
 of 
 
no An Enquiry 
 
 of abftinence, and that variety is the mother of 
 chaftity ? If not, then 'tis apparent how fir fer- 
 viceable wealth is ; for all that lies in its power 
 is to provide for us thefe temptations : but tho' a 
 wife and virtuous man wants no wealth, I deny 
 not but that he needs a competency ; what this 
 is, is the next thing to be enquired: for this pre- 
 text of having what is enough, is frequently 
 made ufe of to juflify and legitimate avarice and 
 ambition. 
 
 The meafure of competency is the necefllties 
 of nature, not the extrava- 
 
 Sedl. 2. Competency. • re r ^i i 
 
 '^ ganciesor rancy: ahttleheap 
 
 where frugal temperance and humble induftry 
 are the ftewards, is a plentiful provifion ; but 
 where-ever wafteful luxury and wanton fancy 
 rule and govern, plenty itfelf is a mere dearth. 
 What treafures would not the expenfive riots of 
 Aptcim^ Orata^ Clodius exhauft ? how fmall 
 a particle of which would have been ample re- 
 venues to Curius^ JEmilius Pappus ^ or Fabric 
 cius? Competency then is that provifion which 
 the virtuous man needs as his viaticum^ as the- 
 fupport of life and inftrument of virtue; the 
 modeft wi(h oi Jacob, Gen xxviii. Bread to eaty 
 and raiment to put on. The ufe and advantage of 
 this, is not to keep us or our children from be- 
 ing expofed to contempt (that is too (light an evil 
 for a Chriftian or philofopher to dread) but to 
 the barbarous pity or charity of rich and great 
 friends. A fecond ufe or advantage of it is, that it 
 helps to keep the minderedt and free j that it puts 
 us into a capacity of employing our realbn, and 
 
 en- 
 
after Happiness. ill 
 
 enjoying ourfelves our own way j and leave us not 
 under any temptation to unmanly compliances, 
 or unchriftian jealoufies and fears : for he whofe 
 ambition goes not beyond this, will eafily truft 
 providence, if he believe there be any \ or his 
 own induftry if he believe none : how he that 
 divides and feparates providence and induftry, 
 will thrive in this matter, I know not; but he 
 that joins his own induftry with God's bleffing 
 obtained by prayer, can never mifs of this his 
 aim. Having proceeded thus far, I fhall be more 
 eafily able to refolve, 
 
 Thirdly^ What the value, what the necefli- 
 ty of riches is. 'Tis a pretty 
 fpeech which Plato in Stobceus ^^' *'"'^''"y "f 
 
 ■* t • 1 • 1 r 1 'wealth, 'with reft- 
 
 makes in his defence and com- ^^^^^ ^^ the foul. 
 mendation of wealth. But in 5^rz«. Sz.exTelete. 
 the firfl place, I do not call 
 every thing wealth, that is not mere beggary ; I 
 have allov/ed of a competency as very conveni- 
 ent even for a virtuous and wife man. In the next 
 place, I trouble not myfelf about the grandeur 
 or fecurity of kingdoms, tho' peradventure the 
 Scythian poverty^ or Roman virtue, is a fironger 
 bulwark, a better guard of thefe, than the 
 riches of Afia. And in the laft. place, I do not 
 enquire what ufe wifdom and virtue are able 
 to make of wealth, which can extract pleafure 
 and happinefs even out of troubles and afHid:i- 
 ons ; but what the natural tendency of wealth 
 is. Thefe things being obferved, that, and all 
 other difcourfes of the like nature, will appear 
 to contain very little of folid truth, and to have 
 very little of weight in them : let us come to a 
 
 trial 
 
It 2 An "Enquiry 
 
 trial of rhe matter. If contentment and ttc^- 
 ritv were the natural effeds of wealth, if to be 
 rich and to be happy were the lame thing, 
 then it were not to be wondered at, that wealth 
 fhould be the great idol, and ambition of man- 
 kind : but if it neither free men from thofe paf- 
 fions of the mind, nor difeafes of the body, nor 
 other calamities which imbi^ter life to the infe- 
 rior part of mankind \ what theii is the advan- 
 tage of it ? Let us tiien ftand ftiil and confider 
 this : Do not hatred and anger, envy and anxi- 
 ety, ambition apd luft: reign more frequently 
 and more infolently in the bofom of the great 
 and wealthy, than of the labouring cottager ? 
 Nay, I believe upon a narrow fearch we fliall 
 findj that fome pafiions are the prerogative of 
 a' ptoad and Infolent fortune, and are not inci- 
 dent to a mean one ; fuch as haughty anger, ir- 
 reconcileable hatred, and unlimited ambition, 
 and an uneafy wantonnefs : the ploughman and 
 the artift, the labourer and the hind, know none 
 of thefe ; ambirion does not break their deep, 
 nor a falVidious niccnefs make 'em difgufl and 
 naufeate their beft meals ; nor are they troubled 
 with wild and ungovernable lufts, bred by ex- 
 cefs, and nurs'd by gaudy bravery, deluding arts, 
 and more deluding fancy. 
 
 Nor are the rich more exempt from the dif- 
 eafes of the bodv, than from the 
 
 ^^^^referenceu ^^^^^^ ^f ^hc mind ; eXCeiTu C 
 
 meals, diforderly Ileeps, much 
 lloth and much wantonnefs, as they are the pri- 
 vileges of a gay fortune, fo are they the fources 
 of innumerable difeafes : fcurvies, gouts, rheu- 
 
 matifms, 
 
'after Happiness. 113 
 
 matifmSj furfeits, putrid fevers, and I know 
 hot what, are the confequences of proud idle- 
 hefs and exceffive enjoyments, /. e. of ill-govern- - 
 ed wealth : whereas a plain table and a fober 
 life, regular and cheap pleafures, and moderate 
 labour, beget and improve an entire habit of 
 health, and prolong life to the utmofb period of 
 nature. This is a fecond great advantage of 
 wealth, that it gives us a difeafed body, and a 
 fliort life. 
 
 Sure then the rich are the minions of fortune : 
 and the difafters which opprefs 
 
 ,1 PL C I • J ^ t ^ With reference to 
 
 the reft of mankind, touch not „ans outward fiate. 
 them ; on the quite contrary, 
 all annals are fluffed with the calamities and 
 misfortunes of thefe men ; rifled wealth, de- 
 feated hopes, bafHed ambition, blafled honours, 
 broken dejeded power, and, in a word, mighty 
 changes, are the argument of tragedies, and the 
 fubjedt of a loud and raving pafiion : whereas the 
 ftrokes of fortune are foft and gentle, when they 
 light upon the mean ; thefe are not capable of 
 tragical alterations ; their minds a:re of a ftrong- 
 er temper, their bodies firmer, their fenfes not 
 nice and delicate, and their litde fufferings draw 
 not after them the mourning pomp and flate 
 which attends the fall, I may call it the funeral 
 ofa great one. Here envy infults not, malice 
 traduces not, the petulant multitude do not fol- 
 low the corps with confufed clamours and cen-< 
 fures ; nor do acquaintance f^iock to exprefs out- 
 wardly a cold and formal regard, while they feel 
 inwardly a fecret joy; for that man's fall is al- 
 ways unpitiedwhofe power was a barren and ufe- 
 VoL. I. I lefs 
 
114 -^n Enquiry 
 
 lefs title. But to come clofer yet : what Is it 
 that makes up the comfort of human life ? A 
 quiet ftate, faithful friends, good wives and good 
 children ? If we confider it, we (hall find the 
 life of man little beholden to wealth in thefe 
 points : in all changes of time are not the rich 
 thegreateftfufFerers? the mark of envy, the prey 
 of violence and ufurpation ? Have they not more 
 enemies, as well as more friends, than other 
 men ? friends did 1 fay ? they have none. They 
 have dependants, flatterers, companions, and 
 miniiters of their pleafures; no friends. Hence 
 is it, that nothing is more common than for 
 thofe above us to wifn for the content, the eafe 
 and enjoyment of thofe below them : for the 
 truth of it is (if we proceed) relations, which 
 are the pleafure of men of middle fortune, are 
 the burthen and incumbrance of the rich and 
 great : for in all their contracts and difpofals, 
 they are fervants to their fortune, not their incli- 
 nation ; marriages among thefe are the matches 
 of eflates, not minds ; and therefore they attend 
 not the temper or the honour of the famJlies 
 they link with ; nay, what is worfe, they have 
 no regard to their education or virtue, or wif- 
 dom : but money weighs all down, whatever 
 objedtions are put in the oppofite fcale : in the 
 whole method of their lives they are flaves to 
 their fortune, and to their reputation in the 
 world, judging themfelves obliged to live, not 
 according to their reafon, but their quality and 
 the humour, that is, the folly of the age, and 
 of the acquaintance they converfe with : nor 
 dare they walk by any other maxims in the 
 
 govern- 
 
iifter Happiness. 115 
 
 government of the nearefl: to them, or In the 
 (education of their children : in all thefe things 
 ithey muft do what becomes men of their figure 
 ]n the world, not what becomes true wifdom. 
 Who fees not now, that upon the whole there is 
 in this ftate or condition of life more incum- 
 brance, and lefs true freedom ? more (hew and 
 lefs enjoyment, than in any other ? 
 
 If all this be true ; you will be apt to con- 
 clude mankind is mad : if ^, , . . y, 
 
 1 , t . 1 1 l^he admiration of 
 
 wealth neither makes us more rvjealth ivhence. 
 wife nor more healthy, more 
 free in ourfelves, nor more fortunate in our re- 
 lations, what bewitches man into this extrava- 
 gant dotage ? What makes the world gaze upon, 
 and envy the rich, as the only happy crea- 
 tures ? What makes us fawn upon them, and 
 flatter them, as the only powerful and great 
 things the world has ? Something there is in it, 
 and that is this 5 V^^e fee the outlide, the pomp 
 and pageantry of wealth ; we fee the gilt coaches, 
 the rich liveries, the little town of buildings^ 
 gay furniture, and a whole fquadron of difhes ; 
 and together with all this, the gawdy trappings 
 the happy man's bedight with ; the port, the 
 grace, the confidence that all this gives to ig- 
 norance and nonfcnfe : but if you'll confider this 
 truly, you will find all this mere pageantry and 
 apparition, nothing folid nor real in it. As for 
 gay cloathing, 'tis an advantage not worth the 
 fpeaking of, 'tis the pride of children, and the 
 weaknefs of women : the little foul that con- 
 verfes no higher than the looking-glafs, and a 
 faniafiick drefs, may help to make up the (liew 
 
 1 2 of 
 
1 1 6 An Enquiry 
 
 of the world ; but mud not be reckon'd amongft 
 the rational inhabitants of it j ferving only as 
 painture, images and ornaments to the ftage, 
 not adtors on it. As to all the relt, they jeem 
 to enjoy feme pre-eminence, but do not : the 
 mean man eats his morfel with more pleafure, 
 becaufe more appetite ; and lleeps with more 
 delight, becaufe with more eafe, neither op- 
 prelTed in body by luxury, nor in mind by care : 
 The Jleep of a labouring man is fweet, whether 
 he eat little or much j but the abundance of 
 the rich will not fuffer him to feep, Ecclef v. 
 12. All the reft, as numerous attendants, ma- 
 ny dependants, flocks of parafitcs, and the like, 
 are but mere incumbrance, the unwieldinefs of 
 a grofs and heavy body. All thefe ferve to in- 
 creafe the noife and hurry, the care and the 
 pomp, but not the pleafure or enjoyment of the 
 wealthy : Hence was that obfervation of So- 
 lomon : If riches increafe, they are incrcafed that 
 eat them, and what profit has the owner thereof 
 faving the beholding of it with his eyesf Ibid. 
 A moft extraordinary happinefs this, to be 
 the hoft of their neighbourhood, to have one's 
 houfethe rendezvous of the idle and the glut- 
 tonous, of buffoons and flatterers ; and yet, if 
 the rich live oiherwife, prefently they grow in- 
 - famous and fbink ; they are looked upon as In- 
 dian graves, where wealth is not laid up, but loft 
 and buried ; they are loaded with the curies ot 
 • fome, with the hatred of others, and with the 
 cenfures of all ; and this is almoft as bad as to 
 be peftered with impertinences and flattery. 
 This is the whole of tlie matter j if people gaze 
 
 and 
 
after Happiness. 117 
 
 and admire, 'tis their ignorance ; if they fawn 
 or flatter, 'tis their bafenefs j but ftill remem- 
 ber, 'tis the people, 'tis the crowd that doth 
 this. Should a m-^n of letters or fpirit be 
 over-aw'd by the laws of cuftom or fome un- 
 happy neceffity into the commiffion of this 
 idolatry, he could not but defpife the idol he 
 bowed down to, and fee it a mere lump of 
 wood or ftone, notwithftanding its gaudy drelTes ; 
 tho' I acknowledge, I comprehend not what 
 can reduce a philofopher to this piece of {hame- 
 ful diflimulation ; the foul that is great in itfelf, 
 is fo in defpite of fortune j he that can live 
 virtuouflv, can live happily in the loweft ftate : 
 and he that defires but little, has no need of 
 much : he that can defpife riches, can defpife 
 the infolence and pride of the rich : in one 
 word, he that can command himfelf, needs be 
 a flave to none. 
 
 After all, I think it were poiTlble to evince 
 the rnifchieyoufnefs of wealth as plainly as I 
 have its ufeleffnefs j but that were to prefs the 
 point farther than my prefent defign requires : 
 for my bufinefs was to flievv, either that for- 
 tune was not neceffary to our happinefs, or as 
 far as it is, that 'tis in our own power ; both 
 which I may now prefut-ne myfelf to have fuf- 
 ficiently performed. I will therefore pais oix 
 to the obiecftion from fite. 
 
 C H A P. 
 
jiS jfin Enquiry. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 Of FATE. 
 
 ^he notion of V'W.^fi cited. Mansfondnefs. F^tei 
 
 from fpiritual pride and loofenefs. Fate 
 
 impugned, i . By authority. Various opinions 
 
 about it, and its caufes. Hhe extent of itsem^ 
 
 pire. The mind exempt. 'The true differences. 
 
 betweefi the Pythagorean and Sio'ic fate- 
 
 diff'erei^t opinions about the neceffity implied in 
 
 Fate. ChriJJian Fate worfe than the Pagan. 
 
 2. By reafon and re'^j elation. Fate cannot de- 
 rive it Jelf from matter nor from God : 'tis re- 
 pugnant tofenfe and experience y the confequences 
 cf Fate. Scripture cleared from countenancing 
 Fate. Demonjtrated from the nature of God, 
 ' his declared will and government. 
 
 AMongft the many fhifts and devices men 
 have invented to quiet confcience, and 
 _, at once to excufe and enjoy 
 
 The notion of htQ .1 • i a ^u* • r lu 
 
 jiaud. their luits, this is none or the 
 
 leaft, that they impute all tQ 
 fate J not only the events that befal them, but 
 even their crimes and follies, as fuvenal did 
 the difTolutenefs of Feribomius\ that is, they 
 believe, or would be thought to do lb, that all 
 our afFedlions aud adions, and all events that 
 befal us, are inevitable ; that no prudence can 
 prevent, no induflry fruftrate the decrees of 
 fate, agalnfl: which we ftruggle but in vain. 
 This is the popular and general notion o^ fate^ 
 
 taught 
 
after Happiness. 119 
 
 taught firft by Democritus^ Kmpedocles^ Hera" 
 ditus and Leucippus^ and fo derived down from 
 age to age, and prevailing moflly amongft the 
 multijuds. Thus Baccy lides in Stobmis\ Eclogue ^ 
 exprefles the popular notion oijate : 'Tisnot in 
 man to clouje hisjiate^ whether 
 wealthy peace, or inexorable '^'"'I'l^'^r- «^^*'-. 
 war, or all confounding Jedi- a-A.c.i^-ni^ 'Af^c, ^T« 
 twn ; but jate, the Joveretgn ar- i^.^.i^'nTu n^ 
 biter of each, leads us on blind '::t^^^Z 
 and hoodwinked to our ruin. And £<=• Phyi.c. g. 
 Euripides exprefies the other 
 part of the opinion, containing the adaman- 
 tine chain, the infuperable neceffity of fate, thus; 
 McpiTificc (5" are (pvysTv -S"s^;f are crofptot rvig otTTcoa-H" 
 Tui aXXu i^otroiv 'wpo'^Vfi^ ocet 'ttovov e^s<. liS not 
 permitted us to Jlmii our defiiny 5 nor can any hu- 
 man prudence ward its blows ; nor can any thing 
 hut efidlefs andjruitlejs troubles attend cur contcn- 
 tion with it. 
 
 'Tis a fign of a defperate caufe, or defperate 
 impudence, to difpute againfl our common 
 fenfe, and to defy the daily experience of man- 
 kind J and yet all this the abettors of an univer- 
 fa! fate (fuch as this is) are guilty of j for they 
 deny that liberty in man, which all laws divine 
 and human, all exhortations and advices, all 
 commendation and reproof, /. e. plainly God 
 and man do fuppofe : for if the mind of man 
 were over-ruled, if his prefent and future ftate 
 were fix'd and determin'd by a fatal and inexor- 
 able necelTity ; then, as laws, advice, and ex- 
 hortation would be ufelefs and impertinent j fa 
 I 4 all 
 
I2q An Enquiry 
 
 all reproof would be -unjuft, and all prgife an4 
 reward undeferved ; and yet, tho' the aflertion 
 of late be opprefs'd and overborn by all thefe ab- 
 furdities, it wants not at this day its maintain- 
 ers and fticklers : for there are who maintain a 
 neceiiuy In human affairs and events, derived 
 from the influence of heavenly bodies. Whicl^ 
 nonon of fate, take in the words of Manilius : 
 
 Fata regunt orhem^ certdjlant omnia lege, 
 Longaque per certos [ignantur tempora curfus. 
 Najccntes morimur y Jinijque ab origiiie pemiet. 
 Manil. Aftronomicon. 4. 
 
 Fate rules the worU, fixd laws do all thijjgs 
 
 guide. 
 And long time through their certain chanticls 
 
 Jlide. 
 Death of the birth, of the beginning, th' end^ 
 And all tlS events oj human life depend. 
 
 And there are others, who tho' they condemn 
 judicial aftrology, in fet treatifes writ againft it, 
 do yet maintain fuch eternal decrees as imply a 
 more flexible fate than any Pagan but Demo^ 
 critus, and thofe juft now mention'd with him, 
 did ever hold : nay, a fate more impious thar^ 
 that of Democritus ; for what he imputed to 
 fenfelefs matter, thefe do to God ; and as much 
 more rigid as it is more impious than his ; for 
 he never thought of another life wherein eter- 
 nal mifery fhould punifh thofe anions that were 
 unavoidable in this. 
 
 Now 
 
afte^r Happ^j^ess. :f2^ 
 
 Now the reafon why this dodtrir^e of fate, 
 this abfurd and bafHed dodrine ' 
 
 \ r J'l t_ 'J J Man s fondnefs far 
 
 IS fo greedily embrac d and ea- ^^,,^ ^X«.,. 
 ^erly defended by many, is 
 Very plain ; it feeds the yanity and curiolity of 
 fome, and the pride of others; 'tis a lufcious 
 pleafure to curious and vain minds, to fancy 
 themfelves mafters of a ftarry Cabbala^ able to 
 fpell out and interpret the laws of fate, and pry 
 |nto the deftinics of future ages, which are co- 
 vered with thick clouds and impenetrable dark- 
 nefs to all but them alone : 'tis a delicious plea- 
 fure, no doubt of it, to the proud and haughty, 
 and ill-natured, to fee themfelves carefl'ed and 
 exalted by God as his particular favourites ; 
 while the miferable multitude, the reft of man- 
 kind, are excluded from the capacity, and, much 
 more, the hopes of happinefs and heaven j and 
 in general, 'tis a ready apology for idlcnefs and 
 lyft, and all manner of fins; for men might ( ii 
 confidently and without remorfe, if they did fin 
 fatally; or rather, nothing could be branded 
 with the infamy of fin and fliame, when what- 
 ever men did, were the effedt, the unavoidable 
 effe(fl of nature and neceffity, an a(ft of obedi- 
 ence tq thofe fatal laws which they could not 
 tranfgrefs. Tertullian therefore fpeaks very 
 properly when he fiith, Mentis malce impetus 
 'Vi'l jato "Ji'l aftris iwputant^ nolunt fuum effe 
 quod malum agno faint : They impute the heat 
 and J allies of their lufl to Jlars and fate, being 
 imwilling to charge themfelves with the guilt 
 of that ivhich they own to be evil. This is the 
 
 ufe 
 
J 2 2 An "Enquiry 
 
 Donee Cerealis ufc Cerealis makcs of this doc- 
 
 mulceret animos.fa- . • c c ,. ' cr '^ ^l 
 
 toaftadiditansqu* ^""6 of fate in Tacitus : the 
 militum ducumque Roman legions had behaved 
 ^ifcordia,vei fraude themfelvcs verv unworthy of 
 
 hoftium eveniiTent. , . -^ . ^ 
 
 Tacit. L 4. biji. the name and reputation they 
 
 polTefTed, and were extremely 
 dejedted under the confcience of it j therefore 
 he, to chear and encourage 'em, and to wipe off 
 the ftain and dilhonour of their mifdemeanour, 
 imputed to fate that which ought with truth to 
 have been imputed to the diffention of their lea- 
 ders and themfelves, ajid to the fraud and cun- 
 ning of their enemies. From this litde that has 
 been faid, as it appears why proud and vicious 
 men contend for fate, fo does it likewife of 
 what importance it is to free men's minds from a 
 perfuafion fo pernicious to the intereft of virtue, 
 the peace of the publick, the happinefs of man, 
 and the honour of God. 
 
 To which purpofe, that I may contribute all 
 I can, I'll confider, 
 
 Firjl^ On which fide ftands the advantage of 
 
 authority, whether for or againft fate. 
 Secondly, What plain reafon, and as plain re- 
 velation, do dictate in this point. 
 As to the firft, I will not pretend to make a 
 juft and intelligible colledion 
 Variety of opiniom of thc different notions which 
 
 eoncerntn? fate and . . . -- >- 
 
 iticaufe have been taken up or rate j 
 
 'tis evident from that which 
 Grotius has done of this kind, not only how 
 tedious and voluminous, but alfo how obfcure 
 and confus'd the difcourfes of men have been 
 
 on 
 
after Happiness, 123 
 
 on this fubjevfl : I fiiall only therefore, as far as 
 my memory will ferve me, confider their opi- 
 pions in fuch a manner as the nature of this pre-, 
 fent enquiry {hall oblige me. Moft philofophers 
 do agree in one general notlop of fate, that it is 
 a connexion or feries of caufes facceilively de- 
 pending upon one another and producing a ne- 
 cefTaryeffed or event, el^fiog uijiuv uttu^oc^oct^^ 
 (Nemefius.) Opinions concerning the firft 
 ground or original of this necelTary conne(5tion 
 or dependance were very various; fome afcrib- 
 ing it to demons or fpirits, fome to the influence 
 o^JIars^ fome to the circumadtion or whirling 
 aboutof the heavens, fome to an unlverfal foul, 
 fome to the force of motion, fome to the con- 
 texture and contrivance of natures, others to 
 atoms, and others to God : and indeed fince mat" 
 ter or mind are the two only things into which 
 all philofophers have ultimately refolved their 
 fearch and enquiries after the original of all 
 things, they ought to have looked for no other 
 original of fate than one of thefe two. But this 
 concerns my prefent queflion but very little ; for 
 if man be over-ruled and determined by fatal 
 laws, it matters litde how it came to be fo : nor 
 did I mention this variety of opinions for any 
 other reafon than this, that it gives us jufl: occa- 
 fion to fufpe(5l fate itfelf as an erroneous and ill- 
 grounded poiition ; for obfcurity, and intricacy, 
 and multiplicity of different notions about the 
 fame thing, are the general marks of falfhood 
 and error. 
 
 But 
 
124 ^^ Enquiry 
 
 But there are two things very material to be 
 enquired after. 
 
 Firfly How far the empire or dominion of 
 
 fate w^s generally extended. 
 And fecondly. What kind of neceflity, or 
 what degrees of it were generally fuppofed 
 to cpnftitute fate. 
 
 As to the extent of its power, this one thing 
 /•• ^^ ^^^y remarkable, that the 
 empire. ' "^ ^^ heathens did exempt the jnind 
 
 of man from its fovereignty. 
 Democriius indeed believed the foul of man as 
 necejjarily and fatally moved by the impreffion 
 of his atoms, as any ocher natural or irrational 
 body. But Epicurus dcferted him in this ; and 
 following the condudl of common (tn^c and ex- 
 perience, acknowledged the liberty of the foul of 
 man, and laboured (as Plutarch tells us) with 
 all his might to aflert it, and to preferve the dif- 
 tindtion of virtue and vice, which fate deflroys : 
 to ferve this Hypotbefis it was, that he invented 
 that new motions of his atoms, called by Lucre- 
 tiuSy CllfiameUy fufficiently expos'd by Tully, and 
 how well defended by Gajfendus^ I am not con- 
 cerned to examine: for I have produced this opi- 
 nion only as an inftance of the clearnefs of this 
 truth, that the foul of man is notfubjed: to fate; 
 for had not his liberty been undeniable and felf- 
 evident, the principles oi Epicurus' s philofophy 
 had certainly obliged him to follow Democritus 
 m this, as in all other points, and to have be- 
 lieved the foul itfelf over-ruled by fate. 
 
 The 
 
aftef^ Happiness. I25 
 
 The poets indeed made the monarchy of fate 
 To univerfalj that they believ'd the gods them- 
 felves fubjed: to it. Thus "Jupiter in Homer 
 bemoans the fate of his Sarpedon, which he 
 could not prevent. And thus another poet re-, 
 prefents Apollo ftriving in vain, by all the pov^er 
 of art and virtue of herbs, to reftore life to 
 his Hyacinthus. Nor w^as this the only poe- 
 tick fancy ; 'tis ufual with Flato to extend the 
 dominion of fate over the gods themfelves : 
 but this was no wonder; for fate with him im- 
 ports the Immutable laws of the fupreme God, 
 and gods thofe fpirits that were created by him. 
 The Stoics indeed (at leaft fome of them) af- 
 ligned a worfe reafon for this fovereignty of 
 fate ; namely, that the fupreme architecS could 
 not corre(5l the defeds and incapacities of mat- 
 ter. After all this, -'tis no wonder that St. 
 Auftin {JeCiv. Dei, /. 5. f. i.) fhould take this 
 to be the general notion of fatal events, that 
 they were fuch as proceeded from the neceffity 
 of I know not what order, maugre God and 
 man. But all this while it muft be remembered, 
 that this dominion of fate, tho' it limited the 
 power, did not over-awe or neceffitate the will 
 of their gods. And no wonder : for I never 
 find, as I remarked before, that any but Demo- 
 critus d.nd his tribe did extend the dominion of 
 his fate over the foul of man. Hi ero c le s m3.kes 
 the Pythagorean fate nothing elfe but the execu- 
 tion of that immutable divine decree, that the 
 'virtuous fhould be rewarded, and the vicious 
 punifhed ; and at the fame time doth utterly 
 deny, that man is any way neceffitated or over- 
 ruled 
 
4 26 An Enquiry 
 
 ruled in his choice or adtiOns. Alclnom re]5re» 
 fenting the Platonic fate, determines indeed the 
 event of things fatal j but at the fame time he 
 leavesthe minds of men poflefs'd of their juft and 
 natural liberty. And whatever unavoidable con- 
 nexion of caufes the Stoics talked of, no one did 
 more exalt and magnify the li- 
 o! ii xsy,vT«f -^?» berty and power of the mind 
 •'cr'; '^^'' ^^"Ir '!"" of man : (o that Gemellus might 
 «!_po9iyi«v awoSa^iv jTrt ycry wcU lu general affirm, 
 Vi» 'Exxiv»v Vo^-^Ta- that the wueit or the ijreeks 
 "" ^""'^- 3- 37' believ'd mens minds free, and 
 the events of their adtions fatal, 
 whether he had refpedl to the former or the lat- 
 ter ; for thus far the Fythagorean^ Platonic, and 
 Stoic agreed, that the mind of man was free, 
 that events were fatal. Now 'tis not to be won- 
 dered at, that they, who did not judge the cala- 
 mitous or profperous illLies of outward things to 
 deferve evil, {hould place fuch events wholly out 
 of our own power, and deem them no way de- 
 pendent upon our behaviour: 'tis enough that 
 they left man's true happinefs, /. e, wifdom and 
 virtue, in his own power, which they always did. 
 
 TTBtcov y^ ToTg fjcev ycccj uKyi^ziuv KXKoTgy tj/a f/.Tj tts- 
 piTriTfjvi "Av'^puTrQ^ btt dvrtp ro ttuv B'^evro, 
 (Marcus j^nt. /. i.) And it deferves here to 
 be remembered, that they confined this fatality 
 of events to this life: for fuch of them as did 
 believe the eternal duration, ch- immortality of 
 the foul, did alfo believe that its mifery or hap- 
 pinefs in that flate, did depend on its behaviour 
 in this. But how came the Platonics and Py^ 
 
 ikagoreanSy 
 
after Happiness. 1217 
 
 thagoreanSy who fet that value upon temporal 
 things which they deferved, to agree thus far 
 with the StoicSy in aflerting the fatality of 
 events ? Or, how came the ftorm and fury of all 
 writers to light fo heavily only upon the Stoics 
 fate, if thefe taught the fame thing with Pytha- 
 goras and Plato ? They did indeed all of them 
 acknowledge events fatal, and yet they differ'd 
 widely in their notion of this fatality. 
 
 For, Firft, The Stoic fate depended partly 
 upon matter, partly upon God; whereas the 
 Platonic fate depended wholly upon the will of 
 a wife, powerful and good God. 
 
 Secondly, The Pythagorean and Platonic did 
 believe good and evil to be difpenfed by a divine 
 and immutable law ; but fo, that one (hould be 
 the reward of virtue, and the other the punifh- 
 ment of vice. So that fate with them was no- 
 thing elfe but the execution of that decree of 
 God in the prophet, Say ye to the righteous, it 
 Jhall be well with him j Jor he fiall eat the fruit 
 of his doings. Wo unto the wicked, it f 2 all be ill 
 with him ; for the reward of his hands Jhall be 
 given him, Ifa. xxiii. But the Stoics, in their 
 allertion of the fatality of events, had no fuch 
 regard to the virtue or vice of man : nor did 
 they fettle or fuppofe any fuch neceffary connec- 
 tion or dependance between vice and virtue of 
 man on the one hand, and punifbment and re- 
 ward on the other. 
 
 'Thirdly, Tho' the Platonics taught, that all 
 things were comprehended within the compals 
 of fate, that is, the general and immutable laws 
 
 of 
 
128 An Enquiry 
 
 of the fupreme Being, yet did they not all be- 
 lieve that all particulars were decreed and deter- 
 liiined ; whereas the Stoics (if we follow the 
 common opinion) did not exempt any pirticulsJr 
 event from the over-ruling neceffity of fate. 
 
 ^icqtnd patittir mortale gemisi 
 ^icqiiid Jacimus y ve/iit ex alto. 
 
 Whatever ill unhappy man fuftainSy 
 Whate'er he doth^ 'tis what his fate or- 
 dains. 
 
 And lajlly\ The neceffity of the Stoic fate 
 was rigid and inflexible j but that of the Plato- 
 nic was not, of at leaft, not in all c^fes. Arid 
 this puts me in mind of the 
 
 Second things confiderable in the notion of 
 fate, /. e. what kind of neceffity, or w''hat de- 
 grees of it are fuppofed to render an event fatal ? 
 the Stoics did indeed think, that the neceffity 
 of fate was uncontroulable, irfefiftible, inevit- 
 able; tho' I cannot deny, but that the opinion 
 of Chryjippus and Seneca too (as he explains it 
 fome where in his Natural ^ejiiom) concerning 
 fate, if placed in an advantageous light, would 
 look with a more pleafing and favourable afpe<ft 
 upon the liberty of man : but let the Stoics 
 think what they will, I do not find that others 
 thought fucha neceffity as this alone, anii no- 
 thing lefs fufficient to make w^^ fate, or over- 
 ruling influence of the flars ; did yet believe, 
 that the evil they threatened, might be divert- 
 ed 
 
after Happiness. 129 
 
 ed by prayers, facrlfices, and other rites, accord- 
 ing to that of Nemejius ; T^here 
 are no influences, no afpeSls of J^2Z "'*"' •""' 
 flars fo forward and malignant^ Qiva^^c; ^^ t«v j,i tj* 
 
 r r 1 ' I ' rn-ii l . ag-pxv clua^f^hnvyT^tT^-i- 
 
 JOja^ai ana trrejijtibley but «r»af ^a «& Trv£t;^«ij ^ 
 
 that prayers and expiations may ^^I^'Z'S'Vtin, 
 
 fweeten and mitigate them, or '!^' "^^f"" - £?i-'^''««7«f 
 
 (Ije prevail imth tboje powers ««' a^x«T -nvi? I'^n^^u. 
 
 ivhtch govern ttiem, to divert ^£,» av-rk^ j^/w/xtva J ^ 
 
 their menaces. Befides this, ^^\^--j^--^^'^x-^ij-':_ 
 
 the diftincftion of fate into -^^ a7roTf07ri«<r/*uj iTrt- 
 
 j . . . v'.voea-5ai. Neniel". pag. 
 
 denunciative and peremptory 226. 
 or conditional, was very well 
 known to the heathens. This laft was a fate, 
 whofe neceffity depended upon fome antece- 
 dent conditions, upon fome fuppofitions which 
 might or might not be fulfilled. This Servius 
 difcourfes largely of, upon that phce o^ Virgil : 
 
 Nam quia nee fat 0^ merit a nee morte peri bat, 
 Sed mifera ante diem 
 
 Before her day fell the unhappy maid. 
 
 By love^ not j ate ^ nor her own crimes betray d. 
 
 Where he that pleafes may fee many inliances 
 of this conditional fate. And, to come to an 
 end, the neceffity of fate, int he opinion of Ari- 
 Jiotle and Epicurus^ if Gajfejidus reprefcnts it 
 rightly, was not an inflexible uncontroulable 
 one, but one fubjedl to alteration and change, 
 to chance and many impediments, being no- 
 th ng elfe but that energy or efficacy in na- 
 tural bodies, which the wifdorn of man did 
 ofien prevent, the induftry and courage of 
 Vol. I. K man 
 
130 An Enquiry 
 
 nv.iii did often mafter, and chance did often 
 hinder and over-rule. By all this we fee 
 plainly how careful the heathens were, that the 
 neceffity of fate might not deftroy the liberty 
 of man ; how eaineftly they contended for fuch 
 a fatality of events, as mi^ht not cancel man's 
 obligati :>n to virtue, nor difcourage him from 
 the expe(ftation and purfuit of happinefs : for 
 now to draw to a point, and to make fome ufe 
 of this tedious recital of the Pagan notions of 
 fate ; if we affert a Stoical fate, we yet leave the 
 wife man whatever encouragements he can de- 
 rive from the rewards of another life, and what- 
 ever fatisfadlion he can derive from virtue itfelf 
 in this. And certainly though temporal events 
 were fatal withoatany connection to, or depen- 
 dence upon the choice and adions of man ; yet 
 even on this fuppofition, virtue were eligible, 
 as that which tp iches us to enjoy profperity, 
 and bear bravely that adverfity which we could 
 not prevent j but if, with other philofophers, 
 we did believe, thac not only the fuccefs of 
 another life, but even that of this too, did de- 
 ptnd \. .loUy upon our behaviour, and that 
 events, were therefore only fatal, becaufe thofe 
 decrees <^f Cod, which did award happinefs to 
 the virtuous and mifery to the wicked, are 
 fixed and immutable j then we could not de- 
 iire more powerful encouragements to virtue, 
 or more evi;ienr proof that it is in our own 
 powe - to be happy. If we grant the ne- 
 cefTity 'h:it makes up fate, flexible and mu- 
 table, ur if we fufpend a fatal event upon 
 conditions, as it weie but reafonable to ima- 
 
 gine 
 
after Happiness. 131 
 
 ginethdt all evil ones are fufpended, there will 
 be no reafon to queilion whether man's happi- 
 nefs be in his own power. If we make the ne- 
 ceflity of a denunciative fate, which even wif- 
 dom and virtue cannot fiirmount, extend itfelf 
 to fome few things : and that fate or fortune, 
 which drags only fools and fluggards in chams 
 after it, more general and univerfal ; which 
 is a notion Ccelius Rhodiginus (1. x. c. 20.) 
 feems to have taken from thePIaionicS'y we meet 
 with nothing in all this vv'hich can rationally 
 deter the induftry and hopes of any man. If, 
 laftly, with Arijiotle and Epicurus, we attribute 
 no more force or ftrength to fate, than to the 
 efficacy of natural caufes, which, we experience 
 every day, is not irrefiftible (for the mind over- 
 comes thofe inclinations we derive from natural 
 temper, and life may be lengthen'd or ihorten'd 
 by temperance and luxury ; it being a flame 
 which is not of itfcif fo inextineui(hable, but 
 that it requires our care to cherilh it, and bar- 
 ren grounds may be improved and cultivated, 
 &c.) then nothing is more evident than that it 
 behoves to adt like men, fince our reafon and 
 virtue have the neceffary tendency and efficacy, 
 as well as any other natural cauies ; and (ince the 
 concurrence of our endeavours may fo much 
 more properly be fuppofed necelTary to promote 
 our happlnels, than the influences of the ftars, 
 as it has a more dire6l and immediate operation 
 upon our affairs, than the motion of thofe hea- 
 venly bodies can have. 
 
 K 2 And 
 
132 An Enquiry 
 
 And now who would ex pe(fl to find that fate 
 _, _, . in the Chriftian, which was 
 
 ihankgJ,, baniHid the Pagan world!' 
 
 Who would expedt that the 
 mind of man ihould be fetter'd and bound by a 
 more inexorable and deplorable neceflity now in 
 this 2L^Q of light and grctce^ than ever it was in 
 the thickeft darknefs of Paganifm ? Who could 
 now believe that man's eternal fuccefs, in ano- 
 ther life, fhould be as fatal as ever the Stoic did 
 believe his temporal one in this ? Or who could 
 ever imagine that Chriftians would charge that 
 upon the decrees of a wile and good God, which 
 the heathens, out of their honour for him, did 
 ever reiufe to do ? For thofe of them, who made 
 fate entirely the decree of God, did believe, that 
 in the difpenfation of evils, God did wholly 
 rep-ard mens crimes and iins ; that there was 
 no other fate attended any man than what he 
 was hirrrdf the author of. And they who did 
 believe a fatality of events without any depen- 
 dence upon the behaviour of man, did impute 
 it to matter, not to God ; to the deficiency of 
 the one, not to the will of the other. 'Tis true, 
 luch a fate is not to be found in the fcriptures, 
 as we iliall fee anon ; nor is to be found in the 
 fa hers of the church: we may find jfa/iin 
 Marfyrj Tertul/ian, Ladlantius, and St. Aujiin 
 himfelf (however accufed by fome as a fata- 
 hft) z^::'nuily difputing againfl the Pagan fate. 
 What would they have done, had there been 
 then fuch a notion of fate as has fince pre-* 
 vailed amongfi: fome Chriftians ; which is briefly 
 this, that the eternal mifery of nineteen parts 
 
 of 
 
after Happiness. 133 
 
 of the world (I fpeak modeilly) and the eter- 
 nal happinefs of the tv/entieth, is fatal j that 
 the means conducing to thefe ends are fatal j the 
 one being 0:ut up under the 'nvincible neceili- 
 ly oi natural mpotence^ and rrj cSf ion from fuf- 
 Jicient grace \ the other being called and adted 
 by grace irreji/lible I that this neceffity of fate 
 is the refult of a divine decree j that this decree 
 proceeded from mere arbitrary willy without 
 any regard to the behaviour of man. They that 
 cried out againft the Pagan fate, that it fub- 
 verted human life, that it defeated all laws, that 
 it left man no ufe of his reafon, that it left no 
 place for rational hopes or fears ; with what 
 bitter inve(5tives mafl: they needs have affavited 
 this fate ? The Pagan fate left the will free j 
 this bound and fetter'd, not only bereav'd of na- 
 tural power and liberty (for we contend ijot 
 about that) butdeftitute of grace and divine af- 
 iiftance: the Pagan fate, in the opinion of a 
 great many, if not mod:, did not teach a rigid 
 and inflexible neceffity ; this doth : tbev amongfl 
 the Pagans who taught the neceffity of i^ate in- 
 exorable, underflood it of wfc^^/y, in temporal 
 events; but this fate extends it to eternal ones. 
 The Stoic^ the greater aifertor of fate, acknow- 
 ledged, nay, eagerly contended, that man might 
 be virtuous and happy in defpite of fate; but 
 thefe men make human happinefs, and virtue 
 the very objed of their face ; making fin and 
 mifery, virtue and happinefs, as fatal as any 
 events whatever. 
 
 K q In 
 
134- -^^ ILiiqu'iry 
 
 In vain now Ihall any one of 'em think to 
 excufe their do6lrine from the imputation of 
 
 fate, by telling us (as * fome 
 
 * Cahvini bre'vis ^^\ ^^^t fate, in the Pagan no- 
 
 Prof' '^lon, did involve God as well 
 
 as man within the compafs of 
 its nectlTity ; that what they teach, is nothing 
 elfe but God's voluntary decree. This is a mife- 
 lable (hift ; for this doth not at all lighten the 
 weight of that fatal nccejfity that lies upon un- 
 happy man, to think that God is not fubjed: to 
 the fame : nay, on the quite contrary, the Pa- 
 gan notion was more eafy to the mind j and 
 whilft it freed God from the guilt of man's ruin, 
 it frees man from all hard and irreligious 
 thoughts of God. 
 
 Nnmi7ia cum 'viJciis diris cbnoxiafatisy 
 Invidia pojjis exonerare Deos. Mart. 
 
 ^, Since heavenly powers to curs d fate fuhjc^ be-, 
 ■ ^bi gods you canfiQt but from eniiy free. ,.; 
 
 It was pure piety in the Stoic to impute that 
 fatality of event, which he thought independent 
 of the good or ill behaviour of man, to any thing 
 rather than to. God, what impiety ! — But I have 
 done, I have fuiiiciently confidered which way 
 the flream of authority runs ; and it evidently 
 appears to be againft all fuch notions of fate, as 
 put it out of a man's power to be virtuous and 
 happy, and determine his fin and riiifery wholly 
 7iecel]h~y and unavoidable. I will now proceed 
 to confider, 
 
 Secondly-, 
 
after Happiness. 135 
 
 Secondly, What plain reafon and as plain re- 
 velation do didate in this point. 
 Thou dolt beheve fate, and lanoLgcanjifan, 
 therefore doft defpair of happi- 
 nefsj thy fenle muflbe plainly this, all is in the 
 power of fate, nothing in thine own; there is 
 nothing in thee to do that can contribute to make 
 thee virtuous or happy. Whence can this mcef- 
 Jity, this fate proceed ? There are but two prin- 
 ciples were ever fancied to be the firfl: cauies of 
 all things, God and matter. Doft thou believe 
 this necelTity proceeds from matter, from the 
 motion of atoms, or the influence of ftars ? 
 This belief, as St. Auflin argues, does lubvert 
 the foundation of all religion-, for he who be- 
 lieves that he depends upon late, not God, can 
 have no fufficient reafon for the worfhip 'A that 
 God, on whom he hath no dependence ; but 
 this is that, peradventure, thou wouldft have. 
 Well, v/hen thou art able to prove reafon and 
 undeiftanding to derive themfelves from endlefs 
 atoms, vrhen thou canft find out any kind of 
 natural motion of matter or atoms, which can 
 be the caufe of freedom in the will, any -notion 
 that can at once be neceffary (for fo all motion 
 of atoms muft, be it of what kind it wiU) and 
 yet free too ; for tlich all my deliberations and all 
 my choices 1 make, prove the motion of the mind 
 to be ; then I will acknowledge a fate, not on- 
 ly independent from, but, if thou wilt, fuperi- 
 or to God ; then I will forbear all farthei at- 
 tempts of charity, as vain, and leave thee to thy 
 fate and mifery : but thefe are notions fo abfurd 
 in themfelves, that no fimilitudes, no argu- 
 K 4 ments, 
 
136 
 
 An E 
 
 nquiry 
 
 ment<;, can make 'em appear one jot more ridi- 
 culous, or irrational, than they do, to all men 
 of Icnie at the firfl: hearing. There are fome 
 errors, as well as truths, that are felf-evident j 
 there nteds no demonftration to convince us, 
 that the cne are errors, and the other truths ; 
 "nnd of this kind are the errors we are fpeaking 
 of: if a man iliould affert, that death is the ori- 
 rrinal of life, that fenfelefs matter gives bein;: 
 toan underfbanding mind, that necelTity is the 
 parent of liberty, and fuch like ; it were an 
 Vifipardonable weaknefs in any man to think, 
 that fuch affertions did fland in need of a labo- 
 rious confutation. But there are, who fuppofe 
 God the Author of ail things, and yet fuppofe 
 fevenis fatal too; the former opinion was ridi- 
 culous, this is impious, for fuppofe mankind 
 fatally guided by the influence of the ftars, and 
 that thefe ftars have received this power and 
 Cner'^y from God ; is it not natural for every 
 man to break out into the 
 words of St. Aujlin ; How out- 
 ragioujly do theje 7nen rep7-oach 
 heci'vcfi^ ivhilft they believe thofe 
 crimes ami villainies decreed by 
 that auguft fenate and glorious 
 court in heaven, which had afiv 
 city upon earth decreed^ it had 
 deferved to have been damned 
 by the common vote^ and razed 
 to the ground by the united 
 arms of mankind. When I 
 confider, that the ftars are the 
 work of God, that their order 
 
 and 
 
 lili vero qui po- 
 
 ruloncm licllariim 
 quodan-jnicdo du- 
 cernentiom qualis 
 quifqafj fit, & quid 
 ei proveniat boni 
 quidveinaliaccidat, 
 ex Dei voluntate 
 fulpenduntfi eafdem 
 ftellas putant habere 
 hanc potertatem tra- 
 ditam Cbi a lumrria 
 UHl's potellate, ut 
 volentes ifta decer- 
 nant, magnam cce- 
 lo faciunt injuriam: 
 ill cujus velut clarif- 
 fm,Q ienatu ac fplen- 
 
after Happiness. 137 
 
 and motion was prercrib'd by tJidiffiBia curia fceie- 
 
 « . 1 1 * • J ra facieiicia decerni, 
 
 him, that whatever vigour and ^.^ji ^, ^^^^ ^^^^^, 
 efficacy they have, they have nacivicasdecreviffet, 
 receiv'd from him; and then g<^»^^e hun.ano de- 
 
 ' cernentc fuerat ever- 
 
 remember, that God is a moir tenda. Aug. de civ. 
 infinitely kindandgood Being; DdJ.^.c. \. 
 I (hould eafily fufter myielf 10 
 fee perfuaded, that they could (bed no influence 
 upon this lower world, but what were extreme- 
 ly beneficial to it ; that they could have no 
 afpedls but what were favourable and benign : 
 I could eafily believe, that all the inclinations 
 they form in the body (if they form any) could 
 be no other than innocent and virtuous : I can 
 never believe, that lufl or falfhood, malice or 
 cruelty, can com.e down from above; that our 
 minds (liould be impregnated with fin and fol- 
 ly by the influence of heaven. No, certainly, 
 if there be any virtue in the liars that extends 
 itfelf to man, it mull rather be the feed of life, 
 and health, and virtue, than of difeafes, death, 
 or vice. I can eafily fall in wi.h the opinion 
 of thofe learned men in Ccelius Rhodigi?ju5 
 {A?2fiq, LcB. I. X. c. 20.) vv^ho thought that 
 the virtue of celeftial bodies which tended of 
 itfelf to excellent ends, was marred and per- 
 verted by vicious education. And fo the gra- 
 vity of Saturn did degenerate into fullennefs, 
 niggardlinefs and melancholy ? the magnanimi- 
 ty of Mars into radmefs and fool-hardinefs ; 
 the {harpnefs and fagacity of Mercury mio mif- 
 chievous craft and fubtilty ; the fweetnefs and 
 gendenefs of Fenus into filthy luft, and fo on. 
 And this thought does well become every one 
 
 that 
 
138 Jin R77quhy 
 
 that pretends to any religion, whether revealed 
 or natural : for this is conibnant to the excellen- 
 cy of the divine nature. 
 
 But this fort of fate fpringi ng from the in- 
 fluence of any natural bodies, 
 
 Tate repugnant to • ^ -, ^ 
 
 fenfeandJperience. ^^ "^^ only repugnant to rcafou, 
 but to our icnfeand experience: 
 for nothing is more plain than this, that any 
 fuch influence cannot affed the mind, but thro' 
 the body 5 and we do frequently find our reafon 
 alTerting its power and dominion againft all the 
 force and Itrength of the body. Nor doth 
 reafon only, but in every nation, law and cuf- 
 tom, triumph over the ftrongefl: inclinations of 
 nature. As the innocence ot the Seres, the 
 chaftity of thofe in Arabia and Ofrocne^ the 
 abftinence of the Brachmaiis, and numerous 
 inftances, which, he that nleafcs, may fee in 
 Bardefaies the Syrian, and others, do abun- 
 dantly manifefl that their manners are the effed: 
 not of the influence of thofe planers that rule 
 their birth, but of thofe laws and cuiloms that 
 rule their country. Since therefore that iicccjjity 
 which our natural tempers and inclinations do 
 impofe upon the mind, Is the utmofl fate that 
 we can imagine to proceed from the influence of 
 any natural bodies, 'tis nonfenfe to fuppofe that 
 fate infuperable or uncontroulable, which we fee 
 baffled and defeated every day, and in every 
 nation. 
 
 The fum of thofe reafons I have offer'd againft 
 fate, is this ; if we make God the Author of it, 
 we impioufly charge 'him with what is repug- 
 nant to his nature j for a good God cannot be 
 
 the 
 
after Happiness. 139 
 
 the caufe of man's mifery : if matter, we rldi- 
 culouily fuppofe, that what is itfelf fenfelefs and 
 inanimate, ihould produce and govern a being 
 endowed Vs^ith /{/£', under jiaiiding, and liberty: 
 if \}[iQ ftars^ we run again into the fame abfur- 
 idities ; for if.they have their fatal influence from 
 God, then, properly fpeaking, God is the Au- 
 thor, they but the inOirument of our fate : if 
 from themfelves, then our dependence on, and 
 worOiip of God is vain 5 and befides, we ab^ 
 furdly fubjedl the reafon and hberty of the mind 
 of man to the fenfelefs tyranny of atoms. If 
 from the confideration of the caufes of fate we 
 defcend to examine Vv^hat our experience teaches 
 us, what common fenfe informs us, each of 'em 
 bears witnefs to the fovereignty and liberty of 
 the mind of man. 
 
 If we (liould come in the laft place, to exa^ 
 mine what woud be the con- 
 
 /• r r . 1 rr The confequences of 
 
 lequences or a Jut at necejjity r^g^^ 
 over-ruling man and human 
 affairs, they are fuch as are not only grofsly con^ 
 tradid:ions in themfelves, but fatal and deftruc- 
 tive both to the publick and private good of 
 mankind. 'Tis true, were the liberty of doing 
 evil taken from man, we fiiould have no reafon 
 to complain J for then there would be nothing 
 wanting to make the ftate of man happy as 
 that of angels, but immortality : but to bereave 
 man of ail power to do good, to neceffitate 
 and compel him to be wicked, how dreadful 
 are the effeds which mufl: follow this ? He that 
 flains his hands in the blood of his foverei^jn or 
 his parent, v/iil accufe his ftars not himfelf ; 
 
 he 
 
140 An Rnquiry 
 
 he that pollutes himfelf in the inceftuous em- 
 braces of a mother or daughter, may defend 
 his adions as his fate, not choice: and how 
 readily fliall we do all that rage or luft invites 
 us to, when there is an excufe prepared for all 
 we do ; for he is no more blameable who com- 
 mits the evil which he could not help, than he 
 is worthy of praife who did the good which he 
 could not forbear. Were it true, that what- 
 ever mifchief man did, he were neceffitated to 
 do; we might v^ith more juftice arraign the 
 ftars and atoms, than malefadors : and all the 
 inftruments or mifchief would be every jot as 
 guilty and criminal, as the man that us'd rhem. 
 Were this true, we might as properly betake 
 ourfelves to magic and ifickaiit merits, as to ad^ 
 vices and exhortations, when we would reclaim 
 the vicious : nor yet could the one be more ef- 
 fedlual than the other; for what could altfer 
 what is unalterable ? And for the fame reafon 
 we might forbear our facrifices and prayers, 
 Jince what will be, muft be, and cannot be 
 other wife. ' 
 
 'Dcjinefdta Deum fleBi fperart precando. 
 
 Toujlrhe in vain ivithprayrs to move 
 The inexorable fates above. 
 
 Repentance and tears then may be, what 
 Seneca calls expiation, JEgra mentis folatia. 
 The deluding dreams of ajuperjlitious mind\ but 
 could ever procure us any any real advantage; 
 fo that on this fuppofition, what is now thought 
 
 the 
 
-after Happiness. 141 
 
 the only wifdom, would be then the only folly 
 of a finner, repentance. I think I may conclude 
 here ; for if it be not by this time evident, whe- 
 ther reafon be for or again ft fate, v/e may juftly 
 defpair of difcovering what reafon dictates in 
 this or any other queftion, I will now proceed 
 to examine, 
 
 What plain text of fcripture fpeaks in this 
 point. And here, in the iirft 
 place, we are to exoed: no o- ^ ^'''^''''' '^•^^'"-^ 
 ther fate than what depends 
 upon God: for the fcripture makes all things de- 
 rive their original from him, and all things de- 
 pend upon him. There is but one Creator, and 
 one Lord ; and therefore the creaturecan be fub- 
 jedt to no laws, but fuch as he ena<^s : fo that 
 whatever fate we now live under, muft be im- 
 puted to the voluntary decree of God. Is then 
 the eternal ruin of man fatal and unavoidable ? 
 If we enquire into the original of this unhappy 
 neceffuy, it muft be ultimatelv refolved into the 
 divine will. When God then decreed the ine- 
 vitable ruin of man, under what notion did he 
 confi;^^r his ruin.? Under that of mifery, or 
 that oi piwif: >Hcnt ? If under the notion of 
 punidiment; this implies plainly that we are 
 to thank ourfelves for our ruin : for punishment 
 is noih^og elfe, but the inflidion of thatmifery 
 which our lin and folly have deferved. But if 
 under the 'otion of mifery, how can this con- 
 fift with xhc infinite goodnefs or wifdom of 
 God.? Alas H vv contradidory is this to fcrip- 
 ture ? There God fwears that he delights not 
 m the death of ^.jinner ; this decree would fup- 
 
 pofe 
 
142 An Rnquiry 
 
 pofe him to delight in thedeatli o^\\\^innocenf: 
 there he is reprelented full of compa/Jion, and 
 
 Jlow to wrathj even upon the repeated provo- 
 cations j this decree reprefents him lb addid:ed 
 to wrath and cruelty, that he made a world on 
 purpofe to have whereon to exercife it ; and 
 doth exercife it merely for the delight he takes 
 in it: the fcripture finally reprefents him full of 
 divine love for mankind, and not only not defi- 
 rous that they (liould periiL, but extremely 
 defirous that they ihould be partakers of ever- 
 lafting Hfe : this decree fuppofes him fo utter an 
 enemy to, and hater of, mankind, that he made 
 the far greater part to no other ^ndy but only 
 to make them miferable. Let any unpreju- 
 diced perfon judge now, whether this be not as 
 contradictory to the fcripture as it is to fenfe : 
 nor is it pollible that any one, unlefs prejudic'd, 
 fhould look into holy writ, and not difcern evi- 
 dently that man's ruin is the effed of fin, not 
 only wilfully and prefumptuoully committed, 
 but alfo obilinately and impenitently perfifled 
 in : and that God is (o far from being fond of 
 our fufferings and calamities, that he is ever and 
 anon bewailing the dilappointment of his love, 
 the defeat of his grace and mercy, by ojr ob- 
 flinacy and impenitence: it is the voice of his 
 Son, 'tis the voice of God. O yeriijalcm^ Je- 
 rufalem, thou that kilkji the prophets^ and 
 
 Jioneft them which are fent wito thee : how of- 
 ten would I have gathered thy children toge- 
 ther ^ even as a hen gathers her chickens under 
 her wifigSy and ye would not I Matt, xxlii. If 
 therefore we defire to know what the Vv'ill of 
 
after Happiness. 143 
 
 God Is, with refpe(5t to man, this is a full and 
 plain declaration of it; there can be no other, 
 much lefs any contradidory to this : if I may 
 not confidently rely upon this declaradon of the 
 divine wilU there is no revealed truth that I can 
 depend upon; nor can revelation ftand us in any 
 ftead : for nothing can be afferted with greater 
 perfpicuity or Wronger affeveration. But i have 
 no fcruples in me about this matter, I have no 
 fears nor jealoufies of any fecret degree of latent 
 will repugnant to his declar'd one. I am as 
 fure that God is^Wand true, as that he is eter- 
 nal and almighty: and were he not, we could 
 reap but little comfort from all his other attri- 
 butes, how great or glorious loever in themfelves. 
 But, bleffed be God, if fi-om examining thofe 
 declarations of his u'/7/, which God has made 
 us, we proceed to examine the manner and me- 
 thod of his government, as it relates to mankind 
 (which is another, and the only way left us to 
 judge of his will and decree) we fliall find no 
 inftance in the whole feries of divine difpenfa- 
 tions, which can create in us the leaft fufpicion 
 of lying under an arbitrary and tyrannical fate; 
 nay, if we confiderthe adsof divine providence, 
 we find the quite contrary; that God fo governs 
 the world, that the iffues of things are not fatal 
 and unavoidable, but dependent upon ourfelves; 
 that God is free, man free, and the events of 
 things free, from any inevitable neceffity : God 
 indeed is ever bound to do what is beft, what 
 is wifefl:, and can do no otherwife ; this is the 
 only fate God is fubjedt to ; but a poffibiiity of 
 different events is no way repugnant to his wifr 
 
 dom. 
 
144 -^^ Enquiry 
 
 dom, juftice or goodnefs. In a proper fenle, 
 therefore, there is no fate above him, that can 
 impofe a neceflity upon him: nor does he im- 
 pole any upon himfelf: if there is in any part 
 of his government, a fatal and a peremptory 
 necefiity, we Ihould certainly find the tracks 
 and footfteps of it amongft inanimate and fen- 
 fitive beings : how great a liberty does God 
 make ufe of in this part of his government : the 
 fun, whofe courfe leems certain and invariable 
 as the imaginary laws of fate, fhall, if need be, 
 lland flock ihll, or what is more, move back- 
 ward towards its call {JJofh. X.) An inftance of 
 both we read of in Scripture, when God 
 thought fit to execute his judgments upon the 
 Amorites : and condefcended to give Hezekiab 
 a miraculous aflirtance of his mercy (2 Kings 
 XX.) The firfl: (hall not exert its natural heat, but 
 fhall ceafe to burn and confume; and when 
 he fees fit (as in the cafe of the three children, 
 Dan. ii ) becomes as harmlefs as the morning 
 light J the waters (hall ceafe to How^ as did the 
 Red fea, when the army of T/r^^-Zmarch a thro* 
 it, and faw with horror and delight, the rolling 
 waves Hand lix'd and unfiiov'd as the rocks and 
 fhoresthat bounded them; and yet what necef- 
 iity, what fate can we conceive more immuta- 
 ble, whatever connection of caufes it be pro- 
 duced by, than that which makes the fun move, 
 the fire burn, the water flow? If we coniider 
 his government of kingdoms, where, if any 
 where, the periods and revolutions of mifery and 
 profperity fnouldfeem fatal and immutable; here 
 again wefliall find the footfleps of unqueftion- 
 
 able 
 
after Happiness. 14^ 
 
 able liberty: Let us, forinflance, confider God's 
 government 'of the "Jews, what are the Laws 
 which God obliges himfclf to cbferve towards 
 them^ If you walk in ?ny Jia- 
 tiiies, and keep my com7nand- ^J^^^' ^^^' 3' 4' 
 ments and do them ; then I will 
 give you rain in due feafon, and the land flmll 
 yield her increnfe j and the trees of the field 
 /hall yield their fruit. And your threpnng 
 /hall reach unto the vififage, and the vintage 
 {Ijall reach tmto the [owing time: And ye Jh all 
 eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land 
 fajely, &c. But if ye will ?2ot hearken unto me, 
 ' and will not do all the fe commandments : A.ndifye 
 fiall defpife my /latutes, or i/ your foul abhor my 
 Judgme?its,fothat you will not do all my comma72d- 
 ments, but that you break my covenant, I alfo wiU 
 do this unto you 3 I will even appoint over you ter- 
 ror, cojijumption, and the burn- 
 ing ague, that /Imll conjume ^.f '^' '^- '^' 
 the eyes^ and caufe forrow of 
 heart: And ye /Jjallfow your feed in vain, for 
 your enemies fjall eat it, &c. Doth not God 
 here lay life and death, good and evil, before 
 them? Js not the one and the other to be the 
 effed of their own choice, their own behaviour ? 
 Are we not^ reafonably to fuppofe the Ifrae- 
 htes at the time of entering into that covenant, 
 Whereof thefe are the fandions, as capable of 
 happinefs, as they were of mifery ? Whrt 
 was finally the ifTue of things ? The fews re- 
 belled and revolted from' God; and as he 
 threatened, they were harralTed and exhaiifted 
 Vol. L L by 
 
14^ Afi E7iqiii7y 
 
 by continual plagues and punifhments. Wefl/ 
 did this happen lb, becauie it could not happen 
 othcrwife? Was this the event, the fatal event 
 cf things which God did really if///, and pe- 
 remptorily refolvefrom the beginning, notvvitll- 
 rianding whatever profeffions he might make 
 of=his fincere defire of the welfare and profpe- 
 rity of that people ? Let God himfelf be the 
 judge, who beftunderfrands his own mind. O 
 that my people had hearken d unto me^ and JJraet 
 had ^walked in my ways I * / JJoculd Joon ha've 
 fubdiied their enemies^ and turned my hand againjl 
 their acrcerfaries: The haters cf the Lord Jloould 
 havefubnitted themjehes unto him^ but their time 
 Jhculd have endured for ever^ Piiil. Ixxxv. By 
 this fure, if we can judge of the meaning of 
 God by any of his expreffions, we may fafely 
 conclude, not only that the obedience and prof- 
 perity of Ifracl were things poiTible, and confe- 
 quently their difobedience and ruin were not fa- 
 tal ; but alfo that their obedience and profperity 
 were the things which God did moft heartily 
 and fmcerely defire. If we come to God's go- 
 vernment of particular men, wemay be fure that 
 this is of a piece with his goverment of nian- 
 klnd or kingdoms, it being nothing elfe but a 
 m.ore particular application of thofe univerfal 
 laws of wiidom, goodnefsandjuftice, by which 
 he rules. An inftance of liberty in temporal 
 events, we meet with in the voyage which St. 
 Luke defcribes. Jldfs xxvii. lo. we have St. 
 Paid foretelling the fate that was like to at- 
 tend themfelves and their fhip, if they purfued 
 
 the 
 
after Happiness. 147 
 
 h6 voyage they had refolved on. Ver, 1 9. We 
 meet with the accomplifliment in part of his 
 prediction ; darknefs and horror invades them, 
 feas break in upon them, and at the fame 
 breach had death entered, had not divine pro- 
 vidence interpofed in favour, and at the requefl 
 of St. FaiiL Was their fnffering fatal ? Was it 
 unavoidable ? Had they not efcaped the tempefl, 
 if they had believed St. FauU and not departed 
 fi'omCrete? Or was their obftinacy or unbelief 
 as fatal as the danger and the damaj^e which 
 attended it? The expoflulation of St. Pai^l, 
 ver. 21. will eafily clear this doubt, Tej/jould 
 have hearkened unto me^ aiid not have loofed 
 from Crete J and to have gained this harm and 
 lofs. What then ! fhall we think the ifliies of 
 eternity fatal, when thofe of time, wherein we 
 are comparatively fo little concerned, are free ? 
 Shall God not only leave us the ufe of our rea- 
 fon, but alfo aflift us by the aid of his provi- 
 dence for the avoiding temporal evils ; and 
 will he allow us neither for the avoiding of 
 eternal ones ? Mufl: temporal ruin be the effe(fl 
 only of our iinful choice and obftinacy ; eternal 
 fuin the effeift, not of our folly or (m, but 
 fate F No furely : How often do we find God 
 in the Revelations refpiting his final fentence, 
 and giving men fpace and time to repent, but 
 they repented not. 'Tis true j and this was 
 their obftinacy, not their fate: For if repen- 
 tance had been impofiible, to what purpofe 
 did God allow them time for it? That they 
 might fill up the meafure of their iniquity : 
 An excellent paraphrafe ! Whom (hall I believe? 
 L 2 God 
 
148 An Enquiry 
 
 God Giith, hegavetriCy/wzfTiitne tor^/'f';;/'; thou 
 lay'ft, he gave him time to /.>^; God fays, he 
 gave him time to make hiEBJeli capable of 
 mercy; thou f^iy'ft, he gave him time only to 
 increafe his guilt and punifiiment. How cruel 
 are the mercies of fome men 1 This is fuch a 
 grace or favour, as griping ufurers vouchfafe 
 the carelefs debtor, whofe fortune and eilate 
 they v/ould fv/allow up and devour. 
 
 I have now, I hope, difperfed thofe clouds 
 which feem'd to hover over our heads big v/ith 
 ftorm and ruin ; I mean, thofe melancholy ima- 
 ginations which fcare and terrify the weak and 
 fuperfticicus mjnds of men. We may now bold- 
 ly purfue, and poffefs ourfelves of happinefs : 
 The way to it is open ; there is no cruel Deity, 
 no fpiteful fortune, no inexorable fate that will 
 oypofe us ; there is no God, but one of love 
 and goodnefs, which moderates his almighty 
 power, and tempers the feverity of his juftice ; 
 a God, whopafiionatcly defires our happinefs, 
 and delights in nothing more than promoting 
 it : All is lightfome and chearful where he is ; 
 perfection and happinefs dwell with him; In 
 his p7'eftnce is Jiihiejs of jo)'y and at his 7'ight 
 hand are plcafures for ever vie?- e^ Pfal. xvi. 
 He fcatters and dilnpates evil and troubles by 
 the light of his countenance ; deatli and hell fly 
 far from before him, and hide themfelves in 
 their own darknefs. What can we apprehend 
 from fuch a God as this is! How can he delight 
 in our mifery, who is all love! No, nothing 
 but our guilt or folly can raife ou; fears; we 
 may rcfc fecure of his favour, if we do not 
 
 defpife 
 
after Happiness. 149 
 
 defplfe it ^ nor can he ever be made our enemy, 
 unlefs we firft become the enemies of virtue 
 andgoodners: What then have we to fear? 
 There is no fate but the immutable law of 
 God; that univerfal law which judges happi- 
 nefs to the righteous, and mifery to the wicked. 
 There is no fortune but his providence; which 
 is nothing but the execution of that one general 
 law, and the application of its feveral parts in 
 particular inftances, 'Tis plain therefore, we 
 have nothing now to fear but ourfelves: If we 
 be but true to ourcv/n reafon, and faithful to 
 ourintereft, we may confidently prefume both 
 of the affiflance and reward of heaven : There is 
 therefore nothing left now to excufe us from 
 the guilt of our own ruin, but only that which 
 is wont to be objeded by fuch as are enflaved 
 to fome impious lufl, andgroan under the weight 
 of thofe chains, which they made themfelves ; 
 I mean, an incapacity of happinefs : Which is 
 the fourth objedion againd the po/Tibllity of 
 attaining happinefs, and is now to be confider'd. 
 
 L 3 CHAP. 
 
150 A7t Enquiry 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 Of Incapacity. 
 
 *The plea of incapacity fuppofes 'virtue a fufficien^ 
 foundation of happiuefs. Incapacity threefold^ 
 natural, moral, penal. There is no natural 
 incapacity oj happinefs. Grace and nature re- 
 conciled. The Jlrength of each examined^ and 
 demonjlrated infaSf^ with reference to ciijiom 
 arid faPjion. Fain and pkafure. The force 
 of inclination examined. Dulnef confiderdy 
 and a light t bought lefs temper. Sedt. 2. Of 
 moral incapacity. The corruption of nature ^ 
 and di'vine affifance, how far they infuence 
 theprefent fubjeci. 3. Of penal incapacity . 
 
 "^ H E Y who urge their incapacity as an 
 objedion againft the poffibility of at- 
 taining happinefs, do fuppofe happinefs to con- 
 fifl in virtue, in the pleafure that flows from 
 it, and the blifs that will one day or other 
 eternally reward it : They acknowledge, could 
 they but be virtuous, they jfliould be hap- 
 py ; but they defpair of obtaining fuch a 
 conqueft over their vices, as may fuffice to ren- 
 der their life fmooth, equal and fteady ; an4 
 preferve the peaceof their confcience, by giving 
 them an unqueftionable proof of their fincerity 
 towards God ; without which 'tis impoflible 
 that they fhould be filled with rational joy and 
 
 peace, 
 
after Happiness. . 151 
 
 peace, or abound In a ratignal hope. This 
 therefore mud be the fuppofition of my follow- 
 ing difcourfe. 
 
 There may be three different kinds of inca- 
 pacities fancied j which, for diftincflion-f-ike, I'll 
 call natural^ morale and peiial: each of which 
 may be thus explained in the notion the objedor 
 forms of them: Penal incapacity is that defpe- 
 rate (late wherein man is by God immutably 
 rejeded from pardon and alTidance. Moral in- 
 capacity refults from theflrength and abfolute- 
 nefs of that dominion which fin has eftablifli'd 
 overfome men, throue:h a lono^ and continued 
 courfe of wickednefs. A'^<:7/z/f;W incapacity con- 
 Hfts in fuch an unteachableftupidity of temper, 
 or in fuch violent and invincible inclinations 
 to vice, or in fuch a flightiiefs, levity and incon- 
 flancy of mind, as render men utterly unfit to 
 receive any lading impreffions of virtue, or to 
 make any deady and refolute attempt of attain- 
 ing it. 
 
 I'll begin with this iird : And here I defiie 
 to be excufed, if I do not take 
 upon me to mark out the dil- • There is m nam- 
 tmct bounds and limits or na- .■,-. -^ -^ •>' ^ 
 
 pinejs, 
 
 ture and grace: Thefe two 
 fiders are not like thofe Chaldee brethren Abra- 
 ham and LiOt^ {Gen. xiii.) that were too mighty 
 to dwell together. No, they delight to m.ix 
 in loving embraces; their wealth and power 
 increafe by being united ; and, likefome plants 
 I have read of, they never thrive when divided. 
 I (hall not difpute what posver in man is a births 
 
 1/ 4 right, 
 
152 An Enquiry 
 
 right, what a donative : For alas ! every thing 
 he pofTellcs is a grace, a favour of his prince ; 
 His nat(iral abilities are fo many graces he de- 
 rives from God, and as properly fuch, as any 
 acceffion to them which is infpired afterwards : 
 So that whenever I contend that any thing is in 
 the power of man, I delire to be underftood of 
 all that power which God has vefled him with, 
 whether natural or fupernatural. 
 
 Did men decry and villify nature, to beget 
 in themfelves the more profound humility, and 
 the more wakeful and folicitous induflry ; did 
 they, like the Semnojies in Tacitus [De Morib, 
 German.^ load themfelves with chains as the 
 badge of their fubjedion to, and dependance 
 upon, the Deity; did they magnify divine grace, 
 in order to convince themfelves of the neceffity 
 and efBcacy of it. and fo to inflame their im- 
 portunity and induflry in quefl of it: This were 
 piety and devotion, not error. Or, however they 
 might cxaecrerate the impotence of nature be- 
 yond llridl truth, yet this would be a fafe and pi- 
 ous error, as all humble and modeft ones are : 
 But when they endeavour to reprefent nature vile 
 and corrupt, on purpofe that they may the more 
 licentiouilv pollute and abufe it; when they mag- 
 nify and exalt divine grace out of a mofl contra- 
 didious and prepodcrous defign to juflify their 
 negledt and contempt of it (for they would fiiin 
 have all to be fo intirely imputed to grace, that 
 they would notthemfelvesbe put to as much as 
 the trouble of feeking it) 'tis not only an error,' 
 but a pernicious and fatal one : For he that 
 
 abandons 
 
after Happiness. 153 
 
 abandons the ufe of reafon, renders himfelf in- 
 capable of any heavenly aid. God gives his 
 grace to men, not to beafts : I muft therefore 
 oppofe this fancy, and endeavour to perfuade 
 men, that it is in their power to be virtuous 
 and happy: Nor can I think this affertion any 
 ways injurious to the honour or 'goodnefs of 
 God, if it be remembered, that whatever power 
 I attribute to man, I acknovv^Iedge deriv'd from 
 God. I will therefore with good aillirance pro- 
 ceed, and try whether I cannot take in and 
 demolifli this fort which flops our way to hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 They, who affirm a gre?t part of mankind 
 incapable of virtue, forget that they diilionour 
 God whilft they reproach their nature: For 
 v/ere it fo, to what end could we imagine fuch 
 men endow'd with reafon and underftanding ? 
 Not to v/orfiiip, but defy their Maker. And 
 was it not for this end, that they were made 
 immortal too? Had God made man only to 
 take his partime in the world, like the Levia- 
 ihaJi in the waves, fuch a foul as that which 
 moves the ^i^-^ of the fea, or the beads of the 
 earth, a fenfitive foul, had been mod proper 
 for this end: Then might he have enjoy'd him- 
 feif without reludtancy, without controui, with- 
 out remorfe, v^'ithout fliame. What can be the 
 proper work of a rational creature, to which 
 you allow not a capacity of virtue ai.d re- 
 ligion? 'Till you can (liew me this, I can never 
 believe that God fhould endow man with a rati- 
 onal and immortal mind, out of any other delign 
 than fuch a one as might become fuch a being 
 
 created 
 
154 -^^ Enquiry 
 
 created after his own image, which is the prac- 
 tice of holinefs and virtue. But why flioaldl 
 wonder that men would not be aware of their 
 contradidling reafon, when they feem to be in- 
 fendble of that contradidlion, even to the com- 
 mon fenfe arid experience of mankind which 
 they are guilty of? To what purpofe are there 
 fo many fchools of learning and good manners 
 founded ? To what purpofe are there fo many 
 treatifes of the edacacion of youth writ ? To 
 what purpofe does the wakeful parent flrive to 
 inculcate the feeds of virtue into the child, and 
 train him up by a wife difcipline to the pra(5l:ice 
 andcuftom of virtue? To what purpofe is the 
 propofal of rewards and punifhments, and the 
 reftraint of laws, if either ihey cannot raife their 
 hopes and fears they aim at^ or, if hopes and 
 fears be altogether ufelefs and ineffectual, if 
 no inflrudtion, no difcipline can mould and fa- 
 {hion rough, unpolidi'd, crooked, incorrigible 
 Nature? Nowhere, tho' any man might have 
 confidence enough to difparage the judgment of 
 mankind, and attribute all the pains they take 
 in the education of youth, or the government 
 and dIred:ion of riper years, to cuftom, not to 
 right reafon j yet furely he would not fo far dif- 
 parage his own obfervation and knowledge, as 
 utterly to deny the fuccefs of thefe means: For 
 not to inftance in particulars, 'tis not unknown 
 to any one the leail, verfed in the hiflory cf the 
 world, that there have been national virtues as 
 well as vices; that there have been times, 
 wherein learning and religion have been as 
 much in fafliion and reputaiion, as wickednefs 
 5 and 
 
after Happiness. 155 
 
 and barbarifm in others. Shall we fay, thofe 
 nations, thofe times bred none of thofe natures, 
 which the objector affirms ^reuncapable of vir- 
 tue? Let them (lievv what heavenly influences, 
 what miraculous power, produc'd thischangein 
 nature: What, fhould I urge the power of vair^ 
 and falfe principles, the mighty force even of 
 irrational cuftoms, vanquifhing thofe inclination? 
 which are more deeply rooted, more clofely in- 
 terwove with our blood and fpirits, than any in- 
 clination to vice and folly can be? Such are, for 
 example, the love of life, and the abhorrence of 
 pain; and yet what a contempt of death is to 
 ,be found, even in the mofl: tirnorous fex, as in 
 the Indian women 1 what a contempt of pain, 
 even in the weakeft age, as in ^t Spartan youth ! 
 And all this having no flronger foundation than 
 irrational cuftom, and vain fantaftick principles. 
 Why fhould we therefore be unwilling to attri- 
 bute to excellent principles and virtuous cuftoms, 
 bleffed and aided by heaven, as much power and 
 virtue, as we do to fuch as thefe? If the natural 
 tendencies of man to wickednefs can be curb'd ; 
 if his moft furious and violent paffions can be re- 
 ilrain'd and ftifled ; then, I think, it mav as 
 reafonablybe fuppos'd, thatdivine truths, reliori- 
 ous difcipiine, together with the grace of God, 
 may efFeil this, as any thing elfe whatever. If 
 the prefTmg neceffities and perplexities of the 
 ilatecould change the foftnefs and luxury of 0/j6o 
 into military hardfhip and courage; I know not 
 why a rational fenfe of the true honour and glo- 
 ry of virtue and our eternal intereft and innume- 
 rable 
 
1^6 Aft Enquiry 
 
 rable other conuderatlons which thegofpel lays 
 before us chriftians, lliouldnot be able to work 
 the lame wonders. If the reverence of ^^;;^r^, or 
 anyoti^er motive, could produce a ^;7;z^^^^«;2///;;; 
 JNeronis, could refrrain the violent inclinations of 
 that wretched man, fo that his government for 
 fo many years fliouldbe as gentle and juft as that 
 of the moft gracious and virtuous princes ; 
 why would not the reverence of God, and the 
 terrors of eternity be able to awe and curb the 
 mofl vicious nature? This, m.ethinks, ought 
 well to be weigh'd by all who ailcrc man's im- 
 potency and incapacity of virtue ; they difparage 
 the gofpel, and reproach grace, as well as man, 
 witi'i 1;. tootence and inlufhciency : And yet both 
 the one and the other is the power of God, and 
 that in order to falvation. Do you conlider, 
 That if you fuppofe man by nature unable to do 
 any thing that is good, and then deny him, and 
 utterly debar him from God's grace, you intro- 
 duce fate: For what more fatal neceffity can a 
 wretched creature lie under, ihivxnaturalimpo- 
 tence^ utterly deftitute and for ever forfaken of 
 divine affiilance? Or, if you bereave not man of 
 grace, but yet bereave grace of \i^fufficie?7cyi do 
 you not underfband, that the fatal neceffity con- 
 tinues flill the fame ? There is no change in the 
 man's condition: only in this hypothefis grace is 
 difhonour'd and reproach'd, as well as nature : 
 And this refledls very rudely too upon God; it 
 calls the wifdom, the goodnefs, the fincerity, 
 the power of God into difpute : 'Tis inconfiflent 
 with the power of God not to be able by his Spi- 
 rit 
 
after Happiness. 157 
 
 rit and truth to lubdue and overpower the cor- 
 ruptions'of nature; 'tis inconfiftent with his^W- 
 nefi^ not to be willing to aid his poor creatures, 
 when they call upon him; inconfiftent with his 
 fincerity^ to afford 'em fuch aid as mufl; tend to 
 their greater mifchief, not good, as grace itfelf 
 would, if it were only fufficient to increafe their 
 guilt, but not to fubdue their fin : This were in- 
 deed, 'when a child ajked breads to give him a 
 Jione ; and when he aJked ftp, to give him afcor- 
 pion, Matth. vii, 'Tis laftly, as inconfiftent with 
 the wijdom of God to confer grace to no purpofe, 
 as it was with his goodnefs to confer it to an ill 
 one. Thefe, with many others, are the abfurd 
 confequences v/hich attend the denial of the tmi- 
 verfality, ov fi!^cie?7cy of gr^CQ'. but if, on the 
 other hand, we do grant that God Almighty is 
 ready to aflift every man who calls on him in his 
 endeavours after virtue and happinefs, and that 
 his aftiftance is fufficient to the end for which 
 'tis defigned ; then we muft needs acknowledge, 
 that 'tis in every man's power to be good and 
 happy: for 'tis no more than to acknowledge 
 that man can do what he can doi or which is ail 
 one, what God has put in his power to do. By 
 what a croud of arguments mi^ht I confirm this 
 truth, fufficient to bear dovv'n, and even (name 
 the moft impudent caviller ? Why are not men 
 good ? Why are they not happy ? Shall we fay, 
 that God doth not vouchfafe them his grace ? 
 Shall we impute mens mifery to God ? Shall we 
 charge that glorious and moft perfedt Being 
 with want of com.paffion or fincerity towards 
 
 his 
 
158 A?i Enquiry 
 
 his poor creatures ? How eafy will it be forhini 
 to appeal to the fufferings of his Son ; to the 
 vigorous attempts and endeavours of his Spi- 
 rit ; to heaven and earth ftamped with the im- 
 prefs of his poive?- and goodnefs, on purpofe to 
 teach, invite, and almoft compel us to worfhip 
 and obey him ; to the various methods of his 
 providences contriving and purfuing our hap- 
 pinefs ? How eafily, laftly, may he appeal for 
 his purgation to our own confciences ? And 
 thefe will tell us, as they ever do, in the dif- 
 trefles of our fortune, and the approaches of 
 danger and death, to what we are to impute 
 the caufe of our ruin. What (hall we fay then ? 
 Doth God vouchfafe men his grace, the revela- 
 tion of his truth, and the ailiftances of his Spirit, 
 but that this grace is not fufficient for us? 
 Alas 1 how eafy were it for any of us to refute 
 this fancy by appealing to the folemn covenant 
 of our baptifm, to the characters and defcriptions 
 of good men in the gofpel, to the effeds which 
 our reafon teaches us, mull: be natural and in- 
 feparable from a true faith and divine a/BAance ? 
 But I will chufe to make ufe of one argument 
 which St. Paiilimm(hts us with Heb. xi. There 
 the apoftle proves the poiribility of pleafing G©d 
 by faith from undeniable inflancesof matter of 
 fact, inferring from what men have adually 
 done, what it is ftill poffible for him to do. 
 Omitting the miraculous and extraordinary ef- 
 fedls of faith, I will reduce the inilances of this 
 chapter to three heads. 
 
 Firji, Such wherein faith appears victorious 
 over the temptations which arifc from the vi- 
 cious 
 
after Happiness. 159 
 
 clous cuftoms of the place men live in, from the 
 prevalency and fadiionablenefs of fin amongfl: 
 thofe they converfe with. 
 
 Secondly, Such wherein faith triumphs over 
 temptations, arifing from fenfual pleafures. 
 
 I'hirdly, Such wherein it overcomes the fenfe 
 of pain, and fear of approaching evil. 
 
 I will begin with the firfl fort of inftances. 
 It muft be confeffed, that confi- 
 
 J • .1 r c Temptations from 
 
 dering the propenfions of our fajhion conquered. 
 body, and the vanity and fenfu- 
 ality which the mind naturally derives from it, 
 and from its commerce with the world, that it 
 is a difficult thing to encounter temptations 
 naked and alone j how much more difficult 
 when backed and affilled by cuftom and/^/W, 
 when univerfal pradtice gives authority and re- 
 putation to fin and folly ; and the poor man is 
 left defliltute of the affiftance of good counfel, 
 and the encouragement of good examples, to 
 encounter not only the difficulty with which the 
 reludancies of our nature, but alfo the reproach 
 with which the popularity and prevalency of 
 fin clogs and imbitters virtue. And yet behold 
 'Enoch in a world (it feems) given up to fin, did 
 not keep up in private to the practice of defpifed 
 forfaken virtue; but was openly, and, in an 
 extraordinary manner, eminent and exemplary 
 in it ; and therefore was his end as extraordi- 
 nary as his life : For having obtained this tejii- 
 mony, that he pleajed God, he was tranfated. 
 This was owing to his faith. He was content 
 to endure the reproach of the world, that he 
 might obtain the approbation of God; and de- 
 
 fpife 
 
3 6o An Enquiry 
 
 ipife the honour and applaufe of popular vice» 
 and fafhionable compliances, that he might 
 gain the kingdom wherein dwells righteoufnefs. 
 {?uch another example was Noah ; his righteouf- 
 nefs was like his ark afterwards, raifed above a 
 deluge not of water but impiety ; he lived in 
 a world fo wicked, that it grieved God at his 
 heart that he had made it : In this world he 
 was a preacher and example of righteoufnefs, 
 and his zeal by an AntiperiJiafiSy was not 
 quenched, but enkindled by the wickednefs of 
 the world he lived in : This too was owinf to 
 
 o 
 
 his faith ; he feared thofe threats which that 
 impious world fcofted at, and fo prepared an 
 ark to the favifig cf his houfe^ by which he 
 condemned the worlds and became heir of the 
 right ecuj'ncfs which is by faith ^ ver. 7. No 
 doubt, when this llrano^e buildinfr was prepar- 
 ing;, Noah was alTuulted bv all the raillery 
 and contempt, by all the (hews of wit and 
 reafon, lufi and prophanenefs could furnifh an 
 impious age with : this man (fay they) has 
 ever been lingular and fantaftick in the whole 
 method of his converfation ; there wanted but 
 fuch a prank as this to compleat fancy into 
 madnefs; he ever dreamed of judgments, and 
 yet we he threatened continued our mirth and 
 pleafure ; he alone in fears and anxieties has * 
 fuffered the evils which his melancholy fancy 
 created, and which are all that we (hall ever 
 fee : for how long has he been preaching 
 dreadful things, and yet ftill the {\:a\ lliines, 
 the heavens are fair and clear, our feafts and 
 luds have the fame relifli 11:111 : nor does our 
 
 experience 
 
r 
 
 after Happiness. i6i 
 
 experience only convince us of the falfliood, 
 but our reafon of the impoflibility of the 
 man's dreams: for v/hich way ih all the fixed 
 ftate of nature be turned upfide down ? Whence 
 will this univerfal dtluge come? Will his God 
 break up the fountains of the deep? Or will 
 he open the catarads of heaven? But while 
 they thus profanely fcoffed and meafured the 
 divine power by their depraved fancies, Noah 
 religioufly fear'd, who had a different fenfe 
 of the majefty of God, and provocation of 
 fin. He knew, that as mercy, fo wrath is 
 with God ; that as he is mighty to forgive^ fo 
 is he to pour out difpleafwe, Ecclus xvi. And 
 by this faith he preferv'd himftrlf, as fi-om ^he 
 impiety, fo from the punifhment of the Jd. 
 world : For though he was not, like Enochs 
 tranflated ; yet being preferved out of a general 
 ruin, he lived to fee an end of the old world, 
 and give beginning to the new. 
 
 To thefe I mi^ht add Lot. whofe rieh'e- 
 ous foul was not infe<5ted, but provok'^^ and 
 griev'd by the impieti-^s of Scdom. j^j..ua^ 
 as eminent for his faith as his vidories, wiio 
 refolv'd, whatevercourfetheZ/r^p/^V^jWouid take 
 (who to the lad itood \n need ov as grear prodi- 
 gies to refcue them from idolatry, as onre f'om 
 Egypt) He and his hou' : would p-rve the Lord^ 
 Jofh.xxiv. Thefe inftances are Ajfficientto ihew 
 the power of faith in its vidtory over popul . er- 
 rors and fashionable lins, and b) coT^ifcquence, 
 over many inclinations at once; f^i the popula- 
 rity and prevalency of any fin is a bait appro- 
 
 VoL. I. M priated 
 
1 62 An 'Enquiry 
 
 priated to our pride and vanity; which makes 
 men affecft precedence and feniority in all things 
 which the world admires and applauds. Nor 
 is this all ; it awakens our natural inclinations, 
 and invites us to gratify 'em ; nay it enrages na- 
 tural appetite, by giving it fecurity and confi- 
 dence, and by working upon the fancy and 
 imagination ; for the fin is always wonderfully 
 fet off, that is prevailing and fafhionable. I 
 will now pafs on to the 
 
 Seco?id fort of inftances, wherein we may be- 
 hold the ftrength and power 
 
 PUafure conquer d. r r • \ • • • rL • 
 
 ^ or raith in its victories over 
 
 all temptations, which fenfual pleafures can 
 prefent us. Numerous are the inftances of 
 this kind, which I might produce among the 
 heathens: where we mav find a fenfe of the 
 dignity of human nature, of the decency and 
 honour of vi'-tue, and a perfuafion of the ne- 
 cefTiiy of purity in order to a future flate, at- 
 chieving moft manifeft victories over all car- 
 nal and fenfual lufl: but I will confine my- 
 felf to two in this chapter. The firft is that of 
 Mojes 'y and this is a very full and comprehen- 
 fivc one. His ftation beincr fo near the crown 
 of Egypty prefented him at once with all that 
 th6 world can entertain fenfual man with : 
 there was oower and wealth, the temptations 
 of the ambicious mind (filfly called great;) 
 and there was honour, the airy bait of vain 
 unblafled minds, Thefe, each of them fingle 
 and alone, have, like Saul and Davids {lain 
 their thoufand and ten thoufands: and yet, 
 
 that 
 
after Happiness. 163 
 
 that it may appear that their overthrow is to 
 be imputed to their own negligence and folly, 
 behold here Mofes triumphing by faith over all 
 thefe, /. e. over all the flrengths and forces of 
 fenfual pleafures join'd and united together : 
 when he was come to years, he refufed to be 
 called the fon of Pkaraoh\ daughter, and fo de- 
 ferted a flation wherein nothing was bigger than 
 his prefent enjoyment, unlefs his future hopes, 
 which is the utmoft felicy of a ftate of fenfua- 
 lity. And what is more yet, what was it he did 
 quit all this for ? What was it he did chufe in 
 exchange? Was his foul too little to fill the great 
 place he left? No, Mofes\ courage was as great 
 as any thing but his meeknefs and humility. 
 Was that height too open and too bufy for fen- 
 fual enjoyments, and fo he retired like Tiberius 
 to Caprea, that he might indulge himfelf with 
 more fecurity and freedom, and fewer inter- 
 ruptions? No, he changed pleafure for afflic- 
 tion, treafure for reproach; the court o^ Egypt 
 for the defart of Midian-y he chofe rather to fujfer 
 efflidlion 'with the people of God^ than to enjoy the 
 pleafures of fin for a feafon ; ejieeming the re- 
 proach of Chrifl greater riches than the trea- 
 furcs of Egypt. This was all the great work of 
 faith : his mind was betimes poffefs'd of a juft 
 notion of, and awful reverence for the God 
 of his fathers, the God of heaven and earth -, 
 and therefore beyond the wants and dangers of 
 the defart, he difcover'd the peace and plenty of 
 Canaan, and beyond both the glories of eterni- 
 ty j and therefore reafonably concluded, that it 
 M 2 was 
 
164 -^^ Enquiry 
 
 was more eligible to be the fon of God, than of 
 Pharaoh^ dauo;hter; to be the heir of Heaven, 
 than of the crown of Egypt: all this was inti- 
 mated, verfe 26. For he had refpe5l to the recom- 
 pence of the reward, 
 
 1 will add but one inftance more to that of 
 Mofei , and indeed there can be but one inftancc 
 added ihat is greater, which is iha.\. of ^5raham 
 offering up I/'aac. In the former, we have feeii 
 faith triamphing over fuperfluous and unnecef- 
 fary pleifures; In this, we fhall fee it triumphing 
 over tht natural andinfeparable appetites of man. 
 What might not Abraham, if he had been 
 under the power of any principle but that of 
 faith, have obiet^led againfl: this command of 
 God? What, (hall I facrifice my fon? This is a 
 facrifice might become Baal or Moloch , but how 
 unfuitable to the nature of that God I worfhip? 
 Nor is thid Icfs repugnant to his veracity than his 
 goodnefs; (hall I Sacrifice the fon of the promlfe? 
 Is it for this I forfook my home, my country, 
 my birthright, and followed through inhofpita- 
 ble d ;;arts, and more inhofpitable nations ? Are 
 all my expe(5tations of a numerous and glorious 
 pofter'tv come to this at laft ? Thus might A- 
 braham have argued ; but having a firm belief 
 of the p -^A^er, goodnefs, and faithfulnefs of God, 
 he would not go about to prefcribe his wifdom 
 methods, or to limit his omnipotence by unbe- 
 lievin >■ ancles, or derogatory conceptions con- 
 cerning it: but fiimly believing that he could 
 do whatever he plcafed, that he would do 
 whatever he promlfed : He that had received 
 
 the 
 
after Happiness. i6c 
 
 (be promifes, effaced up his only begotten fony of 
 in horn it was faid^ that in Ifaac thy feed Jljall 
 be called 3 occoimting that God was able to raife 
 him up even from the dead; from '-j.- hence aljo he 
 received him in a figure. Wc h:.ve {^^w men 
 vanquishing all the pleafures that the world 
 can prefent us with, and confequently all thote 
 inclinations and appetites by v^^hich we are car- 
 ried towards them. Faith in thefe men en- 
 counter'd and defeated whatever ihengih and 
 force can be fuppofed either in fancy or ima- 
 gination, or in fenfual a^^petite, or nausral affec- 
 tion. The conclufion deducible from hence, is, 
 that there is no deiire of wordly plcafure in man 
 fo vehement, but that it may be conquer'd; and 
 confequently, that we cannot be neccffarily be- 
 trayed into fin by any inbred inclination of this 
 kind. There is but one natural principle more, 
 from whence we can imagine at^y neceffity of 
 finning to arife, which is, an averfion o ai' pain 
 , or trouble. There are therefore temptations 
 fuited to this principle in US: fuch as deter as from 
 our duty, either by the {^w{^ of prefent, or the 
 fear of impending evil : and it is thought fo be 
 the higheft and difficulteft trial of virtu :, to fur- 
 mc'unt thefe temptations, /. e. to be vir u< us, 
 when virtue is immediately attended, or vifibly 
 threaten'd with great evils. Anv1 vet behod, 
 
 Thirdly-, In this chapter numerous inltances 
 of as great conftancy in fuffer- 
 ing pain, as we have feen be- ' 
 
 fore of continence in rejeding pleafure; ver. 
 35, 36, 37. Others were tortured^ not accepting 
 
 M 3 deli^ 
 
1 66 An Enquiry 
 
 deliverance 'j that they might obtain a better 
 reJttrreSlion. And others had trial oj cruel 
 mockings and fcourgings^ yea, moreover of bonds 
 and imprijhnment ; they 'werejlonedj they iverefaivu 
 a/under, they were tempted, werejlain with the 
 (word, they wander d about injldeep-jkins, and goat - 
 JkinSj being dejiitute, aJJliBed, tormented. See 
 here faith triumphing over all thofe things that 
 are the dread and terror of human nature, re- 
 proach, impriibnmentjbaniflTment, death, death 
 in all its variety of torments; nay, many deaths, 
 inthelingring torments they were frequently put 
 to. How flrong, how firm, is this frail weak na- 
 
 * ture, when fupported by a divine faith ! All thefe 
 expeded a happy refurredlion; they few beyond 
 thefe midnight clouds, the dawnings of eter- 
 nity, and unfpeakable comforts ready to fwal- 
 lovv up and extinguifli the memory of their 
 
 • fufferings; and in this confidence they outbrav'd 
 '"'all forts of evils ; nor is it to be wonder'd at, 
 'Iffaiih, which overcomes the fenfc of prefcnt 
 
 evils, fliould difperfe the fears of future ones. 
 Hence it was the parents oi Mofes defpifed the 
 menaces of Vhiiraoh, a prince arbitrary in his 
 pcver, cruel in his temper, refolved and bloody 
 
 in the execution of mifchief Hence it was, 
 
 that Mcfes in the fame manner defpifed the 
 wrath of this king, and well-knowing that no 
 place would be able to protect him from his 
 power, and cruelty, but the defart, he forfook 
 Egypt J and fled thither ; where he could not 
 but forefee he was to encounter infuperable 
 difficulties} but he endured, as feeing him who 
 
 is. 
 
after Happiness. 167 
 
 i% invtfible 'f and knew, that the God of heaven 
 was every where prelent, and that in defpite of 
 every thing, under his proteclion he fliould be 
 both fafe and happy. 
 
 Now, lince there is no evil the w^orld can 
 threaten us with, equal to that of torments and 
 death, it were in vain and fuperfluous, after we 
 have leen thefe conquer'd, to fancy other evils 
 of a much (lighter nature unconquerable; it 
 were abfurdto thinkthat man could befrightned 
 from his duty by popular reproach, or the dif- 
 pleafure uf great men, or to the diminution of 
 his efiate, who caiinot by death itfelf; 'twere 
 abfui'd to fancy, that he v;ho defpifes imprifon- 
 ments, ftripes, hunger, nakednefs, torment, in 
 obedience to his duty, and refpecttoits reward, 
 fhouldbe difcouraged by any little aufterities or 
 hardships which virtue may fometimes exadt 
 from him. 
 
 Tell me now then, you who complain of the 
 corruption and impotence of man; you, who 
 magnify the force and power of temptanon, 
 and from both infer the impofTibility of being 
 virtuous, and confequently of being happy; 
 what have you to anfwer to thefe thinj^s, thefe 
 matters of unqueftionable fadl ? You fee refo- 
 lution and faith in thefe examples raifed to that 
 height and ftrength, which no wordlv, no car- 
 nal temptation can refill:: tell me then, why 
 {hould the faith of a Jew out do that of a Chrif- 
 tian? Were their promifes more glorious, and 
 therefore more efficacious than others? Look 
 how far (hort time is of eternity, corruption of 
 incorruption : fo far was their Canaan of our 
 M 4 heaven. 
 
1 68 An Enquiry 
 
 heaven. But fiippofe they had (as thefe fure had) 
 a proiDcdt ofihc ■.ine heaven, had they a clearer 
 fight of it anc moie convincing evidence of the 
 certaincy of it than we have? Alas, their 
 Sh''ch'mahy Ba:h-k6l, the thunders and light- 
 nings u: LLiOuUt d^/iaiy their pillar of cloud and 
 fire, vvere not half {o clear aiTurances of God 
 amongft them, as that glory vvhich ihone in 
 th. "ice of y^Ji^s Chrifi, that power communi- 
 ca:-., ^m abo^e to his apoftles: the refurrec-- 
 tion of jijus from the dead, and his afcenfion 
 into heaven, were amanifeil: teflimony of God 
 afltTting and bearing witnefs to the truth of our 
 religion, and particularly of that fundamental 
 article in it, the refurredlion of the body and 
 everlafting life. What then, are our temptati- 
 ons greater tlian theirs? The confidence of the 
 moft fcnfual finner dars not arrive at this plea: 
 lee the voluptuary, the ambitious, confront his 
 temptatio!is with the enjoyments or the hopes 
 of Mofes: let the moft afflicted, miferable man 
 balance his temptations with Abraham^ facri- 
 fice of hisfon, or with the fufi^erings of thofe 
 righteous men mentioned in the latter part of 
 this chapter J and he muil: confefs that his temp- 
 tations are as much weaker than theirs, as is 
 his faith. What then can be faid? Nothing, 
 unlefs plainly this, that our cafe is not the fame 
 with theirs, either in refped of our inclina- 
 tions, or our affiilances: if this were fo, then 
 how could thefe men Itand as a cloud of wit- 
 nefTes againft us in the laft day? vvhich St. Paul 
 intimates in the beginning of the following 
 chapter: hov/ natural would it be for us, to 
 
 wipe 
 
after FI a p p i n e s s. 1 69 
 
 wipe ofFany accufation or reproach which their 
 virtue could faftt;!! upon us by this eaiy anfwer ? 
 'Tis true, we were foil'd and overthrown by 
 thofe temptations which thofe men conquer'd; 
 and well might this happen j for neither had 
 they our infirmities, nor we their grace; their 
 nature was notfodcpiaved asours, norourgrace 
 fo futHcient as theirs. Were this fo, the iinner 
 might be more unfortunate, butnotmore crimi- 
 nal, than the faint ; the different event of things 
 at the laft day, were to be imputed to the diffe- 
 rent difpenfation, not different ufe of grace, /. e, 
 to the partiality of God, not the negligence or 
 wilfulnefs of man ; than which nothing can 
 be more impioufly or abfurdly afhrmed. 
 
 And now, let not hereafter a fancied impofH- 
 bility of virtue difcourage the weak, nor a pre- 
 tended one excufe the wilful: nothing is more 
 evident, than that there is no inclination in man 
 that is incorrigible, nor any temptation incident 
 to our ftate, which is infuperable: let any man 
 that pretends the contrary, confider whatreafon 
 has done in fome; whatcuftom, what faith in 
 others: let himfelf try, v^'liat reafon, what difci- 
 pline, what faith (from all which I never fepa- 
 rate divine affiflance) can do in him; and, I am 
 confident, he will not ftand in need of any fur- 
 ther anfwer to his objedtion ; his own fuccefs, 
 as well as that of others, will be fufiicient proof 
 of itsweaknefs. Thus, 1 think, Il>ave in general 
 given a fatisfadory anfwer to as many, at leaft, 
 as plead natural incapacity againif the poflibili- 
 ty of being happy: however, that no difcourage- 
 ment, nofcruple may remain, 1 will give a par- 
 ticular 
 
170 Alt Rnquiry 
 
 ticular and clear, though brief anfwer to each 
 part of this objection. 
 
 There are three things fuppofed by it to ren- 
 der man naturally incapable of 
 
 The force cf indi- ■ ^ , , • r t^- n 
 
 nation examined. Virtue and nappinels.^ Firfi, 
 
 violent and invincible inclina- 
 tions to vice : againfl: this as the mod confider- 
 able part of the objedion, the whole bent and 
 force of the precedent difcourfe was levelled ; 
 and therefore this needs no hirther anfwer; only 
 here it will be worth our remai king, that thofe 
 diiFerences that are in the nature and temper of 
 men, are not elfential, but accidental; and con- 
 fequently they may make the way to happinefs 
 more diliicult tofome than others, but impoiri- 
 ble to none. The ftrongefl: inclination to virtue 
 (1 fpeak of that which is the refult of natural 
 temper) feems to me but a weaker inclination 
 to vice^ every man has naturally a propeniion 
 to plcafure, and conlequently the fenfitive part 
 of us to fenfitive pleafuiC: how much finer mold 
 our firil parents were made of than we are, I 
 know not; but this i find, the defire of pleafure 
 was natural to them even in innocence: this 
 was thit which the beauty of the apple did 
 eafily inflame; and that was to fuch a degree, 
 that I am not abletodifcern by the text, to which 
 1 (hould rather impute their fin, and the lofs of 
 paradife; to the defire of knowledge, or the de- 
 fire of pleaiiire: this tendency of the fenfitive 
 part is natural to all; but in fjme leis violent; 
 unlefs we may fay upon one ground, 'tis equal 
 in all, for the difference of tempers difcovers 
 itfelf rather in the dilTerent kinds of pleafure we 
 
 purfue. 
 
after Happiness. 171 
 
 p'lrfue, than in the different degrees of our in- 
 clination to it: we are all equally allured and 
 drawn, yet not by the Tame but feveral objects ; 
 fo that if luO: prevail in one, ambition as much 
 prevails in another, and covetoufnefs in a third, 
 and in others intemperance and (loth: fo that 
 the difficulty of virtue leems much the fame to 
 all the fons o^ jiihi??!, the (Irength of temptation 
 confifting efpecially in our weaknefs ; not in the 
 excellency of the object we are taken with, but 
 in our inclination to it. Hence it is as difficult 
 for one man to overcome his covetoufnefs, as for 
 another to overcome his luif ; and reftiefs toil- 
 fome ambition is as lufcious and taking with feme 
 temper?, as lazyand delicious luxury with others. 
 If this were well weighed, it would make us 
 more mild and gentle in thecenfure of others, 
 and not fo foft and eafy in exculing ourfelves. 
 *Tis further worth our obferving here, that every 
 man's virtue derives fome tincture from his con- 
 ftiturionand temper; fo that, generally fpeakinjr, 
 'tis not difficult to guefb a man's natural conftitu- 
 tion by the complexion of his religion: however, 
 virtue ceafes notto be virrue : nor will that flight 
 allay of the natural conftitution extinguifh its 
 vigour and m.erit, though it behoves every man 
 to keep a fti i(fl and jealous guard upon his incli- 
 nations j for nature fnon revives even after it has 
 been fometime buried; and labours moil: after that 
 perfedion which does mod contradid: and op- 
 pofe the p^ticular vice of his conftitution: for 
 it will beotherwife morally impoffibleto gain a 
 conquefl: over it, and as impoffible to gain a ra- 
 tional peace and fecurity without this conqueft. 
 
 A 
 
iy2 An Enquiry 
 
 Ay^coW thing, which is luppored In the objec- 
 tion to incapacitate man for 
 Dulnefs implies not happincfs, is ^iH untcachablc 
 
 an incapacity of Hap- n ]• m* • n 
 
 tinefs, Itupidity, coniilting in a How 
 
 conception and a treacherous 
 memory. 'Tis true, indeed, the heathen philo- 
 fophers did require in their Icholars the know- 
 ledge of many abftrufe and ditiicult matters, as 
 antecedently neceiiary to virtue and happinefs: 
 ikill in the maihematicks fitted a man for the 
 Platonick phiiufopb}'; and the knowledge of 
 natural things was the foundanon on which the 
 Epicu?'ean pretended his divine happinels and 
 •virtue was to be built; and Seneca reckons the 
 unthinking croud among the beaO;': that pe- 
 rifli. All 01 them did with one confent reqi're 
 three things to compleat a virtuous and happy 
 man 3 nature, education or inH:' adlion, ano cuf- 
 tom. To the JirJ}^ they attributed the difpofi- 
 tion to virtue: to t.\\Qfccoiid the beginning : to 
 the thirds the eafinefs and confta.icy ; and to ail 
 three together, the perfedion to it. And hence 
 it is, that they did diftinguilli between perfed: 
 and imperfects between political or floical, and 
 philofophicui virtue; ana did not deem every 
 nature capable of that virtue which was perfect 
 and philofophical. But our bleffed Lord and 
 Matter, the author oFChridian philofophy, re- 
 quires no fuch qualifications in thofe who will be 
 his difciples; all that he requires, is, an hum- 
 ble and an honeft mind, freed from proud pre- 
 judices, poffefs'd with a fincere love of the truth, 
 and a fincere refolution of obeying It j accord- 
 ingly St. Paul obferves, that fuch were mofl 
 
 wrought 
 
after Happiness. 173 
 
 wrought upon by the preaching of the gofpel : 
 Te fee your callings brethren, hoiD that not many 
 wife men after the ftfh, not many mighty, not 
 many noble are called : but God has doofen the 
 foolifJo things of the world to confound the "xife • 
 and God has chojen the weak things of the world 
 to confound the things which are mighty : and 
 bafe things of the world, and things which are 
 defpijed, has God chofen, i Cor. i. Nor will 
 any one imagine, that acute and eminent parts 
 are neceflary to render a man capable of being 
 a Chriftian, who (hall confider the brevity and 
 plainnefs of the Chriftian faith and law. Doth 
 it require a deep and penetrating jud^;ment, or 
 a firm and tenacr)us memory, to enable us to 
 underftand or remember that plain and fliort 
 fummary ofChriflian pra(5lice? The grace of 
 God teacheth us to deny all ungodlinefs and world- 
 ly lufls, and live righteoufy, foberly, and godlily^ 
 in this prefent world f Titus ii. Or, that as 
 brief and pe: fpicuous abridgement of the Chrif- 
 tian faith, This is life eternal, to know thee, 
 the only true God. and fcfus Chrift ivhom thou 
 haflfent? John xvii. Or, that excellent abridge- 
 ment of both by St. Paul, Repentance towards 
 God, and f^yjth in our Lord Jefus Chrifl? Ads 
 XX. 'Tis true, all things are now ravelled and 
 entangled^ and ;he faith and virtue of Chriftia- 
 nity is not half fo confpicuous amongft Chrif- 
 tians, as 'heir theological wars, tumults and 
 fad:io js : bat this is owinfj to man, not the ffof- 
 pel ; to th^ pride and fuperftition of the one, not 
 the obfc j.ity of the other. Nor may any one 
 here with (hew ot reafon objed:, that tho' the 
 
 fubftance 
 
174 ^^ E77qui?y 
 
 fubflance of the chriftian f^ilth and pradllce is 
 clear, yet the reaforis of both are not fo: for who 
 can ever imagine fuch a ftupidity of nature, as 
 can difable any one to underftand the proofs by 
 which the fcripture edablifhes the great funda- 
 mental articleofourfaith, xh^LtyeJus i^thtChriJly 
 the Mejjias^ or Mediator between God and man. 
 Or, what ftupidity of nature can render it an 
 impofTible tafl<: to us to comprehend the two 
 fundamental reafons of evangelical righteoufnefs, 
 namely, the fubferviency of it to the happinefs 
 of this, and of another life, and the holinefs of 
 the God we worfliip? I do not write this, as if 
 I meant hereby to reprefent induftry in fearch of 
 divine truths, as fuperfluous and unnecefiary ; 
 but toafTure all, of how mean capacities foever, 
 of the fuccefs of it. 1 am not ignorant how 
 much feme applaud themfelves on the account 
 of acquir'd knowledge of doubtful and abftrufe 
 things; how much others value themfelves on a 
 particular fort of politicks, remote enough indeed 
 from virtue; and others, on accompiilhments 
 as remote from reafon, as the other politicks from 
 virtue; and how m.uch all of them do defpife 
 the dulnefs of thofe who cannot, and the fim- 
 plicity of thofe who ftrive not to equal them in 
 thcfe attainments: but all this doth not beget 
 in me the leaft fcruple or fifpicion of the truth 
 Iliave before afTerted. I know that our duty 
 is plain, and that the path of duty is the mofl 
 dired and compendious one to the happinefs 
 of this life, and of another: fo: I know, that 
 nothinj^ is fo taking Vvith God, as an humble 
 faith, devout, pure, peaceable and charitable 
 6 religion. 
 
after Happiness. 175 
 
 religion. As to worldly happinefs, I know, that 
 a man's own virtue, fupported by God's Spirit, 
 and guided by his truth, is the fafcft and the 
 plaineft guide he can follow in dark and tem- 
 peftuous times: true policy confifts not in that 
 addrefs or fubtilty of fpirit, which furniilies a 
 man at all times with plaufible fhifts; but in 
 that integrity and virtue that needs none : and 
 the beauty and life of converfarion confifts not 
 in artificial faces, fantaftick dreiTcs, mechanick 
 motions, (hrugs and cringes, much lefs in me- 
 chanick (forfo I may call fet forms of) chat; 
 but in an humble, diligent, andfaithfuldifcharge 
 of the duties we owe to all thofe feveral rela- 
 tions we fland in, and the obfervance of thofe 
 laws of converfation which true philofophy pre- 
 fcribes. This is that which will make us accept- 
 able to all, and dear to the wife and good: 
 flights, and tricks, and arts mny divert and en- 
 tertain ; but virtues do charm and captivate : 
 thofe may open us the way to men's houfes, and 
 their tables ; but thefe to their bofoms, to their 
 hearts. The fum of all is, great endowments of 
 nature feem to be necelTary for the attainment 
 of unneceflary accomplifhrnents; common en- 
 dowments are fufficient to niake us capable of 
 virtue and happinefs. This Marcus Antoninus 
 has well obferved, and has as 
 well exprefs'd in feveral places : "^^'. 1" °^'>;'V^'? «s'- 
 
 r 11 ;•/ r -J -rai to EvJat^r/MCgiSa-aj, 
 
 moreiully, iw. ^.Jea. 1^. more x«i f^n oVt a^nx^ris-ac 
 
 rietiy elle where, thus; Jho .Ve^a«<, j,a ^sJ a,r.r- 
 
 thou defpairefi of bein? a ktri- f^«-'^^^f^^f^«f'-^ 
 
 aa?L a natural! Ih a mathema- i^'^^"^^«: ©£*. ware. 
 
 . . . ., Am. Lib, 7. Se(5l. Ai. 
 
 ttcian^ a courtier^ a Jtate-em- 
 
 firick, 
 
I j6 An Rnquiry 
 
 pirick^ a talkative bigot ^ or a mechanical fop (for 
 thefe two pafsfor accompli(hments with iome) 
 yet defpair not of becoming a wife man and a phi- 
 lofopher: though thou hafi not abilities big enough 
 to make thy confidence pafs for wit and demonjira- 
 tion-, though thou haji not the art of wheedling^ nor 
 the talent offiifting and deluding ; though thou hajl 
 no faculty for deep dijjimulation, nor flight infinua- 
 tion ; though thy parts lie below all thefe y and a 
 great many other perfe^ions -, yet for all this de- 
 fpair not, thou hafi parts fufjicient to make thee 
 happy: thou mayfi be free (redeemed from the fer- 
 vitudeof vice) />^o<3'^/?, humble ^ charitable, and ob- 
 fequious to Gcd-, and in thefe Ter\ few things con- 
 fifis TO lv^ccii/,ovcog l3icaa-oci, the bleffednefs of life. 
 A Third thing, wherein the objed:ion fuppo- 
 fes natural incapacity to con- 
 Lig^ttrr/s and in- fj{^^ jg^ fych a lli^^htnefs, levi- 
 
 eonp.deratenefs exa- ^ • • n C . 
 
 ff^ing^^ ty and mconltancy or temper 
 
 as feems to render men neither 
 fit for any clofe application, nor fufcepiible of 
 any deep and lailing impreffions : it canr.ot be 
 denied but that feme are of fich an airy, vola- 
 tile, and various temper, that they feem to be de- 
 iigned for nothing ferious, nothing great; as if, 
 like flowers, they Vv'cre the fport, network of na- 
 ture, made not for ufe, butornament: br.tlhave 
 always cbferv'd, that nature makes up defeats 
 of one kind by advantage of another. Thus it 
 happens here: thofeconditutlwnswiilch domofl 
 want folidity and ftrength, do mod partake of 
 foftnefs and tendernefs: fo that they are as much 
 more apt to receive impreffions, a^ they are more 
 unapt to retain them than others j like yield- 
 
 ing 
 
after Happiness. 177 
 
 ding air, which the gentled ftroke doth as eafily 
 divide and pirt, a^ it do^h eafily return and 
 unite itfelf again. Hence 'tis generally obferv'd, 
 that that age and that fex, that are fuppofed to 
 have leaftof fixednefs and conftancy, have moft 
 of heat and paffion in religion ; and thofe minds, 
 which are word furni(h'd with courage and ex- 
 perience, with judgment and refolation, are moft 
 apt and eafy to be mov'd and wrought upon by 
 religion, or deluded by fuperftitious fears, and 
 as apt to be tenderly afFedled by the reprefen- 
 tations of divine goodnefs and compaflion ; fo 
 that, like bodies which have lefs bulk, but more 
 agility, their motions nimbler, though their 
 force and ftrength be lefs. Now, if this be fo, 
 then the difadvantage of this temper is not fo 
 great as it is fancied : for tho* their paflioris laft 
 not long, they are eafily raifed^ and confequent*' 
 ly if our addrciTes to fuch a temper be but a 
 litde more frequently repeated they cannot but 
 prove fucccfsful ; and fuch perfons, by the fre- 
 quent returns of holy paffions, will grow habi- 
 tually devout, and their devotion will be as 
 fteady, and more elevated than that of a flower 
 and firmer conftitution. But aftf; all, wherever 
 there appears an exuberancy of this humour, 
 this is to be imputed rather to their fortune than 
 their nature : a wanton fortune, and too indul- 
 gent an education, is generally attended with a 
 gay, wanton, and unfixed mind. And 'tis true, 
 that it is a difficult matter for fuch minds as 
 thefe to attain to wifdom and virtue; but 'tis not 
 becaufe they cannot confider, but becaufe they 
 Will not : let fuch exchange their haunts of 
 Vol. I. N pleafure 
 
178 An inquiry 
 
 pleafure for the houfe of mourning ; let them 
 but now and then intermix the converlation 
 of the wife and ferious with that of the giddy, 
 fanciful, and frolickfome j and they will foon 
 find their humour much corredled, and their 
 minds better fixed ; to all this, if they could be 
 perfuaded to add the contemplation of a fuffer- 
 ing Saviour, of a holy God, and of a judgment 
 to come J and to this, the devotion of the clofet, 
 made up of ferious refled;ion on thefe fubjeds, 
 and their own eternity j this would foon reduce 
 their loofe and fcatter'd defires, it would foon 
 recall the roving wandering mind, and make it 
 delight to dwell at home in the company of 
 wife, devout and important thoughts. 
 
 And now, I think, I have left no part of this 
 objection, founded upon natural incapacity, un- 
 confider'd. Do men complain of their heavinefs 
 and flupidity: acute parts and a tenacious me- 
 mory are not neceffary to make us virtuous or 
 happy. Do they complain of their violent incli- 
 nations to fin ? I have fhewed them reafon, cuf- 
 tom, faith, curbing the mofl: natural,. or the moll 
 outrageous and ungovernable appetites oi man. 
 Do they complain of the levity and inconfiancy 
 of their temper ? Let them retire from the flat- 
 teries and carefles of a wanton fortune, and a 
 wanton converfadon; let them acquaint them- 
 felves with the wife, or the afBidled, with divine 
 truths and their clofets, and this will foon work 
 a happy change upon them. If they are too foft 
 and delicate for the bitternefs and feverity of 
 thefe prefcriptions, nothing but the much fe- 
 verer difcipline of afilidioiis and judgments can 
 efl:e(^ their cure. Under 
 
^/^r Happiness. 179 
 
 Under this head of natural incapacity, that 
 other objedion from moral in- ' '' ' ' I; 
 
 capacity has been fufficiently "\^;^;^^-^^'"''^'*''^^- 
 anfwer'd ; for cuftom is, at 
 mofl, but a fecond nature : and I have at 
 large difcourfed of the power of reafon and 
 faith over nature : I have at large produced 
 many unqueftionable inftances, wherein we 
 have feen them overcome our moft natural 
 and moft neceflary appetites; fuch as are, our 
 averfion to pain, our love of life, and fiich like. 
 Nor is it poffible that any vicious cuftom ihduld 
 have takeu deeper root in us, or united them- 
 felves more clcfely with our very beings, than 
 thefe ; and therefore it were abfurd to fancy 
 them more violent, ftubborn, or infuperable. 
 That expreffion of the prophet, Ca?2 the Ethio- 
 pan change his Jkin, or the leopard his fpots ? 
 then may ye alfo learn to do goody who are ac- 
 cujlomed to do evil^ Jer. xiii. is but a pathetick 
 exaggeration (which is ufual in a prophetick 
 ftile) of the difficulty, not an afTertion of the 
 impoffibility, of an habitual (inner's change: 
 what has been done, and daily is done, can be 
 done, and 'tis in vain to prove what no man 
 can deny. St. Paul^ when he had recited a ca-^ 
 talcgue of fuch finners as fhould not enter inta 
 the kingdom of God, doth afterwards add, and 
 fuch were fome of yoii'y but ye are wajhed^ but ye 
 are fandlifiedy but ye are jtijlified in the name of 
 cur Lord feJuSy and by the Spirit of our Gody 
 I Cor vi. And Tertullian does appeal to the 
 power and efficacy of the Chriftian religion, 
 vifible in the extirpation of vicious habits 
 N 2 wrought 
 
i8o An Enquiry 
 
 wrought by it, as a proof of its divine original: 
 nor are fuch inftances as thefe wanting at this day. 
 Thefe, as they do now refute all the idle excufes 
 of linners, fo will they one day be urg'd in judg- 
 ment againfl 'em to convince 'em, that they owe 
 their ruin ta their floth and obftinacy,. not their 
 impotence ; tho' thefe men ought to remember 
 too, that moral impotence is ever derived from a 
 voluntary negle(51: or contempt of all the means 
 of happinefs and virtue. I think, I might now 
 difmifs this objection ; having given full fatisfac- 
 tion to all fcruples that might difturb or difcou- 
 rage any well-meaning and honeftmindj and 
 evidently defeated the pretences of fuch as would 
 fain (hroud and fhelter their voluntary nn and fol- 
 ly under the vain excufes of impotence, incapa- 
 city and infupportable infirmity,, or infuperable 
 temptations : for all thefe are mixed and com- 
 bined in every part of the former objeftion, and 
 receive one and the fame anfwer. But I forefee, 
 I {hall be thought in this whole difcourfe to have 
 had too little regard to our original corruption,, 
 and divine afiiftance; and therefore, tho' I en- 
 deavour'd to guard it in the beginning againft all 
 finifler interpretation, I will here add a brief 
 account of both ; efpecially as far as it fliall ap- 
 pear to me to concern my prefent enquiry. 
 Firjl^ As to the natural corruption of man 
 -., ^ if corruption may be called na- 
 
 Ihe corruption of , ^ , •' ^ . 
 
 liature confidcrd. tural, OH the accouutot the ten- 
 dency of our fenfitive inclina- 
 tions, fome things are very plain, fome very ob- 
 fcure : v/hat is plain, is this, what the prefent 
 ftate, of man is with refpe<5t to that righteoufnefs 
 
 which 
 
after Happiness. i8i 
 
 which the gofpcl requires: what is obfcure is 
 this, what theilate oi Adam before the fall was : 
 without a clear knowledge of which 'tis impof- 
 fible to determine how much our nature is now 
 degenerated (as is fuppos'd) from the primitive 
 purity and excellency of its creation. Secondly 
 how guilt and corruption could be tranfmitted 
 or derived from Adam upon his pofterity. Third- 
 ly, what can be fuppofed, properly fpeaking, to 
 be the demerit, offence, or provocation of ori- 
 ginal corruption J -whatpunifhment can bedueto 
 ij:, divided and feparated from voluntary tranf- 
 grelSons. Thefe, and a great many things of the 
 Mke nature, I purpofely pafs over, as neither of 
 great importance in thcmfelves, or at leaflwile 
 of no great ufe to my prefent enquiry, and go 
 on to what is plain and ncceffary ; and that is, 
 what the prefent ftate aind condition of human 
 nature is : for nothing can be more evident, than 
 that the Jiefij luftetb agamjl the Spirit^ and the 
 Spirit againji the jiepo. Gal. v. Thefe two be- 
 ing contrary to one anotiier in their tendencies 
 and inclinations, this conflid: or oppolition of 
 fpirit and body difcovers itfelf the more, the 
 more pure and perfect the law is that we are 
 under. This tendency of the body is fo apparent 
 a4id undeniable, that it was ever acknowledged 
 by all wife heathens. Hence 
 the Pktonkh frequently im- "^l^T^Z^, l] 
 put-e the dominion of the pow- ii6. 3. c. n^.Emead. 
 er and liberty of the foul of man 3- -^^^ L; ^- 8. ^«^. 
 to Its conjunction with the bo- 
 dy ; and hence it was, that fome of them whom 
 St. Aujlin refutes, by giving an account of the 
 N 3 nature 
 
1 82 A?t Enquiry 
 
 nature of the raifed body, rejeded the Chriflian 
 dodrine of the refurredion, judging the reftitu- 
 tion of the body, rather a diminution of, than 
 acceffion to, thehappinefs of the mind. The 
 Tythagoreans looked upon the body iis the pri- 
 fon and punifliment of the foul: and, in (hort, 
 the philofophy of the heathens did confiftchief- 
 ly in this the fubduing the appetites of the body 
 to the reafon of the mind: and this appears moft 
 plainly to be the drift and fcope ofChriftian phi- 
 lofophy : from whence it follows, that the difor- 
 der of human nature (call it original corruption, 
 or what you pleafe) confifts in the (p^my\^o(. a-u^- 
 y.^, the lufl and concupifcene of the Jiejh. This 
 is evident from all the writings of St. Paid, efpe- 
 clally Romans the viith; and this is the fenfe of 
 our church, Art. the 9th. Nor, indeed, are wc 
 capable of imagining any other corruption in 
 man; for if there be a conflid between right 
 reafon and carnal appetite; if the tendency of 
 the body and mind be oppofite and contradic- 
 tory, 'tis nonfenfe to fuppofe both corrupt and 
 linful: for then the contradidion and conflid 
 ' "would ceafe. From hence it follows plainly, 
 that we are born with capacities of, and inclina- 
 tions to, virtue as well as vice, though nothing 
 be more manifeft than that the appetite of the 
 body exerts itfelf firft, grows up to ftrength and 
 maturity fooneft, and doth more powerfully 
 and forcibly move, than the fuggeftions and 
 perfuafions of reafon. Secondly, it is from hence 
 plain, that the ftate of righteoufnefs confifts in 
 the prevalency of the body over the mind. And 
 from hence appears the neceffity of divine grace 
 aiuifi.' or 
 
after Happiness. 183 
 
 or affiflance ; for fince the do- 
 minion of righteoufnefscannot JltLjZr' 
 be eitabliilied, but in the fub- 
 jeftion of the body, and the body doth in power 
 fo much overmatch the mind, the appetites of 
 it being both more forward, more violent, more 
 conflantj I had almofl faid, more natural than 
 the dictates of reafon ; and this power receiving 
 daily increafe and augmentation by a fenfual 
 education, and by a daily and unavoidable com- 
 merce with the world, and thofe temptations 
 which awaken, gratify, and enflame the appe- 
 tites of the body; it were morally impoffible 
 that the mind fhould mafter and overcome the 
 body, if it were not aided by divine grace and 
 affiitance. But then it muft be remember'd, 
 that 'tis repugnant to the very notion of aid or 
 affiftance, that it fhould make void the neceffity 
 of our own endeavours: as the light of revela- 
 tion doth not extinguifh that of reafon, but in- 
 creafe it j fo neither does the flrength of God's 
 grace render our natural ftrength ufelefs, but 
 improve and help it. This added to what 1 have 
 faid before, comprizes all that is neceffary to be 
 known concerning gracej and may be reduced 
 to thefe three or four heads. Firji, That the 
 grace of God is necelTary to enable us to live 
 virtuoufly and happily; Secondly, That grace 
 does not extinguiih nature, or cancel our obli- 
 gation to induflry, or a careful ufe of that na- 
 tural power God has in veiled us with; Thirdly, 
 That God is mod ready and defirous to further 
 and affift all men in their endeavours after vir- 
 tue and happinefs; and Lajily, That the grace 
 of God is futticient for us, or that we receive 
 N4 ' by 
 
184 ^^t E^iqidry 
 
 by it as great an addition of ftrcngth or fpiritual 
 aid, as being joined with our finccre endea- 
 vours, is neceflary to make us virtuous and hap- 
 py. If we deny the firft of thefe, we fubvert the 
 foundation of prayer to, and dependence upon 
 Qodi-, we can give no tolerable account of at 
 lead one third part of thegofpel ofChrift; and 
 we unavoidably difcourage mar.kind from all 
 hopes of happinefs : If we deny the fccond, we 
 deAroy the very nature of man, render all laws^ 
 exhortations, admonitions, rewards and punifh- 
 ments ufelefs, filly and impertinent; and make 
 divine grace the very foundation of carnal fecu- 
 rity, of defperate and deftrudive negligence 
 and (loth: If we deny the third or fourth, we 
 mud unavoidably affirm, either that the happi- 
 nefs of man does no way depend upon the 
 grace of God, or that his mifery is fatal and un- 
 avoidable. All which are abfurdities, grofs and 
 palpable to all minds which lie not under the 
 thickefljdarknefs of blind fuperftition and pre- 
 judice. Whoever will now refle(ft upon all that 
 has been faid, will eafily be able to conclude, 
 that we have no enemy without us, none within 
 us, that can neceflitate and compel us to be 
 miferable: mifery may be our choice or punilli- 
 ment, it can never be our fate: our natural cor- 
 ruption may invite and incline us, but can never 
 force and compel us to be wicked: for there is 
 no temptation, no inclination, which God's 
 grace and our induftry are not able to refill: 
 and overcome: fo that now there remains at 
 leaft no other incapacity of happinefs, than what 
 is Penaly which is the next thing to be fpoke to. 
 
 Penal 
 
after Happiness. 185 
 
 Penal incapacity confifts in God's final and 
 immutable rejection of man 
 from grace and pardon. The ^^f^ ^"° ^ncapa- 
 matter of this objedion fliall 
 be fully handled, Vol. 4. where I (hall beoblig- - 
 ed to treat of th^ troubles of the mind, and their 
 cure. In the mean time, all that is neceffary 
 to be ol^ferved here, is, firji^ That this ftate of 
 final rejedion from grace and pardon, is Penal-, 
 a flate to which nothing but mens voluntary 
 tranfgrefTions can betray 'em, and thofe too 
 tranfgreflions of the deepcft guilt, and moft cry- 
 ing aggravations: for furely nothing lefs can 
 provoke a God, ivho delights to exercife lovi/jg' 
 ktndnefs and mercy ^ a God of infinite long-fuffer- 
 ing and patience, to pafs a fentence, an irrever- 
 l]ble fent.ence of eternal ruin apd damnation up- 
 on any of his creatures. Seco?idly\ That no 
 miftaken fancies of the unpardonablenefs of 
 our ftate may either tempt us defperately to re- 
 nounce God our Saviour, and virtue, it behoves 
 us to confider, what ought to be the proper 
 influence of this perfuafion that there is fuch a 
 Penal ftate on this fide the grave. 
 
 Firft, If they who believe fuch a flatc, will 
 a6t confonant to their own opinion, they muil 
 not allow themfelves in a courfe of vyilful fin, 
 led they be infenfibly betray'd iqto that dread- 
 ful flate. 
 
 SecQndly, Since impenitence and hardnefs of 
 heart is a^eceffary and infeparable confequence 
 of that dreadful fentence, which excludes men 
 from grrce and pardon 5 therefore no man can 
 rationally conclude himfelf in this flate till he 
 
 has 
 
I 8 6 Alt Enquiry 
 
 has made all pofTible attempts to recover him- 
 jTelf from his fm, and that without fuccefs : and 
 bccaufe, 
 
 Lajlhy No min can conclude his endeavour 
 unfuccefsful, till death furprife him in an ob- 
 durate and impenitent (late: for habitual fin- 
 ners have become eminent faints j and lapfed 
 Chrilhans, nay apoftates, have uot only reco- 
 vered their former ftate, but redeemed their 
 crimes by more than ordinary degrees of re- 
 pentance, devotion and charity, and, by unde- 
 niable confequence, have been reftored to God's 
 favour i for grace is in order for pardon, fandi- 
 iication in order to juftification, virtue in order 
 to glory: therefore no man muft give over his 
 attempts of appealing God, and fubduing his 
 corruptions, while God continues him in the 
 land of the living. Thefe rnlcs, if obferved, 
 will, I queftion not renuer the perluaiion of 
 fuch a pcjial jlate^ as the objedion fuppofes, 
 very profitable and ufeful to fome, and not per- 
 nicious to the eternal intereft of any : for he, 
 who by the dread of fuch a flate, is deterred 
 from bold and provoking iins, and from an ha- 
 bitual courfe of wilful impiety, reaps an un- 
 fpeakable advantage by it; and he who adheres 
 to religion and virtue, and continues to his life's 
 end, lincercly endeavouring to pleafe God, and 
 obtain his pardon, iliall never futier any pre- 
 judice In another life by his melancholy and 
 miftaken fancies In this. 
 
 Having thus cleared my afTertion, that hap- 
 pinefs is attained here, from fuch objedions as 
 feem to 4^i'ive any countenance or ftrength, 
 
 from 
 
after FI a p p i n e s s. 187 
 
 from reafon, there remains but two more that I 
 think of; the one whereof prefles hard upon 
 me, under a pretended authority of revelation ; 
 the other urges the experience of mankind a- 
 gainft me. 1 will begin with the former; and 
 confider with what afped: revelation regards the 
 happinefs of this prefent life; and whether there 
 be any thing in it that forbids the hopes, or ob- 
 ftru(5ts the attainments of it. 
 
 C FI A P. VII. 
 
 Religion no enemy to our prefent hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 Happinefs the fruit of religion^ proved by plain 
 texts^ a?2d the natural influence of faith and 
 virtue. The do5iri?ie of the crojs not inconfiflent 
 with happinefs ; nor that of mortification. 
 
 IF men were not very ingenious in framing 
 excufes of their folly, and in the contrivance 
 and purfuit of ruin, it would feem very ftrange, 
 that the gofpel, which was defigned to be the 
 great inflrument of our happinefs, fhould be 
 alledged to difcourage and damp our endeavours 
 after it ; that the gofpel, whofe great end is to 
 fill our minds with joy, peace and hope, {hould 
 be traduced as an enemy to our pleaiure. But 
 fo it is ; and therefore refolving to leave nq 
 obftacle unremovedj, nor defpife any objedion 
 
 that 
 
iBS An Rnqutry 
 
 that has the leaft colour or appearance of an ar- 
 gument in it, I will exairjne this fancy. 
 
 Religion ever had, and always mu{t have, the 
 charader of its author vifibly ftampcd upon it j 
 nothing that is not infinitely kind, and infinite- 
 ly wife, can be found in any part of revelation 
 truly divine : from whence we mgy rationally 
 conclude, that the great aim of God in efta- 
 blifhing religion, is to advance the happinefsof 
 man, and to advance it in a method confonant 
 to thofe natural principles he has implanted in 
 him: nor did anyone infpired aurhor think 
 other wife. He that kcepetb the law (faith Solo- ' 
 ijjon) happy is he^ Prov. xix. Great peace have 
 they that love thy law, a?id nothing jhall offend 
 them, Pfal. cxix. Happy is the man that find- 
 eth wifdom^andthe man that getteth underjkuiding, 
 ■Prov. iii. That tliis was to be underftood of 
 adual and prefent happinefs in this life, is appa- 
 rent from what follows a little after ; Length of 
 days are in her right hand^ and in her left hand 
 riches and honour. Her ways are ways of plea- 
 fantnefsy and all her paths are peace. She is 
 a tree of life to thofe that lay hold upon her. 
 And though the gofpel, as a higher and more 
 perfcdl difpenfation, doth propofe to us, as our 
 great and chief end, life and immortality j yet 
 doth it by no means exclude us from happinefs 
 here ; but rather doth eilablifli it upon proper 
 and firm foundations; and fences it about with 
 impregnable bulwarks. Peace I leave with 
 \0Uy my peace I give unto you, not as the world 
 ■Hvcs^ gii'e I unto you 5 let ?iot your heart be 
 
 trouhledy 
 
after Happiness. 189 
 
 troubled, neither let it be afraid, John xiv. 27. 
 Now the fruit of the Spirit is joy, love, &>c. 
 Gal. V. 22. Noiv the God of hope fill you with joy 
 a?2d peace in believing, and make you abound in 
 hope through the power of the Holy Ghofl, Rom, 
 XV. 13. Godli?iefs is profitable to all things, having 
 promife of the lije that now is, and of tlaat which 
 is to come, i Tim. iv. 8. Nor can I indeed con- v 
 ceive how the (late of a righteous and holy foul 
 ihould be other than a happy and bleffed one : 
 the belief and confident exped:ation of a heaven, 
 mull: needs be more tranfporting and ravifliing, 
 than the richeft fancy of a iinner ; and that fe- 
 curity, both in refped of this and a future life, 
 which a good man enjoys in the protedion of 
 God, and the alTurance of his favour, who is 
 almighty, immutable, ^c. muft infinitely ex- 
 ceed any thing that a finnercan attain to ; and 
 muft exclude thofe uneafy fears which do fre- 
 quently interrupt the finner's enjoyment, and 
 over-caft his hopes. He that loves God and 
 virtue, cannot but be happy in the daily pratSIcc 
 and enjoyment of what he moft delights in. 
 And he, laftly, that hath fubdued his paffions, 
 and overcome the world, cannot chufe but reap 
 the daily fruits of fo glorious a conquefl, and be^ 
 conftantly entertained with pleafing refledtions 
 and delightful profpeds ; and yet, if he fliould 
 enjoy nothing elfe, that fovereignty, liberty, mag- 
 nanimity, and divine charity, and enlargement of 
 Ibul, which he thereby gains, were an abundant 
 reward of this vidory. The fum of all is this ; 
 a good man has the beft title to the bleffings 
 
 of 
 
iQO An Enquiry 
 
 of this life, and the glories of another j he en- 
 joys this world with as great fecurity, as wifdom 
 and moderation ; and has an affurcd hope of a 
 far better when he quits this ; the anticipations 
 of which by faith, love, and hope, do at once 
 facilitate and confirm his conqueft over all un- 
 worthy lufts, and entertain him with inexpref- 
 fible fatisfadion and pleafure. 
 
 For this reafon I do in this chapter difcourfe 
 of happinels, without that immediate regard 
 to another life which might be expected ; not 
 judging myfelf obliged either to prove the cer- 
 tainty of it, or to demonftrate the reafonable- 
 nefs of embracing mifery during the fpace of 
 this (hort life, in expecStation of that perfect 
 and eternal happinefs which is promifed here- 
 after ; fince I faw well enough, that in the or- 
 dinary courfe ot providence, the happinefs of 
 this life and the other were not incompatible : 
 but on the contrary, that that wherein the life 
 and being of true happinefs in this world doth 
 confifl:, was but a neceffary introdudion to, or 
 qualification of us for the happinefs of another ; 
 which doth in fome meafure already appear, 
 and will much more in the progrefs of the fol- 
 lov'/ing difcourfes. 
 
 But what becomes now of the do6lrine of the 
 crofs ? This is a very foft and mild commen- 
 tary upon that of our Saviour, 
 
 The doarine of the Jf ^^^^ jjj^ji ^,/// ^^^^ ^fl^^ 
 crofs no ohiiruStion of -' i 7 • ; j • r ir J 
 
 this life s happinefs. me, let him deny bimjelj^ and 
 take up his crofs and follow 
 me, Matth.xvi. 24. But this is not fo formida- 
 ble an objedion, as it may at firil fight feem : 
 
 'tis 
 
after Happiness. 191 
 
 Vis true, fufFering through all the progrefs and 
 ilages of evils, even to the laft, that is, death 
 itfelf, was a common, nay almoft an univerfal 
 duty in the beginning of Chriftianity j being 
 indifpenfibly neceiTary to the propagation of the 
 gofpel : but, blefled be God, the obligation 
 of that duty has long agoceafed; and all that 
 I can think neceflary to be faid here, in per- 
 fuanceof my defign,is,that thepleafures of thofe 
 confeflors and martyrs did far out-weigh their 
 fufferings whilft they lived j that when they 
 fuffer'd death itfelf, the time was come when 
 they muft exchange temporal for eternal happi- 
 nefs. Nor doth this at all infringe the truth of 
 my proportion ^ which doth not vainly afTert an 
 eternal duration of happinefs in this life, but 
 only teaches the poffibility of attaining it. And, 
 I think, the death of the martyrs and confefTors, 
 is rather a great confirmation than confutation 
 of this opinion : teaching us plainly, that in 
 defpite of all calamities, 'tis not only pofTible to 
 live, but to die happily ; which laft is no fmall 
 acccffion to temporal happinefs. From this little 
 I have faid on this occaiion, 'tis eafy to fhape an 
 anfvver to what is objeded from St. Faul^ If in 
 this life only zve have hope in Chrifi, we are of 
 all men moji mife^'ahle, 'Tis confeffedly and in- 
 difputably true, that had thofe Chriftians been 
 deftitute of that hope which was their fupport, 
 they had funk under the weight of fuch fuffer- 
 ings, and fo had been moft miferable of all 
 men : but fince their hopes did not only fupport 
 them under their afflidion?, but alfo that it may 
 
 render 
 
1^2 An Enquiry 
 
 render them fomewhat more than conquerors; 
 all that can follow hence is, that the refurredioi'i 
 and eternal life are unqueftionable truths, and 
 that he, who believes 'em as firmly as confeflbrs 
 and martyrs did, may, like them, be happy, 
 though a thoufand feas of calamities and troubles 
 ihould break in upon him. 
 
 As to mortification, which is a duty of per- 
 petual obligation (for the purity of religion 
 is ftill the fame, tho' its for- 
 
 Mortification recom- . • ^u U u li. 'JV 
 
 ^end^dby the i,ght of ^une lu the world be alter d) 
 nature as fuhfer'vient this did at firfk fignlfy the re- 
 to OUT prefent happi- ^uuciation and extirpation of 
 yewijlj and Pagan luft, ac- 
 cording to that of St. Paul^ Mortify your members 
 which are upon the earth ; fornication, uncle an- 
 nefs, ifiordinate affe&ion, evil concupifcence^ and 
 covetoufnefsy which is idolatry. Col. iii. 5. And 
 it flill fignifies the fame thing ; and whatever 
 difficulty we are to encounter in the performance 
 of this duty, it mufl be vanquifh'd ; for 'tis im- 
 poflible to be wicked and happy : a man wicked 
 is his own hell-, and every paffion, every luft is a 
 fiend, a fury that doth outrage and torment him ; 
 and all this the heathens themfelves did not only 
 confiandy acknowledge, but alfo paint out with 
 as lively eloquence as any Chriftians could ever 
 do : their experience (over whom fin had an 
 uncontrouled dominion) moft efte^tually con- 
 vincing them of the outrages, tyranny, and 
 unfpeakable mifchiefs of wicked and abomin- 
 able palTion : nay, fo manifefl is it, that the 
 fubduing thefe irregular pafTions is necefTary to 
 
 our 
 
after Ha?ptn£ss. \6A 
 
 oUf happinefs, that even Epicureans themfelves 
 (notwithilanding their confining the happinefs 
 of man to this IjOi'I life, and by a probable con- 
 fequencerefolvingultimatel) into the enjoyments 
 of the body) did yet look npon themfelves as 
 extremely injured by Tulh^ and others, whem 
 they reprefented them as revolted from, and ene- 
 mies to virtue. 'Tis not my bufinefs here to ex- 
 amine what foundation for virtue their philofo- 
 phy could have, or what rank and place they 
 could affign it ; 'tis enough that they could not 
 but a,cknowledge it as neceifary to happinefs. 
 
 'Tis true, mortification, in the gofpel-fenfe,. 
 requires us not only to retrain thefe irregular 
 lufts J but alfo not ; > o -, rate arid o.ci-value 
 this world, and tlpe things of it^ not to look 
 upon this life as our only or chief portion, and 
 doat upon it with fondnefs and paflion : and I 
 cannot think that this is any thing more than 
 what is implied and included in the former no- 
 tion of mortification ; this moderation of our 
 inclinations to the world, bt-ing a proper and ne- 
 ceflary foundation of the former abftinence j it 
 being very improbable that he^ who values and 
 doats upon the world above all things, fliould 
 refrain from irregular purfuits and enjoyments of^ 
 it. Now, even this deforce of mortification, and 
 the neceflity of it in order to happinefs, was as 
 clearly taught by the wife men among the hea- 
 thens, as by our Saviour and his apoftles ; by 
 thofe conducted by the lu^htof nature, asby^hefc 
 coi du<fted by the light of revelation i and that to- 
 gether with the difcipHne which promotes it, I 
 
 V o L, L O mean 
 
194- -^^ Enquiry 
 
 mean the obfervation of great abftinence from 
 fenfual pleafures. No monk or anchoret can 
 fpeak with a more glorious contempt of the 
 world than a St oick j but their fliehts, who 
 would allow the body, the world and the things 
 of it, no place nor degree in the number of good 
 things, are too daring and bold to lay any llrefs 
 upon: but the opinion of other philofophers, 
 who allowed thefe their proper place and value, 
 ought to be of weight with us; becaufe they 
 fhew us plainly, that mortification was ever 
 thought by the light of nature fubfervient to 
 cur true happinefs. HierccieSj in the begin- 
 ning of his divine comments, gives us a fliort 
 but full account of x\\t Pythagorean (and I may 
 add Platojiick) philofophy in this point : The 
 fubflance of which is, The bu- 
 f^nefs of philofjphy is to purify 
 the foul of mati from fetfuallujls 
 and inordinate pafions, and to 
 tranifcrm it into the likenefs 
 and image oj God: This is that 
 ivhich it piirfues, by difcovering 
 to us excellent truths^ and by 
 recommendirg to us the praBice 
 cf excellent ^virtues. And this 
 was that philofophy which 
 the befl and acu^cfl of the heathens looked 
 upon as the oiijy way to happinefs ; fo far 
 were they from judging it inconfiftent and 
 incompatible with it: nay, they deemed this 
 very fla*e of virtue a Aate of more exalted 
 happinefs, and an image of the divine life. 
 
 Hence 
 
 t;X£iot);? !ta9a^(ri? /a£V 
 ttWO tSj h>i/.r,q a.'hXoyiii;, 
 
 <rp»j T'.v 3eiav xfAOtKciv 
 fnt-pvKla a){\>. uai aXn- 
 ffdai n /U.EV T-v x,u«?{iav 
 
 i- TO ii~3V 6lJ'5>-, ti<pUM{ 
 
after Happiness. iqj 
 
 Hence Is that little Jefs than infpired heat or 
 rapture of Tully, When the Cum animus cog. 
 foul, havtjjg difcovered and eii- "'^'^ perceptifque vir- 
 tertatnedvirtue, has extinguljh- ''^Z 't:^^. 
 ed Its jondnefifor, and i?idid- q"e difcefierit, vo- 
 gence of the body, a?jd ftifled lu[i {"P^^f "^^ ''<^"' Ja- 
 
 .,c *U J. I in- n -' i^em decons orprcffe- 
 
 as the reproach and Jiam of tts rit, omnemque mor. 
 honour and beauty, and hath *'^ doloriique timo- 
 tut off M dread of death and u^^r^'^i^tt 
 rum, &c. What can be /aid, ^olerit cum fuis, om- 
 or as much as fancied, more f^X' 7'""'^ '°"" 
 
 iin^jt ; *< junaos juos duxerit, 
 
 blejjed than the Jtate of fiich a cultun.que deorum & 
 
 man'l Nay, after all, the areat- ?"''^'" reiigionem 
 
 eftpatronsandabettorsofple.- 1t^, tZZ: 
 
 fure did ever acknowledge this '^"'^ ^'^ mgenii aciem 
 
 moderation in our palTionsand f-^-'^'^A ^'^'g^"'^^& 
 
 v^v^i i^aiin^jioaiiu rejicienda contraria. 
 
 enjoyments indifpenfibly ne- c^uid t6dici aut ex- 
 ceflary to our happinefs. ''''^T'r '''^'"\ ''^^■ 
 
 ^^ tms? L, z. de Leg. 
 
 Nil admirari prope res efl u?ta Numici, 
 ^olaque poffit jacere acfervare beatos. 
 
 Horat. 
 
 Nought to admires the thing alone that can 
 Caufe andpreferve the happinefs of man. 
 
 And 'tis well known, how much the fol- 
 lowers of Epicurus gloried in his abHinence; 
 that thefe voluptuaries /liould prefcribe and 
 pradifethe dodrine of mortification! but this 
 they were compelled to by the irreHaible force 
 of reafon : For how can he, who doats upon the 
 world, and melts In foft and fenfual pleafures, 
 be able to fccure the repof;; of his mind againft 
 ^ 2 thofe 
 
196 An Enquiry 
 
 ^hofe melancholy alterations which may daily, 
 and fome time or other will certainly, befal him- 
 felfand his enjoyments? On what foundation 
 Can the peace or liberty of his mind be eftablifh- 
 ed? or can he be happy, who is diftrefTed by 
 every change of weather, and is divided and 
 diftraded between numerous contrary pafTions, 
 and a ilave to each ? 
 
 To come to a concluHon ; the fcripture is fo 
 far from denying, that it does affirm the poffibi- 
 lity of attaining happinefs: Nor are the fuffer- 
 ings of confefibrs and martyrs, or the dodrinc 
 of mortification, any prejudice to this aflertion: 
 for neither afflit^^ion nor mortificntion are in- 
 confiflent with the true happinefs of man. That 
 afflidion is not, the example of thofe very mar- 
 tyrs and confefTors triumphing over it does fuffi- 
 ciently evince: that mortification is not, is una- 
 nimoufly confefled by the fuffrages of fuch as 
 were conducted by the light of nature ; and of 
 fuch too, as were entirely dovoted to the plea- 
 fures of this life, and that upon undeniable 
 grounds. I have now fpoke to all thofe objec- 
 tions which feem to oppofe and aflault my po- 
 fition of the poffibiliry of attaining happinefs, 
 with any (hew of reafon, or pretence of divine 
 authority. It is now high time I fhould pro- 
 ceed to anfv/er thofe, who againft this affertion 
 oppofe, not reafons and arguments, but obfer- 
 vation and experience. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
after Happiness. 197 
 
 CHAP. VIIL 
 
 Of matter of fadl and experience. 
 
 T^he ftate of the poor. The gay and filly. The 
 bufy. Princes. The learned -^ whether happy. 
 The happi?jefs oj the devout queftioned, and de* 
 tnonjlrated by injiances. 
 
 AFTER a'] the pains I have taken in the 
 filft ft C ion to demonftiate, thit the 
 purfuit and fcarch after happineCs is a rational 
 undertaking, an employment becoming the na- 
 ture and flate of man : and, after ail that I 
 have taken in this ccoi.d, to demonftrate the 
 poflibility of attaining ir, and -o difperfe all ob- 
 jedions to the central y 3 there remains rtill one 
 objedion, whicl , if true, were f fficient to 
 difcourage the endeavoarb, and chill the heat 
 of the moft virtuous and rcfolved ambition ; 
 which is this : 
 
 *Tis true, happinefs may be found in (pecu- 
 lation J but rarely, if ever, in poffeffijn and 
 fruition. The number of the fortunate and 
 happy is extrtrr.ely fmall ; and moft men, if 
 not all, when they have worn life to its laft 
 period, mav gi^e that account of it which the 
 aged (and as others, no doubt, thought happy) 
 patriarch did of his to Pharaoh, Pew and evil 
 have the days of the years of my life been. 
 Gen. xxvii. But it moves me not fo much to 
 hear this from the mouth of a fhepherd, who 
 O 3 from 
 
198 An Enquiry 
 
 from his youth led a laborious and unfettled 
 life: but when I read the mournful poems of 
 ^ot^^ the diic'ontents and melancholy of Solo- 
 man^ men no kfs eminent for wifdom and phi- 
 lofophy, than for their worldly glory and piof- 
 pcritv; when I read them bewailing the lot of 
 mankind, unable to refledt upon it without a 
 mixtureofindignatioii. contempt, and womanifh 
 ioiio.v; I cannot but acknowledge, that I am 
 fhrewdiv temo ed to defpair of happinefs, as of 
 fomeihing tgo great and divine to make its abode 
 upon earth; and to look upon all the fine dif- 
 courfes that men make of it, only as fo many 
 flicrhts of a bold fancy. Plappinefs! What is it? 
 or where is it? In what difiant coafls or un- 
 known regions does it dwell? Who, and where 
 are the fortunate ? Who, and where are the 
 dar!in2;s of heaven, to whofe lot it happens? 
 Shall we, like Bajdzet^ in a melancholy hu- 
 mour, thir.k poor, filly, lazy peafants happy ? 
 O happy jhepherdy who badjl ;^t'///6fr Sebeilia /7cr 
 Orthobales to lofe. (Knowles'i TiirkiJJ:> Hi/J.) 
 As if fecure beggary and floth- 
 
 Poor, -vMiher ful want wei c happincfs : hap- 
 py thus might 1 call the man 
 born blind ; he has no eyes to lofe. 
 
 Or, Ihaii we call the gaudy fwarm, which 
 (like fiies and infedlsin gleams 
 
 Pf ^7 '"'^fi-^y^ of um-fhine) do buz and flut- 
 
 • vchetmer happy. , . ' 
 
 ter m the rays and warmth 
 of greatnefs and profperity ? Shall we call 
 thefe happy ? Ah ! thefe are they that fur- 
 nifh theatres and poets with tragick ftories. 
 
 Amongft 
 
after H^appiness. 199 
 
 Amongfl: thcfe, reftlefs paffions, contemptible 
 levity, ungovernable infoknce, wither'd and 
 meagre envy, wandring lufl, empty pride, loud 
 and lenfelefs confidence, and finallv, fhameful 
 and fearful fins, have their abode: andean we 
 call thofe happy, who are infefted with fuch le- 
 gions of evils? Miferere tu Jelicium-., they are 
 their own burthen, whilfl they are others envy. 
 Shall we then call the bufy trading world 
 happy ? Alas ! thefe would 
 have thought it a happinefs, J^^^^ ^"fy> -^^''^'^ 
 not to have needed to trade 
 or toil ', they love wealth, but mofl admire 
 
 Res nonparta labor e^ fed reliSla. Mart. 
 
 Not gold they lab' ring dig ihewfehes in mines. 
 But what the toiling ancejlor rejigns 
 To his more happy ijfue. 
 
 If this be fo, one would think I might boldly 
 prefent you with the envy'd 
 glory of mighty princes, as an i^f "'""'' '^^'''^''' 
 unqueilionable inflance of 
 happinefs. But, alas! thewifeft of the hcpthen 
 gods preferr'd the happinefs of Allans i^ophy- 
 dius before that of Gyges I And the wifeft of 
 men, in his times at leail, preferred the happi- 
 nefs of Tcllus before that of Crcejus I And 
 this fentence feems not only to deny thofe 
 particular princes happy, but alio to pro- 
 nounce the very ftate of royalty uncapab-e of 
 happinefs, or at leaft lefs capable than that 
 
 O 4 of 
 
2 00 An Enquiry 
 
 of a ploutrhman. Indeed this rtatc, whea 
 adlive aid glorious, is full of fears, and cares, 
 and hazards; when fluggilh and unadtive, full 
 of riiame: Whu can be the happinefs of a ftate 
 to dig for friendfhip, or fur plcaiure ? For love 
 is the bufinefs and enjoyment of equals ; obe- 
 dience is ail fub|e(^ts can offer, or indeed mo- 
 narchs can receive : all higher and nearer 
 approaches to the throne, are but intrufions of 
 ambition and delign ; nor can I pofllbly difcern 
 what fatisfactjon the great m -rtal can take 
 in any expreflions of duty or affection, which 
 he can never dillinguilh from the fawning 
 and flattery of thofe who in their hearts defpife 
 and hate him : how fhall he know that any 
 truly love him, when none dare flight him ? 
 Or how fhall he difcern who ferves him out of 
 duty, where every man even obtrudes himfelf 
 upon his commands out of interefl:? Jn a word, 
 the paflions of a prince are io much greater than 
 other mens, as is his mind and fortune ; his con- 
 verfation is not with the minds of men, but with 
 faces or rather maflcs and difguifes. And as to 
 his pleafures, his gufl of them is very flat, being 
 cloy'd and furfeited by his affluence: and where- 
 as all other men, as the ambitious and vain- 
 glorious, the covetous, the lover, feem to af- 
 cend, and rife above themfelves in the acquiti- 
 tions of thofe pleafures they afpire to; the mo- 
 narch debafes himfelf, defcends and ftoops below 
 his fortune to meet his. And yet I am not of 
 jipollo\ nor Solofis mind ; I cannot think there 
 is ^ny ^reat happinefs in the ignorance and 
 
 quietnefs 
 
after Happiness. 201 
 
 quietnefs of a labouring cottager, fiich as T^ellus, 
 or Aglaus Sophydius : 1 love fecurity, but not 
 that which contempt breeds; I would have my 
 fecurity owing, not to the liulenefs of my fortune, 
 but the greatnefs cf my mind : I love a quiet, 
 but a philofophical life: 1 would have my tran- 
 quillity fpring not from the ignorance, but rea- 
 fon of my mind; from the right government of 
 my paflions, not from the meannefs of my edu- 
 cation or fortune. For the fame reafon I do not 
 call men happy, whofe flow and eafy temper, 
 like the waters of the dead fea, is not to be 
 moved, even by wind and florm, I do not call 
 ftupidity a calm; the foul that is infenfible of 
 trouble, is fo of joy too: whoever is capable of 
 any deep impreflion, is fo of any ferious refle<fti- 
 on too; and what is the ftate of fuch a man? 
 I would not have my life pafs by like a dream, 
 whilll fleeting and imperfect images of things 
 do fcarce awake, and too flightly affed: my 
 drowzy and dazzled fenfe. In a word, the hap- 
 pinefs I feek after, is fuch a one, which is owing 
 neither to natural conftitution, nor to fortune j 
 for then it would not be in our power. 
 
 Whom then ihall we call happy ? Surely, if 
 any, the knowing and learned : 
 thefe are the louls that con- "Tbekamed^r-j^u, 
 verfe with heaven, that dwell 
 continually in the pure light, and feed upon the 
 bread, the joys of angels. But, alas ! if hap i- 
 nefs were the infeparahlecompanion of learrr , 
 how came the Stoick's adored Cato •■o b*- le: r 
 pridcj and humour, and vai^-glory, ihu i 
 
 buiih : 
 
202 An Rnquity 
 
 burning faiids and dreadful defarts ? How came 
 he, in a mood of delpcrate difcontent, to die his 
 own murderer? Whence was it that the learned 
 and eloquent Tiv/Zy*, after fo many brave difcourfes 
 of the contempt of death and pain, and, briefly, 
 all human evils, did fink fo poorly under the 
 weight of his misfortunes? Whence was it, that 
 after he had taught the foul's immortality, and 
 its tranflation into fome glorious ftar, he fhould 
 at lad be fo unwilling to let it leave this vile 
 clod of earth, and the decay'd, melancholy, 
 and darkiome manlion of the body? If learn- 
 ing did put men in polTeffion of happinefs, why 
 was our Raleigh fo uneafy, f ) unfortunate, not 
 more tois'd by a reltlefs fortune, than a reftlefs 
 mind ? Why was our Veriilam fo utterly a 
 ftranger to happinefs in both fortunes, as un- 
 able to govern and enjoy profperity aright, as 
 to bear up under advcriity ? If learning were 
 fo fovereign an antitcde againft mifervj if 
 philofophy were fuch a paradife, and fpecula- 
 tions were fuch lufcious meals, the very fruits 
 of the garden; why do the learned leave their 
 iacred ihades to haunt the houfes oi ereat 
 ones, or the courts cf princcj? Why do they 
 .fawn and cringe, and with all imaginable al- 
 fiduity and arti^ce labour to infinuate them- 
 fc'^es into fuch men, vvhofc edeem for them is 
 a juft fcandai to ri^em, and their favours but fo 
 many puhlick muks cf rei-roach ? O vileft 
 fort of fcrvitude ! Can it cdnfift with the gran- 
 deur of a philofjpher, with the true liberty of 
 a Chriftian fpirit, to lacquey fome favourite of 
 
 fortune. 
 
after Happiness. 203 
 
 fortune, and for many years together with an 
 obftinate ftupiditv di^ell the caprices of his hu- 
 
 Ave? I _ 
 
 mour; and not only difknible his vices, but 
 magnify even his vanity and folly ? And not 
 this only, but there are llavilh arts of inlinua- 
 tion to be pradlifed upon every one that's near 
 him: O glorious merit! When the fame thing 
 recommends the philofopher, that doth the F^A'/' 
 de Chambre^ or the footman ! And yet after all, 
 even this equals not the bafenefs, the llavery of 
 thofe who proftitute philofophy and themfelves 
 to the multitude, and make an ignorant and 
 infolent herd the arbitrary fovereigns of their 
 principles, their liberty, their happinefs ; for 
 this depends upon their popularity. O how far 
 fhould 1 prefer the humble, contented, and in- 
 dependent drudgery of an honefi: mind, before 
 ' this unmanly fervitud ; : How far (liould I pre- 
 fer the generous and undefi2;ning freedom and 
 unconcernment of a poet (whatever ignorance 
 or contempt of intcreit ic may be traduced for) 
 before the fj; m.jr fort of ferviie philofophick 
 proggers ! 
 
 And now there remains no place where 
 happinefs can as much as be 
 fufpedted to dwell, unlefs a- dlttZljutf/^'^' 
 mongft the devout and reli- 
 gious. Thefe, fure, live in raptures and transfi- 
 gurations on the mount; theie fure have their 
 converfation in heaven, and from thence de- 
 rive glory, and liberty, and joy, and peace, 
 and hope ; thefe are partakers of a divine na- 
 ture, how can they therefore be deflitute of a 
 divine happinefs I. But, alas ! behold the blefled 
 
 Jefus, 
 
264 yin Enquiry 
 
 Jefus, and we (liall find him, as the pfalmift 
 and the prophets rcprefent him, A man of for ~ 
 row J and acqua'ui'ed with grief Hear again 
 the mod: zei^Ious and the moft elevated of our 
 . divine Maker's diltij^lcs. JJ in tLii itje onk we 
 have hope in Chriji, we are of all men the mofl 
 sniferablcy i Cor. xv. 19. 
 
 O happinefs ! 
 Thou blcffedfiate, or rather pleafmg founds 
 Thou always fought^ and never to be found I 
 In what grot dojl thou^ or what celly 
 Or in what court or temple dwell "^ 
 Where ^ and what art thou ? Art thou merely 
 
 name-, 
 ^0 otherwffe known than by reports and 
 
 fame ? 
 Art a reality ? Or, art thoujuji 
 Like publick good ajid publick trufl^ 
 Afolemn, [acred, but deceitful notion f 
 
 But to return from this revery. This is, 
 ^,. . - , . after ull. but a flight and no- 
 
 Ohjeclions aniiuer a. . . . ^. S • i r 
 
 pular onjecnonj which, 11 om 
 the evil conf^quer es which attend the fins 
 ad follies or the multitude, and from thofe 
 complaints which h-'n-Jn innimity has fome- 
 timi;s wrung from the v; 'fe r.nd virtuous, would 
 unfoundly and iilogicalK ii;fcr, that there is no 
 fuch thing as happinels here below. Belides, 
 the fufFcrings of martyrs, nr.d the words of 
 St. Paul, have been confider'd in the foregoing 
 chapter : and in the fecond chapter of this 
 fedtion, the reader may find fome inflances of 
 
 happy 
 
after Happiness. 205 
 
 happy men; which is a pundual anfwer to the 
 objection : but you'll fay, 'tis a very ihort one, 
 to an objedion of fo great weight, and of fuch 
 general credit, and fpun out by me myfelf to a 
 very great length. I acknowledge, it deferves 
 a fuller anfwer ; and therefore after I have told 
 you that I have made a (hew of hunting after 
 happinefs in feveral conditions of life, only to 
 rally and expofe their folly, who fuppofe it may 
 be found in a lucky jundure of circumftances» 
 I will give you one. 
 
 The men then, whom- I call happy, are. 
 fuch who are pofTeffed of true andfolid goods; 
 and thofe fuch which fortune cannot give 
 nor take away; fuch were Chrift and his 
 apoftles; and fuch are all thofe at this day, 
 as are transformed into the glory and image of 
 the divine nature, by the mighty energy of the 
 divine Spirit and divine truths. Let us con- 
 iider what the ftate ofChrift and his apoftles 
 was in this life. I will not take notice of 
 thofe ecflatick pleafures, which they felt when 
 they did thofe Godlike works, which we call 
 miracles. What triumph could be equal to 
 theirs, who faw difeafes, devils and death, 
 fubjed: to their commands? What joy could 
 be equal to theirs, when they gave life to the 
 dead, fightto the blind, ftrength to the lame? 
 ^c. To what a height was wonder and delight 
 raifed in each of thefe performances ? For no- 
 thing could be more wonderful than the power, 
 or delightful than the charity confpicuous in 
 them: But this I pafsover, becaufe this power 
 
 is 
 
2o6 An Riiquiry 
 
 is not to be attained by us. Let us come to 
 that which is; 1 mean, the virtues of Chrift 
 and his apoftles. He had not a bole ivhere to 
 lay his head : 'Tis true ; but' how truly great 
 was he within himfelf? How much above the 
 mean and unmanly defires of ambition, covet- 
 oufnefs or luft? He indulged himfelf in no fen- 
 fual carnal pleafures, 'tis true; but how calm that 
 foul, which no anger or envious pafllon dif- 
 turb'd, where nothing but Jacred love dwelt ? 
 Tiie love of God, the love of man, and the 
 rational and wile love of himfelf? How happy 
 that foul which was illuminated with divine 
 knowledge, fupported by an unfhaken faith, 
 and filled with joyful reflections and glorious 
 hopes? That foul, which in the filence of the 
 niirht, and the retirements of the mount, did 
 pour forth itfelf in prayers and hallelujahs ? 
 That foul, which, full ofGod and full of heaven, 
 had no room for uneafy cares or affliding for- 
 rows ? 'Tis true, our Saviour met death with 
 pale looks and melancholy pangs of foul; but 
 'tis as true that his faith furmounted his fears; 
 his agony endured but fjr a little while ; an 
 undifturb'd peace, and a well-settled ferenity of 
 mind immediatelv followed it ; and his trouble 
 and pain in death, like the eclipfe that attended 
 it, did but overcafi and darken the joy, the light 
 within, not extinguifh it: who couUl finifh the 
 lad a6t with more humble majelly, <m- with 
 more fettled peace? In the life and deaih of our 
 dear Lord vve behold that of his diiciples ; for 
 thev were all follov/crs of him, as thevdcfir'd we 
 
 fliould 
 
after Happiness. 207 
 
 fliould be of them : What can be happier than 
 their ftate here was ? Their life was regular and 
 philofophical ; their joy fieady and ratioDal; 
 their love of Gcd vigorous ; their charity to 
 man fervent and diffufed ; their defires, as to 
 the world, modelti their minds refolved and 
 brave in afflidions, chearful and compofed in 
 death itfelf. 
 
 Let it fland then as an unfliaken truth, that 
 happinefs may be attained in this life : For what 
 the followers of our Lord and Mailer attain'd 
 to, that may we; their natural pajQions and 
 infirmities were the fame with ours ; our trials 
 and temptations are far lefs tiian theirs ; we 
 ferve the fame God, we are guided by the fame 
 truths, fupported by the fame power, elevated 
 hy the fame hopes ; we have the fame peace 
 bequeathed us, the fame Spirit, the fame hea- 
 ven promifed us, and v/e march under the con- 
 duit of the fame captain of our falvation, who 
 hy his death has abolijljcd deaths ani b?'OUght life 
 and immortality to light. Nor ought this to fjem 
 to us an over-daring or prefumptuous pofition, 
 lince the poffibiliry of happiueis is a notion con- 
 fonant to the common fcnTe of all mankind : 
 for 'tis happinefs which laws, enadted for the 
 government of the multitude, and philofophical 
 rules, prefcrib'd for the government of our paf- 
 lions, do aim at ; all lawgivers have ever pro- 
 mifed the people wealth, and peace, and glory, 
 and fecurity, as thefruits of their obedience : and 
 all philofophers have ever promifed tranquillity of 
 mind and rational pleafures to their followers, as 
 
 the 
 
2o8 An Enquiry 
 
 the rewards of conformity to their precepts. 
 And as it cannoi furely be denied, but that that 
 kingdom is moft happy, which by juft laws and 
 a well-temper'd authority, is freed from thofe 
 fears and diflradions, from thofe mifchiefs and 
 confufions to which others are expofed by anar- 
 chy or tyranny, by the infolence of the mul- 
 titude or the impotence of the prince: fo it 
 cannot be denied but that that man is moft 
 happy, whofe well-fetdcd peace is eftabhflied 
 upon folid grounds of true wifdom ; being nei- 
 ther opprefled bythe tyrannyof fuperftition, nor 
 vexed and difquietted by the infolence of unruly 
 paflions, to which the weaknefs of reafon fub- 
 je<5ts men. As to religion, which is a third go- 
 verning principle J this only propofes a more 
 perfe(ft happinefs, and a more plain and dired: 
 way to it, than nature of itfelf could : it only 
 relieves and recruits our natural power by that 
 of grace, and increafes the light of reafon by 
 a participation of new rays of revelation. If 
 then happinefs be the great end which law 
 and philofophy, revelation and reafon, God and 
 man, do unanimouilv propofe to us; how ab- 
 furd and palpable a contradidion were it to all 
 thofe, to deny the attainment of it poffible. 
 
 ne conclufiGii of this fccomi feBion. 
 
 To look back now upon this whole fe(?^roii, 
 and fum up the fubftance and force of it, 'tis 
 this: God, who made us, made us on purpofe 
 to be happy : for what other defign could in- 
 finite 
 
after Happiness. 209 
 
 nnite love propofe to itfelf in our creation? 
 And propofing to himfelf this end, he endowed 
 lis with faculties and capacities that might fit us 
 for the contemplation and enjoyment of himfelf 
 and his works: the world, provided by him for 
 our entertainment, he filled with all thinj^s that 
 could minifler either to our necefiities ordelights. 
 Here God has planted us, not as inhabitants, 
 but fojourners: for this is but our ftate of pro- 
 bation; angels had their times of trial, fo have 
 men; here he would have us afpire after, as 
 near as we can, that life angels lead in heaven^ 
 for we are one day to be equal to them. Here 
 he would have us learn and pradife thofe vir- 
 tues which fit us for the fociety and enjoyment 
 of that kingdom wherein dwells rlghteoufnefs, 
 for that is the blefled end and confummation of 
 all our endeavours, defines, and hopes : but 
 when we make heaven the abode, the feat of 
 perfe6l happlnefs, we do not thereby fuppofe 
 that 'tis banidied from the earth; but rather, 
 on the contrary, if that ftate be the confumma- 
 tion of all things, 'tis necef[Iiry to be concluded, 
 that every ftep we advance nearer to it, we 
 mount and afcend higher, in brighter, calmer, 
 and purer regions. Heaven is like the glorious 
 building, whofe accefs is full of delight and 
 beauty: for as that youth which precedes our 
 manhood has its fweetnefs, its beauty, its natu- 
 ral perfedlion and pleafure; fo has this mortal 
 ftate, which precedes oUr angelical, its proper 
 degree of perfedtion and blefTednefs: and this is 
 no fmall one neither: for, as we are created but 
 a litde»lower than the angels, in refpe<5l to the 
 Vol. I. P dignity 
 
2IO j^fi E?iquiry 
 
 dignitv of our nature; lo iurely our happinefs 
 begins nearly lo approach and rei'embie theirs, 
 when our mind, fiU'd with divine truths, cha- 
 rity and hopes, becomes free, generous, relol- 
 ved, conilaat, chearful, meek, gentle, devout, 
 heavenly ; when it has fo accullomed itlelf to 
 virtue, and familiarly acquainted itfelf with hea- 
 ven, that the fins and pleafures of the fenfual 
 part of the world look like the manners and en- 
 tertainments, not only of a foreign, but barba- 
 rous and impoveriflied country; and when» laft- 
 ly, by its frequent retirements from the body, 
 and daily commerce with rational and fpiritual 
 pleafures, it not only aflerts its fovereignty over 
 it, but begins to live fo independent ot it, that 
 at the laft, when it ihall in death mount up up- 
 on the wings of pure flame to heaven, it fhall 
 not fuffer as if the body needed to be torn from 
 it; but (liall let it fall as Elijah did his mande. 
 Thofe complaints therefore which we make 
 againft our prefent ftate, and thofe reproaches 
 with which we outrage and vilify our nature, 
 are falfe and unjuft; for we are by God created 
 and defigned for happinefs, and this happinefs 
 God has been pleafed to put in our own power, 
 to place within our reach. There is no fate, 
 but what God has made us ourfelves arbiters 
 of; we lie under no neceffity, no fatality, but 
 what our own vices betray us to: nor do we 
 fland in need of the indulgences of fortune; the 
 tranquillity and pleafure of a virtuous man is an 
 image of God's own ; it fprings from within, 
 not from without. Tis true, there are ditttcul- 
 ties which obilrud our progrefs to happinefs;. 
 
 but 
 
after Happiness. 211 
 
 but they are fuch as all wife and good men have 
 conquer'd: 'Tis true, nature labours urvder its 
 infirmities, that is, fenfual propenfions and in- 
 clinations i but it is ftrengthened and fupported 
 by reafon, by revelation, by grace. We may 
 fall ('tis true) a facrifice to God's wrath; but it 
 mud: be after we have lived long in contempt of 
 his mercy, and obftinate defiance of his grace. 
 Methinks thefe confideratjons lliould raife and 
 exalt the mind of man; they fhould infpire us 
 with deiires and hopes worthy of rational and 
 immortal fouls ; like the Ifraelites when they 
 marched out of Egypt^ we fliould dream of 
 nothing, but triuniph, glory, and happinefs. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 The eaufes and remedies of man's unfuc- 
 cefsfulnefs in his purfuit after happinefs. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The general caufe of iUfuccefs. Deviation Jrom 
 reafon, the general caife of mans ill fuccefs. 
 The eff'e Sis of which are, i. Thepropofaloffafe 
 ends. 2. Coldmfs in purfuit of our true ends, 
 
 WE RE the happy like * Tully^ wife man, 
 a mere idea, fomething no where 
 to be found but in the charadters and defcrip- 
 P 2 tions 
 
 * Quem adhuc nos quidem vidimus neminem, fed philofo- 
 phorum fententiis qualis iuturas fit, fi zuQdd aliquaado f Jerit, 
 cxpoDitur. Tu/c. quefi, /. 2. 
 
212 An Enquiry 
 
 tions which philofophcrs give us of him, this 
 were an unconquerable difcouragement : no 
 brifknefs of wit, no charms of fancy, no force 
 of eloquence, no height of fpirit, or height of 
 confidence, were fufficient to remove it, and to 
 engage men in fuch a defperate and unaccount- 
 able enterprife, as thisfuppofition would render 
 the purfuit of happinefs: for how fond and 
 groundlefs aprefumption were it, to purfue that 
 which all mankind had ever as unfuccefsfully as 
 earneflly and indefatigably attempted? I have 
 therefore endeavoured with all my might, in the 
 former chapter, to free mens minds from any 
 fufpicion of fears of this kind, anfwering all ob- 
 jedions that might feem to reprefent mifery fa- 
 tal, or happinefs unattainable, and by undeniable 
 proofs confirming the oppofite truth. But if this 
 be true, that happinefs is attainable j and if it be 
 as true, as certainly it is, that there needs no elo- 
 quence to enkindle in any man the defires of 
 happinefs, or to incite and fpurhim on to endea- 
 vouus its attainment, all mankind being carried on 
 towards it by natural, and therefore conftant and 
 paffionate inclinations; will it not be natural to 
 demand. Whence is it that fo few are happy ? 
 Whence is it, that mifery and trouble, affliftion 
 and forrow fill almoit every bofom? Not only 
 no kingdom or city; but no town, no village, 
 no family, I might almofl: add, no one particu- 
 lar perfon, being exempt or free; noplace or 
 perfon is privileg'd againfl: grief and trouble; it 
 invades the tribunal of judges, the thrones of 
 princes; and, what is almoft as facred as either, 
 the retirements and clofets of the devout and 
 4 learned^ 
 
after Happiness. 213 
 
 learned 5 nay, fcarcely is the church and the 
 altar a fecure fand:uary againftit. 
 
 This will not be difficult to comprehend, if 
 we do thoroughly weigh, and ioberly confider 
 the true caufes of man's mifery; but the parti- 
 cular and diftind difcuffion of each of thefe will 
 fall in its proper place in the following treatifes; 
 and therefore I (hall difcourfe of them here only 
 generally and briefly, as the nature of an intro- 
 duftion requires. 
 
 Maiiy are the particular caufes of human 
 miferyj but they may be all reduced to this uni- 
 verfal and immediate one, 
 
 namely, That we do ?20t Ihe , De^nalhn from rea- 
 J Jon the. ge7ieral cauje 
 
 coiijormably toour reajon. ofmijery. 
 
 quid enim ratio?ie timemus ant ciipimus — 
 
 When do our affedions fpring from, or when 
 are they governed by reafon ? When are our de- 
 fires or fears, our joys or forrows wife, andjufl, 
 and rational, and holy? How frequently are 
 our actions nothin:::: eifebut the brutlHiand blind 
 failles and foolidi pallions, and our lives are gene- 
 rally nothing elfe but the wanderings and ram- 
 bles of deluded imaginations ? How commonly 
 do we a£l what we ourfeives do condemn? And 
 how commonly doth the whole courfe of our 
 lives difpleafe ourfeives as much as others; and 
 yet we live on in contradidion to our reafon, 
 and fometimesto our inclinationstoo? How un- 
 llkeare we in our converfation, toourfelves in re- 
 tirement? How unlike are we in the devotion of 
 our clofets, to ourfeives in the employment of 
 P 3 our 
 
2 14 -^'^^ Enquiry 
 
 ourfeveral profeffions? How calm, fcdate, wife, 
 holy, and refolved in the one? Flow anxious 
 and uneafy; how foolilli, earthly, and incon- 
 flant in the other? But in nothing does our de- 
 viation from rcafon more evidently appear, 
 than in two thin'j;s: 
 
 Firji^ In our propofing to ourfelvcs falfe and 
 irrational ends of life ; and " 
 
 This deMon dif- SccoMy, In our infincerity in 
 
 covers itjelf. _ . -^ , , . •' 
 
 purinmg tne true and rational 
 
 one, that is, happinefs. As to the Firjl, who 
 
 , ^ „ . lees not how the life of man 
 
 is perverted, the force and ten- 
 dency of nature crook'd and bow'd to defigns 
 utterly unfuitable to the capacities and faculties 
 of a rational mind, and to the great end of our 
 creation ? Who can look into the life of man, 
 and not eafilv conclude, that his chief aim is 
 wealth and grcatncfs, not happinefs? Or, which 
 is fomething fillier, that his delign is fome un- 
 necefiary accomplifhment, not virtue and good- 
 nefsj or a vain eftcem and popular applaufc, not 
 the peace and wifdom of his mind? Who fees 
 not how greedily men purfae thofe fcnfual fatif- 
 factions,, which naturally tend to enflave the 
 foul, and toextinguifh the rational pleafure and 
 vigour of our minds? In a word, wealth, and 
 honour, and power, and pleafure, are the idols 
 of mankind; thefe are the things for which 
 they live, for which they love and value life : 
 thefe are the glorious poffcffions which enfiame 
 our emulations and our indufh-y : Thefe are the 
 things v^hich the unfortunate man envies, and 
 the fortunate honours : Thefe are the things 
 
 which 
 
after Happiness. 215 
 
 which dlAinguifli and difcriminate mankind into 
 their leveral ranks and degrees; the contenipt or 
 eilcem of the world; the refpeds and affronts ; 
 th,e love and hate of mankind being ever pro- 
 porlKJn'd to rhe degrees of wealth and power, 
 which the y fancy others poffeired of. To thefe 
 noble cndb the fage and experienced parent 
 trains up his young ones, inftilling daily into 
 them all the fuitable maxims ofcovetoufnefs and 
 ambition; and judging of their proficiency and 
 hopefuinefs, by the piogrefs they make towards 
 thefe ends; that is, the more enflaved they are, 
 the more hopeful, the more promifmg is their 
 youth. 
 
 Nor arc men more zealous in purfuing the 
 faife, than cold and iniincere 
 in purfuini^ the true ends of ^^ Cold.efs in fur- 
 
 ,.^r . o fun cf our true end. 
 
 lire, Virtue and nappineis. 1 his 
 is too t ;o evident to any one who fhall confider 
 hovv fond we are of our difeafes and our errors; 
 how impatient of that inllru^tion or reproof, 
 which tends to cure, undeceive, and difabufe 
 US; hov/ iluggifli we are in the ftudy of impor- 
 tant truths; how liAlefs and remifs in the ufe 
 of thofe means which conduce to virtue, to 
 the freeinij of our minds, and to the confirm- 
 ingour refolutions. And therefoie, laftly, how 
 light, wavering, and uncondant we are in the 
 pradice of thole things which right realbn con- 
 vinces us to be our duty. 
 
 P 4 CHAP. 
 
2 1 6 An E7iquiry 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 The particular and immediate caufe of 
 ill fucccfs. 
 
 Three more particular and, immediate caufes of ill 
 fuccefs ajjigned. i . The frame and contexture 
 of human nature. 2. Vicious education. 
 3 . Vicious converfation j the natural effe&s of 
 which are -J i.lnconfulcratenefs % 2. Falfe nc- 
 iicns ; 3 . Ungovernablcnefs and im potency of 
 ivill\ 4. Jnfincerity \ 5. Levity and i?ico?i- 
 fancy. The whole exemplified,. 
 
 AL L this that I have faid in the former 
 chapter, is plain and evident: we fee and 
 feel it, and bemoan it j but yet we live on iri 
 the fame manner ftill : Whence therefore is 
 this infatuation of our underftanding, that cn- 
 flaves us to falfe and irrational ends? V/hence 
 is that impotence of mind ? Whence is that 
 infincerity that deludes our dciires, and produces 
 nothing but feeble and unfuccefsful endeavours ? 
 Neither is this a difficult matter to difcover : 
 That we live and aift irrationally, proceeds evi- 
 dently from three caufes. Firfl^ The contex- 
 ture and frame of our nature. Secondly., A 
 vicious education. Thirdly^ Vicious conver- 
 fation. 
 
 The 
 
after Happiness. 217 
 
 The firft fpring or fource of irrational de- 
 fires and a(5tions, is the contri- 
 vance and com pofition of our "^^'^ contexture of 
 
 r r \ J t vatztre the firfl caufe 
 
 nature: our lenlual and bru- of an irrational n/e. 
 ti(h appetites have their foun- 
 dation in ournatural conftitution, as well as our 
 rational affedions : for we are made up of body 
 as well as foul. Hence is it that there is in man 
 a doubtful fluctuation and indetermination to 
 different objed:s ; the reafon of the mind, and 
 the appetite of the body diftrading and dividr 
 ing him by their different propofals; the im^pref- 
 fions of lenfe and reprefentations of reafon fuc- 
 ceffively awakening in him very different, and 
 generally very contrary delires; whereas angels by 
 the perfeciion, and beads by the imperfedion of 
 their nature, are determined and confined to 
 their proper and neceffary objeds: man is left to 
 a flrange uncertainty, undetermined by the rea- 
 fons of the mind, or the inftind or appetite of 
 the bodyj mov'd indeed fucceffively by each, 
 perfedly govern'd and over-rul'd by neither. 
 But it were v/ell for man, that the inclinations 
 of thefe two different principles were fo juftly 
 pois'd, that he were naturally left in a true 
 liberty and pure indifference, equally able to 
 follov/ the didates of reafon and the appetites 
 of flelh and blood : but, alas ! how impetuous 
 are the lufts of the bodv! how irrefiftible arc 
 thofe paffions which the objeds of fenfe, aided 
 by a carnal imagination, raife in us ! on the 
 other fide, how cold are the reprefentations of 
 reafon, when we mod: need its affiftance and 
 authority ! how faint and feeble the natural 
 
 inclina- 
 
2 1 8 An 'Enquiry 
 
 indinadon of the foul to what is truly good and 
 great! how rt-mote and diftar.t the rewa-dsof 
 virtue J and conlequent'.v how weak and cold 
 their influence, aiid how faint, and impertedt 
 is the pleaibie that attends it, abftraded from 
 future rewards in all other nainds befides thofe 
 who are arrived in Icrne fort at peiredioji ! 
 'Tis true, at fome feafons and upon lome occa- 
 fions, the remonrtrances of conlriencc arc fo 
 fharp, its reproaches fo hither, the difdain ai^.d 
 contufion of the niind fo unlliffcrable, that they 
 render that which is a pleaiure to the fenfe, a 
 torment rof he foul; and its agreeablenefs to our 
 imao-inanor. cannot make amends for its harfh- 
 iiefs and cnntradicVion toourrealon. But, alas! 
 thefe are bat !ho--t-liv'd fits, which foon pafs 
 over; for bufinefs diverts, pleafure inchants, 
 and repeated violence offered to our reaion, 
 flupifit-'i and deadens- the natural confcience; and 
 what is u'Oi (e than all this, a filly and vicious 
 education does generally fo corrupt our j'jdg- 
 mentG, and prep )lTers us with vain and fooiilh 
 affctftions, that the checks of confcience are ex- 
 tremely feldoni; and extremely fi^dntj unlcfsthc 
 commiffion of fome grofs fin doawakeu it by a 
 deep and deadly v/ound. This is, 
 
 2. A fccond caufe of that general apoftacy 
 
 and defedlion from reafon fo 
 
 Education a feccni notorious lu the world, AJilly 
 
 caufe of nuui s n^iiery. . . . ■ . y ^ 
 
 i7na incious education, riow 
 well does it fare with children, when they de- 
 rive only their original corruption from their 
 parents r Ah ! how often are their weak dif- 
 pofitions to vice nurs'd and cherilh'd by their 
 
 parents 
 
after Happiness. 219 
 
 parentslntoanabfolute, uncontroulable, and fet- 
 tled tyranny ? nay, what is worfe yet, how of- 
 ten are the feeds of virtue, thofe towardly difpo- 
 fitions which many bring into the world with 
 them, choaked and ftifled ; not only by the 
 negled, not only by the indulgence, but even 
 by the example and authority of parents ? 
 
 . Vehchis & citius 7ios 
 
 Ccrrimpunt viuorum exempla domefiica^ mag7ih 
 
 Chnjubcant ajiimos antoribus 
 
 Juv. Sat. 14. 
 
 jlh, unth ichat [peed miijl the infcciion fpread^ 
 When youth by parents crimes are warranted^ 
 And tempted c n to fin I 
 
 When corrupt inclination is ripen'd into a fe- 
 (Cond nature, when our innate weakneffefs and 
 follies are confirmed by thofe falfe principles, and 
 that vicious confidence which we derive from 
 education; then we are fent into the world, left 
 to our own difpofal, abandon'd to our own go- 
 vernment : poor creatures! not onlyexpofed un- 
 armed, ungarded, 'to temptations; but, Xi^^Samp- 
 J'on to the Philijlmes, tied and bound too. Ah I 
 could we fo eafily burft our bonds as he did his ! 
 But whence (liouid we recover our lofi: liberty? 
 
 Converfation, inftead of being an alliftance 
 to us in our endeavours after 
 
 , ' r ^ \ n ^ J Converfation a thira. 
 
 happineis, doth generally tend 
 to promote our miiery. Philofophy is not now 
 the bufinef^ of converfation j nor is friendship 
 
 any 
 
2 20 An Enquiry 
 
 any way ufeful or fcrviceable to the great end of 
 life : the ligament of fociety is riot and revelling, 
 or fordid profit and interefl:, or, peradventiire, 
 folly, trifling and impertinence : thefe are the 
 ties and bonds of our confederacies ; fo that 
 whatever authority our friends and acquaintance 
 have over us, whatever inliuence they have up- 
 on us, is employ 'd to no other purpoie, but to 
 recommend and endear vice to us, to render it, 
 if not beautiful and lovely to us, at ieallwife lefs 
 deformed and ugly than it is. Hence it is, that 
 retirement is fo generally recommended to thofe 
 who defign to make any progrefs in true wif- 
 dom ; and fuch as are truly virtuous, do fo pai- 
 lionately complain of the difadvantages they fuf- 
 fer by converfing with the world : for the truth 
 is, wifdom and goodnefs are fuch unfa(hionable 
 themes of difcourfe, fuch unufual, nay, I may 
 add, unwelcome fubjed:s of entertainment, that 
 the company deferves now to be praifed, which 
 is only barren and unprofitable, not hurtful, and 
 wherein we fufFer no greater lofs than that of 
 cur time. 
 
 It is now eafy to imagine, what fruit a cor- 
 rupt nature muft brini::^ forth, 
 
 The efea of thefe ^.J^^j^ ^^^ ^^,| j^r^ deftitUC of 
 three. i • • , i 
 
 neceilary cultwation, but de- 
 praved yet more by a vicious education, and 
 vicious converfation. What can all thefe to- 
 gether bring forth, but a loathfome brood of 
 ciifeafes and vices j fuch as thefe, raflinefs, pre- 
 cipitancy, heedlefnefs, and unthoughtfulnefs ; 
 falfe notions, ungovernablenefs and impotence 
 
 of 
 
after Happiness. 22r 
 
 of will ; infincerity, levity, and inconftancy j 
 which are the plagues of human life, and the 
 fatal obftacles of our tranquillity ? For either 
 they obftrud: our true happinefs, by prevent- 
 ing our fearch after itj or delude our fearch, 
 by corrupting and perverting our underftand- 
 ing J or elfe they fruftrate and defeat the in- 
 fluence of its difcovery, by obftinate reludtan- 
 ces in the body, and an unhappy impotence in 
 the mind : all this is manifeft upon the moft 
 tranfient glance we "can take of thefe particu- 
 lars. To begin with want of . 
 coniideration: this is anecel- 
 fary effedl of that corruption and depravation 
 which I afcribed to nature, education and con- 
 verfation; the body, unaccuftomed to obey, is 
 impatient of deliberation when its pleafure is in, 
 view; and a taking imagination over-rules what- 
 ever weak plea reafon makes: nay, what is worfe, 
 the very difufe of reafon in men abandon'd to 
 the condud: of cuftom, and fway'd by the en- 
 ticement of inclination, and authority of exam- 
 ple, bereaves them almoft of the faculty itfelf : fo 
 that their life and actions are not the effeds of 
 judgment and deliberation 3 but injudicious, 
 unweigh'd cuftom; or more raOi, heedlefs, and 
 precipitant pafTion. And can any man think, 
 that when the meaneft art and proteffion is not 
 learned without right inftru6lion or juft dili- 
 gence; wifdom, the great art of living happily, 
 fhould be attained without as much as juft con- 
 fideration? When a man cannot grow rich or 
 profperous, without contrivance and induftry, is 
 
 it 
 
22 2 An Enquiry 
 
 it probable he fliould grow happy by inadverten- 
 cy and chance? It isimpoiTiMe. 
 
 For innumerable will be the falfe and perni- 
 cious notions which fuch aone, 
 
 Falfe notions. ,. \ ^ A A /i 
 
 ^ corrupted and depraved, rain 
 
 and unadvifed, muft be betrayed into, and con- 
 firm'd in ; there is no principle fo falfe, no prac- 
 tice fo abfurd, which fuch do not readily enter- 
 tain. Hence 'tis that men do fo generally live 
 by rote; that mens principles are the failiionable 
 ones of the neighbourhood or nation; that their 
 manner of life takes that fhape which their rank 
 and quality, and the chance of their converfation 
 gives it; and their very religion itfelf is a native 
 commodity of the foil they are planted in. 
 Hence 'tis finally, that men are unrighteous and 
 wicked, carelefsandunconcern'd, notwithftand- 
 ing all the calls and invitations, all the rewards 
 and menaces of the gofpei, convictions ofcon- 
 fcience, impulfes of grace, mercies, threats, and 
 judgments of God: and covetoufnefs, luxury, 
 uncieannefs, prophanenefs, ambition are as con- 
 ftantly pradifed, in court and city, as condemn- 
 ed in the pulpit and prefs : nor is it to be expect- 
 ed otherwife ; for falfe notions give countenance 
 and authority to our follies, and fortify us in 
 our wretched mifcarriages againfl: the alfaults of 
 law and reafon, ofconfcienceand God himfelf : 
 no condition is fo defperately forlorn as that of 
 fin and folly, backed and authorized by inve- 
 terate principles! Thefe render our very in- 
 duftry not only ufelefs and unferviceable, but 
 even fatal and deilruCtive to our happinefs : 
 
 thcfe' 
 
after Happiness. 223 
 
 tliefe defeat the very tendency of our nature to- 
 wards happinefs ; and, turning it into a wrong 
 channel, make it run with violence towards our 
 mifery. 
 
 Thefe help to render our paiHons both nu- 
 merous and ungovernable, by ,, , ^ 
 
 - . r \ ' -r Uiiro'vernablenefs and 
 
 prefenting fome things as evils ir„potence of^uU. 
 which are not, and by aug- 
 menting real evils beyond their natural pro- 
 portion : and herein conlifts the very elTence and 
 being of human mifery, or, at leaft, a part of 
 it; when our own foliy increafes both the num- 
 ber and weight of evils, and cur numberlefs 
 pafllons do exceed all juft and natural bounds. 
 And this is a conflant truth, the lefs under- 
 ftanding there is any man, the more violent 
 is hispaffion; the pafTion of a fool being like 
 the zeal of a bigot, the more blind, the more 
 furious. All this makes good the obfervatioa 
 of the poet : 
 
 No7i qui Sidonio contendere colli lus OJlrOy 
 Nejcit Aquinatem potentia velkra fiicum^ 
 Certius accipiet damnum, propiulque medidlisy 
 ^am qui nonpoterit vero di/iihguere Jalfum. 
 
 Horat. Lib. i. Ep. 10. 
 Not the deluded trader y who doth buy 
 Counterfeit Kc^uinfor the Tyrian dye ; 
 His folly fiall more fur ely or dearly rue, 
 'Than he who does falje notions take J or true, 
 
 Infincerity is another fruit of the corruption 
 of our nature, and the deprava- 
 tion of education and converia- "J^^^^^^y- 
 
 tbn. 
 
2 24- '^n Enqtdry 
 
 tion. This is that which makes us lazy iri 
 our fearch after truth, and partial in the exami- 
 nation of our opinions and actions: for when 
 the bent of our nature runs towards carnal plea- 
 fures, and this is confirmed by education and 
 falfe notices of things, we (hall be apt to take 
 up and carefs ourfelves with prefentj eafy, and 
 ready entertainments. We fliall not extend our 
 care or profpedt very far, but be content to en- 
 joy the fweet in every prefentcircumftance and 
 event, without regard to their future tendency, 
 which was thehappinefs, if my memory deceive 
 me not, o'iiht Cyrenaicks. The fame diftemper 
 prevailing, we (hall be apt to think every thing 
 healthful that is pleafant, and eafily admit thole 
 principles moft true, which are moll: greatful to 
 appetites. 'Tis not therefore to be wonder'd 
 at, if the fame humour which makes us gready 
 of embracing, makes us obftinate in defending 
 errors : for the fame fondnefs and partiality ren^ 
 ders us incapable of inflrucltion, and impatient 
 of advice, though defign'd by the moft faithful 
 affection, and manag'd with the moft prudent 
 tendernefs. 
 
 Fidis cff'endar medicisy irafcar amicis^ 
 Cur me funejlo proper ant arcere "je-tcrno? 
 ^ice nocuere fequar ^ fiigiam quct pro fore ere dam. 
 
 Horat. Lib. i. Ep. 8. 
 *The phinnefs ofphyficians, and of friends^ 
 ^ho by affeSlion movd^ and truth, offends -y 
 Cant 1 enjoy my fatal refl for you ? 
 Let me alone my ruin to purfue. 
 
 And fly my bappinefs, 
 
 It 
 
after Happiness. 225 
 
 It is eafy now to judge what muft be the flat^ 
 of that man who is infincere and falfe to hini- 
 felf in all his deliberations, and obftinate in the 
 ^defence of his errors; who is partial in all his 
 own refl.f(5lions, and impatient of the faithful 
 refledions ofoth-rs: How is it probable, that 
 that man (houid attain any rational happinefs, 
 who is incapable of ufing his own reafon aright, 
 or enjoying the benefit of others ? 
 
 But it is not the only mifchief we fuffer by 
 thefedifeafesof themind, that 
 
 , , ^ Lenjtty and man- 
 
 they render us incapable or ji^ncy. 
 difcovering true happinefs; 
 they do alfo difable us to purfue it when dif- 
 cover'd with that earneftnefs and vigour which 
 the importance of the thing requires : for they 
 -mull needs beget in us a Qothful remiffncfs in 
 our endeavours, and an unhappy levity and in« 
 conftancy in all our defigns and purpofes. 'Tis 
 very improbable that we fhould be fteady and 
 immoveable in thofe purpofes which are not 
 founded upon clear and folid reafon; or zea- 
 lous in fuch as are encountered with violent 
 oppofition from o irfelves. * Plence 'tis, that 
 the fcenes of man's life are fo various, fo fre- 
 quently chang'd, that every man does fo often 
 fliift his perfon, and appear a very different 
 adtor on the ftage. Thus we meet with Epi- 
 
 * Quidem altei-nis Vatinii, alcernis Catones ; & modo parum 
 illisSeverus eft Curiusparam pauper Fabricius, pariim frngi & 
 contentus vili Tubero/ Modo Liciniumdivitiis Apicium Coenis 
 Mecasnatem deliciis provGcant. i\Iaxi:T.um judicium eft mate 
 mentis fiuduatio, & inter firaulationcm vir:uiem, amoremciue 
 vitiorum, affidua jadatio. Sen. Epiji, 120. 
 
 Vol. I. Q^ curean 
 
2 26 An Enquiry 
 
 curean and Stoick, clergyman and merchant, 
 devotee and ftatefman, enthuiiaft and parafite, 
 all aded in their turn by the felf-fame man; 
 who is toiTed to and fro by the fudden Tallies or 
 gufts of various defires and pafiions. Nor is it 
 any man's wit or fagacity that turns him into all 
 thefe different fliapes, but his vice and folly: for 
 being ignorant of the true good, the true hap- 
 pinefs oi man, he catches at fleeting fhadows, 
 and courts thin airy dreams, and uncertain ap- 
 paritions : and therefore daily fets up new pro- 
 jeds, and thofe too repugnant to the old : and 
 thus man wearieth out himfelf by vain and un- 
 fuccefsful, becaufe unconflant, vani(hiiig at- 
 tempts. This were tolerable, did it befal us only 
 in temporal things, whofe emptinefs makes our 
 fuccefs itfelf fruftration and diHippointinent : 
 But, alas! wefufferthefamething in the weighty 
 concern of our virtue and happinefs: our reli- 
 gious purpofes do generally die flrangled in the 
 bireh ; and all our glorious defigns dafh and 
 break themfelves to pieces againil the next dif- 
 ficulty or temptation; and yet, relapfed into a 
 ftate of folly, and fin, and danger, we would 
 again return to that narrow path, whofe fteep 
 and rouph afcent difcoiiraored us : wandrino; in 
 night and fog, and ffcorm, fain would we reach 
 the happy region where calm light and chear- 
 ful day does ever dwell: plainly, and wirhout 
 a metaphor, when we refolve to be good and 
 virtuous, we are kept from it by the feeming 
 eafe and pleafureof fin, and the hardships ne- 
 ccflary to be undergone in the attainments of 
 6 virtue : 
 
after Happiness. 227 
 
 Virtue : and yet the remorfe and danger, and 
 'dilTatisfaaion, which do always accompany a 
 necTligent and finful life, makes us with for the 
 peace and comfort, the fccurity and rewards 
 of virtue. But, oh ! how feldom do we pro- 
 ceed fuither than wiihes, or fome attempts 
 mors lazy or difpirited than our v/iilies ? The 
 reafon is plain, virtue is more rational, vice is 
 more grateful: the underftanding is convinc'd, 
 'but the will is enflav'dj the flefi lujleth agalnjl 
 thefpirit, andthefpiritagainflthcflcjh. Afin- 
 ner cannot purchafe the pleafures of the body, 
 without the checks and reproaches of the mmd; 
 and this makes him unfteady and irrefolute m 
 all his purpofes. Would you fee an inftance of 
 the whole matter ? You feel ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 it better than I can detcnbe ^i,f,,j, 
 it ; and yet 'tis not difficult to 
 make a tolerable reprefentation of that, which 
 I have in myfelf often proved, and often be- 
 wailed. Nor can I fee, why 1 ihould bluOi to 
 own thofe frailties which are fo incident to hu- 
 man nature, that the greateft glory and happi- 
 nefs of mortal man is, not to have been never 
 fubjecftto them, but to have conquered them. 
 One while, moved by the gaze and wonder, 
 the refpedland reverence with which the world 
 treats greatnefs, and by thofe opportunities of 
 pleafure which I faw wealth and power put 
 into mens hands j I refolved to rouze all the 
 ftrength, to employ all the force and power of 
 mind"^ and body for' the attainment of wealth 
 and crreatnefs. I flatter'd myfelf, I knew how 
 Q 2 to 
 
428 An inquiry 
 
 to merit ; nor did I tiiink myfelf incapable of 
 pracftiling all thefubtle humble arts of candidates 
 and dependents, could ] once prevail with my- 
 felf to floop to them: but when the toil and 
 difficulty, and meannefs too of this attempt had 
 given me a little difguftj and the pleafures of 
 friendlliip and fortune (by neither of which have 
 I ever been utterly deferted) encounter'd my 
 natural inclinations to eafe and foftnefs, I foon 
 exchang'd my former notion of happinefs for a 
 more calm and quiet one ; I began to think it 
 wife to live to-day, and to prefer my prefent 
 bleflings in pofTeffion, before the uncertain fu- 
 ture ones of opinion and expedation. I wiflied 
 for an opportunity to retire from every thing that 
 might awaken my ambition, or interrupt my 
 quiet ; and thought, that in a lazy (hade and 
 obfcure retreat 1 might with mod: freedom and 
 trueftcontentment enjoymyfelf acheap pleafure, 
 and an humble fiien'd, and laugh at the ambi- 
 tious reftlefs part of mankind. 
 
 Sometimes fpringing a thought of light, and 
 loft in the pleafure of a fpeculaeion, I have re- 
 folved to devote myfelf entirely to a lludious 
 life J I adored the memory of thofe great fouls, 
 whofe works have given them an immortality 
 here below j I looked upon the learned (as 
 Epicurus words it) as gods amongft men ; I 
 "did not queftion but the contemplation which 
 once feemed to me to be the bufinefs of angels, 
 muft needs be the joy and delight of man; but^ 
 alas ! that I mud: fay it, all that learning v^'hich 
 is purchafed with toil and diiiiculty, is but a 
 
 vain 
 
after Happiness. 229 
 
 vain and uncertain amufement of the mind^ it 
 has much of pomp and oftentation in it, but is 
 of very Httle ufe : I vvou'd it were not true, that 
 thofe parts of learning, which are of moft ufe, 
 have lead of certainty and demonftration ; and 
 thofe, which can jnftly pretend to no certainty, 
 make men the worlt return of their ftudies, and 
 are of leafl ufe. I have obferv'd accordingly, 
 that the moft learned are not always the moft 
 ferviceable to the world ; not only for this rea- 
 fon, but alfo thoughtfulnefs and retirement ren* 
 dering men very commonly as unfit for as averfe 
 to bulinefs, bereaving them of that fufficitncy 
 andflciil, that addrefs and prefence of mind,, 
 which is not to be gained bu*" by converfatioa 
 and experience : and it was eafy for me to re- 
 mark, that the adjve and bufy man was not 
 only more fkil'ul, but mpre eloquent too than 
 the contemplative, as having a much clearer in- 
 light into the humours and paflions of men, 
 and the fecret fpiingsand inteiefts by which 
 they are moved, and being able to manage them 
 with a more popular dexterity, and more clean- 
 ly, genteel infinuation. And now I began to 
 efteem of learning as a pretty ornament of life, 
 but not fit to be the fupport of it ; I thought it 
 might ferve to fill the void and empty fpaces, 
 but not to be the bufinefs and employment of it, 
 I have been fometimes ravilhed with the 
 beauty of a noble adion, and refolved to lead 
 a life fevere and virtuous, fpent not in private 
 eafe and lazy diverfions, but in the honour 
 and pleafufe of doing good. But, good God! 
 
 Q^ how 
 
230 ^^ Enquiry 
 
 how weak is nature! How flight are fuch im- 
 preffions ! How numerous the temptations ! 
 How prevalent the inclinations which carry us 
 another way ! 
 
 7 his has been a long time my ftate, toffed 
 on uncertain feas, and hoifling fail to every wind 
 that blew; and, I find, that neither greatnefs of 
 mind nor fortune doth raife men above this in- 
 conftancy: for I meet with my own refledions, 
 my own pafTions in the excellent Sefieca {de 
 tranquiliiate aniwi); only the character of him- 
 felf he there preients us with, is expreffed with 
 more life and brifl;nefs, and exalted above this 
 of mine, as was the nature and ftation of that 
 great man above mine. I cannot fay, that I 
 have yet made my port 3 but I have difcovered 
 it; and 1 fail, though flowly, yet in a diredt 
 line, having my happinefs, my haven all along 
 in ken. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
after Happiness. 231 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The cure of the former maladies. 
 
 Comformity to reafon the general cure. This con- 
 formity miijl appear in two thi?tgs ; i . /;2 the 
 propofaly or right and true ends; 2. In the 
 purfuit of them rJth zeal and conjlancy. In- 
 ferred Jroni all ho-w we are to treat the body. 
 What our education. What our couverjation 
 ought to be. 
 
 ROM this account of the rife and pro- 
 grefs of man's mifery, 'tis eafy to infer 
 wiiat it is wherein the happinefs of this pre- 
 fent life confifts, or, at ieaft, ^, 
 
 , , . ~ . , . 1 he nature or um- 
 
 what the univerial and imme- cjerfaUnd immediate 
 diate caufe of it is j namely, <^«''^ of happinefs in- 
 a conformity of our minds and -^^^"^^ ' 
 lives to true reafon and found philofophy. This 
 is a ftate of light and knowledge, of peace and 
 fecurity, of lafting and rational delight : this 
 inverts the underftanding in its jaft foverei2;nty 
 and dominion, and reftores the will to its true 
 libertyj this makes the profpedl of the future 
 taking and inviting, and our refle(5lion on the 
 time part eafy and comfortable; this lays a' folid 
 foundation for our reliance on the merits and 
 interceffion of our Mediator, and raifes our 
 hope as high as heaven ; this prevents our 
 misfortunes and calamities, or, what is more 
 happy, enables us to conquer them: in a word, 
 Q^ this 
 
232 An Enquiry 
 
 this makes us great in life, but much more great 
 and venerable in death; righteoufnefs and good^ 
 nefs revealing its beauty and glory mod then, 
 when all things elfe do fhrink and fade. 
 
 We fee the happinefs that fprings from our 
 conformity and fubjedlion to 
 
 T1V0 general rules feafon ; and'tis eafvfrom thofe 
 
 /or attai7iing happt- , . , • r • 11 
 
 nefs inferred. two tnings, whereinelpecially, 
 
 I have declared the iinners de- 
 viation from reafon to confift, to infer, what 
 we muft do, if we will live rationally. Firfl:, 
 We muft propofe to ourfehes a wife and rational 
 end of life. Secondly, We muft purjue this end 
 with life and fpirit and conftancy. Thefe, I lay 
 down as the mod comprehenllve rules for the 
 attainment of happinels : I will therefore fay 
 fomething of each, but briefly and in general 
 terms, as the nature of this treatife requii-es, 
 
 Firfl^ We muft propofe to ourfMves a ratio- 
 nal and wife end of life i that is, the true hap- 
 pinels of a rational creature : When we have 
 done this, when our undcrftandings are fuly 
 convinced and perfuaded oi the excellence and 
 neceffityof it, and when v\'e have poiTeiTed our 
 minds with a facred reverence, a firm and de-. 
 voat lovefor it; this, like the eaftern ftar to 
 the Mas^i, will lead us through all the wind- 
 ings and turnings of this life to Bethlehem and 
 happinefs: this will foon difengage us from that 
 labyrinth of contradidious defires and wild 
 opinions, in which the fool and linney is end- 
 Jefly entangled. When we have done this, 
 we fliall find every place a fchool, every one 
 we cgnverfe with a tutor, and every pafiage 
 
 of 
 
after Happiness. 233 
 
 of our life, or another's, full of inftruc^ion : 
 not a look, whether chearfiil or melancholy ; 
 not a word, whether wife or fooliQi ; not a 
 figh, that an oppreffed heart vents 3 not a joy, 
 that fmiles in the face, but will teach us phi- 
 lofophy, iLew us the ufe and beauty of di- 
 vine truth and divine virtue : for in the vicious 
 we (hall fee whatfalfe and fading pleafures, what 
 idle fears, v/hat vain forrows, falfe principles, 
 and the tyranny of fin fills the minds with: in 
 the good we fliall fee what true peace virtue cre- 
 ates in the mind, whatconftancy and majefty in 
 the life, what courage and hopes it infpires in 
 a<flidion, what magnanimity and humility in 
 prefperity, and, in a word, what light, what 
 ferenity it difuffes thro' the whole man : wefhall 
 fee in many inftances every day what the mif- 
 chief of irrational defires and ungovernable pa{^ 
 iions are ; and, on the contrary, how great the 
 advantages, how charming the beauty of truth 
 and virtue, of wifdom, and due government, 
 and regulation of our paffions : nor is the in- 
 ftrudion and illumination of our underftanding 
 promoted by every accident which falls under 
 our obfervation, and by all forts of people with 
 whom we converfe: the only advantage which 
 we Hiall reap from the prefixing ourfelves a ra- 
 tional end of life, and the polfefling our fouls 
 with the love of it (for v/hen we have done this, 
 we (hall be a6^ually freed from the greater part 
 at leaft of the troubles and calamities of life;) 
 v/e (hall be raifed above all fenfelefs, filly defires, 
 and confequently above all fenlile^s, filly vexations 
 
 and 
 
2 34- ^^ Etiqiiiry 
 
 and griefs, and unmanly complaints: for when 
 we hiivc fct our hearts upon true and rational 
 happinefs, howunnccefTary, nay, howdefpicable 
 will moft of thefe things appear which we now 
 admire and covet : we fl-jail not then think it 
 reafoiiable to figh and toil for this houfe, or that 
 land, for this preferment, or that trade, this ho- 
 nour or that beauty; for thefe are no eflential, 
 no neceffary ingredients of a rational happinefs. 
 Nor is this allj thy joys and pleafures will grow 
 and increafe upon thee; for by approaching 
 every day nearer and nearer to thy great end, 
 tliou wih be wonderfully furprifed with freih 
 delight, whilfl thou doll behold the fruit of thy 
 travail, the advantage of thy philofophy, and the 
 daily increafe of thy wealth : thou wilt fee thy- 
 felf, like a thriving plant, grow up daily more 
 ftrong and beautiful : the toil of other forts to 
 TiO happy end. The covetous man grows not 
 richer by heaping up, nor the ambitious man 
 greater by rifing higherj or, at lead, neither 
 grows happier by being either richer or greater: 
 but thou wik every day grow wifer by fludy, 
 more virtuous by pradice, and calmer and hap- 
 pier by both. O ! to what a height and perfec- 
 tion will thy pleaf'ure rife, when chy ftore ihall 
 grow big encjugh tofeafland entertain, not thy- 
 felfonly, but all men elfe ; when the thirOy 
 fliall come and drink at thy ftreams, and the 
 fcorched fliall refrefti themfelves under thy 
 ihade; when thou, led by the fame Spirit with 
 our great Lord and Mafter, (halt open the eyes of 
 the blind, and the ears of the deaf, fhall caft out 
 
 devilSj 
 
after Happiness. 235 
 
 devils, and ftrengthen the feet of the lame ; I 
 mean, when thou (halt teach the fooliih wifdom; 
 when thou (halt perfuade and charm the obfli- 
 nate ; when thou (halt deliver the unclean and 
 pafllonate from the evil fpirits, the vices that 
 pofTefs them ; and when ihou (halt teach the 
 enflaved and impotent (inner how to overcome 
 the world, the (iedi and the devil ; thou wilt 
 then indeed, as thou art the image, fo do the 
 works of God ; thou wilt be a heavenly and ti- 
 tular, tho' mortal, angel amongft men j and 
 wherever thou doft, there wildom, and virtue, 
 and happinefs will dwell too. But to attain to 
 this fl:ate, 'tis not only nece(rary to prefix our- 
 felves a rational end of life : but alfo, 
 
 Secondly^ We muft purfue this end with life, 
 and fpirit, and conftancy. It is not a good fit, 
 or a devout pafTion, that will make us either 
 virtuous or happy ; there muft go more than 
 thiy to conquer an ill habit, or implant a good 
 one : 'tis not one brifk fally, or one warm 
 charge, that will fubdue the world and fie(h, 
 and put us into an entire poffciTion of victory 
 and fecurity : no, when warmth and paflion 
 have made a profperous imprefTion on the ene- 
 my, a fober patience mufl make good the 
 ground we have gained ; a fleady and refolved 
 courage muft urge and prefs the advantage to 
 an ifilie : without vigour, patience and conflan- 
 cy, to carry us ftill forwards, the warmth and 
 pafTion with which we begin the courfe of vir- 
 tue, will ftand us in little ftead. Ah ! how 
 many have march'd out of Egypt, and perifh'd 
 in the wildernefs ! How many have wrecl^ed 
 
 within 
 
23^ -^^ inquiry 
 
 within fight of fhore ? How many have lo(l 
 their reward of repentance by their relapfe and 
 revolt ? How many have fallen by negligence, 
 fecurity, and floth, into that wretched fiate, out 
 of which they had once deliver'd themfelveg 
 bycourayje, rer)la'-ioti, and ielf-denia) ? Nor is 
 the neceflity of vigour, patience, and conftancy, 
 in our purfuitof happinefs, the only m .>t:ve to 
 it; the certainty of fuccefs, and the grea nefs 
 and eminence of the advantages .^'hich atiend 
 it, are fufficient to animate and encourage any 
 man that ferioufly confiders it. The labour 
 and hope of the hulbandman is loft, unlefs the 
 fruitful earth and fruitful feed be blefs'd with 
 fruitful feafons too: the trade of the merchant 
 is properly but adventuring, and his increafe 
 depends as much on the winds and waves, 
 and other as uncertain chances, as on his own 
 ikill and difu^ence : fortune muft aflift the 
 courage and the condu(fl; of theic^iuier, or elfe 
 poverty and diihonour will be the r-'nly pur- 
 chafe of his blood and hazard; but it fares not 
 thus with m;in in his purfLiIt of happinefs. 
 The traffick of the philofopher depends not 
 upon winds nor tide ; the feeds of virtue, if 
 the ground be well cultivated, will thrive in 
 any weather, and fometimes better in ftorms 
 than funfliine; and, finally, the fuccefs of our 
 conflicts againft: fin and mifery depends not on 
 our fortune, but our courage and our induftry. 
 How unfpeakable a pleafure is it now to think 
 that we cannot be difappointed in our travels, 
 nor defeated in our hopes, while we labour for 
 virtue and happinefs^ if our endeavours be fin- 
 
 cere 
 
after Happiness. 237 
 
 cere and perfevering, our fuccefs is certain and 
 unqueftionable: but what an acceffio.-i doih this 
 pleafure receive, when we confider, wi at will 
 be the glorious fruit of this fuccefs, tranquillity, 
 chearfulnefsjgreacnefs, an.i enlargement of foul; 
 indolence, pleafure, life, immortality, fecurity, 
 and, in one word, happinefs. O glorious re- 
 ward of our conflict, and our vidlories! What 
 neither wealth, nor greatnefs, nor honour, nor 
 crowns j what neither blood, nor toil, nor cun- 
 ning, nor fortune, can give ! that rational and 
 lincere endeavours after wifdom and virtue, will 
 give the meaneft man upon earth, that is, hap- 
 pinefs! O blefled iflue of philofophical, that is, 
 truly Chriftian travail ! The rich, the great, the 
 honourable, the mighty, may complain even of 
 their fuccefs, and repent them of the purchafe 
 they have made at too dear a rate j but the phi- 
 lofopher, the Chriftian, can never repent of the 
 fuccefs of his fludy, his felf-denial, his patience, 
 his prayers : for how is it poffible to complain 
 of being happy, or repent of being wife and 
 virtuous ? There is nothing empty, nothing evil, 
 nothing mean, nothing uncertain, in true wif- 
 dom, in rational happinefs. 
 
 This brief and general account of happinefs, 
 and of the way to it, does naturally infl:ru<5t 
 us how we are to treat the body, and what it 
 is that a rational education and wife converfa- 
 tion ought to defign and aim at. If our confor- 
 mity to reafon be either the happinefs of this 
 prefent life, or the immediate caufe of it (for 
 I will not trouble myfelf with nice and fubtle 
 
 dif- 
 
238 An Enquiry 
 
 diftlndlons in moral difcourfes) then 'tis plain 
 that we are obliged to fuch a kind of difcipline 
 and government of ourfelves, as may render 
 the body mod obfequious to the mind, and 
 may exalt and eftablilh the power and domi- 
 nion of reafon ; for whatever tends to obfcure 
 our undcrftanding, to enfeeble the will, to 
 cherilli our fenfual inclinations, and augment 
 their force and violence, doth fo far necedarily 
 tend to deprave the nature of man, and to fub- 
 vert and overthrow his happinefs : and from 
 hence it appears, that the excellence of educa- 
 tion conhfts in poffelUng the minds of youth 
 with thefe principles, with true notions of good 
 and evil : and informing: and mouldino: their 
 minds into an efteem and veneration for wif- 
 dom and virtue. The firft virtue I conceive a 
 child capable of, is obedience, and this is in- 
 deed the foundation of all virtue : to this let 
 himbeinur'd and train'd up betimes: he that 
 finds it eafy to obey another's reafon, will not 
 find it difficult to obey his own ; for when the 
 judgment comes to be formed and ripened, 
 when it comes to exercife its authority, it will 
 find a bo'vly not ufed to give, but receive com- 
 mands. From this virtue of obedience, he is 
 to be led gently on to a rational and voluntary 
 choice of what is good j he mail: be taught 
 gradually, not only this plain duty, but the 
 motives to it ; for it is as necefiary to his hap- 
 pinefs that he (liould love, as that he fliould 
 know his dutv. But this we llrive in vain to 
 inftil by art and inftrudtion, if w^e do not inftil 
 
 it 
 
after Happiness. 239 
 
 it by the influence and authority of wife and 
 excellent examples too. 
 
 As to converfation, 'tis plain, that it ought to 
 be the practice of thofe virtues which a pious 
 education inftill'd ; and that we ought to have 
 no lefs reverence for our reafon, when we are at 
 our own difpofal, and under our own govern- 
 ment, than we had for the authority of our pa-' 
 rents, when we are under theirs. What ought 
 to be the tie and ligaments of friendlhip, what 
 the rules of converfation, and what the great 
 endsof fociety. is abundantly manifeft from the 
 nature of that happinefs which it behoves us to 
 propofe as the great end of life : what is the 
 great end of man, ought to be the defign of fo- 
 ciety 3 and therefore 'tis plain, that wifdom and 
 virtue ought to be the foundation and bond of 
 thofefriendfliips which we enter into, voluntary 
 and of choice j that converfation iliould be fo 
 regulated that we m.ay grow by it more wife 
 and virtuous ; or at lead, that our difcourfe, if 
 it be not profitable, fhould be innocent; and 
 that we (hould do and fay nothing in company, 
 Vv'hich we Ihould have reafon to blu{h at, or re- 
 pent of in private. 
 
 I have now iiniflied this difcourfe, v^^hich I 
 delit^n'd only as an introduction or preparative 
 for thofe vvhich are to follow : I do not think 
 that 'tis now necefiliry for me in a pathetick con- 
 clufion, to perfuade men to endeavour to be 
 happy. The defires of happinefs are infeparablq 
 from all beings ; at leaftwife, 'tis impollible to 
 be rational, and not defire to be happy. If I 
 
 have 
 
240 An "Enquiry^ &c. 
 
 have therefore fufficiently prov'd, that 'tis pof- 
 iible to be happy j and if I have fbevved that a 
 diligent enquiry, a vigorous and perfevering in- 
 duftry is necellary to the attainment of it; if I 
 have pointed out the general caufes of human 
 mifery, and together with them their general 
 cure and remedy; 1 have done enough to en- 
 kindle thofe defires, and beget thofe refolutions 
 in my reader, which, if they do not make him 
 actually happy, will at leaft difpofe and prepare 
 him for a further enquiry after happinefs; 
 which was the utmofl: dciign of thefe papers. 
 I have therefore nothing more to put him in 
 mind of now but this, That as I do all along 
 fuppofc the grace of God neceffary to fecond 
 and enforce our reafon ; fo I would ever be un- 
 derftood to urge and prefs tl>e neceffity of our 
 prayers, as much as that of our endeavours ; 
 the fervency of the one, as much as the fince- 
 ritvof the other. 
 
 END of P A R T 1. 
 
HUMAN LIFE; 
 
 BEING A 
 
 SECOND PART 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 ENQUIRY 
 
 AFTER 
 
 HAPPINESS 
 
 By R I C H A R D LUCAS, D. D. 
 
 Late Prebendary of Wejlminjier. 
 
 The Tenth Edition. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. B u c k l a n d, J. R i v i n g t o n, 
 G. Keith, R. Baldwin, W. Johnston, 
 S. C R o w D E R, T. Longman, B. Law, 
 M. Richardson, and M. Fuller. 1764. 
 
THE 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 Part the Second. 
 
 nr'nE introduction. Page I 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the true twtion of human life, 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Life a great blejjing in itfelf Proves a great evil 
 to feme. And why, Happinefs periedl only 
 in heaven, p. r. 
 
 CHAP. IL 
 
 Liife^ what in a natural fenfe^ what in a moral, 
 Lifsy perfeBion^ and enjoyment^ infeparably 
 united. More particularly ^ life confifts not in 
 floth, fenfuality, worldlinefs, devilijhnefs ; but in 
 the regulation of all our aBiom according to 
 right reafon, p. 9, 
 
 R 2 H A p. 
 
The Contents. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Inferences drawn from the former chapter. Firft, 
 T^o cultivate our reajon. The ufe of which is 
 more -particularly infiftedon with refpeB to three 
 things \ that is, the employing ourfacidties, the 
 hearing evil, and enjoying good. Secondly, To 
 renounce every thing that oppofesit-, as fancy y 
 pajjion, example, cufiom. Thirdly, That 'tis 
 impoffibk to be happy in every fate. Fourthly, 
 That a long life is a great hlejfing, conjiderd 
 either in itfelf or with refpe5l to the life to 
 come. p. 21. 
 
 SECT. II 
 
 Of the different kinds of life. P* 32' 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The conveniencies and the inconveniencies of the 
 aBive and contemplative life. The aSiive more 
 necefary. The fever al grounds on which men 
 determine their -choice, that is, interefi, provi- 
 dence, i?2clination, 6cc. ?• 33* 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the civil life, or the adlive life of a gentleman. 
 
 Sedt. I . The ge?2tlemans obligaiions to an aBive 
 life, from the confideration of what he owCsto 
 God, to his country, to himfelf The aBive life 
 not injurious to the gmkmans pre-eminence^ 
 
 liberty. 
 
The Contents. 
 
 liberty i pleafure, Sedt. 2. T^he regulation of 
 the civil life, i. e. the knowledge . and virtues 
 neceffary to this fort of life. The conftancy re- 
 quired throughout the whole courfe of the gen- 
 tleman s life. Some vacations from bufmefs 
 necejjary^ and to what ends. p. 37. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the trading or negoclating life. 
 
 Se(5l. I . B^ules relating tofuccefs in trade. FirH:, 
 That the trader be indujirious. Secondly, That 
 he be not above his profefion. 
 
 Sedl. 2. Rules relating to his religion. Firfl, The 
 trade muji be a lawful one. Secondly, // mujl 
 he managed with juftice^ truth, and charity. 
 Thirdly, It muft not interfere with religion. 
 Fourthly, The trader ought topropofe to himfelf 
 wife and rational ends ; fuch as are a compe- 
 tency for himfelf and family ; the charitable 
 ajjijlance of others ; timely retirement or retreat 
 from the bujile and dijlraSiion of too much 
 buftnefs, P- 73• 
 
 C H A P. IV. 
 Of a contemplative life. 
 
 "For whom this chapter is defgnd-, ^what kind of 
 life is to be iinderflood by a contemplative one. 
 Se(5t. I . The ends or reafons warranting the 
 choice of fuch alife\ Firji, Enjoyment: Secondly^ 
 Self-prefervation from the affaults of tempta- 
 tion : Thirdlyy The better Jerving the urorld : 
 
 Fourthly, 
 
The Contents. 
 
 Fourthly y A more entire dedication of one's [elf 
 to God. Sed:. 2. The conditions, or qualifica- 
 tions necejfary to ^contemplative life: Firjl, 
 A plentiful fortune : Seco?idly, A peaceable 
 and humble difpofition : Thirdly, A good 
 underftanding. Sedt. 3. The regulation of a 
 contemplative life; ivith refpeB, Firft, To 
 time : Secondly, To place : Thirdly, To the 
 cxercife or employment oj a retir'd life : The 
 conclufion, containing the pkajure and hap- 
 ^/«^} o/'tf centemplative life. p. 93. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Of the right hufbanding or prolotjging life. p. 123 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The ufual arts of prevent i Jig or retarding the decays 
 of nature, and leffening the fears of death, ex- 
 ploded ; and better fubjii luted in their room. 
 Phyfick, injieadof ivhich, courage and contempt 
 of death. Paint, &c. injlead of which, the 
 beauties of the mind. Children, injiead oj which, 
 good works, and fo forth. Surviving honour 
 not wholly rcjedled, but a true immortality 
 prej erred. p. 124 
 
 C H A P. II. 
 
 Of lengthening life. 
 
 Se6t. K 77^^ fiitality of the period of life refuted. 
 And objeclions Jrojn Jcripture,fro?n afirological 
 
 predi&ions^ 
 
The Contents. 
 
 frediBions, from divi7je prefciejice^ anfivered, 
 A fort of J ate admitted. Sed:. 2. Of the ways 
 of prolonging life. Fir ft, Chearjidnefs of mind. 
 Secondly, Health of body. Thirdly, Thepro- 
 tedtion of God and man. Se<ft. 3. XJbjeilions 
 againjl this laft affertion from fuch textSy as 
 afjert the promifcuous events of things^ and 
 
 from the early death jometimes of the righteous y 
 anfwered. p. 132 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of improving life, or Hving much in little time. 
 
 What is to be underjlood by improving or exalting 
 lifiy and the advantages of this 72ot ion* Three 
 waysof improviiiglije. Sed:. i. By perfeSfing 
 nature. Man and life mean things^ tiUivifdom 
 and virtue f amp a value on the?n. This parti- 
 cularly exemplified with refped: to knowledcre, 
 and the due regulation of the affedions. Sed:. 2 . 
 By beginning to live betimes, or at leaf imme- 
 diately. No objeclion againfl becoming pref'ently 
 wife and happy, but the dtficuhy of becoming fo. 
 An exhortation-, addreffed, Firjl^ To the young-. 
 Secondly y To thofe advancd in years. Clofed 
 with a reflexion on the day of judgment, Sed. •? . 
 By avoiding all thofe things that are injurious 
 to life i as foth, impertine?2ce, remijhefs, or 
 coldnefs in religion ; levity and incon/lancy. 
 Some other dire5iiom dtf erred to the following 
 treatifes. p. jrg 
 
 HUMAN 
 
[ I } 
 
 HUMAN LI 
 
 O R, A 
 
 SECOND PART 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 Enquiry after Happiness. 
 
 The Introduction. 
 
 AM not ignorant, that dedications 
 and prefaces, if they have in them 
 a genius of eloquence ; if they 
 iparkle with wit and fancy ; if they be 
 enrich 'd with fenfe, and animated by 
 lAoving and vital language ; are like 
 graceful acceffes, and beautiful fronts to 
 buildings ; vv^hich, while they raife in the 
 beholder a fecret delight, do prcDoflefs 
 him with favourable opinions of them: 
 but this being only a continuation of a 
 Vol. I. S former 
 
2 The INTRODUCTION. 
 
 former treatife ; and having Httle en- 
 couragement, either from my humour 
 or talents, to any attempt of that kind, 
 I fhall never fuffer myfelf to be un- 
 neceflarily engaged in it. I will there- 
 fore in this place only give a fhort ac- 
 count of what I have performed in the 
 firfl: volume, and defign in this. In the 
 jirjl feEiion I fhew'd, that happinefs was 
 neither fo great and divine a pofTeffion, 
 as to be above the ambition of man ; Jior 
 fo inconfiderable, as not to deferve it : 
 and next, that it was not to be expected 
 irom time or chance, fancy, or inclina- 
 tion • but from reafon and induftry, 
 virtue and religion. In xh^fecond^ hav- 
 ing firft briefly ftated the notion of 
 happinefs, I endeavoured to demon- 
 ftrate the poffibility of obtaining it, and 
 to refcue fo important a truth from the 
 prejudice and objedtions that might 
 ftifle and opprefs it. In the thirds I 
 juft pointed out the caufes of human 
 mifery, or of unfuccefsfulnefs in this en- 
 quiry, and the remedies of it. 
 
 Having thus removed whatever might 
 diibourage or fruftrate our endeavours 
 
 after 
 
The Introduction. 3 
 
 after happinefs, I am now to proceed 
 to a more ftricSt and particular examina- 
 tion of the nature of it, and the ways 
 and methods that lead to it. In which 
 I am obliged, according to the general 
 defign or fcheme laid down in the for- 
 mer volume, to treat of Life^ Perfec- 
 tio7t^ hidolence^ and Fruitmi : accord- 
 ingly I here begin with J^ife 3 and, di- 
 viding this book into three JeEiionSy I 
 vt^ill, in the /^y?, difcourfe of the true 
 Notion of Human Life; in xhtfecondy 
 of the right condudl or regulation of 
 two different kinds of life, adtive and 
 contemplative ; in the thirds of the 
 right hufbanding of human life, by 
 prolonging and improving it. 
 
 S 2 SECT- 
 
[5 ] 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the true Notion of LIFE. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Life a gredt Blcjjing in iifelf. Proves a great 
 Eviltofome^ and why. Happinefs perjeif only 
 in Heaven, 
 
 "^ H O U G H life renders us capable of 
 pain as well as pleafure, yet has it ever 
 been valued as the richefl: bleffing ; 
 the love of it is the earliefl: and the 
 flrongeft principle in us; it moves the infant be- 
 fore he knows how to rate the oleafures of life, 
 or can apprehend any evil in death : it grows no 
 to ftrength and maturity in man, and is the fo- 
 vereign paffion in him, to v;hich all the reft pay 
 homage : Jliin for /kin, and all that a man has 
 'Will he give for his life: age does very little 
 diminifli it, and mifery itfelf cannot extinguifll 
 it. Nor does this paffion want the fuffrage of the 
 wifeft and the greatefl men, or the approbation 
 of God : for one chief defign of fociety and 
 government, of laws and armc, is the protec- 
 tion of life: and God, who bed: underfcood the 
 bent cf human nature, has prooos'd, as the bia^ 
 
 S 3 geil 
 
6 Of the true Notion 
 
 geft blelTing and powerfuleft motive to obedi- 
 ence, a long life (I examine not now what it 
 farther prefigur'd) under theOldTeftament, and 
 an eternal one under the New. And for all this 
 there is plain reafon : for life, if it be not, when 
 rightly underflood, happinefs itfelf, yet is it 
 furely the foundation of it ; and the foundation 
 in a building, if it be not as beautiful as upper 
 flories, yet is ever as neceflary. I wonder not 
 therefore, that the fentence of death (liook the 
 piety of Hezekiah, and the courage of Saul ; 
 fo that the one ivcpt fore^ and the other fell to 
 the ground. 
 
 But to all this will it not be objeded : Alas ! 
 How many are there, who all their days are no 
 more fenfible of the good of life, than of the 
 pleafures and repafts of a dream : who being 
 come to threefcore years and ten, that is, to die, 
 do not yet underftand what it is to live ? Ah \ 
 How many, which is yet worfe, to whom life 
 is a burden, and yet death a terror : who when 
 they are to give back the breath of life, have 
 juft reafon to wilb they had never received it, 
 and to curie the day that they were born ? And 
 do not Elijahy yob, Soknion, Jeremy, EfdraSy 
 and many others, great and good men, talk 
 of life at a different rate from what I here do ; 
 and reprefent it to us under another notion, and 
 quite contrary chamder ? Better is the day of 
 dealhy than the day of ones birth. Let the 
 day perijh nvherein 1 ivas born, and the night 
 ivberein it was faid^ Tljere is a man-child 
 conceived. The refledion of Efdras on the 
 common mifery of mankind, has as much 
 
 weight 
 
^ H U M A N L I F E. y 
 
 weight and fenfe as ^c/^'s on his own has paf- 
 fion : For what profit is it for then liow in this 
 prefent time to live in heavihefsj and after 
 death to look for punijhme?it ? Thefe, and fuch 
 likepaflages, we meet with every where; which 
 feem to give us no very taking idea of life. To 
 this I anfwer ; 'tis with life, as with all other 
 bleffings ; the right ufe of it is our happinefs, 
 the abufe of it our mifery. There is nothing 
 in the nature of the thing that implies evil or 
 trouble ; nor has it any neceflary and inevitable 
 tendency to it. We mufl not therefore efti- 
 mate a bleffing by the mifchief it occafions to 
 fuch as pervert and abufe it ; nor by the com- 
 plaints, which human frailty fometimes forces 
 from wife and good men in a melancholy fit ; 
 or finallyj by the reflecftions they fometimes 
 m.ake, not on the intrinfick worth, or natural 
 tendency of life, but on the evils which flow 
 from the corruption or depravation of it. 'Tis 
 true, when all is faid, heaven is the proper re- 
 gion of happinefs ; there it dwells in its glory 
 and majefty, in all its fulnefs and excellence: but 
 what then ? Becaufe perfed:ion does properly be-^ 
 long to heaven, is there no virtue upon earth ? 
 Becaufe all things itre in their maturity and con- 
 fummation there, fiiall we deny that there is any 
 fweetnefs or beauty here ? Jufl fo muft we think 
 of the happinefs of this, in comparifon of that 
 of another world ; it is here in its infancy; we 
 do {lumber, and are fcarcely ever fully awake : 
 wc fee little, penetrate and comprehend lefs ; 
 and we move very feebly and unfteadily: but 
 all this while we grow up to flrength, we ad- 
 
 S 4 vance 
 
8 Of the true Notion 
 
 advance towards perfedion, our joints grows fir- 
 mer, our flature increafes, our underftanding 
 dawns towards day, and our afFcd:ions are gra- 
 dually animated with a more generous and lad- 
 ing heat : fo that all this while this infant ftate 
 of happinefs is pleafant and promiling; and 
 every ftep in the whole progrefs towards per- 
 fe(flion, prefents us with frefh beauties and de- 
 lights : but I know no body fo fantaftick, as to 
 defpife the prefent life, becaufe it is not equal 
 to that above : and he that thinks there is none 
 above, fets the more value on this, becaufe he 
 has nothing more or farther to expedt. I will 
 not therefore fpend any more time in endea- 
 vouring to prove life a valuable bleffing ; but 
 rather proceed to (hew how every man may 
 really make it fuch to himfelf ; which, I think, 
 I cannot morecompsndioufly do, than by bat- 
 ing the true notion of human life: for as our 
 mifery flows from the abufe, and our happinefs 
 from the ri?ht ufe of life: fo does the abufe 
 from falfe, and the right ufe from true notions 
 of it. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
^HumanLife. 9 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Life, what in a natural fenfe, 'what in a moral. 
 
 Life, FerfeUion, and Eiijoyment, infeparably 
 
 united. More particularly, life confijU not in 
 
 Jloth, fenjualiiy, worldlinefs, "devilijhnejs j but 
 
 ' in the regulation of all our aBions according 
 
 to right reafon. 
 
 LIFE may be confider'd, either in a natural 
 or moral fenfe : in the former acceptation, 
 what it is, is an enquiry very abftrufe and intri- 
 cate ; like the Egyptian Nile, tho' its ftreams 
 be vifible to every eye, its fource or fountain is 
 concealed j. or hke grace, though we feel its 
 enert^y, and tafte its fruits, yet we cannot dif- 
 cover and define its elTence : but to carry our 
 difcovery thus far, is accuracy enough in moral 
 difcourfes, whofe end is not fpeculation, but 
 happinefs. 
 
 Life then, whatever it be in the fountain and 
 eflence, as far as we can difcern it, is nothing 
 elfe but that force and vigour which moves and 
 ads the man : and to live, fpeaking in a natu- 
 ral fenfe, is to exert the powers and faculties of 
 nature : according to which account of life, 'tis 
 capable of as many notions, as are the different 
 offices it performs : 'tis fenfe and motion in the 
 body ; 'tis perception and fancy in the imagina- 
 tion ; 'tis knowledge in the underftanding ; and 
 love and hate, with all their train and retinue 
 of pafTions, in the heart or foul. 
 
 Now 
 
Id Of the true Notion 
 
 Now, becaufe all morality confifls in the 
 right ufe of thofe bleilings which our great and 
 bountiful Author confers upon us i therefore in 
 a moral fenfe, the true life of man is nothing 
 elfe but the right ufe ot our whole nature -, an 
 adive employing it in its due functions and of- 
 fices, a vigorous exercife of all our powers and 
 faculties, in a manner fuitable to the dignity and 
 defic^n, frame and conditution of our beings. 
 To live then, in a moral fenfe, is to know and 
 contemplate, to love and purfue that which is 
 the true good of man ; this is the life of the 
 tinderftanding, will, affecftions, and of the whole 
 man: and whatever ad:s of ours are not fomc 
 way or other converfant about truth and good- 
 nefs, are not properly a6ls of human life, but 
 deviations from it. 
 
 And here I cannot chufe but paufe a litde, to 
 admire and magnify the infinite wifdom and 
 goodnefs of the almighty Architect, who has 
 contriv'd an infeparable connexion and ne- 
 ceflary dependence between life, perfedion, and 
 fruition ; every rational aft, every right ufe or 
 exertion of our natural powers and faculties, as 
 it is of the elTence of moral life, fo does it con- 
 tribute to the improvement and perfection of 
 our beings, and to the pleafure and felicity of 
 our ftate : for perfe6lion is the refult of fuch 
 repeated adls, and pleafure of our entertaining 
 ourfelves with proper and agreeable objedls. 
 Happy man!' to whom to live, iinprove and 
 enjoy, is the fame thing j who cannot defeat 
 God's goodnefs and his own happinefs, but by 
 perverting his nature, and depraving his facul- 
 ties j 
 
^ Hu M A N L.I F E. I<5t 
 
 ties ; but by making an ill ufe, or none at all, 
 of the favours and bounties of God. 
 
 If we examine this notion of life more 
 clofely and diftindly, and refolve this general 
 account of it into feveral particulars, we fl:iall 
 eafily arrive at a fuller and clearer comprehen- 
 fion of it. 
 
 Firjl, It is evident from this account of life, 
 that it does not con fill mjloth, in the mere 
 marriage or cohabitation of foul and body j in 
 mere duration or continuance in this world. So- 
 lomon, indeed, out of a natural abhorrence of 
 death, tells us, Truly light is fweef, mid a pie a- 
 fant thi?2g it is to behold the fun^ Eccl. xxvii. 
 Something it isj if we muft call it pleafure, 
 'tis but a faint and low one, fuch as all the ir- 
 rational creatures, but bats and owls, and 
 moles, are capable of; but according to my 
 philofophy, it can never deferve the name of 
 life; he that poffefTes vital powers and facul- 
 ties, is in a capacity of life ; but he only that 
 exerts them, lives. To live, is not to fpend 
 or wafte our time, but to employ it : 'tis a la- 
 mentable hiftory of life, when it can all be fum- 
 ed up in the i(t\w fyllables of a funeral rino ; 
 he liv'd to, or rather, as it is wont to be ex- 
 prefled, he died fuch a day of the month, fuch 
 a year of his age ; for indeed he lived not at all. 
 Life is a mere dream ; not only on the account 
 of its (hortnefs, but alfoof its night and lethar- 
 gy, when fcupid ignorance confines and dims 
 the profpea, and fluggi(hnefs enfeebles all the 
 powers of the mind : vigour, and adivity, frui- 
 tion and enjoyment, make up life; without 
 
 thefe, 
 
1 2 Of the true Notioji 
 
 thefe, life is but an imperfed: embryo, a ming- 
 led twiligiit, that never will be day : the 
 images which the flothful form of things, are 
 faint and obicure, Uke pictures drawn in wa- 
 tery colours, and weak and imperfedt ftrokes j 
 and vanifh as eafy as thofe half founds and im- 
 perfedt forms which we take in between fleep 
 and waking; all their paffions move drowfily 
 and heavily, and all their entertainments have 
 no more reli{h than abortive fruit, which can 
 never be ripened into fweetnefs or beauty. 
 When I have obferved any one thus wafting 
 away a whole life, without ever being once well 
 awake in it^ pafling through the world, like a 
 heedlefs traveller, without making any reflec- 
 tions or obfervations, without any defign or 
 purpofe befeeming a man ; ah ! thought I, is 
 this that creature for which this great theatre 
 the world was made; for which it was fo a- 
 dorned and fo enriched ? Is this the creature 
 that is the epitome of the world, the top and 
 o:lorv of the vifible creation, a little inferior to 
 ang-els, and allied to God ? Is this machine 
 a(5led by a moving fiame, and by a wife and 
 immortal fpirit ? Ah ! how much is this poor 
 ufelefs ftupid thing funk beneath the dignity 
 and dcfign of its nature ! How far (liort is it 
 fallen of the glory to which God has deftin'd it ! 
 Shall this contem.ptible thing ever be admitted 
 to eternal life, who has fo wretchedly fooled 
 away this temporal one? or, Can crowns ar,d, 
 kingdoms be referved for one, who has been lo 
 ill a fteward of all thefc talents God has com- 
 mitted to him ? No furely ; I could upon the firll 
 
 thought 
 
(j/'HumanLife. 13 
 
 thought imagine, his fluggilli foul would va- 
 nifh like thofe of brutes; or, as the Stoics fan- 
 cy, thofe of fools: I could eafily imagine, that 
 it could lleep, not as fome fancy all fouls do, 
 to the refuiredion, but to all eternity. But 
 upon better confideration, I find this ignorant 
 •and incogitant life, is not fo innocent as to de- 
 ferve no vvorfe a fate: for is it a fmall crime to 
 live barren and unfruitful, endowed with fo 
 many talents ? to fruftrate the defign of our 
 creation ? to choke and ftifle all the feeds of a 
 divine life and perfedion ? to quench the grace 
 and Spirit of God? In a word, is it a fmall crime 
 to be falfe and perfidious to God, unjuft and 
 injurious to man ? No, it cannot be ; and there- 
 fore in a parable of our Saviour, whertin the 
 laft audit or day of accompts is reprefenteJ, the 
 llothful and wicked fervant fignify one and the 
 fame thing, and muft undergo one and the 
 fame fentence. 
 
 Secondly^ Life cannot confift in fenfual y ; 
 that is, in the mere carefTing our fenfes, or he 
 gratification of our carnal appetites. The a- 
 fons of this afiertion are evident from the ge- 
 neral notion of life. For firft, this is not the 
 exercife of the whole nature, but a part of it, and 
 that the inferior and ignobler too. Secondly, 
 it is not an employment fuitable to the dignity 
 of our nature. 
 
 Firji^ Senfuality employs only the meaner 
 part of us. St, Paul makes mention of the 
 outward and the inward man, and feems to 
 make up the whole man of fpirit, foul and 
 body: and fome, both divines and philofophers, 
 
 of 
 
14 Of the true Notion 
 
 of no fmall note, both modern and ancient, 
 have taught that there are two diftln(fl fouls 
 in man, a fenfitive and a rational one. If this 
 be fo, the fenfualift, though he feem fond of 
 life, does foolifhly contemn the better half of 
 it J and as much a flave to pleafure as he is, he 
 chufes to drink only the dregs, and lets the 
 pure ftreams of fprightly and delicious life pafs 
 by untafted : for, if there be a fenfitive and a 
 rational foul, there muft be a fenfitive and a 
 rational life too, diftind and different from one 
 another, and one as much elevated above the 
 other, as are the principles they flow from. 
 But whether this be fo or no, does not import 
 much : for it is plain, that life, whatever it be, 
 is like feed, which, according to the different 
 foil it is fown in, produces fruit more or lefs 
 rich and fucculent, more or lefs lufcious and 
 beautiful : here it fprouts forth hke the feven, 
 poor and lean j there like the feven, plump and 
 rich, ears of corn in Phat-aob's dream : and 
 fhould it by way of fidtion be fuppofed, that 
 one and the fame foul did communicate life to 
 men, beafl:s, and vegetables ; however life in 
 each would be equal to the dignity of its ori- 
 ginal, it would vaflly differ in its effeds and 
 operations : fo, whether life in man flow from 
 one or two diflind principles, it is evident 
 that its price and dignity varies according to 
 the different powers and faculties which it 
 moves and animates ; and by confequence, that 
 life, which difplays itfelf in the ads of our 
 rational part, will be as different from that 
 which confifts in fenfation, and the motions of 
 
 bodily 
 
of Human Life. 15 
 
 bodily appetites, as is the light that glitters in 
 a diamond, from that v/hich faintly imitates it 
 in a pebble ; the more numerous and the more 
 exquilite our faculties, the vafter is the empire of 
 life, and the more delicate and charming all its 
 functions and operations. How evident is this 
 in all the organs and fenfes of the body ? let 
 darknefs invade the eye, and deafnefs the ear, 
 and then within what narrow and fcanty 
 bounds is the bodily life reduced ? How few and 
 ignoble are the vital z6ts and operations of the 
 body ? how vile and contemptible are all the 
 fruits or inftances of a fenlitive life? If then 
 there be no fenfe or organ of the body fuper- 
 fluous, can we think the rational foul itfelf can 
 be fo ? if there be no power, no capacity of a 
 fenfitive foul, by which life is not enlarged or 
 enriched, mufl: we not needs conclude, that to 
 cxtinguifli the immortal fpirit within us, and, 
 as it were, to difcard all its powers and facul- 
 ties, mud needs be, to impoverifh, mutilate, 
 and ftifle it ? fince I have a foul as well as a bo- 
 dy ; lince the one is capable of converiing with 
 God and heaven, with truth and moral good- 
 nefs and perfedlion, as the other is of converf- 
 ing with this world of vifible objefts ; I cannot 
 but conclude, that to be deftitute of knowledge 
 and faith, of hope and love, is more injurious to 
 the life of man, than to be deaf or blind j that 
 llupidity or lethargy in the foul, fuch as renders 
 it altogether incapable of rational pleafure, is as 
 inconfiftent with the true life of man, as lethar- 
 gy or a dead palfy in the body can be; and to 
 be excluded from commerce with the invifible 
 
 worlds 
 
1 6 Of the true Notion 
 
 world, is as fatal to it, as to be debarred the 
 vifible one. From all this 'tis evident, that 
 whether we coniider life with refpedt to its ex- 
 cellence and dignity, or to its enlargement and 
 extenlioii, fenfuality is extremely injurious to 
 it in both reibecls : fo far doth it debafe and 
 contracft it, that I may boldly conclude, to 
 place life in fenfuality, is to renounce the much 
 more valuable and delightful part of it, to ba- 
 niih ourfelves the much better world, and to 
 rob ourfelves of a thoufand joys and pleafures 
 which we might reap from the rational powers 
 and faculties, that is, the noblefi: capacities 
 and endowments of our nature. Tho' this be 
 abundantly enough to evince, that life conlifts 
 not in fenfuality ; yet this being of the higheft 
 importance to human happinefs, I will pro- 
 ceed to the fecond argument againft it \ that 
 
 is, 
 
 Secondly. It is not confonant to the dignity 
 of human nature, or, which is all one, to the 
 defign of our beings, confpicuous in our frame 
 and conftitution. Who, that ever co.nfider'd 
 what fenfuality was, how narrow the extent 
 of fenfe, how mean and brutilh the pleafure 
 that terminates in it, what a corruption and 
 degeneracy it ends in ; who, I fay, that has 
 ever confidered thefe, and a thoufand things 
 more, can believe that fenfuality is an em- 
 ployment worthy of a man ? Is this the bufi- 
 nefs of a vaft and comprehenfive mind ? Is this 
 confiilent with ambitious defires of immorta- 
 lity, with unquenchable thirll of truth, with 
 a capacity of difcovering fpiritual excellencies, 
 
 an:d 
 
of Hu M A N L I F E. i''/ 
 
 £nd moral beauties and perfedions? Was it for 
 this v/e were endow'd with prcpenfions to v/or- 
 ihip and adore a Deity? What can be as much 
 as fancied, the ufe of wifdom, magnanimity, 
 confcience, fagacity, caution, fear, lorefight, and 
 anxious enquiries into future things and tim.es, 
 if fenfuality had been the only employment ds- 
 fign'd man? How much mort fit had we been 
 form'd for this end, if there had been in us no 
 reafon to check and controul us, no confcience 
 that could fill as with reo-ret for the Daft- or fear 
 for the future J no wifdom that could teach us, 
 that there wefe any thing above us, nor grcat- 
 nefs of mind that could reproach us for ftocping 
 to any thing beloW us? 
 
 Thirdly, 'Tis almofi: fuperfluous here to add; 
 that life confifts not in it'Orldliricfs or dcvilijh'- 
 flefs: As to the former of thefe, by which I mean 
 the cares and purfuits of the world, 'tis plain, 
 that to employ our time and faculties in this 
 alone, is not to live, but at beft to provide for 
 life. NecefTity may fometiities fvtbjedi us to 
 the drudgery and flavery of the world; but a 
 voluntary choice never fliculd. I know no 
 other difference between a mean fortune and 
 a great one, than this; that the great one fets 
 a man above thofc cares and toils, whigh the 
 mean one forces him to fubniit tO; that the' 
 one puts the fortiinate man into the immedi- 
 ate polTeflion of all the means and inflruments 
 of life, improvement and fruition, andoflei- 
 fure and opportunity to make \\{q of them -, 
 but the latter obliges the lefs fortunate mian to 
 purchafe thefe advantages with toil and fweaf, 
 
 Vol. I. ^ T folicitude 
 
1 8 Of the true Notion 
 
 folicitude and care : 'tis therefore an unpardon- 
 able wilfulnefs or blindnefs, whenever that 
 vaiTalage, which is the infelicity of the mean 
 man, is the choice of the rich and fortunate one. 
 Nor is it a more pardonable error in any, who 
 continue the drudgery and care when the ne- 
 cefTity is over; and voluntarily fufferall thedif- 
 advantages of a narrow fortune, even when they 
 Ivaveattain'd to a plentifulonej who never think 
 it time to begin to live, or to enjoy the fuccefs 
 of their cares and diligence: this is an abi'urdity 
 as grofs as his, who, after he has plow'd and 
 fow'd, fhould refufe to reapj or his, who hav- 
 ing, with much coft and labour, furnifh'd out 
 a plentiful table, fhould not at length find in 
 his heart to fall to and eat. 
 
 Life then confifts not in the abundance of the 
 things which a man poiTelTes; much lefs in the 
 vexation or toil of acquiring, fecuring, or in- 
 crcafino; them, which is that I intended bvii^or/^- 
 linefi : but leail of all can life conlifl: in ^evii- 
 ijimefs: that is, wrath, ftrife, revenge, pride, 
 and fuch like. This cannot be call'd the vi- 
 gour and adivity, but florm and agony of our 
 nature: this is a ftate, wherein the underftand- 
 ing is cover'd with a darkncfs of hell, that is, 
 ignorance of good and evil; and the paflions 
 are but furies unchain'd, and let loofe. 
 
 Fourthly, Having thus, by rcfolving particu- 
 larly concerning life, that it confids not either 
 in [floth or Jlmjtuiiity, ivorldihicfs or devilifinefs, 
 pointed out thofe fatal errors which mlflead 
 and feduce men from the paths of peace and 
 hapoinefs ; 'tis now time to fliew in the 
 
 ^V laO: 
 
^ Hum AN Li FE. 19 
 
 laft place, what it is, wherein life does more 
 immediately and particularly confift- that is, 
 in a vigorous and aBive employ me?2c of the 
 *whole man, according to the rides and diBcJcs 
 of right reafon. When I make reafon the di- 
 redorand guide of human life, when Iconfti- 
 tute it diaator over all the powers and paffions 
 of man, I do no more mean to exclude the aid 
 of revelation, and the Spirit of God, than whea 
 1 affirm the eye to be the ^uide of the body I 
 intend to deny the necefllty of light to ^ood 
 feyes, orbf fpedacles and collyriums to dim or 
 difturbed ones. The propofition thus guarded 
 wjII appear indifputable to any who fhall con- 
 fider the frame and make of man. That we 
 are rational creatures, is a truth never hitherto 
 controverted j ana that reafon is the fovcreign 
 lacu ty m us, appears from the univerfal appeal 
 of all fides and all feds, to its tribunal. Not 
 the virtuous and wife onlv, but the loofe and th- 
 Vicious plead the authority of reafon in defence 
 of their choice and anions: and in all the num- 
 beriels difputes that are in the world, though 
 bnlyone fide can have the warrant and coux-t?- 
 nance of reafon, yet all do pretend to it: fo that 
 though there be no power or authority vvhi-h in 
 reality is more frequently opnofed and violated 
 there 13 alfo none which is more unanimoufiy 
 owned, and univerfally acknowledged 3 asthei-1 
 Jore it is plain, from what has been difcourfed 
 be. ore, that life confifls not in vital powers 
 and faculties, but in the exercife and employ. 
 .mentofthem; fo is it as plain, that m this 
 we are not to follow the condud of fancy and 
 
20 Of the true Notion, 
 
 imagination, of lull: and paflion, but of reafon. 
 This is the right ufe of our natural gifts, which 
 diftinguifhes man from beafts, and men from 
 one another ; the hero from the caitiff and vil- 
 lain, the philofophcr from the fool, and the 
 faint from the fmner : in this confifts the order 
 and dignity of human nature; in this the beau- 
 ty and tranquillity of human life; and in this 
 the inward joy and peace of the mind of man. 
 This will be yet more manifefi: to whofoever 
 will take the pains to enquire what the office 
 of reafon is: 'tis this which teacheth us what 
 rank we hold among the creatures of God, what 
 ftation we fill in the world, what our relations 
 and dependencies are, what the duty and what 
 the hopes, what the benefit and what the plea- 
 lure that refult from each : 'tis this which pre- 
 fcribes all our powers and pailions, their order, 
 place and work; 'tis this which diftinguifhes 
 truth and falHiood, good and evil; 'tis this 
 which tills us with the knowledge, and enilames 
 us with the love of our fovereign happinefs, 
 and judges of the means and ways that lead to 
 it; and finally, 'tis this which teaches us tofet 
 a true rate aiid value upon all inferior things, 
 in proportion to their tendency, either to pro- 
 mote or obflructour fovereign good. Happy 
 therefore is that life where reafon is the fove- 
 reign arbitrator of all our adions, and where 
 the im.iginations and paffions, all the powers of 
 the foul, are yet fervants and inflruments of 
 reaibn. Happy this life; for it can neither 
 want pleafure to entertain it, nor bufinefs to 
 employ it: happy the foul which thus lives,; 
 
 for 
 
of Hu u A N Life. 2i 
 
 for it /hall never want comfort to fupport it, 
 hopes to encourage It, nor crowns to reward it: 
 For as it grows in wifliom and goodnefs, Co 
 mufl: it in favour wirh God and man ; and its 
 peace and tranquillity, its joys and expedations, 
 mufl: receive a proportionable increafe too. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Inferences draivn from the former chapter. 
 Firft, to cultivate our reafon. "The uje of 
 which is more particularly inffled on with 
 refpeB to three things, that is, the employ- 
 ing cur faculties, the hearing evils , and en- 
 joying good. Secondly, To renounce every 
 thing that oppofes it, as fancy, pafjion, ex- 
 ample, cufom. Thirdly, That ^tis poflbk 
 to be happy in every ftate. Fourthly, That 
 a long iffe is a great hlefing, confiderd ei- 
 ther in itfelf, or with refpeci to the life to 
 come. 
 
 "FT^Rom the notion of life thus dated, 'tis evi- 
 _|^ dent, frli. That our bafmefs is to culti- 
 vate and improve reafon : for this, as you have 
 feen, is to be the guide and fuperintendant of 
 all our powers and faculties, and the arbiter and 
 ^udge of all our aiftions: If the light that is in 
 you be darknefs, hoiv great is that darkneff 
 jVIatth. vi. 22. Vigour and activity, if reafon 
 do not fteer them, will but prove mifchievous 
 and fatal to us ; diligence and induftry them- 
 felves will ferve only to corrupt our nature, 
 T -^ avid 
 
2 2 Of the true Notio7i 
 
 and embroil cur lifej every deviation from rea- 
 fon, is d deviation from our true perfed;ion and 
 happinefsi the fool and the fmner d», in the 
 language of the fcripture, fignify the fame 
 thing, and io do fin and mifery. This is the 
 true original of all thofe mifchiefs which infefi: 
 the world, the negledt or contempt of right rea- 
 fon: 'tis this which makes our complaints fo 
 numerous and fo bitter ; 'tis this that makes us 
 fo weak and foft in adverfity, fo reftlefs and 
 little fatifefied, even in profperity itfelf; 'tis 
 this creates all thofe difaflers and difappoint- 
 ments, which make us often quarrel at provi- 
 dence, and curfe our fortune: the jolly of man 
 pevccrtcth his ivay, and his heart Jretteth a- 
 gainfl God, Prov. ^i\". 3. Well therefore did 
 the wife man advife, Prov. iv. 7. Wijdom is 
 the principal thing, therefore get luifdom 5 and. 
 ivith all thy getting, get iindcrjlanding. The 
 necefiity of this does eaHly appear from the 
 flighted: refledion upon the work or office of 
 reafon, of which I have o-iven a brief and 2"ene- 
 ral account before, much more for the ufe of 
 it, in three great points ; the employing our 
 faculties, the enjoyment of good, and tl:w2 
 bearing qI evil. 
 
 Firjl, The employing, ^c. The foul of 
 man, like a fertile field, (eems alike apt to pro- 
 duce either herbs or weeds; the faculties of it 
 are capable of being the inflruments of the 
 greateii: evil or the greatefl: good; the greatefl 
 good, if regulated and conducted by reafon ; 
 -the greatefl evil, if blindly and rafhly led by 
 •any other principle. What is the imagination 
 
 of 
 
^HuMAN Life. 23 
 
 of a fool, but a (hop of toys and trinkets, not 
 the laboratory of a philofopher, where a thou- 
 fand vain trifles and empty ideas flutter con- 
 fufedly up and down ? W hat is his memory, 
 but a receptacle and fink of fins and follies, of 
 mean and fliameful things and adions; not a 
 treafury of excellent truths, laid up like am- 
 munition and provifion for time both of peace 
 and war? What his heart, but the rendezvous 
 of a thoufand mutinous, violent and difhonour- 
 able lufts, which rend and tear him, worfe 
 than the devil in the gofpel the man pofTefs'd ? 
 Nay, what is even fancy and wit iifelf, if defti- 
 tute of found judgment and true reafon, but I 
 know not what fort of flafhes, which dazzle, 
 but do not guide, ferve for amufement, rather 
 than nourifhment and delight? and therefore the 
 author is very well paid, if he be praifed and 
 ftarved, which is generally his fate. In a word, 
 neither bufinefs nor diverfion can have in them 
 any thing truly nfeful or truly plealing, if they 
 be not regulated and condudled by right reafon ; 
 and all the difoofitions and faculties of our na- 
 tare vv'ill be, but either loft upon fooleries, or 
 abufed to our ruin. 
 
 Secondly^ The ufe of reafon is confpicuous \\\ 
 the fruition of good. Knowledge is like light 
 (lied upon the face of the world, which difco- 
 versallits various beauties and wondrous wealths 
 which, while darknefs cover'd them, were as 
 tho' they had not been. Without reafon we 
 fliall not be able to difcern nor value our own 
 happinefs, nor be fenfible of our bleffings and 
 ^oods, even tho' they croud and throng upon 
 T 4 us ; 
 
2 4- Of the true Notwi 
 
 US; without this, our very enjoyments will 
 prove iatal to our rcpofe, and we fhall meet 
 gall and wormwood in the bottom of our 
 draughts of plealure : for the turning away of 
 the fwjple jhall fay them^ and the profperity 
 cf fools Jhall d'^jlroy them^ Prov. i. 32. It re- 
 quires no rmali philofophy, either to render 
 bufinefs plealant, or pleafure innocent; either 
 to dilcharge thofe duties which a great birth or 
 eminent flatlon call men to, or to employ that 
 time which an ample fortune makes them en- 
 tirely mafters of; and to hulband a life of eafe 
 and enjoyment to the bed, and fill it with vir- 
 tue and honour. hh\ how often have I feen 
 tbs vigour of nature dillolv'd by pleafure, the 
 edge and fmenefs of its parts blunted by floth 
 and foftnefs? How often have I feen men ren- 
 der'd mean and contemptible by fuccefs and 
 profperity, for which they were not big enough ? 
 whereas had the mind been well cultivat- 
 ed and enrich'd with true wifdom, pleafure 
 and diverficn thcmfelyes had refin'd and recruit- 
 ed nature; and power, honour and plenty had 
 only placed worth aiid greatnefs in a better 
 light: Th.is is true in its proportion from the 
 Jowell: to the highell ftation: It requires fenfe 
 and rcafon to govern and enjoy prol'perity ; an 
 obfcure and narrow fortune is mofl: convenient 
 both to conceal and preferve a fool ; for plenty 
 and power, dignity and preferment, dobutex- 
 pofe him to fcorn and danger; and it were well 
 jf the poor creature could perifli, or fuffer 
 alone: but the mifchiefis, like a falfe and fandy 
 fouiidation, he overthrows the dcll^ns and in- 
 ter efts 
 
^Hua^anLife. 25 
 
 terefts that are built upon him, and mifernbly 
 betrays the confidence repos'd in him. But 
 how great foever the ufe of reafon be, as to 
 •the goods, it is no lefs in relation to the evils of 
 this world: for, 
 
 thirdly, Reafon is the pilot of human life, 
 and flears it lieadily through wild and tempef- 
 tuous feas, amidft the rocks and (helves of 
 lufl and fancy, fortune and folly, ignorance, 
 error, and a thoufand cheats and impoflures. 
 'Tis this alone that enables man to defpife ima- 
 ginary evils, and vanquifh real onesj it arms the 
 mind with true and lading magnanimity, fur- 
 nilhes it with folid comforts, and teaches it to 
 extradt life and health, virtue and wifdom out 
 of the madnefs and mutability of men and for- 
 tune, like antidotes and cordials out of things 
 poifonous and baneful in themfelves. It is not 
 now to be wonder'd at, after this account, how 
 imperfecl foever itbe, of the ufe of reafon (which 
 fufficiently fliews how eflential it is to the be- 
 ing, the ornament and felicity of huma>i life) 
 if I have refolv'd it to be the great bufinefs of 
 man to improve and cultivate it; furely all the 
 great men of the world, and all the infpired 
 ones, have been of my opinion : for their chief, 
 if not only defign, ever was, either to obtain 
 wifdom themfelves, or to propagate it amongft 
 others: and 'tis evident, that God himfelf has 
 ever carried on this one deii^n of advancino- 
 wildom amongft the fons of men. This is the 
 pre-emir-ence of his law above thofe of men, 
 that thefe reftraintheadions, but thofe enlighten 
 the ii^indi thefe punifh ofTences and crimes, 
 
 but 
 
2 6 Of the true Notio7i 
 
 but tbofe, by informing the judgment, and 
 ftrengthening the reafon of man, prevent the 
 commifTion of them, and direct and inftigate 
 him to the pradlice of virtue. This then is the 
 great work that God and man invite us to, that 
 we (liould make daily progrefs and proficiency 
 in knowledge and underftanding ; that ive 
 would incline our ears to ivij'dom^ and apply our 
 hearts to underjianding \ that we fjoiddfeek her 
 asfilver^ and ]e arch for her as for hid treafures : 
 and this is that which our nature and flate in- 
 vite us to: for our perfedtion and our pleafure, 
 our fuccefs and our fecurity, our repofe and 
 tranquillity, and in one word, our true happi- 
 nefs depends upon it. 
 
 Seco?iclly, It eafily follows from the right no- 
 tion of life, that we are to bid open defiance 
 to all thofe things which diredtly oppofe.or 
 fecretly undermine the authority of reafon, or 
 any way obftrud the free exercife of its pow^r 
 and fovereignty ; for 'tis to no purpofe to travail 
 and labour to advance reafon, if afterwards we 
 refufe to be governed and conducted by it : 
 Reafon, if we do not live by it, will ferve only 
 to increafe our fhame and guilt. St. Peter 
 thinks it better ?ien:er to have known the way 
 of righteoiifnefs, than after the knowledge of 
 it to turn from the holy commandments delivered 
 unto US, 2 Pet. ii. 2i. To ftifie the fparks of 
 reafon by negligence and floth, to choke the 
 feeds of wifdom and perfedion by a lazy 
 and vicious education, is a great crime; but 
 to defert and betray our reafon, grown up to 
 feme maturity, to hold it in captivity and 
 
 fetters, 
 
of HvMAN Life. 27 
 
 fetters, to defile and proftltate it, by compel- 
 ling it to ferve and flatter abominable paflions; 
 this fure muft be a far greater degree of wick- 
 edness and prophanenefs, and confequently muft 
 needs expofe the man to the fcorn or pity 
 of the wife and rational part of mankind, to 
 the reproaches and confufion of his own con- 
 fcience, and to the wrath and indignation of 
 God : Or, if none of thefe mifchiefs (hould at- 
 tend the contempt and prophanation of know- 
 ledge, yet there is one more of itfelf fufficient 
 to make man miferable ; it precipitates him 
 into all the irregularities and wildneffes imagi- 
 nable, nothing being (o infolentand ungovern- 
 able, fo favage and un tameable, as thofe paf- 
 ^Ions which are accuflomed to over-power and 
 mafter reafon. 'Tis from all this manifeft, that 
 whoever loves life, and would experience it a 
 real bleillng, mufl with all his power fet him- 
 felf to remove and defeat whatever may hinder 
 his ready and entire fubmiflion to the dictates 
 of reafon. Now the things which enfeeble 
 the (Irength of our reafon, and baffle its autho- 
 rity, are fuch as thefe, fo.ncy\ paffion, example^ 
 aijiom; Thefe we mull: ever combat, till wc 
 have reduc'd them within their bounds: fancy 
 l^irprifcs, palTion over-powers, cuftom and ex- 
 ample betray our reafon : we mufl: therefore al- 
 ways oppoJe the giddinefs of fancy, and the 
 violence of pallion, and guard our miinds againft 
 the infinuation of cuftom and example: and to 
 do this well, to do it fuccefsfully, is of greater 
 importance, than any work of our fecular call- 
 ings than any attendance upon trade, or a tem- 
 poral 
 
2 8 Of the true IVotion 
 
 poral intereft; this can only make us great, but 
 that will make us wifci this can make us rich, 
 but that will make us happy: this therefore 
 muft be the next great bufinefs of life, to aiTert 
 the majefty and fovereignty of reafon, and ne- 
 ver fijffcr it to be held captive and enthralled by 
 any vicious principle or impotent Uifl;. Happy 
 the man who fucceeds in this! his iincerity 
 (liall be to him as good as infaUibilityj his con- 
 fcience ihall never reproach him, nor God con- 
 demn him; and tho' he may not always hit the 
 next way, he fhall never wholly mifs the right 
 wav to happmefs : therefore from this notion 
 oflife, 
 
 thirdly. We may infer the poffibility of />«- 
 man happiiiefs in every flate: for lince to live, 
 is but to a6t regularly, to ufe and employ our 
 powers and faculties rationally j and fince life, 
 perfection, and fruition, are one and the fame 
 thing, or elfe infeparably and intimately united, 
 it is evident that no circumftances can deftroy 
 our happinefs, unlefs they deftroy our reafon ; 
 no condition can render us miferable, but that 
 vvhich can render it impollible for us to ad: ra- 
 tionallv; that which obftruds our attainment 
 of knovv'ledge, or our liberty of ading conform- 
 able to it. But what circumftances can thefe 
 be? what condition can we fancy, wherein it 
 (hall be impoffible for a chriftian to know his 
 fovereign good, and purfue it? to learn his du- 
 ty, and to pradlife it? wherein it {hall be im- 
 poffible for him to fearch and contemplate truth, 
 to love and follow after righteoufnefs and good- 
 nefs, and to be meek and humble, modeftand 
 
 magna- 
 
^j/'HumanLife. 2g 
 
 magnanimous, juft and charitable, pure and de^ 
 vout? Wherein, in one word, it fliall be im- 
 poffible for him to live by faith, or, which is 
 the fame thing in my fenfe, by reafon? Solo- 
 mon long fince obferved, that wij'dom uttereth 
 her voice in the Jireets^ and in the fneetings of 
 the high-ways. This is more eminently true 
 now, lince the reafon of mankind has been re- 
 fined and defecated by revelation; and true 
 philofophy has been diffufed and publKhed 
 through the world; the fountains of truth and 
 wifdom lie open to all who thirfl: after them, 
 and God no more denies any his grace than his 
 revelation. All which being fo, 'tis evident, 
 that as God has put it in the power of every 
 man to ad: rationally, fo has he put it in every 
 man's power to be happy; ih2ii human happi- 
 nefs is not precarious, or dependent on for- 
 tune, butourfelves : for life confifts not in the 
 abundance of things which a man poffeffes, but 
 in the right ufe of them; and bette?- is a poor 
 mid a wije child, than an old and JooliJJj king^ 
 Eccl. iv. 13. For the good eftateof the mind 
 coniifts not in foreign, but domell:ick pofTeffi- 
 ons: not in the riches of fortune, but of erace 
 and virtue; and fruition cannot confift, either 
 in the abufe of temporal things, or the depra- 
 vation of our nature, but in the true cultivation 
 and improvement of the one, and the right ufe 
 of the other. 
 
 Fourthly, From hence laflly, it eafily ap- 
 pears, on what account length of days is a great 
 bleffing, whether confider'd in itjelf, or with 
 rejpe^ to a future life. Firft, in itfelf: If life 
 
 did 
 
30 Of the true Notion 
 
 did conrift in earthincfs, that is, the fcrapihg 
 and raking together liims of money, 'tis plain 
 that life mull ebb and flow with our fortune; 
 and whenever the revohnions of times or trades 
 fhould put a flop to the career of our fuccefsi 
 and give a check to ail our farther hopes and 
 projecls, we lliould have nothing elfe to do, 
 but to break off the thread of life; For what 
 ufe could we make of the remains of our mi- 
 ferable days! or, if life did confiil: in fenfuality, 
 we fhould have little reafon to defire to furvive 
 our youth and ftrength; and length of days 
 •Would be rather a burden than a bleffing: for 
 we fliould foon outlive our pleafures, and 
 flirink and wither into dull, impotent and con- 
 temptible things. But if my notion of life be 
 true, the pleafures and joys of it muft increafe 
 and multiply with our years, fince reafon ought 
 day by day to advance to more perfed: matu- 
 rity, and more abfolute authority; with the 
 ancient is wifcio/n, and in length of days un- 
 derjianding. Job xii. 12. And the paths of the 
 righteous are like the f:ining light that fhineth 
 more and more to the perfecl day. A tho- 
 rough experience of the emptinefs and uncer- 
 tainly of this world, with'a longer and more in- 
 timate acquaintance with another, (liould pof- 
 fefs the foul of this man with a magnanimity 
 that nothing fliould fliake, with a tranquillity 
 that nothing could didurb: the cuftom of do- 
 ing good, together with the peace and delight 
 that fpring from the reflexions on it, (hould 
 make the current of his adlions runfmocth and 
 calm- his obfervations on the changes and turn? 
 
of HvMAN Life. 31 
 
 of human affairs, the rife and declenfion of par- 
 ties and caufes, the fecret fprings and wheels of 
 the paffions of the mind of man, together with 
 all the various arts of managing them, do fill 
 him with a fort of a divine fore-knowledge, 
 and entertain him with a wondrous profped: : 
 and how happy muft this man be in himfelfl 
 and how much honour'd and rever'd by others! 
 confulted as an oracle, propofed as an original 
 of goodnefs, the abfolute mafter of this world, 
 and the immediate heir of another! which is 
 the fecond thing. 
 
 Secondly, This is the only notion of life, 
 which can render it a bleffing in reference to its 
 influence upon another: none but rational plea- 
 fures which are the antepaft of heaven, can 
 enkindle our thirfl, or qualify us for the enjoy- 
 ment of thofe above ; nothing but the wife and 
 rational employment of our faculties can pre- 
 pare us for a heaven, or entitle us to it. Nay, 
 further, if life had not this influence upon ano- 
 ther world, length of days would be an injury, 
 not advantage to us: it would only keep us from 
 our heaven, delay and put ofl^ our happinefs. 
 But now, when, according to this notion of life, 
 every adt of life does perfed our nature, en- 
 large our capacity, and increafe our appetite of 
 glory: when every day that is added to life, 
 by the produdion of fome new fruit, does add 
 new ftars to our crowns of righteoufnefs, and 
 new treafures to our heavenly inheritance} it is 
 evident, that a long life is a great bleffing, not 
 only on its own account, but alfo of that life 
 which we expedt hereafter. BlefTed God ! how 
 
 confpi- 
 
3^ Of the true Notion 
 
 confpicuous is thy goodncfs in this whole con- 
 trivance ! how clordy and infeparably haft thou 
 united virtue and happinefs! and how natural 
 is the afcent from a rational life here, to a glo- 
 rious life hereafter. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Oj the dijjercnt lands of Life. 
 
 i I "^HEY who handle morals nicely and ab- 
 J[ ftrad:edly, feem to me to forget the na- 
 ture of their fubject; which requires to be 
 handled after its own way, that is, pradlically, 
 and, if I might fo fay, grofsly and corporeally ; 
 for the mixture and variety, the complication 
 and confufion, the mutability and inconftanCy 
 of human affairs and adions, which are the 
 matter of morals, are not fubjeft to rules of art 
 and fpeculative exadnefs : and therefore, though 
 I will follow the received divifion of life into 
 adlive and contemplative, as fquaring exactly 
 with my notion of it; yet I would not be un- 
 derftood to defign under thefe heads to treat of 
 all the various kinds or ftates of life. 1 touch 
 not the military, the facerdotal, the fcholaflick 
 life ; nor do I here ufe the words ativvc and con- 
 templative flridly and nicely: but by the firft 
 I underfland any fort of publick life, and any 
 fort of private one by the laft : nor do I much 
 concern myfelf whether the life of a trader 
 or artifan be logically reducible under the one 
 or the other; or whether it ought to conftitute a 
 
 diftina 
 
<?/' H U M A N L I F E. ;^^ 
 
 dillin^t and particular kind of life by itfelf : 
 But accommodating myfelf to the nature of 
 things, jlnd purfuing my own deiign, without 
 any fcrupulous regards to words or forms, I 
 will difcourfe fir/i, of a c'wW ; fecoiidly, of a 
 trading and negociating ; and tbiri^ly, of a pri- 
 vate and retir'd life: hzvingjirjly in a prelimi- 
 nary chapter, faid fomething in general, of the 
 difference of an active and contemplative life» 
 and the reafons or grounds which ought to pre- 
 vail, and determine man in his feledion of the 
 one or the other. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 T/je cciivenieiicies and the hicowveniencies of the 
 aBive and conte?)2plative life. The aSlive more 
 nece[j'ary. The feu eral ground i on 'which ffien 
 determine their choice^ that is, interefy pro- 
 'uidence^ inclination^ &g. 
 
 r^p^ HE felicity, or infelicity of man, (5e- 
 J pending not a little upon the choice he 
 makes of his courfe of life, it is worth the con- 
 iidering, v/hich of thefe two kinds, the adlive 
 or contemplative, is to be preferred. IF they 
 be compared in themfelves, the aftive feemsto 
 have more in it of glorv, and alfo more of ha- 
 zard; it feems more ferviceable to others, but 
 not fo eafy to a man's felf : he therefore that 
 would render each (late perfed:, and remove the 
 inconveniencies of each, muft ftudy how to 
 relieve the toil, and obviate the hazard of the 
 Vo L. I. U adtive. 
 
34 Of the true Notmi 
 
 active, and to prevent the barrennefs and inglo- 
 rioiifnefs of the contemplative life. 
 
 But which foever of thefe two be the more 
 excellent in itfclf, 'tis certain the adive life is 
 the more necelTary and indifpenfible to the well- 
 being of human fociety. Such is the nature of 
 mankind, that being liable to various neceffi- 
 ties, it requires the various relief of manifold 
 affiftances, to which every man is bound to 
 contribute his (hare: we have minds that mufl 
 be cultivated, bodies that mufl; be provided for. 
 The flate either of war or peace hath its feve- 
 ral wants, all which call for feveral arts to wage 
 the one and enrich and adorn the other: with- 
 out thefe w^e (hould find no defence in war, 
 nor pleafure in peace; without thefe, human 
 life would grow wild and favage, and human 
 nature would be uncultivated and unfociable ; 
 without thefe, our houfes had ftill been caves 
 and grotts, our food acorns and water, cur 
 clothing the fpoils of bcafls. Finally, without 
 thefe, the fpcculative man would foon fuffer 
 thofe neccllities, which would convince him 
 that he lived in a world, and in a body, which 
 required more at his hands than bare mufino: 
 and thinking ; and would foon force him to 
 give over his fpeculations, for the more neceffary 
 enquiries of food and raiment : or, if he 
 could be content with that provifion, which na- 
 ture, untainted by art cind induiliy, would vield 
 him and the beads of the field, yet would he 
 not be able to proinife himfelf the continuance 
 of this mighty bleffing : without laws and arms, 
 the undifciplin'd rabble would difturb his mu- 
 
 fings, 
 
^ Human liiFE. 35 
 
 lings, avarice and violence would invade hi^ 
 Walk, and drive him from his little cottage and 
 brook, where he had chofe his retreat. For 
 thefe, and a great many other reafons, the world 
 hath enroll'd the authors and inventors of laws 
 and arts amongll: their gods, and has gratefully 
 recorded the memories of all fuch as have any 
 way contributed to the conveniencies or orna- 
 ments of human life, as the benefadors of man- 
 kind: and holy writ itfelf has not been wanting 
 to do honour to all fuch: for it has reeiftred 
 the names of fuch as have excelled in any thing 
 beneficial to the Publick. 
 
 But however this be, whatever be the excel- 
 lence and advantage of an adive above a con- 
 templative life, either confider'd in itfelf, or 
 with refped to its ferviceablenefs and ufefulnefs 
 to the world, 'tis certain that men, generally 
 fpeaking, are not determined to the one or to 
 the other, by thefe confiderations, but by fuch 
 particular circumilances, as often render that 
 which is lefs excellent in itfelf, more iit and 
 proper for them: Thus fometimes education 
 trains men up (fliall I fay) or condemns them 
 to a particular kind of life, and the choice of 
 others prevents the liberty of our own : fome- 
 times the folicitation of friends carries us againft 
 the very bent and inclination of nature, and 
 fometimes a lucky and unexpeded provi- 
 dence frees us from the trouble of perplexed 
 deliberation, and leads us on in methods which 
 human prudence could not have contriv'dj but 
 moft commonly of all, we take counfel from the 
 nature of our ftate, and i:he necel^ties of olir for- 
 U 2 tune ; 
 
36 Of the true Notion 
 
 tune: how much is to be deferr'd to each of 
 thefe, is a matter not eafy to be decided : 
 againfl: neceffity we cannot difpute; againft the 
 invitations of providence we ought not, if we 
 have but good proofs of the one or the other. 
 But 'tis too too often, that weaknefs of judgment 
 or courage makes us call that neceffity which is 
 notj and the flattery of our hopes makes us 
 interpret our dreams or fancies divine auguries 
 or p;efages. As to friends and interefts, I 
 confefs, with the ingenious Sir Henry Wttooiiy 
 that an expert man does more eafily get up into 
 the faddle by the help of a ftirrup, than a 
 much ftronger by mere force: Yet it ought to 
 be confidered. that a man who is unequal to 
 the defigns of his friends, renders their patro- 
 nage very difficult, but his own life more. As 
 to the bent or inclination of nature, fo mutable 
 are the tempers, or at leaft, the fancies of 
 mankind, that this is a difcovery not foon to 
 be prefum'd upon ; or elfe I (hould as foon advife 
 to give up one's felf to this, as to any other 
 Guide. The truth i?, the trueft meafures in 
 this enquiry, are to be taken from a thorough 
 knowledge of ourfelves, and of the different 
 courfes of life about which we deliberate. But 
 alas! they are but few, whom a propitious 
 providence has left at liberty to enter into this 
 deliberation, and fewer that are capable of form- 
 ing a true refolution upon it. I am fure, there is 
 no enquiry of human life, wherein there is more 
 need of an infallible guide j and therefore I 
 would counfel the young to confult God in the 
 fiift place, and next, the moft fage and experi- 
 enced 
 
of Hu M AN LiFp. 37 
 
 enced they can find out: for they ftand in a 
 place where many ways me;:t; and if they take 
 the wrong, they will certainly wander far, and, 
 it may be, never recover the right. And as to 
 others, who have ftruggled long againft wind 
 and tide, who have floated long upon the bil- 
 lows of vulgar errors of their own private luds 
 and fancies, they will be happy, I think, if after 
 long experience of their tolly, they make with 
 all fpeed for land, and take the firfl: harbour 
 where they can ride in fafety. 
 
 CHAP. 11. 
 
 Of the civil life, or the adive life of 
 a gentleman. 
 
 Se6l. I. T/je gentleman's obligations to an achve 
 lije^ from the conjideration oj what he owes 
 to Godi to his country^ to himjelf. 'The 
 adlive life not injurious to the gentlemari s 
 pre-eminence^ liberty^ pleafure. Se(5t. 2. The 
 regulation oJ the civil life^ i. e. The know- 
 ledge and virtues necejfary to this fort of life. 
 The conjlancy required throughout the whole 
 courfe of the gentleman s life. Some vaca- 
 tions from bufmefs neceffary^ and to what 
 ends. 
 
 Efore I go about to fet down thofe rules 
 which may render men of rank and for- 
 tune belov'd, eminent and happy in their flati- 
 on, I think it necelfary to convince fuch of the 
 U 3 obli- 
 
3 8 Of the true Notion. 
 
 obligations they lie under to be fome way o.r 
 other ufeful and lerviceable to the world 3 for 
 •tisin vain to talk of the knov/ledge and virtue 
 neeeffary to fupportand adorn a. civil life, to fuch 
 asperfuade themfelves that they are born only 
 to follow their own humour and fancy j and 
 that it is the prerogative of their birth and for- 
 tune, to be idle, ignorant and loofe. 
 
 Setl. I. This then is the firft thing I would 
 fain make gentlemen fenfible of, that they can- 
 iiot, without unpardonable guilt and reproach, 
 wafte and fool away their life and fortune; and 
 I think, this would not be very hard to eftedl, 
 if they would pleafe to make but a very flight 
 ref.edion upon the arguments 1 here addrefs to 
 them. You owe more to God and to your coun- 
 try, not to add to yourfelves, tho' that be true 
 too in a proper fenfe, than any others do. To 
 God — to his providence you owe it, that you 
 were born to thofe fortunes which others toil 
 for; that you are the mailers of that time, which 
 others are forced to devote to their wants and 
 neceffities; and that you are placed at firfl: in 
 thofe advantageous heights, which others climb 
 to by flow and tedious fleps : your guilt there- 
 fore is greater than the mean man is capable 
 of, while you invade the honour of that God, 
 from whom alone you derive yours; while jc« 
 dethrone Him v^'ho has raifed j'(?z/, and employ 
 all vour power and treafure againfl that Being 
 from whom you received them; no ingratitude, 
 DO treacherv or bafenefs like that of a favourite 
 and confident. And as you owe to God, fo 
 do you to ycur country, more than other men; 
 
 you 
 
^ HU M A N L I F E. 39 
 
 you are they who fhould be the fupport and 
 ornament of it; you are plac'd in higher orbs, 
 not that like meteors, your ominous blaze (hould 
 be the gaze and terror of the multitude; but 
 that, like ftars, you might lighten and beautify, 
 animate and impregnate the inferior world: 
 for you, like them, fhould have an enlarg'd pro- 
 fpedl, a fwift and conftant motion, a bountiful 
 and benign influence. If your virtues do not 
 more diillinguifh you from the crow than your 
 fortunes, you are expofed, not honoured, by 
 the eminence of your ftation ; and you debauch 
 and betray your poor country by your fin and 
 folly, v/hich your example, your wifdom, your 
 courage, and your bounty, with all thofe other 
 great virtues which perfons of your rank (hould 
 fhine with, (liould prote«ft and enrich, and 
 raife to the highefl: reputation of virtue and 
 pov^^er. Miferable mud that kingdom be, 
 whofe rich and great ones are as much m.ore 
 impudently wicked, as they are more fortunate 
 than ether men; when they, whofe example 
 (hould awe the vicious, contribute not a little 
 to corrupt the virtuous part of it, and to de- 
 bauch the very genius and fpiritofthe nation: 
 when they, who (hould be the patriots of their 
 country, inftead of being men of travel and 
 reading, of abilities and experience, of honour 
 and adivity, are verfed only in elTences and pe- 
 rukes, game-houfes andilews; and have fo far 
 loft the qualities of a gentleman, that they 
 are meaner, falfer, and cowardlier than the 
 lowf ft of the people : thole muft indeed be 
 ftrange comets, coimcih, parliament'^, urmies, 
 U 4 which 
 
40 Of the true Noiwn 
 
 which are filled and influenced hy fuch as thefej 
 that mufi: be a wretched rtate, where men make 
 their court by debauchery, and know no other 
 politicks, than what an inveierateaverfion to the 
 national government and conftitution, ora more 
 inveterate one to religion and virtue, fuggeft. 
 
 But if your country move you not, coniider 
 yet what you owe yourfelves : Idlenels is both 
 a reproach and burden 3 for what can be more 
 diHionourable, tb.an to be good for nothing ; 
 or irkfome to an adive nature, fuch as man's 
 is, than to have nothing to employ it? What 
 can be more iLameful, than for a wealthy, or 
 well-born man, to be the piiy or fport of his 
 country, or the inward fcorn even of his do- 
 mefticks and neighbours? and what can be a 
 greater plague, than for one, who is mafter of 
 his whole time and of an ample fortune, not to 
 know how to employ the one or fhe orher, 
 but in fuch courfes as tend to the difgrace of 
 his family, the ruin of his country, and the 
 damnation of his foul ? Ton ought to ren ember, 
 that great fortunes do generally mark men out 
 for great troubles as well as great enjoyments ! 
 and were there no other motive to a vigorous 
 and adlive life, but this one, that it did fortify 
 the courage, and harden the temper, this iliould 
 be fufficient to any man, who will but confider 
 to how many changes and revolutions, how 
 many difailers and mifchiefs a great fortune 
 renders men obnoxious: fo that when men had 
 not yet entertained the opinion of the unlaw- 
 iulnefs of felf-murther, poifon (as appears from 
 Livys refledion on MafaniJJas prefent to 
 
 his 
 
^ H U M A N L I F K. 41 
 
 his miftref>) was a part of the dumeftick provi- 
 lion of the fiimiiies of the great; and a poifon- 
 bearer feems to have been aU'iicft as natural an 
 office as a cup- bearer. 
 
 The fum of all is, gifts of fortune, like thofe 
 of grace or nature, as they capacitate and qua- 
 hfy, fo do they defign and oblige men to fuira- 
 ble duties; and Chriftiariity expeds. incre^fe 
 proportionable to mens talents. Not idienefs 
 and luxury, not ignorance and debauchery; 
 but knowledge and virtue, and a more emi- 
 nent degree of fervice to God and man, ougb.t 
 to be the diftindive charader of the rich and 
 great (for how (hould that be the privilege of 
 an illuftrious birth and ample fortune, which is 
 a reproach and difhonour to human nature ?) 
 thefe are the abilities that conflitute gentlemen 
 truly great, that make them the props of a fmk- 
 ing ftate, or the ftars and glories of a ilou- 
 rhhing one ; this is that, which the fafety and 
 glory of your country, and your own happinefs 
 and pofterity, demands at your hands; and 
 happy were it, if the laws and cuftoms of our 
 country, as once thofe of the bed conftituted 
 kingdoms and commonwealths, did exa<5t vir- 
 tue and induftry with the greateft rigour, and 
 punifn idienefs and riot with infamy, banifhment 
 and death. 
 
 Nor has any one reafon to complain, that to 
 oblige the gentleman to an a(fl:ive and induftri- 
 ous life, is to debafe his quality, or to invade 
 his liberty, much lefs to rob him of all the plea- 
 fures and advantages he is born to. On the 
 quite contrary, an adive virtue is the honour 
 
 of 
 
42 Of the true Not mi 
 
 of a gentleman; this Is the only folid founda- 
 tion the love and eftcem of his country can be 
 built on ; all other advantages of fortune d<5 
 but adorn him as a pageant, to be the fport 
 ■ and gaze of the crowd; and all that have fenfe 
 enough to diftinguifh between merit and for- 
 tune, will inwardly defpife the fool and flug- 
 gard, whatever courtlhip and compliment they 
 mav make to the efquire and landlord. And as 
 bulinefs can be no diminution of his honour, 
 fo neither can it be of his liberty: for not to 
 infill upon that great truth, that the fervice of 
 virtue is the only freedom or liberty of man i 
 cot to rp* ~ ' ^'^u, that the bufinefs of men of 
 we;'lui ii: ''^ always a matter '^f choice, 
 
 not neceiiity, i!:g ever h: ? c* ndition to 
 
 retire when they fliall judge theit privacy and 
 leifure more valuable than their employments : 
 This one fingle confideration cannot but filence 
 this fuggeftion, that no man is lefs matter of 
 himfelf and time, than the man that has an am- 
 ple fortune and no bufinefs; for he is always 
 expofed to the forms and impertip.encies, to the 
 humours andfottiihnefs of a number of people 
 as idle and ignorant as himfelf : and, I think, 
 there can be no fervitude fo wretched, as that 
 to luxury and vanity; nor any confinement or 
 attendance fo tedious, as a compliance with the 
 folly, with the trifling and loofenefs of the 
 world: but bufinefs is at all times a comely ex-^ 
 cufe, and never fails ofputting a man handfome- 
 ly in pofi^elTion of his liberty, and the difpofal 
 of bis own time and adions. 
 
 But 
 
<3/'HumanLife. 43 
 
 But of all the afperfions with with addrefies 
 of this kind are wont to be affaulted, there is 
 jione more palpably injurious than this, thac to 
 condemn a gentleman to bufinefs, is to rob him 
 of his pleafures: for the truth is, 'tis bufinefs 
 and employment that gives guft and relKh to 
 pleafure^ 'tis this that prevents the difeafe of 
 pleaiure, furfeit and fatiety ; and makes diver- 
 lion always new, and nature always vigorous : 
 'Tis true indeed, a rational and manly employ- 
 ment, (o railes and fortifies the mind, that it is 
 above being a Have to fenfual pleafure j and {o 
 entertains it, that it needs not mak^ vicious and 
 fmful pleafure a refuge againft the diilnefs and 
 naufeoufnefs of life : But after all, tho* all this 
 be true, there is one conlideration more impor- 
 tant ftill, which is, that the bufinefs of a gen- 
 tleman, if difcharged as it ought to be, is al- 
 v.'ays attended with pleafure, and that a more 
 brills: and fenlible one, than he can find in any 
 thing elfe : For whether he proted: the oppref- 
 fed, or oppofe the violent and the unjuft, bv 
 hispov^'er: whether he fteer the ignorant and 
 the fimpie to their harbour, by his wifdom; 
 or relieve the neceflity of the poor, by his 
 wealth : whether he fupport a finking friend, 
 or raife a deferving creature : whether he alfert 
 the authority of laws, and maintain the rights 
 of his country: in a word, whether he affifl; the 
 pubiick or the private by his fortunes, his abi- 
 lities or virtues; all thefe worRs have fone- 
 thing in them fo great, fo generous, that 1 can- 
 not but think the opportunities and capacitit, of 
 thefe the higheft privileges and prerogatives 
 
 of 
 
44- Of the true Notion 
 
 of a fortunate birth. It was the fabbath, the 
 reft of Godj when he beheld all his works, that 
 they were exceding good : nor can 1 believe 
 God took more pleafure in the creation, than 
 he does in the prefervation and government of 
 the world. How pleafmg then muft be the 
 refiedions upon thefe God-like works.? for thb' 
 this be not to create anew world, it is certainly 
 toembellifh, govern, and fupporttheold. There 
 is little reafon to imagine why the works of vir- 
 tue fliould procure their authors lefs pleafure 
 than thofe of fancy, wit and learning do theirs. 
 Why the poet fliould feci a bigger joy rife from 
 a witty poem, the painter from a well-finiflied 
 piece, the archited: from a well-contriv'd build- 
 ing, thefcholarfroma.juft and legular difcourfe, 
 than a gentleman Ihould from the happy and 
 honourable effeds of wifdom, courage, bounty, 
 and magnanimity: thefe fure are the greater 
 excellencies, and. as the original is more noble, 
 fois the iffue too: for certainly to preferve the 
 lives and fortunes of men, is much more than 
 to make them feem to live in imagery j to raife 
 a family, is much more than to contrive and 
 build a houfej to feed the hungry, clothe the 
 naked, and adually difperfe the clouds and for- 
 rows of the afflided, by a prefent and vigorous 
 remedy, is much more than to treat the fancy 
 of the foft and vain; and, in one word, adtual- 
 ly to compofe the divifions, allay the heats, 
 govern theimpetuofities, andreftrain the exorbi- 
 tant paffions of men by the force of laws, by 
 the influence of example, and that authority and 
 afcendant which the fortunes and abilities of 
 
 the 
 
of Hum AN Life. 45 
 
 the great ones give them over their inferiors, 
 is, in my judgment, a much more fignal fer- 
 yice to God and man, than it can ever be to de- 
 • bate a controverfy with the moft diftinguiOiing 
 judgment, or write an exhortation with warmth 
 and brill<.nefs. 
 
 Having thus demonflrated that perfons of 
 rank and fortune he under many and ftrong 
 obhgations to activity in their fphere, and con- 
 futed thofe objedtions which are commonly 
 oppofed againd itj I will proceed to lay before 
 them, with all due refpe6l, fuch rules as may 
 guard them againft that envy and danger, that 
 toil and difcontent, which ufually accompany 
 the motion of the great, as dirt, or duft, or 
 heat, that of their chariots; and which, on 
 the other fide, may render their activity a great 
 inftrument of their felicity : for I would not 
 that fuch as are the com.mon patrons and bene- 
 factors of mankind, fhould meet with no other 
 recgmpence but trouble and hazard: as if, like 
 clouds, they could not refrefh and impregnate 
 the earth, unlefs they were themfelves diffolved 
 and wafted into fhowers : I would have every 
 worthy adion be an acceflion to their great- 
 nefs, and every honourable performance carrv 
 with it a reward, which (hould not depend 
 upon the humour of the prince, or levity of 
 the people. 
 
 Sed:. 2. Rides to be obferved by the gentleman in 
 a piiblick flation, or in order to the happinefi 
 of a civil life. 
 
 I. He 
 
46 Of the true Notion 
 
 1 . He muil be endow'd with knowledge. . 
 
 2. With virtues ^xQ^ti and necelTary to his 
 rank and ftation. 
 
 3. He ought to be conftant, refolved, and 
 vigorous throughout the whole condudt 
 and courfe of his Hfe and affairs. 
 
 4. His time ought not to be fo wholly taken 
 up in bufinefs, as not to leave vacancies 
 for religion^ meditation^ friendjhip and 
 diver/ion. 
 
 Firji^ Of the gentleman's kno'wledge. There 
 is no fortune that knowledge better becomes, 
 or that {lands more in need of it, than a gen- 
 tleman's j without it, an eftate is rather cum- 
 berfome than ufeful; and the ignorant owner 
 muft be the tool or inftrument of another's 
 ambition or intereil, the prey of a menial fer- 
 vant, or the property of an imperious wife or 
 wanton child, or, which is worfe, of fome crafty 
 retainer, who grows impudent with the favour, 
 rich with the fpoils both of the honour and 
 fortune of his mafter : The beft that can befal 
 fuch a one, is, if he have the good luck to light 
 into good hands, and join himfelf with a right 
 party, he may be the appendage of fome other's 
 fortune, the fhade and umbra of another, who 
 intercepts the fmiles and thanks due to him; 
 he may, in a word, talk and a6t by the fenfe 
 and reafon of his party. This is a poor and 
 contemptible condition to a man of birth and 
 fortune, to be incapable of employing the ad- 
 vantages he is born to, and to be only the prey 
 or tool of the cunning, avarice, ambition, and 
 
 impotent 
 
i?/' H U M A N L I F E. 47 
 
 impotent paffions of others ; or, at beft, the 
 inftrument of a wifer man; for the wife is born 
 to rule the fool. 
 
 Nor is this all -, the gentleman's ignorance Is 
 fo much the more worthy of reproach, becaufe 
 he appears to be born to greater opportunities 
 of knowledge, as he that ftands upon a more 
 eminent height does naturally enjoy a more free 
 and open profped:. 
 
 But what is worfe than all this, a patrician 
 fortune, joined with a plebeian underflanding, 
 renders a man not more liable to fuffer mifchief 
 than apt to commit it : for if the man have much 
 pafTion, and no underflanding, as wealth is apt 
 to infpire men with pride and wilfulnefs, tho' 
 it cannot with wifdom ; what can be expeded 
 from fuch a perfon, who hath power enough 
 to execute his paffions, and no reafon to re- 
 train them ! who looks upon it as contumely 
 to be oppofed ; and tho' he hath no fenfe him- 
 felf, is too big to hear it from another ! What 
 can fuch a man be, but a plague to himfelf and 
 others ! and what can his wealth and intereft 
 be, butrefifdefs inftrumentsof evil ! It is then 
 indifpenfibly neceffary, as well for the avoidin<T 
 evil, ^ as doing good, that the great man be en- 
 dowed with a good underjianding. 
 
 ^ The firil thing he ought to be well acquainted 
 with, is religion, as the only fource of folid 
 wifdom, and the main ground of a juft and 
 lafting reputation : nor indeed can I fee how a 
 man can be confiderable without it : for tho' 
 bafe ends require bafe inftruments in all other 
 cafes, I fee not how either prince or people 
 
 5 can 
 
A-S Of the true Notion 
 
 can trail: thofe men who are falfe to God and 
 thonilcives. 'lis fcarce to be expedcd, that 
 he who lacnfices his religion and his reafonj 
 that is, hinfiiclf, to any luft or pafficn, lljould 
 be nice and fcrupulous of giving up a remoter 
 iriteieit or obligation to it. But when I iay 
 the encfemai)^ (hould be acquainted with reU- 
 gion, I do not mean, that he (hould perplex 
 and amule himlclf with the difcutes that have 
 debauch'd, or fubtilties or niceties which have 
 difpirited or enervated Chriftianity : I would 
 have him have fo much illumination, as to be 
 able to diftinguifh between natural religion and 
 the poHticks, revealed religion and the fancies 
 and whimfies of m.an: I would have him tho- 
 roughly inftrudted in the reafons and grounds of 
 our common Chriftianity ; and ftudy and ru- 
 minate them, till he feel the power of them, 
 and find himfelf form'd and imprefs'd by them. 
 He underilands religion well, who learns from 
 it what it is to be juft, and derives from it cou- 
 rage enough to dare to be fo. 1 ihould think 
 It a neceilary part of his knowledge, or at leaft, 
 a qood accomplilliment in a gentleman, to be 
 fo far acquainted Vv^ith ecclefiaftical flory, as not 
 to be ign 3rant what influence religion, or the 
 pretences of it, has upon the world, and what 
 ufe cunning men have ever made of it; by what 
 degrees or what arts the maxims of the world 
 have been incorporated into religion, and the 
 church hath wound and infinuated itfelf into 
 the flate. Thus you will difcern what the true 
 meafures of religion are : you will have a juft 
 regard for wife conflitutions without bigottry : 
 
 you 
 
©/ H U M A N L I F E. 49 
 
 you will free yourfelves from all thofe doubts 
 and fcruples which ufher in atheifm and pro- 
 phanenefsj and, in a word, you will find re- 
 ligion the true ftandard of wifdom and difcre- 
 tion, the effedlual inftrument of private and 
 publick good, and the infallible guide to honour 
 and happinefs. 
 
 Next to the knowledge of religion, follows 
 the knowledge of the world, which may be di* 
 vided into the knowledge of matters and men: 
 which is fo neceffary in every part, in every acS 
 of life, but efpecially of a publick one, that I 
 cannot but wonder at the vanity of fuch as can 
 fancy it poffible to maintain a folid reputatiort 
 in their country, and fill any (lation honour- 
 ably or happily without it. The confidence of 
 an empirick, or other fuch wretched projectors 
 and undertakers, feems to me modefly and vir- 
 tue, compared to the (hamefulnefs and wick- 
 ednefs of fuch men as obtrude themfelves upon 
 affairs of a publick nature, unfludy'd, unvers'd 
 in things or men, that is, totally unqualify'd ; 
 which, whoever confiders the difficulty of ma- 
 naging them well, or the mifchievousconfequen- 
 ces of mifcarrying in them, n\ufl: confefs. Let 
 the gentleman therefore ftudy the laws and con- 
 flitutions of the realm, its changes and revolu- 
 tions in their caufes, progrefs, and effe(Sts, its 
 natural and political flrengths and weakncfTes, 
 defeats and excellencies, together with its|oreign 
 interefts, relation and dependencies; nor let 
 him be wholly ignorant of the frame and poli- . 
 cy of other kingdoms, tho' he ought to be bed 
 vers'd in his own ^ he muft travel abroad, but 
 
 Vol. L X dwell 
 
50 Of the true Notion 
 
 dwell at home: fori would have him have a 
 veneration, not luperftition for the laws and 
 cuftoms of his own country : for I doubt, the 
 wifdom of our own nation is not sreat enouj^h 
 to juftify the neglect, much lefs contempt of 
 that of foreign ones: and becaufe what they call 
 the law of nature, is only the law of right reafun^ 
 in thofe great precepts of it which feem im- 
 mutable and inviolable, and the fame in all 
 times and places; he ought not to be a ftranger 
 to this, left being ignorant of tiie grounds of 
 human fociety, and of the nature and obliga- 
 tion of particular laws, every new emergency, 
 change or deviation from the common road, 
 difcover his infufficiency: for 'tis a miferable 
 thing to fee, how, through the fimplicity and 
 weaknefs of fome, and the fubtilty and cunning 
 of others, laws which (liould be the fences and 
 bulwarks of the people, are often made only 
 their chains andfettersj and thoTe publick and 
 folemn tics which were defion'd to ftreno-then 
 
 to v3 
 
 and fortify the conftitution, become the moft 
 fatal engines of undermining and fubverting it. 
 I have obferv'd many, who would be excellent 
 perfons in a regular and calm ftate of affairs, 
 that are miferably perplex'd, and at a lofs, or 
 wretchedly abufed or impofed upon in a difor- 
 dered and unfettled one ; like a perfon of my 
 acquaintance,who rides well inenclos'd and nar- 
 row roads ; but her brains begin to fwim, and 
 her heart to fail her, on downs and plains. 
 
 After all, that I may not feem to be treating 
 rather of fpeculadon than adion, and to have 
 propofed fuch an extenfion of knowledge, as if I 
 
 were 
 
^/'Hu MAN Life. 51 
 
 were recommending rather a life of fludy than 
 of bafinefs, 1 muft put you in mind, that the de- 
 fign of this fort of learning ought to be to make 
 men wife, not fubtilj judicious, not difputa- 
 tive: that curiofity or diligence in matters mi- 
 nute or fubtil, has more in it of amufement 
 than ufe j and that to lay the foundation too deep 
 and broad, does feldom quit the coft : and, in. 
 a word, it feems to me to be in policy, as in 
 religion; he is the moO: prudent who beft un- 
 derftands the particular laws or precepts of his 
 particular ftation j as he is the mod religious 
 who is beft learned, not in the univerfal fcheme 
 of theology, but the regulation of his own 
 afFed:ions, and the conduct of his own life. 
 
 But in vain does he ftudy things, who knows 
 not men: for man is the inftrument of power 
 and policy ; and whoever knows how to ma- 
 nage and gain an afcendant over him, is the 
 moft confiderable in his country, and able to 
 do the greateft mifchief or the greated: good : 
 But when I talk of knowing men, I mean not 
 only fuch a ^;zow/i?^^^ of pirticular perfons, as 
 may inftrud: you what to hope, or what to fear 
 from them; what employments or trufts they 
 are lit, or unfit for; and in a word, who are 
 proper or improper inflruments in different af- 
 fairs, times and circumftances ; who are fit to 
 be the partners of your pleafures and diverfions, 
 who of your confidences and fecrets, and fuch 
 like; butalfo the knowledge of human nature: 
 to be thoroughly read in all the fprings and 
 reforts of human adions, in all the various pa/- 
 fions and difeafes of the mind of man, with all 
 
 X 2 their 
 
52 Of the true Notion. 
 
 their caufes and cures ; and to be able to dif- 
 tinguilli the genuine and natural, from the ac- 
 quired and artificial perfon ; and becaufe not 
 lingle perlbns only, but times and ages, nations, 
 cities, and leffer bodies and focieties, have 
 their particular temper and genius, thefe muft 
 not be negleifted neither. This is the know- 
 ledge, which, together with a dextrous ufe and 
 application of it, is the very life and foul of 
 worldly prudence, and makes up the beginning, 
 middle, and end of true policy. But after all, 
 both with refped: to the publick, and a man's 
 own good, that ought to be a rule for the man 
 of bufinefs, which St. Paul prefcribes for a bi- 
 /hop, Let him Jirfi learn to rule his own houje 
 well. He that will be truly wife, fliould know 
 himfelf firfl, ere he goes about to know the 
 worlds and begin the practice of his politicks 
 in his own family, and in the fettlement and 
 due adminifrration of his domeftick affairs; in 
 which, if he cannot fucceed, I muft contefs, I 
 cannot fee what encouragement either prince 
 or people can have to confide in fuch a one: 
 for the diforders or difTipations of a private for- 
 tune, are very omnious prefages of a mal-admi- 
 niftration of publick truft. Nor can I fee what 
 can induce luch a man to undertake it, but the 
 mere hopes of repairing his private dilapidati- 
 ons with the ftones and timber of the publick. 
 
 But after all, how neceffary foever 1 account 
 knowledge in a gentleman engaged in an adive 
 iiation ; yet I cannot but obferve, that whe- 
 ther we regard the publick or the private, 
 wickednefs has ever been more fatal and difho- 
 
 iiQ '.arable 
 
^ H u M A N Life. 53 
 
 nourable to both, than ignorancej and all trufts 
 have lufFered more in the hands oFthe falfe and 
 the bafe, than of the unfit and infufficient : 
 therefore, 
 
 Secondly^ The gentleman ought to be enrich* 
 ed with virtues, eTpecially thofe which become 
 his rank and ftation. Knowledge is but the 
 feed of virtue, and like that, it only rots and 
 putrifies, if it grows not up into excellent habits, 
 and bring not forth the fruits of virtuous actions. 
 There is fcarce any ftation which does not re- 
 quire a particular virtue, either to difcharge or 
 adorn it; one patience, another courage, a third 
 vigilance, and fo on; there being fcarce any 
 office or bulinefs which is not liable to fome 
 particular inconveniencjes and temptations : 
 Bu<- it being impoflible for me to profecute all 
 thefe, I will only infift on two or three which 
 are eflentiai to all true greatnefs and honour j 
 and, if J am not much miftaken, to a happy 
 and profpcrous difpatch of all affairs; I am fure 
 to the fecurity and felicity of the publick and 
 private : Thefe are, integrity^ magnanimity^ 
 humanity, 
 
 Firft, Integrity. By Integrity I mean two 
 things, juftice and truth: Thefirft, to regulate 
 our adions; the fecond our words. Nor do I 
 take juftice in a beggarly barreling fenfe, as if 
 the gentleman had acquitted himfelf of a due 
 well enough, if there were any plaufible pre^ 
 tence to excufe the violation or omiffion of itj 
 as if he were to regard more what the law could 
 compel, than what honour did oblige him to. 
 } mean, the teftimony of his own confcience, 
 
 ;^ both 
 
 jX 
 
£'4- Oy the true Notion 
 
 iDoth concerning his diligent and impartial en« 
 quiries aRer the right, and fincerity in purfu- 
 ing it: for I would not have him appear to do 
 right, rather out of the fear of intamy, than 
 love of virtue. The word of a gentleman ought 
 to be fix'd and unmoveable as fate, facred and 
 inviolable as the altar. Contrads and evi- 
 dences, and fcals, and oaths, were devifed to tie 
 fools and knaves, and cowards; honour and 
 confcience are the more firm and fiicred ties 
 of gentlemen. Nor mull this honour extend 
 only to private dealings, but much more to pub- 
 lick; in which, good God! how comely, how 
 noble is it to fee integrity triumphing over in^ 
 tereft and paiiion ! to fee a great man preferring 
 truth and jufllce to the favour and menaces of 
 princes; and readily quitting all intereft, and all 
 parties, to fupport the publickfifety and honour, 
 or fall with it. But as heroickas 1 would have 
 the gentleman, I v^^ould not have him vain j 
 I would not have him led or impos'd upon by 
 empty noife and names; I would liave him love 
 a good name, but much more a good confcience: 
 for I would liavehim as judicious as rcfolved; 
 as bright and luminous, as brave and inflexible : 
 for I admire not an integrity that bids defiance 
 to pruderice and right reafon : I love a fteady 
 faith and unmoveable juftice, but not romance 
 and fancy; I would have a great man not 
 jnfenfible of a difference between loyalty and 
 flavery, between tyranny and anarchy ; and in 
 the fame manner he muft be able to diftinguifh 
 betvi'een aferpentine fubtilty, ^nd a ftupid in- 
 fufficiency, and v/ant of neceifarv addrefs and 
 
 dexte- 
 
^ Human Life. 55 
 
 dexterit}? : without fuch a competency of know- 
 letige, all will be but folly, not integrity ; va- 
 nity, not conftancy. As there is an integrity 
 in adion, Co is there in fpeech too ; it feems to 
 me, not to confift in bare truth only, but alfo 
 in an ingenuous opennefs and freedom : cioudi- 
 nefs and ambiguity, feeni to me rather fit to 
 difguiTe i :^norance or defign, than to pourtray 
 or exprefs the fentiments of a wife or an upright 
 mind; yet in words, as well as deeds, there is 
 an extreme; though franknefs and opennefs in 
 converfation, like a free and generous air, be- 
 come a gentleman, I would not have freedom 
 violate difcretion, nor fimplicity and opennefs 
 lelTcn greatnefs; too many and vvide apertures, 
 if they add beauty, do certainly diminidi the 
 iftreogth of a building. 
 
 S'£ondly, The next virtue befeeming a gen- 
 tleman, is Magnanimity : by which I do not 
 mean an emoty tumour, but foiid greatnefs of 
 mmd, which ought to difcover itfelf in every 
 inllance of his life : I fay, in every inftance ; for 
 I count it not enough to bear dilappointment*^ 
 with moderation, unlefs he bear his lliccefs fo 
 too : I count it not enough to encounter dangers 
 wi'h courage, utvlefs he encounter his pleafures 
 witn as great; and, in a word, there ought to 
 be fMH- thing even in his diverfions and enter- 
 taintiitnts, as well as in his bulinefs and em- 
 ployment, that mav fpeak the flrength, and 
 wealth, and felf-fufiiciency of his mind. You'll 
 cafiiy conclude this with me, if you allow thefe 
 two or three things to be effential to true great- 
 nefs of mind ; an Invincible courage and refolu- 
 
 X 4 tlon : 
 
5 6 Of the true Notion 
 
 *\o\) ; a rational and generous aftivity ; and an 
 tnlarged and publick fpirit ; which you cannot 
 but allow, unlefsyou think that the coward and 
 flave, the iluggard or fot, the fordid and fclfifh, 
 may be reckoned among the magnanimous. 
 But what principle, what foundation, is able 
 to fupport fo mighty a weight ? Natural cou- 
 rage may make a man brave danger, or if that 
 will not, ambition may; while it prefents him 
 with a more formidable evil, if he turn his back 
 upon the other ; but what (hall make the man 
 modefl and humble in his triumphs, who waa 
 gallant and daring in fight ? PalTion and revenge 
 may make men firm and fierce in their contefts 
 and oppofitions; but what can make a man for- 
 give, when he is in a condition to revenge an in- 
 jury ? The luft of power, and honour, and 
 wealth, that is, felf-love, may render a man ac- 
 tive and induftrious ; but what is it that can 
 prevail with him to facrifice his own intereft 
 and his family's to publick good? Honour has 
 been generally thought the mofl likely prin- 
 ciple to do all this. I muft confefs a bread in- 
 flamed with the love of honour, feems to me 
 incapable of any mean or bafe impreffion ; but 
 then the notion of honour ought to bejuflly 
 ftated : for if by tbi?, we underftand the finiles 
 and courtlliips of the great, or the praifes or 
 acclamations of the people, it had need be in 
 iettled times, a wife court, and a modeft people. 
 I doubt there is not judgment enough in the 
 people, nor plainnefs and fimplicity enough ix\ 
 tourts, to give men and adtions a true va- 
 lue : and therefore, if a man would propofe 
 
 honour. 
 
(t/'Hu MAN Life. 57 
 
 honour as the reward of his ailions, it ought 
 to be that which confifts in the approbation of 
 fuch who are able and difinterefted judges : a 
 miftake in this point is often of very ill confe- 
 quence, and perverts the whole courfe of hu- 
 man life, betraying cither into factious oppo- 
 lition, or fordid and unworthy complinnce. 
 Nor is this the only inconvenience that the love 
 of honour is obnoxious to, that men may be 
 mifled and abufed by falfe and milfaken noti- 
 ons of it j but it alfo of:en happens, that tnvy 
 and emulation in particular men, or the vio- 
 lence of a prevailing fadion, or the iniquity of 
 times, may ftifle and opprefs the merit, or tra- 
 duce and blaft the integrity of the mod excel- 
 lent adlions j in which cafes, I doubt, the fe- 
 cret opinion of two or three virtuous men, or 
 an expectation of greater juftice from future 
 times, will be too weak a cordial to fupport aa 
 injur'd virtue, if its only nourifliment and fuf- 
 tenance be honour. I think therefore religion 
 is the only balis on which magnanimity can 
 fkand ; by which I mean, a love of rational and 
 virtuous adions upon wife and folid grounds, 
 a fecret delight and complacency in the perfor- 
 mance of them, accompanied with the peace 
 and ferenity of mind that fprings from reflexion 
 upon thetPi, and the joy which a firm per- 
 fuafion that God will be our rewarder, breeds 
 jn us : This, as it will fecure us againft the er-_ 
 rors, fo will it againrt the inconftancy and in- 
 juftice of the world ; this will minifter fuffici- 
 ent motives to generous adtions, when we meet 
 pothing but difcouragementsfromali things elfej 
 
 thi^ 
 
58 Of the true Notio?t 
 
 this, if it will not make a publick employment 
 honourable, will always make it fafe j this, if it 
 cannot render great places profitable, will ever 
 render retirement pleafant, and in all the chan8:es 
 of times and humours, will preferve a man 
 fleady and calm in himleit. 
 
 But whilil I recommend magnanimity, I 
 muft not forget that there are follies and vices 
 which often are wont to ufurp its name. I never 
 thought that the love of our country did imply 
 a negied:, much lefs a contempt of our private 
 fortune; that a vain conhdence or preflimption 
 in provoking and irritating dangers ought to pafs 
 for courage: for thds were to make fortitude 
 and prudence incompatible. Nor do I think, 
 th:it a violent intrufion into bufincfs, or an in- 
 difci-eet intangling a man's felf in much, or en- 
 gaging in any that is foreign or impertinent, de- 
 ferveathe name of induftry or activity ; or pride, 
 jliffnefs and favagenefs, the name of firmnefs 
 and conftancy ; for, in a word, 1 would have 
 magnanimity rather lovely than haughty, rather 
 rever'd than dreaded. Therefore, 
 
 Thirdlyy Humanity is the next virtue to be 
 aimed at. Nothing can be more fitly joined 
 with magnanimity than compiffion, with cou- 
 jjgethan tcndernefs ; nor with tiie felicity ot a 
 great fortune, than charity or bounty. 1 can- 
 not think tj:iat there is a truer charader of great- 
 nefs, than to be a fandtuary to the injur'd, a 
 ^piitron to virtue and merit, a counfellor to thofe 
 tiiat err, and a fupnort to the afHided, the 
 riceJy and defencelels. In thefe things confifi; 
 the life and fubfbnce of humanity ; the orna- 
 mental 
 
^ H U M A N L I F E. 59 
 
 mental part of it h affability or court eoufnefs ^ 
 the art of behaviour Hes in a narrow compafs, 
 the whole ikill of it confifting in obh*gin<T- 
 which he fhall never mifs, who has once pof- 
 fefb'd his foul with tendernefs and goodnefs : for 
 then every word, every action, together with 
 the wh©le air of deportment, will be animated 
 with a reliftlefs fweetnefs, and will be nothing 
 elfe but the portraiture and expreffion of thofe 
 excellent difpofitions : by this means too, the 
 deportment will be natural, not artificial/ and 
 tho' it be generally kind, it will be more parti- 
 cularly fo, where it meets with a more moving 
 occafion: to which, if it be added, that the 
 carriage of a gentleman ought to be humble, 
 but not pop. lar; courteous, but not cheap or 
 proauute, you will decline all the confiderable 
 errors, to which attability is obnoxious. 
 
 Jt was the cuitom of the ancients to deliver 
 their inftrudions in Ihort and plain fentences. 
 without a labour'd exhortation, or paffionatc 
 enforcement. And certainly there is fuch a 
 commanding authority in the dilates of truth 
 and wifdom, fuch a divinity, majefty and love- 
 Ime;s in folid virtues, that did the fimplicity and 
 probity obtain in thefe, which is fuppofed to 
 have done m thofe times, advice of this fort 
 would eafily m.ake its way to the hearts of men 
 without the afTiftance of any motives. But I 
 dare not be either (o confident of my own per- 
 formance, or of the times, as not to think it 
 neceffary to clofe the advice of thefe paragraphs 
 with fome arguments and motives to the'le vir^ 
 fues. 
 
 Shall 
 
6o Of the true Notion 
 
 Shall I make uTe here of the topicks of reli- 
 gion f* Shall I invite you to integrity and mag- 
 nanimity, from the confideration of the omni- 
 fcience and providence of God ? Shall I put you 
 in mind how little fordidneis, falfhood and fearj 
 how little pride and iiifolence, can become the 
 principles and perfuafions of a Chriftian, con- 
 cerning the emptinefs and vanity of this world^ 
 or the true happinels and lafting glory of ano- 
 ther ? Shall I prefs you to humanity, to meek»- 
 nefs and humility, by calling to your remem- 
 brance the life of Jelus, your frailty and mor- 
 tality, and, what is worfe, your fins and fol- 
 lies? Shall I (hew you how mutable and incon- 
 ftant vour fortune is; and, if it were not, how 
 accidental, fantaftick and inconfiderable adif- 
 tindtion this makes between you and perfons 
 of a lower rank; and, that they ftand at lead: 
 upon the fame level with you, in rerpe(fl of the 
 fubftantial and folid interefts of human nature ; 
 that is, the favour of God, virtue, grace and 
 glory? Alas I 1 am afraid, you have generally 
 but little reliHi or guft for this fort of argu- 
 ments. 
 
 But have you as little value for your coun- 
 try, as religion ? are you as little moved by 
 the ruin of this, as the corruption of that ? 
 Behold your country once formidable abroad, 
 and well compact within. Ah ! now what re- 
 proach and contumelies does it not fuflfer abroad ? 
 what convulfions at home? Its wealth has nei- 
 ther fervice nor defence in It. Its numbers are 
 without courage, and its forces have nothing 
 of ftrength or terror ia them. Why all this ? 
 
^HumanLife. 6i 
 
 It bleeds in your fadions and divilions; it reels 
 and ftaggers under your foftnefs and luxury ; 
 'tis betray 'd by your faKhood and cowardice : 
 Ah ! that its reformation might begin where its 
 degeneracy has, and that it might recover bv 
 your virtues, the honour it has loft and forfeited 
 by your vices! Pardon me, 1 do not here fup- 
 pofe that there are none exempt from this 
 accufation ; that in the body of the nobility 
 and gentry there are not, even in this degene- 
 rate age, fome bright inftances of a true Englifi 
 courage and integrity; I only wi(h that there 
 were more: that there Vv^ere enough to atone 
 for the reft, and to prop up this decliningy?;?/^. 
 Nor is it a petulant humour, but a ::eal for 
 your honour particularly, as well as that of the 
 nation, that now acts me: for, give me leave 
 to put you in mind at length. 
 
 That your honour, your intereft, and your 
 happinefs depend upon your integrity, magna- 
 nimity, and humanity; nor is it poffible that 
 the one (hould furvive the other. Firji^ voar 
 Honour. The whole world is poftefs'd in favour 
 of thefe virtues: and however it hath fared with 
 fome other, thefe have ever been in vo^ue, 
 not amongft the beft only, but the worft of 
 mankind. I have indeed underftood, that 
 there are fome who have openly profefs'd, and 
 defended hitemperance and Incontinence-, but 
 I think, none ever yet have in earneft under- 
 took the patronage of cowardice, prefidiouf- 
 nefs, inhumanity y or infole?7ce. I have never 
 yet met with any who have not thought it 
 (candalous and reproachful to find lefs faith. 
 
62 Of the true Notion 
 
 lefs honour^ lefs goodnefs^ or, if you pleafe, 
 more fhifting cowardice , falJJjood^ and fordid-^ 
 nefsy in his lordfliip, or his worfhip, than in a 
 ' groom or lacquey. Nor did I ever find, that 
 lands and efcutcheons, wealthy relations and 
 honourable anceflors, were ever look'd upon 
 as apologies or mitigations, but rather aggra- 
 vations of fuch bafenefs and degeneracy : nor 
 could any man ever think it a commendation to 
 be the links and fewcis of a noble family, the 
 ruins of an ancient and once ftately pile, or the 
 lees and dregs of a rich liquor long fince drawn 
 cif, and evaporated. Nor does your Ho?wur 
 only, but fecondly, your Intereft^ depend on 
 thefe virtues. If you want thefe, I fee not 
 what you can polTefs, that can either gain you 
 the favour of the prince, or efteem of the peo- 
 pie. This fure is the rcafon why thefe virtues 
 have ever befen in fuch credit in the world : 
 becaufe their influence is fo neceifary, fo uni- 
 verfallv ferviceable, whether to the publick, 
 or to friends and dependents. Now that in- 
 tegrity which can give others ground confidently 
 to rely upon youj that generofity and magna- 
 nimity which raifes their hopes and exped^a- 
 tlons, does natuially give you an authority 
 and afcendant over them, and you become the 
 mailers of their lives and fortunes, whilfi: they 
 promife themfelves the protedion or improve- 
 ment of them from your virtues. To thefe 
 then vou muft owe the patronage and confi- 
 dence of thofe above you j the dependence, 
 love, and eileem of thofe below you ; with- 
 out which, what can you effect, what can you 
 
 enjoy 
 
^/ H U M A N L I F E. 63 
 
 enjoy truly greater confiderable ? You are im- 
 potent and contemptible as pjowmen and Tai- 
 lors, when folitary and abandoned : your reti- 
 nue and dependence, your friends and admirers 
 make you powerful, in fliort, a man of birtli 
 and fortune that is perfidious, cowardly, fd- 
 fifh and proud, has not, in my judgment, or 
 deferves not to have, half the intereft an honeft 
 yeoman, or plain-dealing tradefman has in city 
 or country: for what confidence can be 
 placed in fuch a one ? Will he be tender of the 
 honour of his country, or his friend, who has 
 nofenfeofhisown? or, will he ever be either 
 a good patron or friend, who is ready to facri^ 
 iice all to his private avarice ? Nor is it a matter 
 of fmall importance, that reputation founded 
 311 virtue lurmounts all forts of difficulties, and 
 crowns all undertakings with fuccefs. And 
 hnce men are naturally backward, when thev 
 are jealous and dirtruftful, but prompt and 
 forward, where they are fecure and confi- 
 denti It has ever been obferved, that integri- 
 ty (if not deftitute of competent prudence) has 
 111 diipatch of affairs, ever outftripped craft 
 and fubtilty. But the weightieft confideration 
 otall, IS, that thele virtues, if they be not the 
 fureft foundation of greatnefs, are, doubtlef? 
 of happinefs : for they will make a man find 
 a tranquillity in his mind, when he cannot in 
 his fortune: the confcience of a man's own 
 uprightnefs will alleviate the toil of bufinefs 
 and fweeten the harflinefs of ill fuccefs and 
 difappointments, and give him an humble 
 confidence before God, when the ingratitude 
 
 of 
 
64 Of the true Notion 
 
 of man, or the Iniquity of times rob him of alF 
 other reward. 
 
 Having thus given an account of thefe two 
 things, wherein confift the fufficiency of a man 
 of bufinefs, that is, knoidedge and virtue ; I 
 will proceed to the confideration of the third 
 rule. 
 
 Thirdly, The gentleman ought to be con- 
 flant, refolved, and vigorous in his motion. 
 Conjlancy and Vigour, whether in the acquifi- 
 tion of knowledge, or improvement of virtue, 
 or management of affairs, are of the greateft 
 moment and importance. I ever prefer a flrong 
 before a fine edgej induftry and refolution, 
 before wit and parts : He that makes a daily 
 progrefs, how flow foever it be, will in time 
 reach his ftage : vaft bodies and mighty armies, 
 by conftant marches, have travelled through 
 thofe unknown regions, which a fingle perfon 
 would almoft defpair of compailing in his life- 
 time. To what a height does the tree raife Its 
 head, tho' its root be fixed in the heart of the 
 earth I becaufe, though it grow flowly, and even 
 imperceptibly, yet it grows conftantly, and re- 
 ceives fome accelTion every moment. This rule, 
 as I infinuated before, is applicable to know- 
 ledge, virtue, and bufinefs. To knowledge. To 
 what would not an ingenious perfon, furnidied 
 with all aids of fciencc, advance his profpe(5l, if 
 he ufed but moderate induftry, and proceeded 
 regularly 1 What could there be in any fcience, 
 which were either of any ufe, or any certainty, 
 that could efcape him ? and other things ought 
 uot to flop him. They may be his diverfion, but 
 
 ought 
 
^ H u M A N Life. 65 
 
 ought not to be his ftudy. I believe, there are 
 few natures but are capable, if not of eminent 
 accomplifhment, yet of fuch improvement as 
 may render them confiderable and ufeful enough, 
 if they would apply thenifelves to the ftudy of 
 knowledge with any tolerable vigour, or exert 
 their vigour with any regularity and uniformity. 
 'Tis owing to lazinefs and wantonnefs, that 
 the flow and heavy attain not fo much abili- 
 ties as might fuffice to fet them off, and to 
 make them fhew tolerably well : and 'tis to the 
 fame that the quick and v^itty owe their want 
 of all folidity and judgment, while they difco- 
 ver only enough to make the world juftly con- 
 demn them, as wanting to themfelves and 
 their country, being bad ftewards of a naturally 
 rich and improveable ellate, carelefs and ill 
 m afters of good parts. 
 
 Nor is conftancy lefs fervlceable in the pur- 
 fuit of virtue than of knowledge. Virtue, when 
 acquir'd, is confefTed by all to be eafy and de- 
 lightful, becaufe natural and rational j but to 
 acquire it, this is the difficulty; but 'tis fuch a 
 one as conftancy and courage would eafily van- 
 quifh: 'tis generally thought, there is in moft 
 at firft fome fort of Impetus towards good, 
 which if it were conftantly cheriftied, would 
 foon turn into habit and nature; but fits and 
 heats of religion, broken and interrupted effays 
 and attempts, do only keep up fo much guft 
 for virtue, as makes us a little difo-uft the en- 
 joyrnents of (in ; and preferves fo much of con- 
 fcience, as ferves to difturb and perplex us. 
 But be it how it will, let us fuppofe man in- 
 VoL. I. Y fedted 
 
66 Of the true Notion 
 
 feded in his nature, and, what is worfe, over- 
 run by vicioLis habits; yet even then, the fame 
 care, watchfulnefs, and difcipli'ie, that cures a 
 chronical diftemperof the body, would heal an 
 habitual difeafe of the mind; and one may re- 
 form and enrich a degenerate mind with as little 
 pains as it will coft to recover a decay'd and 
 ruinated eftate. 
 
 But let me return to my main fubjed;, that 
 is, the conduct of civil brfmefs. Here, I am 
 fure, an uniform conftancy and regular vigour 
 is exaded by all : I have feldom obferv'd men 
 of great abilities do great things without great 
 diligence and refolution; I am fure, Ihavefeen 
 them mifcarry foully, when perfons of lower 
 talents have fucceeded very well : nay, the 
 truth is, vigour and refolution are fuch noble 
 charaxflers, that whoever appears endowed with 
 them, can never himfelf mifcarry, tho' his de- 
 figns fometimes may: he can never be a lofer 
 in honour and reputation, but generally appears 
 a great man, even in the mofl: unfortunate 
 accidents, and makes even ill fuccefs itfelf 
 attell: his fufficiency. But commonly difficul- 
 ties gives way to the diligence and refolution of 
 great men ; and if to day will not, to morrow 
 will, fmile upon their enterprizes: there are 
 lucky minutes in budnefs, when what before 
 had wind and tide againft it, moves with the 
 flream: Whither will he not then carry his point, 
 who never lets flip the lucky moment through 
 negligence, and never fails through cowardice or 
 lazinefs, to urge and pu(h on his good fuccefs? 
 
 But 
 
(j/'HumanLife. 67 
 
 But how much foever n^igoiir and coufiann 
 be commended as mofl: ferviceable to fucceis in 
 bufinefs, as one of the greateft perfedions that 
 man is capable of, and the beft inftrument of 
 attaining all others j yet we mud not forget, 
 that theflrength of our nature is foon brolfen' 
 if it be always drained, and the fined parts are 
 foon tired and difpirited, if they be incclTanily 
 empioy'd: That man has a defign to carry oii 
 far nobler and more important than this, of 
 civil biifmcfs, and that fo far at leaff the plea- 
 fures of life are to be mingled with its toils and 
 troubles, as to enable us the better to under^^o 
 them : therefore, ^ 
 
 Fourthly, The gentleman's time ought not 
 to be fo wholly taken up in bufinefs, a1 not to 
 leave vacancies for religion, tneditation, friend- 
 Jhip, and diverfwn. There are two extremes 
 fatal to happinefs, to have no bufinefs at all, or 
 fo much as leaves no room for books or friends, 
 for meditation or necefiary diverjion : for this 
 makes life very barren and very dull; it makes 
 bufinefs mere drudgery, and places the great 
 man in a more toilfome condirion than the mean 
 
 * one, and makes him wifli for the eafe of his 
 tenants and fervants. Nor is this the only 
 evil of an uninterrupted purfult of worldly bu- 
 fineis; but, what is worfe, it extinguifnes all 
 guft of virtue, all relifli of heavenly things; 
 
 'and infiead of the courage and peace, vJith 
 which religion infpires men, it leaves them 
 without any rational fupport or comfort, either 
 
 • confuming, with perplexed and anxious thoughts 
 
 ^^ ^ about 
 
68 Of the true Notion 
 
 about the event of things; or, hardened into 
 a negled, if not contempt of religion, pro- 
 pofmg to themfclyes no other or higher end of 
 life, than the acquitting themfelves well in the 
 ftation they are, and afcribing the ifTue of affairs 
 to no other providence, than fuch as they are 
 daily wont to employ about them, and to fuch 
 other accidents as they have obferv'd them ever 
 and anon fubje6t to. 
 
 When I demand a vacant time for religion, 
 it mult not be fuppos'd that I do not look 
 upon religion as the firft and greateft bullnefs 
 of human life: it being in vain to gain the 
 whole world for him who lofes his foul ; or 
 to be intent in preferving or advancing the 
 peace or welfare of the publick, for hini 
 whofe mind is filled with diforder and guilt : 
 I do therefore fuppofe all the adtions of the 
 day fo cpnduded, as to become inftances of 
 Chriftian virtue: I fuppofe juflice and inte- 
 grity, coiirage and bounty, patience and gen- 
 tlcnefs, mingling themfelves in the difcharge 
 of every ci'vil bufinefs. And then the reli- 
 gion for which I demand fome vacant mo- 
 ments, is that of publick and private devo- 
 iiGn\ without which it Is impoflible for the 
 great man either to preferve reputation with- 
 out, or peace within. Publick devotio?i is 
 not only an adt of worfhip due to God^ 
 but, in a gentleman, a teftimony of the ho- 
 nour which he has for the community he 
 is of, and an expreflion of charity towards, 
 thofe who are influenc'd by his example. 
 
 Nor 
 
^ Human Life, 69 
 
 I^S'or is private devotion lefs neceffary ih^-wpub" 
 lick'y not only becaufe publick without privat^ 
 degenerates into formality, into a mere HieW) 
 without the power of godlineis ; nor yet be- 
 caufe every man's reputation flows firfl from 
 his domefticks, who can have no veneration for 
 him, who appears to have none for his God ; 
 the' even thefe reafons ought not to be contem- 
 ned ; but efpecially becaufe every man has par- 
 ticular wants, and particular obligations, and 
 none more than the great one; and therefore 
 muft offer up to God his particular petitions and 
 prayers. I cannot therefot-e tell how to think, 
 that he who does not begin and clofe the day 
 with prayers to God, can believe there is one : 
 He that does not invoke providence, feems to 
 defy it; and he who faciificeth not to God, 
 feems to me to facrifice only to his nets. 
 
 As to meditation, 'tis fo eflential a part of 
 religion, and fo indifpenfible a prepdrative for 
 devotion, that I fliould not have placed it here 
 by itfelf, did I tiot extend its dcfign fomething 
 further. Meditation h that ^J?, which, of all 
 others, docs moft delight and nourifli the mind ; 
 which, of all others, is mod fit to raife and to 
 ilrengthen it. In other adions we feem td 
 move mechanically; in this alone, rationally. 
 In all other, our reafon feems confin'd and fet^' 
 ter'd by I know not what prefcriptions, cuf- 
 toms and circumftances ; in this alone it feems 
 to enjoy its native freedom and liberty, rab- 
 bling with an uncontroul'd Lnpetz/Sy' and v/ith 
 delight ftretching and dilating itfeif. In all 
 other things, the mind feems to be imprcis'd and 
 Y 3 moulded 
 
yo Of the true Notion 
 
 moulded by the matter and bufinefs about whicll 
 it is converfant j but in this, it gives what forms 
 and circumftances it pleafes, to both; in this, it 
 has a kind of creative or productive power, and 
 I know not what fort of defpotick fovereignty* 
 In a word, he who is ignorant of the force of 
 meditation^ is a ftranger to the trueft pleafure 
 of human life, to the mofi: ufeful, taking, and 
 natural a6l of the human foul. But I forget 
 what I mainly intended, which was, to tell 
 vou, that the ufe of meditation confifts either 
 in reflection or preparation, as regarding alike 
 yeilerday and to morrow : 'Tis highly necef- 
 fary, that he looks back upon his day paft, who 
 lies under fo many temptations to Vvafte it; that 
 he whofe adrons are of fo much greater impor- 
 tance than thofe of private men, and fall una- 
 voidably under a more general and fevere ccn- 
 fure, do the more carefully fcan them over. Nor 
 is preparation lefs neceflary than rcfledtion : for 
 this gives order to your affairs, and forms the 
 mind into a fit and juft difpofitio7i ; it prevents 
 larprizes, removes difficulties, and gives beauty 
 and lleadinefs to your whole condudl. 
 
 As io friendJJ:ip and diverfion 1 (hall treat of 
 them fully in their proper places ; and therefore 
 lliail fpeak but a word of them here. 'Tis a 
 hard matter, it may be, for great men to have 
 iinccre friends; hue this being a purchafeof ib 
 great a value, deferves they fhould lay out all 
 their art and intereO: upon it : for befides that 
 advantage oifriendjl^ip in every condition, that 
 it clears our notions, correds our errors, confirms 
 our virtues, enlarges our joys, and lefiens our 
 
 troubles; 
 
^HtJMAN Life. 71 
 
 ■ti-bublesj it is to men in an eminent ilation more 
 peculiarly neceiTary, both as the ornament and 
 fupport of their fortune. 
 
 As to diverfio72^ it ever muft be fuch as may 
 confiil: with the dignity of the perfon, or the ur- 
 gency of his employment ; fuch as may hot leflen 
 his charader, or wafte his timej fjch as may 
 refrefli and recruit nature, and from which he 
 may return to his bufmcfs with new vigour and 
 new appetite: and it were very well, if diver- 
 lions were (o wifely contrived, that they might 
 at once delight and improve the mind. I 
 jfhould therefore think, that phyfick or hufban- 
 dry, the principles of any curious mechanick 
 performances, mufick, archltedul-e, and fuch 
 like, might be proper entertainments of vacant 
 hours: but if /^the health of the body, as well, 
 as pleafure of the mind, be aim'd at in diver^ 
 Jhn^ it were well to have always ready fome 
 wife friends, by whofe help and converfation, 
 the time you beftow on the health of the body 
 may not be utterly loft to the mind. I am 
 fenfible, I have been guilty in this difcourfe of 
 the fame fault which all, v/ho write morals 
 with any fpirit, do generally fail into ; that is, 
 propofing a greater perfecaion than is com- 
 monly attainable; and of forming my models 
 and ideas, rather by fpeculation than the prac- 
 tice of rr:^.nkind : but this will be eafily par- 
 don'd ■ y fuch as remember, that the copy will 
 ever fall fhort of the original; and that men 
 will eafily of themfelves bend and accommodate 
 the exacted rule to the frailties and imperfedi- 
 ons of human life. 
 
 Y 4 Nor 
 
7 2 Of the true Notion 
 
 Nor do I again forget, when I prefs Gentle- 
 men to the noblefl heights of virtue, that they 
 are expofed to more numerous and more violent 
 folicitations to vice than other men. I know it: 
 but at the fame time I remember too, that they 
 always pretend to a higher fpirit, and a more 
 refined education : that their virtue always 
 fliines with a double luftrej its own, and that 
 of their fortune; fo that moderate attainments 
 in them make a greater {hew, than the more 
 perfect and accomplifli'd in men of a lower 
 fphere: andfiinally, that thofe advantages and 
 prerogatives which they enjoy by their birth 
 and ftation, do put them in a better condition 
 than other men, to defend their true liberty, 
 and to purfue thofe methods which reafon and 
 virtue didate. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
^HumanLife. ;^3 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 Of the trading or negotiating life. 
 
 Sed:. I. Rules relating to fuccefs in trade* 
 Firji^ That the trader be indujlrious^ Secondly ^ 
 That he be not above his profejfion. 
 
 Sed:. 2. Rules relating to his religion. Firjl^ 
 The trade muft be a lawful one. Secondly y tt 
 mujl be managd with jujlice^ truth and cha-^ 
 rity. Thirdly y It mufl not interfere with r^- 
 ligion. Fourthly y The trader ought to propoje 
 to himfelfwife and rational ends, fuch as are 
 a competency for hiinfelf and family : the 
 charitable afjifiance of others : a timely retire- 
 ment or retreat from the bufile and difiraSiions' 
 of too much bifmefs. 
 
 My latter years have been fpent moflly 
 among the trading part of mankind ; 
 and I have receiv'd many obligations from them; 
 and I think myfelf bound to do them this right, 
 to let the v^^orld know, that I have found more 
 honour and gratitude^ more clearnefs and m- 
 tegrity amongft this fort of men, than I ever 
 could amongft others, whofe quality and edu- 
 cation raifed my expedations higher : it will 
 be therefore no fmall fatisfadion to me, if any 
 endeavours of mine can render them any con- 
 iiderable fervice. 
 
 There is no condition of life free from temp- 
 tations and difficulties apt to embroil our hap- 
 pinefs, and infed our innocence, and therefore 
 
 neither 
 
74 w i^^ ^^^«^^ Notion 
 
 neither this of traders-, the evils they are fub- 
 jedt to may be reduced to two heads, either 
 mifcarrying in trade^ or in religion. I will 
 therefore begin with fuch rules as may ferve 
 to prevent the former, and then proceed to 
 fuch as concern the latter. 
 
 If we trace the ruin of fuch, as fail or break, 
 back to its original, we fliall find it generally 
 to be either idlenefs or 'pride. Idlejiefs, the 
 parent of all fottifh vices 3 pride, the parent of 
 expenfive follies and ruinous projeds. I will 
 therefore lay down tliefe two rules as the foun- 
 dations of the trader s fecular profperity, 
 Firjl, that he mufl be diligent and induftrious: 
 Secondly, that he muft not be above his pro- 
 feffion. 
 
 I, He mufi: be diligent and indiijirious. 
 You fee-ni born for indujlry ^ and though fome 
 pretend to be fent into the world only to enjoy 
 a fortune, 'tis plain you are firft to raife one : 
 and though there may be fome fortunate men 
 in the world, that feem to thrive rather by 
 chance than virtue, and owe more to the care 
 of others than their own; yet, I am fure, in 
 the ordinary methods of providence^ diligence 
 arid if^diijlryy are the highway to wealth and 
 plenty ; "oirtue and fohriely to wife and fecure 
 enjoyments. And I know not with what con- 
 fidence men can promife themfelves the blefiing 
 and favour of God on any other terms. He 
 has made nothing on purpofe to be ivlle and 
 nfelefs: the heavenly bodies never ceafe to yield 
 their light and influence, nor the terreflrial ones 
 their fiuit. We ourfelves do fubfifl by a con- 
 tinual 
 
o/" Human Life. ^5 
 
 tinual motion 5 and fhould our blood and fpirits 
 grow dull and flugglfh, our life muft needs ex- 
 pire with their inadivity ; man is born to labour, 
 as the /parks jiy upward \ our capacities and 
 endowments deftine and urge us to it ; the ne- 
 ceffities and want of this needy beggarly ftate 
 (in which nature^ how kind foever it was to the 
 golden age, does not furnifli us with any thing 
 without art and indtiflry) exa6t and demand it, 
 and the laws of human fociety oblige us to it: 
 for it is but fit that every one fhould contribute 
 his fhot for the entertainment of the publick ; 
 and that he fliould not, like a drone, be feafted 
 and maintained by the labour and travail of 
 others. And fo far, laftly, is Chriftianity from 
 abrograting this law of nature, that it earneftly 
 enforces it : let ours learn to maintain good 
 works for ?tecejfary iifes, that they be not un- 
 fruitful', that is, that they be not a fliame and 
 burden to themfelves and families, to the com- 
 monwealth or Chriflian profeffion. Propofe not 
 then, I addrefs myfelf here to apprentices and 
 beginners i propofe not to exempt yourfelves 
 from that univerfal law of labour and travail to 
 which the whole creation is fubjeded; you efpe- 
 cially, who lie under more immediate and par- 
 ticular obligations to it. 'Tis'an unaccountable 
 folly for one, who is to make his fortune in the 
 world, to apply himfelf to trade, rather as a di- 
 verfon than bufinefs, and to dtCign it only as a 
 fupport and fund for floth and luxury: 'tis mad- 
 nefs and phrenfy in any one to propofe to be 
 mafter of his time ere he be mafter of his trade-, 
 and to indulge his pleafures, before he has made 
 
 provifion 
 
y6 Of the true Notmt 
 
 provifion to defray the expence of them ; arid 
 yet this, I doubt, is tod general a pradice j 
 whereas would young men confider the matter 
 aright, they would find that they do but pre- 
 vent their pleafures, by gathering of them be- 
 fore they be ripe j and do but make their 
 troubles and vexations endlefs, by indulging 
 their eafe and lazinefs tod foon. Contradidious 
 projedls ! to propofe at once to live idly, and 
 yet to thrive ! to live pleafurably, and grow 
 rich \ 'Tis true, there are many traders^ who 
 live in much eafe and plenty, and make a very 
 handfome figure in the world, and 'tis but fit 
 there would be fuch. '77'ade is the fupport and 
 ornament of kingdoms; and no m?.n of fenfc 
 will any more envy the man o^ trade his v^^ealth 
 than the man of the fword his honoUf, or the 
 man of letters the abilities, his places and pre- 
 ferments : but if I could, I Vvould have men 
 grow up to all thefe by labour and induflry, by 
 an apprenticediip of fobriety and virtue : 1 
 vvould have employment be the reu'ard of 
 merit : I vvould not have eafe and pleafure be 
 raviHied by the loofe and unworthy ; but re- 
 gularly pofiefied by fuch as have taken pains to 
 purchafe both, and have fenfe, experience, and 
 virtue enough to enjoy them. 
 
 Secondly, The ti^ader muft not be above his 
 calling. Pride and vanity are generally fworri 
 enemies, both to the content and profperity of 
 traders; but then it mnft be remembcrtv^, fome 
 are but lightly tinged ; others, more thoroughly 
 and deeply dyed with thefe vices : in fome they 
 produce only little comical affectations, and 
 
 almofl 
 
^ H U M A N L I F E. 77 
 
 almoft innocent excurfionsj but in others very 
 fatal diforders and irregularities. There is no 
 gracefulnefs in any motion that is not natural ; 
 ^ man of low ftature may add fomething to his 
 height, but nothing to his comelin^fs, by ftrut- 
 ting upon ftilts. Nor is there only an ungrace- 
 fulnefs, but an uneafmefs in all afFeded morions ; 
 we are all a little purblind and dimfighted in 
 this world j and therefore walk more fecurely 
 in the way we are acquainted with j but for my 
 part, when an error is only comical, and ex- 
 pofes men no further than to a little raillery and 
 cenfure, 'tis fcarce worth my while to prefcribe 
 to it ; and I cannot tell whether it be worth 
 every man's while to be at the charge of corr 
 rediqg ^ humour, which if it do a little expofe 
 him, does yet pleafe him too : the pride and 
 ambition which I would extirpate, is fuch a one 
 as I have obferved fatal to the tradefmans^ox^ 
 tune and repofe j fuch as tempts him to defpife 
 ^nd negledl his trade, or puts him upon expences 
 which It cannot maintain, or engages him in 
 bold or hazardous projedls : this is an error 
 which I would fain reform, and methinks a few 
 fcber refledions fliould here prevail. What ? 
 can it be fenfe to make a fhew abroad at the ex- 
 pence of your content and peace at home? what? 
 is it not much better to be modeft and fafe, to 
 be humble and at eafe, than to fuffer daily an- 
 xieties and perplexities, and to have your mind 
 always upon the rack, how to anfwer and fatisfy 
 the importunities of pride and vanity ? 'tis 
 worfe yet when a fhort piece of pageantry ends 
 in perpetual infatnyi when this important hu- 
 mour 
 
78 Of the true Notion 
 
 mour is nouridied by robbery and injuftice, by 
 fraud and cheat, committed upon widows and 
 orphans, acquaintance and friends, and the near- 
 eft relations. • I muft confefs, I am amazed to 
 think, that any one's pride (hould be tickled by 
 a falfe and fatal grandeur, upheld only by wrong 
 and Mijaftice, and refolving in a moment into 
 indelible fhame and irretrievable ruin. For 
 my part, I Ihould in thiscale look upon brave- 
 ry, not as the marks of g-eatii&fs, but orna- 
 ments of a facniice \ not as the pomp of a tri- 
 umph, but a funeral; and my lufcious morfels, 
 how pleafing foever to my palate, would be 
 ready to rife and recoil in my ftomach. As to 
 thole whofeemto fcorn their profeffion, I have 
 but this to fay, Let 'em find out a more thriving 
 one before they leave the old one, before they 
 defert the profeffion they were bred to, for its 
 meannefs ; let them make fure of a more ho- 
 nourable employment; or elfe, the fcorn they 
 locid their trade v/idi, willbe wantof fenfe, not 
 greatnefs of fpirit; a lazy pride, not a generous 
 ambition; and if fo, I am fure there is no pro- 
 feffion fo mean as that of lloth and loofenefs. 
 
 ^cB, 2, The fecond fort of rules are fuch as 
 concern the religion of the trader or artizan : 
 for 'tis to little purpofe that he thrive in his fe- 
 cular, if he run out in his Chriffian calHng; 
 for this is but to be fortunate, and yet miferable. 
 Therefore, 
 
 Hr//, He muftbe fare that his callingbe lawful. 
 
 Secondly, That it be carried on with truth, 
 juftice, and charity. 
 
 ^hirdly^ 
 
^ H u A/r A N L I p E. 79 
 
 thirdly. This his attendance on the bufinefs 
 of this world do not extinguish his concern for 
 a better ; and his trade devour his religion, as 
 Fharaoh\ lean kind did the fat ones. 
 
 Fourthly, That he propofe to himfelf^ro/^r 
 and rational ends of trading, 
 
 Firfi, He muft be fure that his calling be 
 lawful; that is, fuch as is neither forbidden by 
 any law of God or the magiftrate, nor does in 
 its own nature minifter to vice. But that I 
 may not perplex men's minds with unneceffary 
 fcruples, and tempt them to doubt of thelaw- 
 fulnefs of all trades, that are any way made 
 the inftruments of fin and folly ; you muft 
 know, fome things minifter to fin dirediy and 
 neceffarily ; others only accidentally, and not 
 hy the immediate intention of the ^r///? or tra~ 
 der, but the abufe of others. The former fort 
 of trades are unlawful in themfelves, and no 
 pretence can fandify the ufe of them. He that 
 diredlly and immediately minifters to a fm, 
 communicates in the guilt of it ; as he tliat pur- 
 veys for the luft of others, partakes of the fm 
 of the adulterer and fornicator : but thofe which 
 minifter not purpofely and immediately but 
 accidently, are yet in themfelves lawful.' l\f;.r 
 fiiall the trader communicate in thofe abnfes to 
 which the lufts and vanities of others pro--^i- 
 tute them. Thus taverns are not uniawiui, 
 becaufe abufed by intemperance ; nor a^e all 
 iliops of clothing to be ihut, becaufe thence 
 people furniOi themfelves with fuch things as 
 niHame their immodefty and pride : the rea- 
 
 fon 
 
8o Of the true Notion 
 
 fon is plainly this, becaufe the fin may be fepa- 
 rated from the trade j that wine, whofe full 
 draughts are by fome made ufe of to the defa- 
 cing reafon and enkindling lufl:, may as well re- 
 fre(h the weary and delight the moderate; thofe 
 garments, which adorn the proud and wanton, 
 may be made ufe of to add luftre to greatnefs. 
 The inconvenience would beinfufferable, if eve- 
 ry profeffion which did but indiredily and cafu- 
 ally adminifter to vice, were therefore finful : 
 the courts of juftice muft be laid afide, becaufe 
 oftentimes the bar and bench have contributed 
 to opprefs, injure, and rob in form of law. The 
 pulpit muft be for ever filenc'd, becaufe men 
 have fometimes fown the feeds of fedition and 
 flavery from thence. All the arts^ either of war 
 or peace, have fometimes ferv'd the cruelty of 
 the one, and luxury of the other; and by confe- 
 quence would be banifh'd out of all common- 
 wealths. Yet here it muft be confefs'd, that the 
 more or lefs tendency any trade hath to the pro- 
 moting vice, it is in the fime proportion the 
 more or lefs eligible. And that it imports men, 
 v^^ho love their peace and happinefs more than 
 gain, not to debauch their calling themfelves, 
 by proftituting them to extravagances and exor- 
 bitances; and projecting profit from the intem- 
 perances and fins, that is, the ruin of others : 
 for 'tis not fufficient to the peace and comfort 
 of a man's mind, that his calling be innocent, 
 if his condudt of it be not fo too. 
 
 Secondly^ Tirade ought to be manag'd with 
 truths jujlice, and charity, for without thefe, 
 'tis only a more cleanly art of cheating or op- 
 
 prefllon ; 
 
of H V M A N Life. 8 i 
 
 prelTionj fins, which, I doubt, cnn receive but 
 little excuie or mitigation from the cuftom and 
 prad:ice of them : Without thefe, trade can- 
 not be regular and eafy, nor gain comfortable 
 and delightful; fince no man can have any 
 confidence in the prote(5lion of God, when the 
 methods of his thriving are fuch as merit ven- 
 geance, not a blefiing. Nor can I fee any 
 thing that can betray men into lying and kna- 
 very, but the want of true fenfe, as well as true 
 faith } fince tho' many by undue ways have 
 more fuddenly enriched themfelves, yet it is 
 evident, that the wealth, which is more regu- 
 larly purchafed, is more pleafant, durable, and 
 lafting ; and that honeft and equitable dealing 
 is the fureft, if not the fpeedieft way to wealth. 
 Nor are there, I believe, many inftances of 
 men, who, if they nnderftood their bufinefs, 
 have ever fuffered much by their uprightnefs 
 and integrity in dealing} it being very hard to 
 imagine, that a trader (houldbealofer bythofe 
 virtues which advance credit and reputation. 
 But however this be, 1 am not now enquiring 
 after wealthy hut happinejs ; to the obtain- 
 ment of which, I am very pofitive, that the 
 obfervation of thefe meafures is indifpenfible, 
 fince the contrary muif needs prevert the mind, 
 and intangle life : and as they extinguirti in 
 the foul all fparks of honour and greatnefs ; fo 
 muft they its courage and confidence, tran- 
 quillity and peace, which can refialt from no* 
 thing, but the due moderation of our aiTe<5tions, 
 and the confcience of our integrity. 
 
 Vol. L Z "Thirdly , 
 
82 Of the true Notion 
 
 T^hir(ih\ T; e raders attendance on his call- 
 ing muft not dilcharge him from his atten- 
 dance on rdigioji. "lis true, 'tis commonly 
 faid/ and generally admitted, that the duty of 
 every one's fecular calling is a part of religion ; 
 but this ought to be well underftood, thatfo 
 neither a veneration for religion breed a neglect 
 of your callings, nor an over-fond opinion of 
 the merit of induftry in your calling (as if all 
 virtue were comprifedin it)* breed a contempt 
 of religion : 'Tis fit therefore to put you in 
 mind, that arts and trades have not in therr.- 
 felves any dired and immediate tendency, 
 cither to the improvement of reafon, or the 
 produ(ftion of virtue ; they minifler to the 
 neceffities of this world, not the glories of ano- 
 ther ; nor are they fo much the works of a ra- 
 tional and fpiritual, as of a mortal and indi- 
 gent being: from whence it follows, that tho' 
 they are nect'flary to the prefent ftate of things, 
 yet can they deferve to employ you no longer 
 than either the publlck benefit or private con- 
 venience require it; and that you are then only 
 wifely taken up about thefe, when neither 
 your endowments nor fortunes capacitate you 
 for a life more immediately and diredlly fer- 
 viceable to the purpofes of reafon and revela- 
 tion: and finally, that the works of a fecular 
 proieffion are then only acceptable facnfices to 
 God, when coniecrated by wife principles and 
 -virtues cleavmg to and mingling with them. 
 Do not therefore think, that a pretence of bu- 
 {v\ fs can cancel vour obligations to the duties 
 of Chriftianity. If a man could fancy, which I 
 6 never 
 
^ H U M A N L I F E. S^ 
 
 never can, bafinefs and religion incompatible, 
 'tis evident which were to be preferred j lince, 
 if the will of God were fo, it is much better 
 to be ftarved than to be damned. But with- 
 out carrying the Matter fo far, 'tis plain that 
 virtue and religion, with a competency, ren- 
 der men abundantly more happy than wealth 
 can do, if attended with the negled: or con- 
 tempt of either : 'Tis the riches of the mind 
 make men great and happy ; the ignorant and 
 irreligious can never be either. Let no man 
 therefore think that he fuffers any damage, if 
 he be forced to maintain his inrtiie and religion 
 by the diminution of his trade \ tho' I cannot 
 comprehend that there can -be a neceffity of 
 this: for I have never yet obferved any man 
 fo opprefled and overcharged with bufinefs, as 
 not to find time for pleafure, when he h^s 
 pretended he could find none for religion. In 
 a word, the negled: of religion is capable of 
 no excufe ; not only becaufe your future, but 
 prefent happinefs depends upon it. Modefty 
 or moderation, to curb a vain and ambitious 
 third: of wealth; faith or confidence in the 
 providence of God, to reftrain you from mean, 
 bafe, and unlawful courfes; felf-refignation to 
 prevent anxiety, and thole fears, to which the 
 uncertainties, changes, and revolutions of times 
 and trade make men fubjedt, feem to me as 
 necefiary to the peace and happinefs of a 
 trader^ as a competent flock, induftry or Ikill, 
 can be to his worldly fuecefs or profperity ; 
 and tho' men, who allow themfelves no time, 
 either for attendance upon publick religion, 
 Z 2 or 
 
8 4 Of the true Notion 
 
 or pri^'ate meditation, may talk finely of thefe 
 virtato bv v. ay of notion and fpeculation, it 
 is mipoffible they fl)0uld be really poflefs'd of 
 them. How cr,n he get wifdom that holdeth 
 the plough^ and that glorieth in the goad ^ that 
 dri'vcth oxefi, aiid is occupied in their labours j 
 and whofe talk is oj bullocks ? Which the au- 
 thor of Ecclefiajiicus, by a parity of reafon, 
 extends further to all traders and artifans, 
 who are in like manner wholly taken up in 
 their art. I could therefore wiiTi, that thofe 
 woi ds of our Saviour, What Jk^ll it profit a 
 many if hejlould gain the 'whole u-orld^ and loj'e 
 his own foul, were writ in capital letters in 
 the moft confpicuous place of the compting- 
 houle and the flii^p,, that you might ever and 
 anon be put in mind, that there is one 
 thing more neceffary, even than the diligent 
 and profperous management of your trade, 
 namt-ly, rolig'on. For to what purpofe is it, 
 that your books are well kept, that there is 
 order and regularity in the whole condu(ft of 
 your trades, if at the fame time your negled:ed 
 he-arts lie, like the field of the fluggard, wafte 
 and optn, overgrown with briars and thorns, 
 and weed<^; or like a con fu fed and intangled 
 flock of an ui.fhLilful t'-ader, which waftes 
 and decays each day? To what purpofe is 
 it, that yr»u be pincflual dealers towards men, 
 .if vou be bank, upts towards God? To what 
 purpofe is it that vou have credit and honour 
 upon ri-e 'Chafpj/, i-^you be poor and beggar- 
 ly, flif-meful a: id fne??k n^ in yourfelves with- 
 in, ha*'ing your ibuls dcflitute of any true 
 
 peace^ 
 
^ Human Life. 85 
 
 peace, wealth or courage j and you diift the 
 accufations and importunities of confcience, as 
 much as a wretched debrcir would a fevere and 
 inexorable creditor ? Ah! while you purlue rhe 
 world, forget not that there is a heaven -, and 
 while you make a provifion for time, mskc 
 fome too for eternity : Let your ftatiug your 
 accompts with men,, put you in mind of clear- 
 ing your accompts with God; and let thefe 
 two things never be out o^ your thoughts ; 
 iirft, that it is God who gives man power to 
 get wealth, and next, that it is not a clear 
 eftate, but a clear foul, that makes man happy; 
 I mean a foul freed from filly and vile afFedi- 
 ons, andenrich'd with the knowledge and love 
 of God and gojdnefs. 
 
 Fmrthly, The /;W(?r muft propofeto himfelf 
 proper and rational ends of tradifig : for who- 
 ever propofes to himfelf vain and falfe ones, 
 will intangle his life in manifold troubles and 
 temptations, and lofe his reaforiy religion and 
 tranquillity^ in the windings and mazes of 
 wretched fancies and unaccountable proje(5ls. 
 Thefe ends oi trading I take to be thefe thfee: 
 Firjt^ A competent and honeft fupport of your- 
 felves and families. Secondly, A charitable fuc- 
 cour and relief of others. Thirdly, A timely 
 retreat from a fecular calling, to a contempla- 
 tive life. 
 
 Fir/i, A competent and honeft fupport of 
 yourfelves and families. This end is pointed 
 out by the ApoHile, Tit. iii. 14. and called 
 necejfary vfes, i. e. We muft defign in trade 
 the fupport of the neceffities, not luft of na- 
 Z 3 ture. 
 
86 Of the true Notion 
 
 ture. And were not all trades over-ftock'd, 
 and confequently the obfervation fupeifluous, 
 I fhould tell you, that publick as well as prU 
 vate necefliries were here to be underftood. 
 Nor is your care here limited to your own ne^ 
 ceffities only, but thofe alfo of your children 
 and pofterity demand their {hare in it ; but 
 then, left under this pretence you extend your 
 defires beyond all bounds, you are to remem-r 
 ber, that in refolving the meafures of this pro- 
 viiion, you are not to take counfel of your own 
 ambition, or the wanton expediatijDns of vour 
 children; that provifion for them is wifeft, 
 which lays a fufficient foundation for their in- 
 duftry to build on, and leave;> them under an 
 obligation to bufinefs and employment. And i$ 
 not this enough ? To what pui p. fe (hould men 
 toil, cark, and pinch, to make their families 
 rich and great; that is, hzv and wanton, to 
 leave them an eflate which their own example 
 proves more thai^ necefiary ; for moft of thofe 
 that do fo, have made little ufe of it themfclves? 
 Miftake me not? I do not think it unlawful 
 to be rich, or to leave one's tamily fo; but I 
 think it foolifli and finful too, to facrifice the 
 peace of one's mind, and the eafe of one's life, 
 to the luft of riches: I think it filly and vicious 
 to raife a family by meannefs and fordidnefs, or 
 to lay the foundation of children's greatnefs in 
 one's own infamy. In fliort, 'tis not wealth, but 
 an inordinate paffion for it, which I condemn : 
 Profperity is the gift of God, a common re- 
 ward of Chriftian virtues : for Chriftianity is 
 fgid to ha'-oe the promij'es of this lijcy an4 
 
 thai 
 
^ H U M A N L I F E. 8 J 
 
 that which is to come. Wealth thtn may be 
 received, but it muft not be defigned as your 
 firft and chief end. Thus/tf/z^i?, honour^ powers 
 are great bleflings and favours of heaven ; 
 but whoever imm>>ueiarely thirds after the one 
 or the other, is ar-nbitious and vain-gloric;us. 
 You may receive temporal good things with 
 gratitude, and enjoy them with moderation ; 
 but if you dote upon them, you violate the 
 vow of your baptilm, and virtually renounce 
 your faith : for would not this be to forget 
 that heaven were your kingdom and country, 
 and earth the place of your exile ^ or, at beft, 
 pilgrimage ? This is a Jeffon can never be too 
 often inculcated, not only on the account of 
 that violent oppofition 'tis almofl every-wherc 
 encounter 'd with j but alfo the vaft importance 
 'tis of to the quiet and contentment of a trad- 
 ing life: This one thing is the philof phy the 
 trader fhould be ever ftudying, the wifdom he 
 (hould be daily purfuing ; that is, a true and 
 juft moderation of his delires of wealth. Did 
 man know how to bound his defires by the ne- 
 ceffitiesor conveniencies of human life; could 
 he regulate his appetites by the modefly and 
 moderation of chriilianity, not by cuftom and 
 fancy; I am confident this one thing alone 
 would refcue him from the far grea er pdrt of 
 evils and incumbrances which infeft human life: 
 vanity and ambition, envy and emulation, wan^ 
 tonnefs and fincy, create moftof thofe dilficul- 
 ties and neceilities which ftain the beauty, dif- 
 turb the peace and order, and dedroy the plea- 
 lure of life. When men's defires and aims are 
 Z 4 too 
 
88 Of the true Notwt 
 
 too big for their callings, they are unavoidably 
 plunged int'» difcontent and doubttul prcje(5ts ; 
 and if they fink not finally into ruin, tl ey tan- 
 not be held up but by fuch an anxious and rel- 
 iefs profecutioii (^f the world, as looks laher like 
 hurry or diftraction, than trade or employment. 
 I can therefore never think a tradtfman happy, 
 till he has modefly enouj^h to find content in 
 the revenue of a moderate and eafy trade; till 
 he underflands what are the bounds his nature, 
 and his ftation fets him; and tho' he know how 
 to enjoy a great fortune, does never v^'ant one; 
 has fenfe enough to ufe it, and virtue ePiOugh 
 not to let his happinefs depend upon it. 
 
 Secondly, A charitable fuccour and relief of 
 ethers. 'Tis confefTed by all, that men are 
 born, not for themfelves only, but for others 
 too: and God, the difpeiif.r of temporal wealth, 
 commands fuch as are rich in this uorld, to 
 be rich in good works too: but it is always 
 to be provided, that juftice do firft take place, 
 and then charity. This direcflion therefore fup- 
 pofes the traders accounts to ftand fair; it fup- 
 pofes him to have discharged the duties which 
 he owes to his relatives and dependants, or elfe 
 to have none. I vvi 1 not infift on the obliga- 
 tion or pieafure of charity; I will notprefsyou 
 to it by the intereft of your prefent, and fu- 
 ture happinefi: For the truth is, to do right 
 to the trading; world, there is no rank or order 
 of men in the kingdom, that is more fenfible 
 of the duty of charity, or more inclined and 
 difpofed to it ; none that give more eminent 
 proofs of it while living, or leave more glori- 
 ous 
 
^p/'HumanLife. 89 
 
 aus monuments of it behind them. One thing 
 only I will take upon me to recommend to 
 you ; that is, the advice of Solomon ; Whatfo'- 
 enjer th\ hand findeth to do, do it with thy might : 
 For there is no work, nor device, nor know- 
 ledge, nor wifdom, in the grave whither thou 
 goelt : That is, whatever good you defign to do, 
 do it Ipeedily, and, as much as in you lies, 
 be your own executors. How often are excel- 
 lent purpofes ftrangled in the birth by an unex- 
 peded death ! How frequently are they pervert- 
 ed bv the corruption and negligence of thofe 
 to whofe infpedion they are committed I Be- 
 fides, this way you ihall reap the fruit of your 
 own planrations; you will enjoy the pleafure 
 and fatisfadion refulting from the perfedtion, 
 beauty, and good contrivance of the foundati- 
 O'ls you have laid ; or you will be able to fup- 
 ply the deftds, or corredl the errors of your 
 model, and pi event thofe future mifcarriages 
 . which fuch defigns arc liable to. Tho' all this 
 be very much, yet it is but the leaft part of 
 what you will reap from being yourfelves the 
 executors of your own bounty ; you will be 
 fure that you dedicate it to charity, not to va- 
 nity J that you are building ahiis-houfes for the 
 living, not totnbs and pyramids for the dead ; 
 you will efcape the common cheat and impof- . 
 ture the rich put upon themfelves, while they 
 entangle themfelves in covetoufnefs all their 
 lives, under pretence of defigning mighty 
 things after death. 
 
 Thirdly^ The trade fman ought to propofe to 
 himfelf a limcly retreat^ /. e. if the nectffiiies 
 
 ox 
 
go Of the true Notion 
 
 of this indigent flate will give way to it . 
 which feems to me natural, to finifli bufinefs 
 ere we finifh life; to lay down our burden ere 
 vye tire and fall under the weight of it^ and 
 quit troublefome employments, before our bung- 
 ling difcharge of them proclaim the decay of 
 our parts and flrength, and the increafe of our 
 avarice and ambition: Nay, the very continu- 
 ance of the fame cares for the world, which 
 look'd before like prudence, will in old age be 
 reckoa'd fin and folly : To trade^ is but to make 
 provifion for life; and therefore iince common 
 fenfe will tell us, that we muft not be always 
 providing for life, and never live ^ 'tis plain, men 
 ought, if they may, at length break off their 
 trade, or at lead fo contract it, that it may be 
 rather diverfion than travail : as Solomon fends 
 us to the ants to learn induflry, fo might he to 
 learn wifdom too; the enjoyment of their trea- 
 fure in the winter, being no lefs an inftance of 
 the one, than their labonr in laying it up in the 
 fummer, of the other. B elides, in ripe years 
 the advice of the prophet feems to be addrefs'd 
 to every man, Set thine houfe in order ^ for thou 
 Jhalt die, and not live-, /.£>. (late your accompts, 
 fettle your fortune, compofe the differences of 
 your family, and fix your children fo, that you 
 may be able to difcern what courfe they will 
 fleer when you are gone, and to corred any error 
 they are apt to fail into, while you live, which 
 may otherwife, when you are dead, prove incor- 
 rigible and deftrudive. If thefe motives, taken 
 from decency, prudence and mortality, feem too 
 light, there is another of more weight and mo- 
 ment 
 
of Hv MAN Life. 91 
 
 ment behind; that is, theconfideratlon of you^ 
 eternal intereft. 'Tis highly neceffary to leave 
 the world before you be torn from it, and to ac- 
 quaint yourfelves more familiarly with another 
 world, before you pafs into it to make your 
 abode in it for ever. Certainly it requires fome 
 time to prepare the foul for death and judg- 
 ment; and that man will be very unfit for 
 either, who is carried from the counter to the 
 grave, and from the entanglements of fecular 
 cares to the tribunal of God. But befides the 
 benefits which you will find in retirement, the 
 profpecft and propofal of it has many in it; the 
 hopes of a fabbatick year in life, will eafe the 
 weight and travail of thole that precede it; and 
 a defign of retreating from trade and bufinefs, 
 will be apt to reduce men to pafs their firft 
 years with more moderation anei abftinence, 
 that they may the fooner provide the means of 
 an eafy or honourable retirement. 
 
 Thefe rules well obferv'd, would free the 
 negotiating life from^all the great evils and in- 
 conveniencies it is fubjedl: to. Bufinefs, as it 
 was in the time of innocence, would be, not the 
 cure, but the blefilng of mankind; and trade 
 would be as eafy and innocent, ifnotasplea- 
 fant, as Adam\ hufoandry in his garden : for 
 thus indullry would be Vv'ithout drudgery, and 
 care without anxiety; commerce would be car- 
 ried on Vv'ithout any mean or ill artifices, with- 
 out impatient and tormenting defigns, or tire- 
 fome and vexatious difappointments. What 
 need would there be of (hiits and equivo- 
 cations, of fraud and circumvention, if a 
 
 man 
 
92 Of the ti^ue Notmt 
 
 man had faith enough to believe, that God's 
 blefling upon his indullry were the only way to 
 grow truly rich ; I mean, to get, if not To much 
 as he would, yet as much as would be good 
 for him? What temptation would a man lie 
 under to bondage and drudgery, or to perplex- 
 ity and anxiety, if he could contain his defires 
 within thofe narrow bounds which nature and 
 his flation have prefcribed him? What fears 
 could difquiet the mind, which were form'd 
 into an entire reiignation to, and dependence 
 upon God? Or, how could the world infnare 
 that foul which allots a proper time for publick 
 religion, and private meditation? In a word, 
 thelb rules being follow'd, men would not only 
 avoid the common rocks on which the happi- 
 nefs and fortune of the trader generally daihes, 
 bui alfo attain the end of this fort of a^ftive life; 
 they would get eftates in their younger years, 
 and enjoy them in their riper: nay, no portion 
 of life would want its proper and feafonable en- 
 joyments J they would in <he midil: of bufinefs 
 prefe;ve their innocence, and when they did 
 retire from it, thy would perfect that religion 
 which they could before but begin, and enrich, 
 and adorn, and entertain the foul, which they 
 could but guard and defend before, and fcarcely 
 maintain in life; I mean, fpiritual life. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
^HumanLife. 93 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 Of a contemplative life. 
 
 For whom this chapter is defigtid-, what kind of 
 life is to be underftood by a contemplative one. 
 Sedl. I. T^he ends or reafoiis warranting the 
 choice of fuch a life : Firjl, Enjoyment: Se- 
 condly, Self-Prefervation ym« the ajfaiilts of 
 temptation : Thirdly, The better ferving the 
 world : Fourthly, A more entire dedication of 
 ones felf to God. Sect. 2. The conditiojts, or 
 qiialificatioizs necefary to a contemplative life : 
 Firjl, vf plentiful fortune: Secondly, ^peace- 
 ful ^W humble difpofition ■: Thirdly, yfgcod 
 underflanding. Sed. 3. The regulation of a 
 contemplative life; with refpe5f, Firft, To 
 time: Secondly, To place: Thirdly, To the 
 exefcife, or employment of a retir'd life : 
 The conclufion, containing the pleafure and 
 happinefs of a contemplative life. 
 
 ^HE firfl thing that offer'd itfelfto my 
 __ thoughts, taking a view of this fubject, 
 was the collegiate life of fcholars in the uni- 
 verfities : but befides, that here they do not fo 
 much defign to retire from the world, as to 
 prepare themfelves for it, I had reafon to think, 
 whatever fervice I could propofe to do the pub- 
 hck, by any advice I could here offer, my zeal 
 could never be able toatone formyprefumption^ 
 fince thefeferr---c of learning arc under the 
 
 condud: 
 
54 Of the true Notion 
 
 conducft and dire(f!:ion of the ableft, not of this 
 age only, but c f thofe paft : 1 do not therefore 
 calculate this difcourfe for thefc, but for perfons 
 of another education, and under no direction 
 but their own ; for fuch who make their retreat 
 from the world, tired and fated with it ; for 
 fuch whole inclination or fortune cafls them 
 upon a quiet, private, and unadtive life. To 
 thefe, 1 offer myfelf a companion : I would 
 enter with them into their privacies, and affifl 
 them to pafs their hours with true pleafure and 
 innocence. 1 would infpire tliem, if I could, 
 with wife and excellent thoughts : I would en- 
 gage them in the moft necelTary and mod de- 
 lightful bufinefs of human life, and guard them 
 againtl thofe evils and follies, which are apt to 
 in (innate themlelves into the molf folitary life. 
 
 I muil: here, in the next place, repeat an ob- 
 fervation, which, 1 think, I have fomewhere 
 before made, that the life of man murt neither 
 be wholly contemplative, nor wholly adive : 
 for as a6tion and bulinefs, without any me- 
 ditation, is apt to alienate the mind from 
 God and virtue, to corrupt all that is great 
 and generous, and truly wife in it, and wed 
 it wholly to the world ; fo I doubt, a life 
 fpent wholly in contemplation, without any 
 mixture of acflion. will prove fruitlefs and un- 
 profitable ; and men condemned to utter foli- 
 tude, like the trees and fhrubs of the wilder^ 
 nefs, would grow wi'.d and favaoje, luxuriant 
 in leaves, but their fruit, if they brought forth 
 any, four and fmall. They forget the nature and 
 
 the 
 
^ H U M A N L 1 F E. 95 
 
 the duty of man ; and talk not feraphically, 
 but fantaftically, whoever perfuade him to give 
 up himfelf entirely to contemplation. Man is 
 yet a mixt and compound being ; when he be- 
 comes all fpirit, let him be all thought: he is 
 yet a citizen of this world, tho' he be deilined 
 for another : let him not forget, that there are 
 virtues becoming him as fuch : let him live by 
 intuition when he comes into the perfedt light, 
 and enters into the beatifick prefence : let him 
 live by raptures when he is come into a world 
 where wants and frailties, pains and evils, can- 
 not enter. In the mean time, let man con- 
 tent himfelf with human virtue, and in this 
 low probationary ftate, not dream of the flights 
 which only angels take. Having thus taken 
 care, firft to raife no expectation in my reader, 
 which might afterwards be fruftrated; and 
 next, prevented his being betrayed into any 
 extravagance, by projeding a more abftraded 
 life than the nature of man and the world will 
 admit, I will now proceed to difcourfe of thefe 
 three things : 
 
 Firftj The reajon and ends of a contemplative 
 
 life. ■ 
 Secondly The necejjary qualijicatiom for it. 
 And, "Thirdly^ i\\Q dxit regulations oViK, 
 
 Firft, Of the reafo?2S, &c. Some propofc to 
 themfelves eafe and enjoyment, as the great 
 end and defign of their retirement: now, tho' 
 this be a mean and low projed, little becoming 
 the excellence of our Chriftian profefTion, 
 
 yet 
 
96 Of the true Notion 
 
 yet I cannot but acknowledge, that it feems to 
 nie an abfurd and irrational thing, to wear out 
 life in a continual hurry or drudgery ; and I 
 cannot but think it reafonable, that men fliould 
 one time or other allow eafe to the body, and 
 quiet to the mind ; would fet both free from 
 their fervitude to the world, and enjoy the 
 wealth which they have got together, and eat 
 the fruit of their travail and care. But tiio' this 
 be true, yet if men do- quit the bufinefs, only 
 to give themfelves up to the pleafures of the 
 woild i if they exchange their anxiety and toil 
 for luxury and fenfuality, and inftead of being 
 induftrious, plodding, and thriving traders, be- 
 come idle, or, which is worfe, loofe and riotous 
 country-gentlemen ; this, I mad confefs, is but 
 a miferable change ; this is but to prophane 
 retirement, abufe plenty, and wade that preci- 
 ous time which God has made them mafters 
 of J this, in a word, is not for a man to quit his 
 flavery, but to exchange his mailers ; for as to 
 the intereft of another life, and the true end of 
 this, 'tis much the fame thing, whether a man 
 be a fervant to pleafure and iloth, or to cove- 
 toufnefs and ambition. The fum of this matter 
 is plainly this j 'tis undoubtedly lawful for fuch 
 as have been long toiled in the purfuit of the 
 world, to retire and enjoy themfelves and 
 their friends ; nay, further, I count them happy, 
 who feem born not to flruggle and contend with 
 the world, but to enjoy it. But if by enjoy- 
 ment be here underitood, only the gratification 
 of the humour by outward, tho' innocent plea- 
 fures, I muft affirm, that this is too mean, too 
 
 low, 
 
of Hv M A N Life. 97 
 
 low, to be the chief end, either of the one's en- 
 trance into the world, or the other's retreat 
 from it : but if, which is worfe, by Enjoyment 
 be here meant growing fat with good eating 
 and drinking, or, as it were, rank and rotten 
 through eafe and flothi I deny this to be the 
 aijoyment of a man, much lefs of a philofoplier 
 or Chriftian: the enjoyment of a private Hfe, or 
 philofophical recefs, ought to confiflin peaceand 
 order, in harmony and exultation, in aholy cahn 
 and ferenity; in which, as in a clear day, from 
 the top of fome advantageous height, we enjoy 
 an enlarg'd and delightful pr©fpect. When we 
 look backwards, we behold a wide fea covered 
 with a vaft number of all forts ofveflels, tolled 
 up and down at the mercy of winds and waves ; 
 fome few feem to make out with a fteady courfe, 
 but are immediately encounter'd with crofs 
 winds and ftorms: a very few indeed, do return 
 in triumph homewards, and of thefe, fome 
 mifcarrying ahnoftin light of port; ofallthereft, 
 a great part, with much toil and difficulty, do 
 fcarcely live in ftrefs of feas and weather; but 
 the far greater part do fuffer wreck, and fcatter 
 their miferable ruins on every coafl : but when 
 we look forward, we difcover a rich and fecure 
 country, thinly inhabited indeed, but fill'd with 
 all the marks of joy and vidory. But whither 
 will my imagination lead me? the enjoymentof 
 the retir'd is to confiil: in the prefent reflediions 
 they make on their efcape out of a tempeftuous 
 world; in the commerce and Intercourfe they 
 maintain with that above; in a calm and leifure- 
 ly furvey of all the various and wondrous works 
 Vol. I. . Aa cf 
 
<j8 Of the triie Notion 
 
 of God, the works of grace and nature: an4 
 laftly, in a very intimate and familiar acquaint- 
 ance with themfelves, and the daily habitual 
 practice of pleating perfed; virtues. 
 
 Secondly^ One true end oi retirement m2iy ht 
 felf-defence or prefervation. An adtive life is 
 a ftate of war, and the world is an hoftile coun- 
 try : fnares and ambuflies are laid every where 
 for us ; and ever and anon temptations, worldly 
 and flellily lufls, which St. Peter tells us, do 
 'R'ar cigaifift the foiiU do endeavour either to 
 court and betray us, or to drive and force us in- 
 to death and ruin : therefore, if we be confcious 
 to ourfelves of our own vveaknefs, we have rea- 
 fon not to expofe ourfelves to dangers, which 
 we have not courage nor (Irength enough to 
 vanquidi -, and to chufe retirement, not as a 
 ftate of perfcdion, but fafety. The meafures of 
 •;race, the ihxngth of reafo!i, and the inclina- 
 tions of nature, are very different in different 
 men: -whoever therefore, upon the beft furvey 
 lie can make of his own forces, and after fome 
 not infincere trials, finds himfelf no match for 
 the world, unable to countermine its policies, 
 and oppofe its power j fuch a one, if he can, 
 may, nay, I believe, ought to retire from the 
 world, as from the face of too potent an enemy : 
 for the' war be fuller of glory, peace is full of 
 fecurity ; and tho' an a(f>ive and bufy life be 
 in itfelf more ferviceable to the good of man- 
 kind, and the honour of God, yet in this cafe 
 n poor Chriftian may prefer a contemplative 
 one as the fecurer; and this is not to decline 
 the fervice of God and man, but fin and danger; 
 
 'tis 
 
^ Hu i\i A N Li F E. 99 
 
 'tis not to prefer eafe and fecurity before fpi- 
 ritual induftry and glory, but before a rafii 
 prefumption, and a fatal defeat or overthrow. 
 Thi?'dly^ Another end of retiremejit may be, 
 to render us more beneficial to the world. The 
 different talents of different perfons do feem to 
 mark them out and deftine them to different 
 forts of life. There are, if I may fo fpeak, 
 ad:ive and contemplative gifts ; and 'tis a great 
 felicity for any one to be able to know himfelf 
 fo well, as to difcern what the God of na- 
 ture has defign'd him for. Some, who are a 
 dilgrace to a publick flation, would be an orna- 
 ment to a private one : many, who a6l but 
 aukwardly, think and meditate very wifely and 
 accurately^ and fome, who do but expofe them- 
 felves in bufinefs, would nafs very well in re- 
 tirement, and prove excellent examples of in- 
 nocence and virtue, and wonderfully oblige by 
 their good nature, Aveernefs and charity, all 
 luch as fhonld live within the reach of their in- 
 fluence. None are wont more earneflly to 
 covet retirement, than fuch who are naturally 
 uddided to learning •, men too plain, or too 
 great for a crafty and fubtil world ; too gene- 
 rous, tender, and eafy, fc)r a bulling, vexatious 
 and ftingv one: thefe are the men, who, when 
 they are mailers of their widies, feem more par- 
 ticularly obliged to dedicate themfelves to fome 
 eminent fervice of the publick : thefe muff not 
 bury their talents, but ripen them in quiet and 
 retirement: like (Juardian-an^els, they fhould 
 procure the honour and happinefs of the places, 
 which they feidom or never appear to 5 and 
 A a 3 with" 
 
I oo Of the true Notion 
 
 withdrawing only, not to avoid the fervice, 
 but the foolery ot the wot Id, they mud ever 
 maintain an adive chin'ity and compailion for 
 thofe they leave behind, caught and entangled 
 in it; and mull out of gratitude travail to ob- 
 tain fome blelliiig or otlier upon that govern- 
 ment, to vvhofe protedion they owe the com- 
 forts and lecurity of their retreat. But tho* this 
 diredlion do more immediately concern fuch as 
 thefe, that is, men of parts ; yet fure, there 
 are none utterly exempt from this obligatiori 
 of procuring the publick good in their propor- 
 tion. Who is there fo' deilitute of the gifts of 
 grace, nature, or fortune, as to have no mite 
 to caft into the publick treafury? He, that dares 
 riot pretend to attempt the enlightning and re- 
 forming the world, can yet advife and comfort 
 his ignorant or afHidkd neighbour: he, who 
 cannot give advice at all, my yet give alms, 
 which very often is as folid and fubftantial a 
 benefit : and he that cannot do this, can yet 
 never he excufed from offering up daily prayers 
 for the peace and welfare of his country, for 
 the prefervation and edification of the church, 
 for theconverfion of finners, ^c. Nay, he may 
 proceed to what particularities he lliall fee fit 
 or neceiTary, both in his petitions and thankf- 
 eivinp-s ; and from thefe intercelTions, both the 
 publick and private may, for what I know, 
 reap more true and valuable benefit, than from 
 the works and labours of the learned, or from 
 the alms and bounty of the rich. To conclude; 
 he, that leads the molt private and fequeftred 
 life, and is too of the pooreft endowments, can 
 
 yet 
 
o/HtJMAN Life. ioi 
 
 yet never be fuppofed utterly incapable of ren- 
 dring any the leaft fervice to others j fince the 
 ilngle example of virtue and integrity, and the 
 warmth of a pious and edifying conveifationj 
 is of the greateft ufe. Some way or other there- 
 fore, the mod folitary life ought to ferve the 
 publick, that fo retirerrient may not minifter 
 to wantonnefs and lloth, but piety and virtue ; 
 and the world may not lofe a member, but en- 
 joy its fervice in its proper place, and mod 
 eiFedual manner. 
 
 Fourthly, The main end of retirement front 
 the world fliould be, I think, to dedicate our- 
 felves more entirely to God. The philofopher 
 thought indeed a contemplative life the moft 
 happy one, but thought it too a bleffing too 
 great for mortal man, too high for this frail 
 nature, and above the ftate and condition of 
 this world. He had a great deal of reafon on 
 his fide: yet -Tiufl: we prefs on towards that 
 perfedion which we cannot attain j and it is 1 
 fufficient reafon for our doing fo, that we (hall 
 thus approach nearer to it : tho' therefore what 
 ibme monkifh authors have writ of a folitary 
 life, equalling almoll: the duties and pleafures of 
 it, to thofe of an angelical onej tho'thifi I fay^ 
 may feem rather holy romance and enthufiafmj 
 than grave and found dotflrine, yet fure it can- 
 not be denied, but that the prophets, the Av?- 
 2:arites, and the EJjeiics among the Jewp, and 
 many devout and excellent perfons amongftthe 
 Chriftians, as well in the pureft as corrupted 
 ages of the church, have chole and coveted fo- 
 htude and defarts^ J mean not uninhabited 
 
 A a 3 places 
 
102 Of the true Notion 
 
 places (for that, If it were fo, was an excels and 
 extravagance) but calm and filent retreats from 
 the noife anei impertinence, from the hurry and 
 diftradion of much bufinefs and much acquaint- 
 ance : and fince they did fo, their examples 
 feem to teach us, that this ftate may be made 
 eminently ufeful to our own good, and God's 
 glory : here a man feems to have little elfe to 
 do, but to praife God and improve himfelf; to 
 expiate the errors of his paft life, and to cor- 
 red" and fubdue Vv'hatever he feels amifs in him- 
 felf atjprefent: toperfedand augmenibis graces, 
 and to drefs and adorn his foul for the fefti- 
 val folcmnities and triumph of another world : 
 now he feems to have nothing to do, but to be- 
 gin his hallelujahs, to advance into the borders 
 and confines of heaven, by faith and devotion j 
 and from the heights of meditation, to furvey, 
 as from the next advantageous hill, the riches 
 and pleafures of that Cavaan which he fliall in 
 a moment enter into: and by this method, no 
 doubt oi it, as he fliall enlarge his appetite and 
 capacity of happinefs, fo (liall he enlarge his 
 fharc in it: by this method he Oiall adorn reli- 
 gion, and reprefent it to the v/orld as mofl love- 
 ly and ufeful J he n-jall experiment it to be un- 
 fpeakably delightful in itf^-lf ^ he fliall render 
 the world more cafy to him, and heaven more 
 defireable ; and when he comes to the banks of 
 'Jordan^ that is, of death, which parts this 
 world from the other, hefliall hud the ftreams 
 of it divided to make him way; that is, the 
 troubles and terrors of ic dillipated, and he fhali 
 prefs through it full cf hun:b!c gratitude for the 
 
 bleilings 
 
df H u M A N Life. tbj 
 
 bleffings of his paft life, and ravidiing hopes 
 and deiires of thofe of the future. 
 
 Thefe are the proper, and rational ends of 
 withdrawing froni the world ; tho' 1 am not 
 ignorant, that there may be feveral other in- 
 ducements to itj fuch are the di^^efting a dif- 
 content or difgrace, the curing fome paffiori, 
 which would beotherwife nouriihed by converf- 
 ing with its objedt, and the mere efcaping from 
 the troubles and noife of the world: and as fome 
 men are forc'd out of their retreats into the 
 world, not without great fervice to the publick; 
 fo there areothers, who, iftheyhadfenfe enough 
 to know themfelves, or modeOy enough to hear 
 the advice of their friends, (hould betake them- 
 felves to a private life, to prevent the mifchiefs 
 in which they are like to involve themfelves 
 and others in a publick one; fuch are men of 
 bold and enterprifing tempers, without fuffici- 
 ency ; men of zeal and adivity, without under- 
 flanding. But I defign'd not here fo much to 
 confider what might induce men to embrace a 
 quiet (ilent life, as what ends they were to pro«i 
 pofe to themfelves when they were in it ; which 
 having done, I will pafs on to the fecond thing, 
 
 Sed:. 2. The ^lalifications which fit men 
 iot 2. retired Life 'j and thefe are, I think, 
 three. 
 
 FirJ}, A plentiful, ot at leaft, competent 
 fortune. 
 
 Secondly, A mild and humble difpofition, or, 
 at leaff, a quiet and eompofed mind, 
 
 A a .| Thirdly i 
 
104 ^f ^^^ t^^^ Notion 
 'Thirdlyy A good underftanding. ! 
 
 Fifjiy A plentiful fortune. 'Tis true, that 
 a competency is fufficient to render a retired 
 life eafyj and when anyone betakes himfelf 
 to it as a refuge or fanftuary againft the hoftili- 
 ties and perfecution of temptations, this Is 
 abundantly enough: but where a contemplative 
 life is a matter of choice, not neceflity, a plen- 
 tiful fortune is of great ufe, and a great orna- 
 ment ; it will make the examples of a man's 
 virtue (liine with a clearer luftre and greater 
 authority J it will enable him to do many 
 works of charity, which (hall have much de- 
 light in them, without toil and difturbance; it 
 will furnifli him with all ufeful means of pub- 
 lick and private devotion, and with whatever 
 is neccflary to enable him to pafs his time both 
 delightfully and rationally. I think I have 
 expreffed my thoughts clearly ; but to prevent 
 all miftakes, I will add, by a plentiful fortune, 
 I do not mean a great one: this is more com- 
 monly burdenfome, than ufeful to a private 
 lifej and more apt to incumber it, than pro- 
 mote the true ends of it. In my retirement, 
 I would have decency and order, but not ilate 
 and fliew ; I would have comely plenty, but 
 not a toilfome affluence : for the bufinefs of 
 folltude is to raife the mind, not to entangle 
 and enllave ic. But the mcafures of this wealth 
 mud finally be determined by every man's own 
 bofom ; for it ought to be proportioned to the 
 temper and genius, to the capacities and abili- 
 ties of the perfon who retires, and to the more 
 
 imme- 
 
of Human Life. 1G5 
 
 immediate defign and ends of his retirement. 
 And after all, there is no greater ftrefs to be 
 laid upon this qualification than this : it is con- 
 venient, but not elTential; tho' a wife man may 
 make an excellent ufe of it, 'tis not fo abfo- 
 lutely and indifpenfibly neceflary, but that he 
 may be happy without it, both in publick and 
 private. For, 
 
 Secofidly, The pleafure and fuccefs of retire- 
 ment depend much more upon a man's tem- 
 per and genius, that it be calm and quiet, that 
 it be meek and humble ; and if it be not na- 
 turally fo, it mufi: be made fo : for a proud 
 and ambitious, a reftlefs and turbulent perfon, 
 will in vain feek for that reft and repofe in 
 fequeftring himfelf from the world, which is 
 to be found only by the fubduing his paflions, 
 and reforming his nature. He that is fond 
 of opinion and efleem; he that is at the dif- 
 pofal of fancy and humour, and is not able to 
 fhake off the yoke of fafliions and cuftoms, 
 will find much to torment him, but nothing 
 to improve or delight him in his retirement : 
 but on the other hand, the meek and humble 
 man will find his garden a paradife, and his 
 folitude a converfing with God and heaven ; 
 will enjoy the prefent without any farther prof- 
 pefl or ambition: meditate without any diftrac- 
 tion ; worfhip and praife God, as if he had no 
 other bufinefs or defign ; and do all the good 
 he can in his little fphcre, as if it were the 
 only pleafure and entertainment of the life he 
 had chofe. 'Tis on? of the great privileges 
 of retirement, to be able to negledl fantaftick 
 
 and 
 
io6 Of the "true Notion 
 
 and imaginary good, and puriiie after that on- 
 ly which is folid -awCi fubflantial j to be the maf- 
 ters of our own time and adions> and to mo- 
 del life by our own reafon and inclinations, 
 not the fancies and humours of others. 'Tis 
 the great advantage of retirement, that a man 
 has all the pleafure his foul defires, within his 
 own reach, that all cf the world that is grateful 
 to him, is to be found within the verge of 
 his private abode : he therefore, whofe mind 
 gads abroad, and hankers after foreign plea- 
 fures, who is tainted with envy or emulation, 
 who hunts after efteem, and is difcompofed by 
 the fmcy and cenfures of others, muddies the 
 pure flream, corrupts and adulterates the true 
 tafle and relifh of a retired life : this therefore 
 ousht to be the firft endeavour of him who 
 feeks happinefs in a retreat; to free his mind 
 from all thofe bufy or ambitious paffions, 
 which will difturb his repofe, and corrupt his 
 tafte ; and to reduce it to its native puritv and 
 fnnpllcity, in which it will be able to relifh the 
 blefiing of true liberty, of eafy and innocen: 
 pleafures, of true and artlcfs frienddiip, of re- 
 gular and undifturbed devotion 5 and finally of 
 calm and elevated meditation. 
 
 Thirdly y A good underftanding is a neceifary 
 qualification for retirement. It requires no lit- 
 tle prudence to guard ourfelves againft thofe 
 evils or impertinences which will be apt to 
 invade, or infinuate themfelves into our foli- 
 tude; decently to decline bufinefs, acquaintance, 
 ceremonies, diverfions ; I mean fuperfluous 
 and unneceffarv, which will rob us of our time 
 
 and 
 
^HuMAN Life. 107 
 
 and liberty, and obftrudl us in all the wife ends 
 we propofe to ourfelves; is a matter of no ordi- 
 nary dexterity and addrefs. Nor does it re- 
 quire lefs underftanding to preferve the peace 
 and order of a private family : and yet 'tis in 
 vain to (hun the infedion that is abroad, if more 
 fatal and ftubborn maladies reign at home. Nay, 
 further, the family of the contemplative man 
 ought not only to give him no difturbances, but, 
 if pofTible, it ought to be moulded and compof- 
 ed to his own humour, and animated by inclina- 
 tions, fomewhat at leafta-kin to his. Nay, after 
 all, let us fuppofe the man fo entirely fequef- 
 tred, as to be utterly difengaged from all other 
 intereft but his own, to have no other depen- 
 dance upon any other's motion, to have none 
 but himfelf to regard, no other to pleafe, no 
 other to improve : even here I cannot tell whe- 
 ther fo abfolute a liberty do not need the greater 
 wifdom to moderate and govern it ; and whe- 
 ther it do not require a larger capacity to find a 
 proper and wife employment, for one whofe 
 fortune has tied him to none at all: they are no 
 ordinary endowments which will enable one, 
 loofe and free from all bufmefs, to fpend his 
 time profitably and pleafantly; and yet, if hedo 
 not, he will be liable to the worfl of evils- j he 
 will diflblve and putrify in floth, or elfe turn 
 four and favage, chuilidi and brutifli through 
 ignorance, difguft, and difcontent ; naufeated 
 with a life that afFcrds him nothing new, no- 
 thing taking. But the book of nature lies open 
 to him! 'Tis truej but he cannot read it; 'tis 
 not every vulger eye that difcerns the delicate 
 
 touches 
 
ic8 Of the true Notion 
 
 touches of a fkilful pencil, the curious and fub- 
 til mixtures of light and fliade in a well-drawn 
 piece; 'tis not every Ipedator can judge of the 
 beauty, ftrength, and convenience of a well con- 
 triv'd building. But his cabinet may be well 
 furniOi'd, 'tis true; but if the man have nothing 
 booklfli in him, if he have no genius for elo- 
 quence, no ear for the mufick of wit and fancy, 
 no judgment for hiftory, no comprehenfion for 
 nrts or fciences; what is a cabinet to him, tho' 
 furnifli'd ever fo well, either for ufe or rarity ? 
 'Tis only fit to be fliewn, or tofleepin: for 
 after all the cod and fkill laid out upon it, the 
 couch is the befl: furniture in it. But there is 
 friendfhip! There is; the name indeed there 
 is, but the thing is too divine: alow andgrovel- 
 ino- foul, a dull and impenetrable temper, can- 
 not difcern the charms, or tafte the fweets of 
 friendHiip. What is that familiarity, which is 
 incapable of tendernefs or paiTion ? What is 
 that converfation which is incapable of variety, 
 or depth of wit or judgment : But there is re- 
 liction, there is devotion, a boundlefs field of 
 profit and delight ! 'Tis true, and the princi- 
 ples of this are plain and ftrong, able to move 
 the man of lowed: capacity to decline evil, fol- 
 low his calling, and do good in proportion to 
 his fenfe and ability: but as to feraphick con- 
 templative religion, iox this to be the life and 
 bufmefsof man, it requires a vaft capacity, rais'd 
 and rcfin'd notions, and little Icfs than real en- 
 thufiafm ; I mean, \ truly divine Impetus or 
 ardour imprefs'd or enkindled in the foul, by the^ 
 exuberant influxes of the blefled Spirit. In a 
 
 word, 
 
^ H u M A N Life. i 09 
 
 word, he who in his retreat is entirely mafter of 
 hlmfelf and time, had need have talents to em- 
 ploy and divert him, to find him bufinefs and 
 pleafure, and to enable him to reap benefit from 
 the one, and to preferve his innocence in the 
 other: and v/ithout this degree of underftanding, 
 a folitary life muft be very dull and barren nor 
 can I think of any cure for this, but to increafe 
 a man's talk and bufinefs in proportion to the 
 defe<5l of his underftanding ; that fo employ- 
 ment may fill thofe vacuities which contempla- 
 tion never can. This puts me in mind to ad- 
 vance on to the third thing propofed. 
 
 SeB. 3. The regulations of a Contemplative 
 Life, which regards either, F/r/?, the time; 
 Secondly, the place; or, TbirJ/yy the cxer^ 
 cife and employment of Retirement, 
 
 FirJI, As to time. Though Contemplation, 
 more or lefs, ought to enter into every part of 
 our lives; yet the moft feafonable time of giv- 
 ing ourfelves more entirely up to it, is the even- 
 ing of life, the declenfion ofour age: we have 
 then had our fill of the world, and fliall not be 
 like to hanker after it ; we have feen the empti- 
 nefs of it, and fhall be more like to fix upon 
 folldgood; we fhall value our peace and calm 
 the more, after we have been long tofs'd by 
 florms : befides, we iliall fet ourfelves more fe- 
 rioufly to the meditation of death and judgment 
 when we are come within ken of them, and 
 fhall be apt to examine the intrinfick good and 
 evil of things with more impartiality, when the 
 
 heats 
 
no Of the true Notmt 
 
 heats of youth, and the boilings of our pailions 
 are cool'd and flacken'd: and finally, this is a 
 feafonable time to correct and repair the errors 
 of the part: life, and to flate our accompts for 
 the laft audit. But tho' I thus prefer age, as 
 mofl fit for a retir'd life, I do not diffuade the 
 younger from it ; provided it be virtue, not 
 ibftnefs ; the love of another world, not cow- 
 ardly declining the duties oi this, which 
 prompts them to it : otherwife it were, fure, 
 much better, that the younger fort, through 
 the vigorous feafnn of life, (liould be engag'd 
 and taken up by bufiiiefs; nay, fliould contend 
 even wirh the cares, troubles, and difficulties of 
 the world, rather than make choice of retire- 
 ment to be the fcene of a voluptuous, lazy and 
 unprofitable life: for in the one cafe fornething 
 is every dav learnt, fornething done j in the other 
 nothing j in the one, the man lives neither 
 dillionourable to himfelf, ncr unufeful to his 
 country; but in the other, he rots and confumes 
 away ingloriouily and unprofitably. 
 
 Secondly^ as to place. Solitude has ever been 
 deem'd a friend to meditation, and a retirement 
 from the world very ferviceable to a converfa- 
 tion with heaven: and this opinion is much 
 ftrengthen'd by the pracftice of the NcJzariteSy 
 prophets, and devout perfons in the beft times. 
 
 'i'is remarked of I/iiac, that when he would 
 meditate, he went out into the field; and when 
 Mofes met God, it was in the delart. Without 
 queftion, a private retreat affords us many con- 
 veniences and advantages to a contemplative 
 life ; leifure and filence fettle and compofe the 
 
 thoughts; 
 
of HvMAN Life. hi 
 
 thoughts; and the mind augments its ftrength 
 and vigour by reft, complacency, and colledion 
 within itfelf: and in this ftate of lerenity it is 
 moft fit to refled: upon itfelf, or enter into a 
 furvey of the reft and peace of glorified fpirits, 
 and examine the grounds of its own hopes: by 
 retirement we at leaft, in a great meafure, free 
 and difengage ourfelves from thofe things which 
 are apt either to foften, or difturb us, and to 
 breed in us either vanity or vexation. And I 
 cannot tell, but the finenefs of the air, the 
 openncfs of profpedl, and regularity and mo- 
 deration of diet, reft, and exerclfe, may have 
 that influence upon our bodies, as to difpofe 
 and prepare them to be the fitter inftruments 
 of the mind. To all this we may add, That 
 the variety, beauty, and ufe of all the works 
 of nature, do infenfibly, and almoft unawares, 
 raife in us an admiration of the divine wifdom, 
 and invite us to adore his power and good- 
 nefs. But, all this notwithftanding, it muft 
 be ever remembered, that retirement does not fo 
 much confift in folitude of place, as in freedom 
 from fecular bufinefs and troubles ; from the 
 allurements, diftradions and vexations of the 
 world: If we put thefe ofi^, we may find retire- 
 ment enough in the moft populous city; but if 
 we carry thefe with us into the country, we 
 lliall reap little benefit from change of place or 
 air; and under the name of retirement, weftiall 
 be perfccuted with all the evils an4 mifchiefs 
 with which vanity, diforder, and diftradion 
 are want to difquiet an adive and bufy life. 
 
 This 
 
112 Of the true Notio?i 
 
 This being rightly underftood, the nature of 
 our circumftances ought to govern us in chufing 
 the place of our retreat j but efpecially a regard 
 to fuch duties, wherein we propofe to Ipend the 
 bigger portion of our time. 
 
 Thirdly, The exerciie and employment of a 
 contemplative life is now to be confidered: and 
 here thefe feveral things offer themfelves imme- 
 diately to my thoughts; Bujmefs, Diver/ion^ 
 Ff'iendfiipy Meditation ; as comprifing all the 
 feveral adisofa contemplative life, and meafur- 
 ing out the feveral periods of the Afcetick's 
 time. 
 
 Firji^ Of Bufinefs. 1 have before faid, That 
 a life of mere contemplation is above the nature 
 and flate of man ; and when I confider how few 
 are capable of any long or regular contempla- 
 tions, I am apt to think, that the wifeft way 
 for mofr is, not to difcharge and free themfelves 
 from all temporal engagements, but only from 
 fuch as will difturb thepeaceand order of a retir'd 
 life; and yet I could wifli, that their growth and 
 improvement in knowledge and goodnefs might 
 be their main buiinefs and employment. So 
 many indeed are our errors and fins, fo frail, 
 tcndev, and weak our virtue, that to corre(5t the 
 one, and confirm the other, is bufmefs enough, 
 and may of itfelf eafily take up the whole of life: 
 if we purfue diligently all the methods of the im- 
 provement and advancement of life, we fliall need 
 no other arts or employments to fpend or divert 
 our time; he that, befides a conflant attendance 
 upon publick devotion, facraments and fermons, 
 beflows feme time each day on bewailing his 
 
 fins, 
 
.^HumanLife. irj 
 
 fins, and blefling God for his mercies; en exa- 
 mining his prefent ftate, and eftablifliing his 
 future hopes: he that fpends each day but a 
 few thoughts on God and Jefus Chriil: his Re- 
 deemer, on the vanity and uncertainty of all 
 things in this world, but religion and virtue ; 
 or finally on death and judgment j and withal 
 on the various arts by which fm and folly is 
 wont to cheat and furprize him, to tempt or 
 deceive him; will, I believe, find but few hours 
 to wafte; efpecially when 'tis confider'd, how 
 much time the neceffities of nature, and the in- 
 difpenfible duties we owe to fome relatives or 
 other, take up. And this calls to my mind the 
 vigilance and induftry we owe to the happinefs 
 of others, as well as to our own : there are a 
 great many offices of charity, to which huma- 
 nity and our chriflian profeffion (if we under- 
 ftand the nature of church-memberfhip) do 
 oblige US; the peace of the neighbourhood, the 
 prefervation of laws, the promoting publick 
 piety, the inftru6lion of the ignorant, the relief 
 of the needy, the comfort of the afflided, 
 the protection of the injur'd: Thefe, and fuch 
 like occafions, will never be wanting to rouze 
 our zeal and employ our charity ; and thefe are 
 works which will turn to as good, if not a bet- 
 ter account in the life to come, than folitary 
 virtue: and certainly they turn to excellent 
 account in this: for when the retir'd man 
 doth cultivate the neighbourhood, and fow it 
 with his charity, he feems but to plant and 
 water his own garden, or plow and fow his 
 Qwn fields ; and while he renders them more 
 Vol. I, B b rich. 
 
114- Of the true Notion 
 
 rich, gay, and fertile, himfelf reaps the pleafure 
 and the profit, enjoys the profpecft, 'and feafts 
 on the fruit. Juft fo it is in this piece of fpiri- 
 tual hulbandry; he who imparts wifdom and 
 inftrudion to another, purifies and exalts his 
 own mind; he that fcatters the exprefTions of 
 his bounty and charity, feels his foul warm ancj 
 delighted, and finds his virtue and his joy en- 
 larged : for 'tis with grace as 'tis with nature, 
 the exercife of each breeds both ftrength and 
 pleafure : To all which you may add, that no 
 man confults more eftccftually the intereft and 
 the pleafure of his retirement, than he who mofl 
 zealoufly ftudies the fupport and improvement 
 of his neighbourhood. Here's bufinefs enough, 
 and I could point out to you more. 
 
 But why {hould I take pains to contrive and 
 cut out work for the contemplative man? per- 
 adventure I iLould do him more fervice, could 
 I teach him an art to decline it. Alas! bufinefs 
 will hunt and follow us, it will intrude and 
 prefs upon us, whether we will or no : And 
 fuch is the natural vanity, fuch the curiofity tf 
 our minds, that \^'e are too often apt to make 
 ourfelves work, and to entangle ourfelves in a 
 thoufand trifles and impertinences. I doubt 
 therefore, that it is here very needful to put 
 thofe I am difcourfing to in mind to take care, 
 that whilil they Ihun the trouble and bufinefs 
 of the world, they fuffer not themfelves to be 
 entangled in impertinences of their own creat- 
 ing; that they mind and purfue the main end, 
 that is, growth and increafe in virtue, and be 
 at all times ready to facrifice .trifles and matters 
 
 of 
 
of Hij M AN Life. 115 
 
 of lefs moment to this their ereat intereft ; 
 left fancy and humour, or fomethi ng vvorfe> 
 ufurp the place of reafon, as it does too often 
 happen in a life of abfolute and uncontroulable 
 liberty. 
 
 Secondly, T>iverfion. This is not to be ex- 
 cluded from a folitary life ; they adulterate re- 
 ligion, who make it four or melancholy ; it 
 condemns nothing, but what infefts the purity, 
 or breaks the force and vigour of the mind. 
 We are not immortal and incorruptible beings j 
 the foul and body both (for it were vain to con- 
 tradicft univerfal expenqnccj link under the 
 weight of conftant labour : It will be hard, if 
 not impoffible, to preferve the vigour of the 
 mind, if v/e deftroy the health of the body. 
 God in another world defigns us fpiritual bodies, 
 as the moft proper inftruments of thefe adive 
 minds j let us not therefore make them here 
 crazy and fickly. I would never have my re- 
 ligion be the effe6l of a broken body, but a.n. 
 enlighten'd mind : I would never have it pro- 
 ceed from difcontent conceiv'd as^ainft this 
 world J but from the firm belief, love and ad- 
 miration of a better : whatever therefore diver- 
 lion recreates my mind without enfnaring it ; 
 whatever repairs my body without impairing 
 my virtue, I embrace with open' arms: Til not 
 only tafte, but drink my fill of pUafure, if it 
 exalt, not debafe my nature 3 I fhall never com- 
 plain that my mind is too chearful, or my body 
 too vigorous. Let the prieft of Baal cut them- 
 felves with knives and lancets j I'll keep my 
 blood and fpirits, if I can, to fupport my zeal, 
 B b 2 and 
 
1 1 6 Of the true Notion 
 
 and enrich my fancy; and, in one word, to 
 ferve God with life. No body can here miftake 
 me, unlefs they do it wilfully ; and therefore 
 'tis not worth the while to anticipate any wild 
 objedions: 1 patronize not the lull:, but the 
 vigour of thebodvj I invite not to the fenfua- 
 lity of a polluted fancy, but to the virtuous 
 recreation of the mind ; and while I think not 
 a dejeded and difcontented mind, and a decay 'd 
 body, the moft acceptable facrifice to God, I 
 do by no means deny a penitent contrite fpirit, 
 a purified and obfequious body to be lb. 
 
 T^hirdly^ As to Friendjl:ip. The diftindion 
 between acquaintance and friends, is ever good, 
 but never more proper or neceffary than here : 
 for retirement,' as it fignifics fequeilring our- 
 felves from company, is to be underftood 
 with difcretion ; and the plain rule here, as in 
 all other cafes, is to avoid extremes; as a croud, 
 fo folitarinefs, feems not to minifter either to 
 the virtue or improvement of the mind, or to 
 the peace and calm of life ; the one robs us of 
 our time, the other leaves us fo much, that to 
 very many it becomes burdenfome : The one 
 makes us vain, trifling, or, it may be, worfe, 
 fenfual ; the other dull and flow, or, it may 
 be, morofe and favage. The ikill of a con- 
 templative man is, not to decline all company, 
 but provide himfelf of good. The prophets 
 themfelves had their collegues ! and they in 
 the firft times, who left the cities for the 
 defart, did yet aflbciate themfelves with one 
 another. Indeed, as I take it, in this kind 
 of life we have the fuUefl: enjoyment, and 
 
 the 
 
, ^ H U M A N L I F E. 117 
 
 the befl fervice of our friends; the purefl: de- 
 light, and the truefl: edification, being beft pro- 
 moted in the contemplative Hfe by friendfliip- 
 and therefore friendlliip is no more to be banifh- 
 ed from the gardens and retirements of the 
 contemplative, than from the tables and enjoy- 
 ments of the adive. 
 
 Fourthly^ Devotion. Participation of the 
 Lord's Supper, and meditation, are the remain- 
 ing part of the aicetick life; and indeed, thefe 
 ought to be his great employment. A life in the 
 world may be a life of bufinefs; but a retir'd 
 o le ought to be a life^of prayer, eucharifl: and 
 meditation : nor indeed can it well be other- 
 wile uniefs we have propos'd to ourfelves fome 
 falfe ends of retirement : for thefe are not only 
 the duties, but the pleafures of the afcetick life: 
 in thefe the foul is enlighten'd, cnlarg'd, rais'd, 
 ravifli'd ; in thefe it foars up to heaven, and 
 looks down upon earth; in thefe it poffeiTes sta- 
 bility and fecurity, peace and reft, in the midft 
 of a frail unftable nature, and areftlefs and tu- 
 multuous world ; in thefe all the paffions of 
 the foul are exercifed with a moft tender, fen- 
 lible delight, forrovv, fear or reverence: hate 
 and indignation do hereexprefsthemfelves to the 
 height, not only without any diforder or tor- 
 ture, but alfo with great contentment and fatif- 
 fadlion of our nature; love, hope, joy, reign 
 here without either check or fatiety. But I 
 forget, that thefe fub)e<5ls are fo rich and inex- 
 hauftible, they would engage me fendleily: I 
 forget, that they have been treated of fo often 
 and fo excellently : I will therefore contradl my 
 B b 3 fails J 
 
1 1 8 Of the true Noiloji 
 
 fails; and yet, I think, I have faid nothing of 
 them, hat as they have a particular afpecl: upon 
 the fuhjed: of this chapter ; and I cannot pafs 
 over meditation, without making fome few re- 
 fiedlions upon it. i know 'tis a worn fiihjed: ; 
 find therefore, that I may the more ealily find 
 pardon, I'll take care that this liiperfluous im- 
 pertinence, if it be one, (liall be a very fhort 
 one. I will therefore take the liberty to crowd 
 mv thoughts, without method, together ; left 
 order and connexion {hould take up more paper 
 than the things themfelvcs. A good beginning 
 is ?/jore than half the ivcrk, is a proverb no where 
 truCi than here: for meditation will belike to end 
 very unprofitably, if we en^er not upon it in a 
 good difpofition and devout frame 3 and if we 
 do, it feidom fi'Cceeds i 1. 
 
 The foul the! efore ought to be fedate, calm, 
 untouch'd by any worldly concern, pure, and 
 nnfully'd by any carnal image, fiU'd with the 
 defire of fpiritual influence, poflefs'd with the 
 awe of the divine Majefty. 
 
 Yet may fudden and extraordinary ads of 
 meditation be ingrafted upon the flock of our 
 natural paflions, however firfl: rais'd : thus a 
 troubled m.ind betaking itfelf to refied upon the 
 vanity of the world, or upon the errors of life 
 and corruption of nature, may enlarge itfelf in 
 a great many very fine, affeding and edifying 
 thoughts, till the (lorm dilTolve in a foft and 
 fruitful fhower. Thus the mind, a little gay 
 with fatisfadion and joy, will eafily overflow 
 into hallelujahs, if it enter into the meditation 
 of the joys of heaven, the love and beauty of 
 God, the triumphs of tliC refurredion, ^c^ 
 
^ Human Life. 119 ' 
 
 In all meditation we ought to have more re- 
 gard to edification, than learning 5 to charity, 
 than knowledge; to devout paiTions, than fancy 
 our curiofity. 
 
 Let none defpife pious heats and tranfports, 
 becaufe thoie Hiort paffions, often repeated, 
 will grow into habitual holinefs and ileady 
 devotion. 
 
 Thofe arguments, which we find moft effec- 
 tual to the repreffing an inordinate affedtion, 
 or to the cherifliing a weak and pining virtue, 
 are to be often ruminated ; not only that they 
 may be always ready, but alfo becaufe they are 
 generally more fuc^efsful than others ; which 
 may yet be in themfelves of greater ftrength 
 and force : for fins, like the flaves in JujUfiy 
 are often more eafily defeated by whips and 
 fcourges, than by fwords. 
 
 The principles which do the great work of 
 religion, are few, clear, and irrefiftible; but a 
 vaft body of fentences, notions, arguments, un- 
 tried, undigefted, are like the armour of Saul 
 upon Davi3, unmanageable and cumberfome. 
 Difputable or intricate points do yield litde 
 or no nourifhment: wit and fancy are alfo fof 
 ornament, not food. 
 
 Yet weak ftomachs muft be fed with eafy and 
 digeftable diet ; and this may be made too as 
 pleafant and inviting as it can. God in the 
 works of nature has mingled beauty with ufe, 
 pleafure with profit; why fhould we think this 
 unlawful in the kingdom of grace? Variety alfo 
 may be called in to prevent languor and drow- 
 fmefsj nay, if the genius of the manbefuch, 
 B b 4 that 
 
I 2 o Of the true Notion 
 
 that his mind is apt to he exalted, and, as it were, 
 purified by them, I know not why notional and 
 thin, or myfteriousand deepfneculations, (hould 
 be forbidden him ; only in thefi?, and inch like 
 inflances, two errors are to be avoided: F/r/?, 
 that we do not lludy more for delight and en- 
 tertainment, than for edification in faith and 
 virtue. Secondly^ that we do not obtrude our 
 fancies as oracles, our dreams as articles of faith, 
 upon the world. If I cannot indulge or abound 
 in both, give me the luxury of love, rather than 
 that of fancy, and let me excel in humility and 
 modefty, rather than knowledge and notion. 
 
 St. Pefer^ in thofe few words, i Epift. ii. 2. 
 As 72ew born babes ^ defire the Jincere jnilk of the 
 wordy that ye may grow thereby^ feems to have 
 excellently fumm'd up the whole dodlrine of 
 contemplation, comprifing at once the matter, 
 dellgn, and end of it, together with the frame 
 and difpofition of mind, qualifying us for it. 
 
 Writing may ferve to marfhal and preferve 
 our thoughts, and by this means we may be 
 ftock'd with notions which may always be rea- 
 dy matter and argument for us to expatiate on ; 
 but we ought to take care, that firft or lafl we 
 be moved or afFe(5ied by what we write ; or 
 elfe this will be ratht^r an excrcife of our in- 
 vention than devotion : and all the produ<5ls of 
 it will be rather eifavs of wit and fancy, than 
 of holy meditation ; and we. fhall be rather apt 
 to be pieafed with our parts, than improv'd by 
 this pradtice. 
 
 They, who are unable to ftart proper matter 
 
 for contemplation J or to carry it on regularly 
 
 4 and 
 
(?/'Hu MAN Life. 121 
 
 and coherently, and by confequence can reap 
 little fruit by this kind of exercife, may fupply 
 thefe defeats by reading, andfuchrefledlions and 
 applications of it, as are mofl: eaiily and obvi- 
 oufly made. For example; Mat. v. And feemg 
 the multitudes^ be went up into a mountain : and 
 when he was Jet, his difciples came unto him., 
 And he opened his mouth and taught them^ fay- 
 ing. O bleffed Jefas ! thou, the true doctor 
 and teacher, whofe words are life and light, fpirit 
 and truth, I will leave the multitude, I quit the 
 world, and in the quality of a difciple, I ap- 
 proach near thee: O do thou open thy mouth, 
 and fpeak to me; I defire not to hear the voice 
 of the world, or of the flefh, or of the devil! 
 fpeak thou only to me, fpeak tlyou to my hear^ 
 and to my confcicnce, and let me hear and feel 
 that voice that fpeaks purity to the leprous, 
 and life to the dead. JBleJfed is the poor in fpi- 
 rit^ for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The 
 kingdom of heaven, this is a bleflednefs indeed! 
 The kingdoms of the earth dazzle and aflonifli 
 me; my fancy cannot comprehend, my ambiti- 
 on cannot afpire after their grandeur and glory. 
 Ah ! what then muft the kingdom of heaven 
 be I But, O my Lord, am I of the number of 
 thefe poor! If I be not, make me fo : Let me be 
 never fo contemptible to the world, fo I be ap- 
 proved and acceptable to thee; let me have no 
 ambitious thoughts, but for thy favour, and for 
 the crown of righteoufnefs ; let me covet no 
 riches, no honour, no power here; if thy king- 
 dom be but mine, in reverfion, it is abuntantly 
 enough! Thus without ftrainingorpumpingper- 
 
 fons 
 
122 Of the true Notion 
 
 fons of the loweft talents, if they have any tinc- 
 ture of religion in them, may be eafily fupply'd 
 with variety of arguments, and with moftpaf- 
 fionate and piercing thoughts. 
 
 O blelTed! O voluptuous life! wherein, fe- 
 quefter'd from the world, I enjoy all that it has 
 in it of pure, of true or natural. Ah ! that 
 I could once break loofe from thofe troubles 
 and obligations that hang upon me, and enter 
 into thy peace and tranquillity! I would plunge 
 myfelf into all thy rational delights; I would 
 lofe myfelf to this contemptible world; and for- 
 getting thofe fhadows and appearances, and, 
 at beft, but faint and weak reflexions of good, 
 which flutter here about mc; I would abandon 
 /myfelf intire to the joys of the Spirit, and the 
 elevations of contemplation : let others enjoy 
 honour, and wealth, and power; let me enjoy 
 ir. .sif, truth, and God : let others enioy the 
 flatteries of fenfe, and the cheats of fancy ; 
 give me the healthof a fprightly mind, the calm 
 and ferenityjifa fllent retreat, with the pleafure 
 and fecurityiljpbi^h the divine prefence breeds 
 in it : let others;, finally, depend on fortune; 
 me only on myfelf. '!.^ > 
 
 SECT. 
 
i?/' Human Life, 123 
 
 SECT. IIL 
 Ofihe right hufoanding and prolonging of life. 
 
 IJAving in thefe two former fedions, firfl, 
 J^ prov'd life to be in its own nature a folid 
 good, a confiderable bleffing of heaven 3 and 
 next endeavourd to prevent the abufes and 
 mifchiefs to wliich it is liable, by flating the 
 true notion of life, and by prefcribing rules fcr 
 the right condud; of the acling^ tradings and 
 contcmphiti^cc life : The next thing that na- 
 turally falls under confideration, is, the (hort- 
 nefs and uncertainty of this bleffing. This is 
 that that pu2zles the wit, and baffles the cou- 
 rage of man J the rock againft which all the 
 attempts of human philofophy have daih'd and 
 fplit themfelves: for, to fay truth, whatever 
 complaints men make againft the troubles, yet 
 have they ever made m.ore and fharper, againil 
 the fliortnefs and uncertainty of life. 
 
 'Tis true, no cure has ever yet been found 
 of our mortality: yet, as wife men have ever 
 thought it I'eafonable to make the moft of an 
 enjoyment, tho' it wou'd not come up to all 
 that they could wiih or fancy; fo, w^ere there 
 no other life, it would behove us to do with 
 this, to nouii(h and keep in the fiame as long 
 as wc can, though we know it muft 1^0 out at 
 laft. 
 
 Now life, like enjoyment, is capable of ac- 
 ceffion or increale two ways j that is, either 
 
 in 
 
124 Of the t7'ue Notion 
 
 in its continuance, or perfection 3 either by 
 lengthening its duration, orbyraifing, improv- 
 ing, or, as it were, ripening the joys and fruits 
 of hfe, or life itfelF. 1 wiii fpeak firfl o^ prolong- 
 ing life : and here I will, Firji^ demonftrate, 
 that life may be prolong'd. Secondly, I will 
 treat of the ways of prolonging it. 
 
 But before I do either, it \v.?.y be no very" 
 wide digreffion from my purpofe, to take no- 
 tice of the little artifices and impoflures, by 
 which many endeavour te evade the ftrokes of 
 time, and flatter themfelves with a fort of ima- 
 ginary immortality. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 ^he vfual arts of preventing or retarding the 
 decays of nature, and leffening the fears of 
 death, exploded, and better fuhftituted in their 
 7'oom. Phyficky infiead of which, courage and 
 contempt of death. Faint, &c. inftead of 
 which, the beauties of the mind. Children, 
 inftead of irhich, good works, and fo forth. 
 Survivtjjg honour not wholly rejeSfed, but a 
 true immortality prcferrd. 
 
 Ome take fand:uary in phyfick ; for which 
 they expe(fl:, at leaft, the prefervation of 
 the health and vigour of nature, if not the 
 lengthening the date- of life. I'll not difpute 
 whether this art has deferv'd fo well of mankind 
 
 as 
 
of Human Life, 125 
 
 as to juftify the Gentiles in enrolling the firil au- 
 thors of it amongft the gods, or fome Chriftians 
 in attributing its original to guardian-angels. 
 I'll not examine the poffibility of that elixir 
 by which Artejius is reported by the adepts to 
 have liv'd a thoufand years; nor, what is more 
 to the purpofe, who have liv'd longeft, whether 
 they who have made moll:, or they who have 
 made leaft ufe of phyiick : or however thefe 
 questions be refolv'd, I am fure our time is better 
 fpent in labouring to contemn, than to prevent 
 death; and that thofe excellent principles which 
 fortify the mind, contribute more to the com- 
 fort and pleafure of human life, than the mofl 
 fovereign cordials that fortify the fpirits. 
 
 Some being willing to conceal thofe decays 
 which they could not prevent, and cannot 
 remedy, have devifed many ways to counter- 
 feit and fupply that youth and beauty which 
 time and various accidents have wafh'd and 
 worn away. But, alas! to what purpofe is it 
 to deck and varnidi wither'd nature, and paint 
 the fpring upon the face of winter? To what 
 purpofe is it, when the evil is incurable, to 
 fuffer- one's felf to be fiatter'd and impos'd up- 
 on ; and try in vain to hide a broken fortune, 
 not only from the world, but from one's felf; 
 alas! we mufl feel what we will not fee; na- 
 ture droops and decays as fall: within, as it doth 
 without; and we lofe the life and brifknefs of 
 our blood, as faft as we do the elegance of fea- 
 ture, or the floridnefs of complexion. In a word, 
 as to this perifhing body, phyfick, wafhes, and 
 fucus's are in vain; you but paint and patch a 
 
 ruincu!: 
 
126 Of the true Notion 
 
 ruinous fabrick, which can never be made 
 ilrong and beautiful till death hath taken it quite 
 down to the ground, and a refurredion build it 
 up quite anew. If therefore you would take my 
 advice, you ihould lay in a ftock of fprightly 
 generous pleafures, which may be ever ready at 
 hand to entertain you, when youth and ftrength 
 are pad; you (hould take pains to enrich and 
 adorn the mind, whole beauties will more than 
 fupply the lofs of thofc of the body ; wifdom, 
 magnanimity, bounty, modefty, fweetnefs, hu- 
 mility, are charms able to recommend a deform- 
 ed, or a decrepit bodys and, I am confident, 
 may bepurchas'd at a much cheaper rate, than 
 falfe or counterfeit beauties are by thole who 
 are folicitous about them : let then the morning 
 and noon of your life be fpent in acquiring vir- 
 tue, honour, knowledge, and good humour ; 
 and in your evening you'll have no reafon to 
 complain of the lofs of youth and beauty ; 
 thefe will be folid riches, and mod amiable 
 charms, that will provide you both delight and 
 fupport at home, and command both love and 
 reverence abroad ; and time will do you no 
 other Injury than it does a tree, when it changes 
 its bloffom into fruit : or than it does flatues, 
 medals and pidures, whofe price and value is 
 enhanced by their antiquity. 
 
 Convinced that the decays of nature cannot 
 be long conceal'd or propt up, fome pleafe 
 themfelves with an opinion of furviving in therr 
 pofterity ; as if man by generation did but mul- 
 tiply himfelf; and life did not, like a flame, 
 end with its fuel, but were conveyed and tranf- 
 
 mitted 
 
^ Human Life. 127 
 
 mitted from father to fon, grandchild, and fo 
 ou i like a ftream that's flill the fame, though 
 it pafl'ed through numerous pipes. Well, for 
 my part, I cannot fool myfelf with a vain gin- 
 gle of words ; I cannot flatter myfelf that I 
 Ihall live in him, who probably will in a little 
 time forget me, however he owe his being and 
 fortune to me j nay, it may be, proud and un- 
 grateful, will widi that others forgot me too ; 
 like a ftream running, as foon as it enlarges it- 
 felf, as far as it can from its little fountain j and 
 labouring as it were by its circlings and v/an- 
 drings, to conceal the meannefs of its rife: I 
 cannot flatter myfelf that I can live in them, 
 whofe hopes and fears, delires and joys, will 
 differ, it may be, no lefs from mine, whatever 
 they now be, than the dead do from the Hving. 
 Fools that we are, to talk fo wildly, as if when, 
 dead, we liv'd in our children j do we, when 
 living, fhare in their diflant joys? or do our 
 pulfes beat by their paffions ? 1 would not be 
 miftaken, as if I defign'd to oppofe or extin- 
 guifh nature : I know the great Author of it, 
 for wife and excellent purpofes, has implanted 
 in us kind inclinations towards pofterity; but 
 then thefe are for the fake of others, not my- 
 felf j they ripen into actions that ferve the turn 
 of others, not my ov/n : I only bear the fruit 
 which others muft gather. And whatever plea- 
 fure I may now feel in a pTomifing profped: 
 of the honour and virtue of my pofterity, 'tis 
 fuch a one as that of Mofes beholding Ca?2ac7n 
 at a diftance ; but fuch a diftance, that he muft 
 never enter into it. 
 
 To 
 
12 8 Of the true Notion 
 
 To conclude ; whatever men promlfe them- 
 felves, I think them tolerably fortunate, if, in- 
 ftead of reaping any benefit, when dead, from 
 their children, their lives be not ftain'd and dif- ' 
 turb'd by them ; extremely fortunate, if they 
 can make them fit to be their friends and favou- 
 rites, worthy to (liare their pleafures, and able x 
 to give them fome eafe in their troubles : tho', 
 after all, I cannot but think, 'tis infinitely more 
 eligible, to be the father of many good works, 
 than many children -, to have a philofophical 
 friend or two, than a numerous offspring; and 
 tofpend my time nobly in cultivating my mind, 
 than entangling my life with cares for thofe 
 who often will take none for themfelves. 
 
 Some have entertain'd vain projeds of an 
 imaginary immortality; an immortality, which 
 they muft owe neither to God nor nature, but 
 to hiftorians and poets, painters and tlatuaries, 
 and to the dying echoe's of a furviving memo- 
 ry ; I mean, that which men feek in pofthu- 
 mous fame, in pidures, and flatues, and tombs, 
 and embalming carcaffefs: all thefe feem to 
 carry in them fome fading fhadows of being 
 an exiftence. But ah! how imaginary a life 
 is this ; fomething that does infinitely lefs re- 
 femble life and being, than a dream does enjoy- 
 ment? ah! vain fupport of human frailty! 
 ah! vain relief of death ! if there be any thing 
 in honour, if it be body or fubftance enough 
 to be leen, or felt, or tafted ; if it be reality 
 enough to be any way enjoyed : let me pof- 
 fefs it while I live ; it comes too late, if it 
 ferves only to increafe the pon"':)s of my fu- 
 neral, 
 
^ H U M A N L I F E. 129 
 
 neral, or to drefs and fet off my fepulchre, or 
 to filence the groans, or to wipe off the tears 
 of my orphans, or my friends, though this be 
 fomething : I cannot feel any pleafure in the 
 forefight of that glory, which, while I drain 
 to gaze upon at a diftance, the fogs and mifts 
 of death thicken the fky: the voice that will 
 fpeak me great, will fpeak me too gone and va- 
 nifli'd 3 the flatues and marbles, which adorn 
 my memory, will adorn my grave too ; and, 
 while they exprefs my image or my acSlions, 
 will proclaim, that all that is now left of me, 
 is rottennefs and allies. All this I talk, ab- 
 ftradling from the confiderations of a future life : 
 for how far the reputation I leave behind may 
 concern my foul in its flate of feparation from 
 the body; whether the echoe's of thofe praifes 
 and honours beftow'd upon my memory here, 
 will reach and pleafe mine ears in another 
 world, I know not, nor do I much dedre to 
 know ; for, fuppoling fuch a life, my foul muff 
 needs have nobleremployment, and nobler plea- 
 fure than this can ever give it. I muft confefs, 
 if the reflediion of my light, when I am fet 
 and gone, would be of any ufe to direct or in- 
 flame poflerity, I fhould now take fome plea- 
 fure in that, which, 'tis hard to perfuade me I 
 (hould take any in hereafter : nor would it be 
 a trifling fatisfadion to me, while I liv'd, if I 
 could believe, that my relations or my friends 
 could receive any honour or patronage from 
 me when dead : and fince fome fort of cha- 
 radler I mufl: leave behind ; flnce I muft in 
 this manner, amongfl; fome at leaft, and for a, 
 Vol. I, Cc little 
 
130 Of the true Notion 
 
 little time, furvive, I had much rather leave 
 behind me perfume than ftench ; I had rather 
 live in panegyrick and commendations, than in 
 fatires and invectives. But, after all, how lean 
 and miferable a comfort is this, that when I 
 am dead, it will be faid, I once liv'd ? and a 
 promifcuous croud will talk of me, and of my 
 acHiions what they pleafe ; fome things good, 
 fome things bad, fome things true, fome things 
 falfe? and what is worfe yet, I mufi: fuffer all 
 the revolutions of humours and parties in fol- 
 lowing ages: thefe muft give my abilities and 
 performances their characj^er, and the prevail- 
 ing faflion mud: (lamp what eftimate they pleafe 
 upon my memory. 
 
 But by all this, I do not mean utterly to 
 condemn the love of honourj nay, 'tis really 
 to be cherilh'd when it operates rightly, and 
 fpurs men on to generous and handfome acti- 
 ons. I love a charity that is univerfal and 
 boundlefs, and extends itfelf to following ages: 
 and certainly there is not a nobler charity, than 
 to furnifh the world with an example that 
 may adorn its own times, and enkindle the 
 emulation of pofterity. Nay, farther, I am 
 willing to believe that a gracious God will 
 fum up, amongft the accounts of my life, the 
 influence it has upon the world when I am 
 dead; and to raife the eftimate of my virtue, 
 will confider it, not fimply in itfelf, but with 
 all the happy effedts which it may any way be 
 the occafion of in fucceffive ages. Let me 
 then do good, and, if I can, great adions, upon 
 any motive, provided it be jufl and allowable ; 
 
 fince 
 
of Hu M AN Life. 131 
 fince this will be the blelTed fruit of it. But 
 yet it (hall be my bufinefs to make fure of my 
 own immortality; if that of my ?7ame will 
 follow, let it: it Oiall be my bufinefs to gaia 
 the approbation of God and angels; and if the 
 pralfcs of this lower world join their harmony 
 and confent with that above, this cannot dif- 
 oblige me : I will with all my power make furc 
 of my falvation, and not defpife fame : great 
 and good men have ever felt fome natural de- 
 fires of this fort of immortality. Since then 
 this feems to be an inclination of God's own 
 planting, 'tis not to be extirpated, bat rather 
 carefully cheri(h'd and cultivated, and duly 
 prun'd and regulated. 
 
 Having exploded thofe miftaken fancies, by 
 which men fupport themfelves againft thefhort- 
 nefs of life ; I will now proceed to treat of the 
 only two ways by which this evil may be in 
 fome meafure remedy'd ; that is, by prolong- 
 ing the date, and by improving, and perfea:ing 
 the nature and eflence of life, fo that a man 
 may live much in a little time. 
 
 C c 2 CHAP, 
 
132 Of the true Notion 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of Lengthening Life. 
 
 btdi. I . The Fatality of the period of Ife re- 
 futed. And objetlions from fcripture, from 
 
 afrological prediBions^ fro?n divine prcfcience, 
 
 (ufwered. A fort of fate ad7nitted. Sedl. 2. 
 
 Of the IV ays of prolo7Jgi?jg life. Fir ft, Chear- 
 fulnefi of mind. Secondly, Health of body. 
 
 Thirdly, T^be prote5lion of God and man. 
 
 Se6t. 3. ObjcSlions againfl this lafl affertiuiy 
 from fuch texts as affert the promifcuous events 
 
 of things^ and from the early death fometimes 
 
 of the righteous, anfwered. 
 
 u 
 
 NDER this article I defign to profecute 
 
 thefe three things: 
 
 Firfl, To refute the opinion of a^^/j/ period 
 of human life. A fancy wliich has poiTefs'd 
 the multitude, and with which the minds, even 
 of fuch as would feem above it, are not feldom 
 alTaulted. 
 
 Secondly, I will confider what ways the date 
 of life may be lengthen'd. 
 
 Thirdly, I will remove thofe objedtions with 
 which t his advice is encounter'd, either from 
 the promifcuous events happening alike to good 
 or bad; or from the early and immature death 
 of fome righteous perfons. To begin with the 
 firfl of thefe. 
 
 Firft, 
 
of Human Life. 133 
 
 Firji, It has been too generally taught an<^ 
 believ'd, that the date of human life cannot be 
 ^protracted ; that every particular man has a fix'd 
 and immutable period decreed him, beyond 
 which he cannot go. But this opinion dire(5tly 
 defeats the force of all motives and arguments 
 to virtue, deriv'd from temporal confiderations; 
 and undermines our dependance upon God, 
 and ridicules our addreffes to him, as jRir as 
 they concern this life, and the things of it: 
 and how plain a flep is this to the refutation 
 and overthrow of "Judaifm^ which was built 
 upon temporal promifes, and confequently to 
 the overthrow of Chriftianlty itfclf, the autho- 
 rity of the New Teftament depending in fo great 
 a meafure upon that of the Old, I'll leave every 
 one to guefs. And were there no other reafons 
 to rejed; this opinion, befides thefe alone; thefe, 
 I fiiould think, were abundantly fufficient, 
 fince 'tis impofiible that any thing fliould be 
 confonant to truth, which is fo repugnant to 
 the intereft and authority of religion; but there- 
 are fo many more, that I mult be forc'd to 
 croud them together, that I may avoid tediouf- 
 nefs and reduncancy. This perfuafion then is 
 repugnant to all the inftin6:s of our nature; to 
 what purpofe is the love of life implanted in us 
 by our great Creator? Why is felf-prefervation 
 the firft dictate and law of nature, if all our 
 care and diligence can contribute nothiiig to- 
 wards it? Vain and impertinent is that law, 
 whofe obfervation can procure us no good, 
 nor its violation any evil. This is a perfuafion 
 that flatly rontradids the experience and obfer- 
 C c 3 vaticn 
 
134- Of the true Notion 
 
 vation of mankind in general : how can the 
 period of life be fix'd and unalterable, which 
 we fee every day, either lengthen'd out by care 
 and moderation, or fliorten'd by e.xccfs and 
 negligence^ unlefs we can refolve, to the utter 
 overthrow of religion, rtot only that life and 
 death, but aho that vice and virtue, wifdom 
 and folly, which lead to the one and the other, 
 are alike pre-deternnined, neccfiary and fatal ? 
 Nor is this opinion lefs contrary to the fenfe 
 and reafon of the wife and prudent, than to the 
 experience of the multitude ; felf-prefervation 
 is the firft and chief end of civil focietie? and 
 hum.anlaws; but how foppifh and ridiculous a 
 thing were it for the grave and fagacious part 
 of mankind to enter into deep confultation, to 
 frame folcmn laws, and devife the ftrongeft 
 obligations to fence and fecure that life which 
 can neither be invaded one minute before its 
 fatal hour, nor prolong'd one minute beyond itj 
 jior has man only, but God himfelf, endeavour- 
 ed to fecure this ternporal life by the ftriftcfc 
 and moft folemn laws; nor this onlv, but he 
 has made life and death the reward of obedience, 
 and puniiliment ofiin. This opinion therefore 
 is a manifeH; calumny againil the wifdom and 
 iincerity of God; agauiO: his wifdom, if he raife 
 up the paliifado's and biiivvarks of laws to guard 
 and defend that life, which can neither be vio- 
 lated beiorcj nor extended beyond its niinute: 
 \\\% Jincerity '^ for l(;s promifcs would be lu- 
 dicrous and infignifjcant ; and fo would his 
 threats too, if neither the obedience of the 
 virtuous could lengthen, ner the difobedience 
 
©/"Human Life. 135 
 
 of the Tinner could (horten life. And in a 
 word, to what purpofe does the Spirit in i Pet. 
 iii. 10, II. invite and encourage men to religi- 
 on bv the propofal of life and profperity, if in 
 the bottom and truth, life and profperity de- 
 pend, not on our behaviour, but our fate; and 
 be not difpenfed according to the open pro- 
 pofals, but the fecret and unconditional, the 
 rigid and inflexible decrees of the Almighty ? 
 I would not (top here, but heap together a 
 multitude of other arguments againft this error, 
 did I not remark, that it has prevaii'd too much 
 to be defpis'd, {o has it too little to be labori- 
 oufly refuted ; and that it has fo weak a foun- 
 dation, that few ofthnfe that defend it, do be- 
 lieve it; or at leaftwife, fo heartily, as to fufter 
 it to have any influence upon their counfels or 
 adions : Turks, aflrologers, and the more fu- 
 periiitious aiTertors of fate, being no more free 
 from the fears of death, or a concern for life, 
 than the reft of miOrtals. 
 
 The truth of this propofition being thus 
 made out by uninfwerable reafcns, we are 
 not to fuffer ourfelves to be moved by any fu- 
 perflitious imaginations, by any obfcure or 
 fubtil objections, or by any mere colours or 
 appearances of reafon : for what is once clear 
 and evident, ought to remain firm and un- 
 fhaken, tho' we cannot unravel every objedion 
 againft it. Therefore tho' I fliould HOt be able 
 ,to reconcile this dodrine with fome obfcure 
 texts of fcripture, with a certainty of God's 
 prefcience, and with fome particular predidi- 
 ons of men, who have pretended to read the 
 C c A fatal 
 
1 3 6 Of the true Notion 
 
 fatal periods of human life In the fchemes of 
 heaven; yet ought its authoritv to be preferv'd, 
 as built upon plain texts and folid realbns, and 
 attefled by the fuffrages cf the prudent an4 
 wife, and by the daily obfervalion of the mul- 
 titude. But the truth is, there is nothing obr 
 jedted here, but what is capable of a very eafy 
 anfwer: The fcriptures, which fpeak an ap- 
 pointed time for man upon earth, are ^not 
 to be underflood of any particular perfonal 
 fate, but of a general law or rule of nature • 
 not of the extent of every particular perfon's 
 lite, but of the duration of man in general, or 
 of the mortality of our frame and conflitution, 
 and the fhortnefs of man's relidencc here upon 
 earth; and imply no more than that man, as 
 .well as others fpecies of animals, and in- 
 deed of the vegetables (for fo far 'Job extends 
 the comparifon) hath his time appointed, the 
 bounds of his life or abode here fet him, be- 
 yond which he cannot pais. Pfal. xc. lo. 
 'J^hc days cf cur age are thrccfccre years ami 
 ten : a?2d though men be fo ftroug that they come 
 to fourfcore years, yet is their Jirengfh then 
 but labour and for row , fo foon pafjeih it away, 
 and we are gone. As to aflrological predic- 
 -tions, if the accomplidiment of any of them 
 be attefted by unqueflionable authority, and 
 they be not like the prophecies of poets, made 
 or mended after the event; yetmcthinks, were 
 not the ir.inds of men very prone to fuperflition, 
 a thoufand errors iliould be fufiicient to difcredit 
 jand difparage one good guefs; and no man of 
 fenfc fhould have a value for a pretended fcience, 
 
 vvhofe 
 
^HuMAN Life. 137 
 
 whofe grounds and principles are evidently un- 
 certain and precariousj no man of any reh'o^ion 
 fhould be fond of that, which, to fay no worfe 
 of it, feems to ftandcondemn'd by God in fcrip- 
 ture : fortho' 1 muft not diiremble tliis truth, 
 that the idolatry which was ever blended with 
 it, feenis efpecially to have draw^n drown a feverc 
 fentence upon itj yet can it not be denied, but 
 that Ifaiab :Jvii. yeremiab x. and other places 
 oi holy writ, feem to look upon it with no very 
 favourable or benign afpcdl. 
 
 As to the prefcience of God, I fee not how 
 the denial of a fatal period of human lifeclalhes 
 with this; on the quite con.trary, he feems to 
 me injurioufiy to limit and reftrain the know- 
 ledge of Gody who thinks he foreknows no- 
 thing,*' but becaufe he peremptorily pre-deter- 
 min'd it. This, if we will fpeak {q\\{q^ is to 
 magnify his power, but to reduce and confine 
 his knowledge, or at leaftwife to deprefs and 
 debafeit: for thus it would not be a primary 
 and effential perfed:ion, but would refult from, 
 or depend upon an arbitrary will, and unguid- 
 cd power. For my part, I cannot think it 
 neceiiary, if T could not reconcile God's fore- 
 knowledge with contingency in events, there- 
 fore, v/ith the Socinian^ to deny the one ; or, 
 with the FataUJl^ the other: 'tis enough to me 
 tliat 1 learn from fcripture, that is, from God, 
 who cannot err, that prefcience belongs to the 
 Creator, and contingency to the creature 3 the 
 meafurc and bounds of thefe, if there be any, 
 let who will feek it, 'tis not my bulinefs now. 
 
 But 
 
138 Of the true Notion 
 
 Bat yet after all this, if -A-^y miy will con- 
 tend for fuch a kind of fate as is not rip^id and 
 inflexible, but fubmits to the interpofal of the 
 divine prerogative j and leaves fufficient encou- 
 ragement for the labour, virtue, and prayers ox. 
 man, I oppofe it not : nature has its kws ; but 
 fuch as God, whenever he pleafes, over-rules. 
 The government of man is not without order 
 and method; much lefs the government of 
 God: We are born into the world with different 
 conftitutions ; but yet the unhealthy one may 
 be redified and mended by virtue, the healthy 
 corrupted by vice and Irreligion. Such a 
 fort of fate or deftiny as this that is flexible 
 and accommodated to the interell: of reli- 
 gion, in which the evil may be correded, or 
 the good perverted j fuch a fate as this, tho' 
 the word be improper, I readily admit ; but 
 no other. No other, I lay, in the general: for 
 as to thofe particular exceptions and referva- 
 tions, which at any time God may, and often 
 does make, from any genend rule or law, for 
 caufes always weighty and important, and ge- 
 nerally hidden and infcrutablej thefe I meddle 
 not with. 
 
 Having thus evinc'd, that the period of hu- 
 man life is not fatally fix'd ; thnt no peremp- 
 tory and unconditiontl decree, no- infuperabic 
 connexion or concatenation of caufes, docs fu- 
 perfede our vigilance and induftry for the pre- 
 fervation of this blefUng : I will now proceed 
 X(^ the fecond thing propos'd, and confidcr 
 ■■.vhich way the date of life may belengthen'd. 
 
 Sed. 2. 
 
(p/* Human Life. 139 
 
 Sed. 2, Of the ways of prolonging life, 
 
 'Tis obvious and manlfen: to every one, that 
 life depends upon thefe three things; the chear- 
 fulnefs of the mind, the health of the body, 
 and a favourable providence of God ; bv which, 
 as noiiC v/lU deny, who admit of p'ovideiice, 
 we may at leafl be protedled from violciiCC and 
 unlucky accidents, fuch as human pruderce 
 cannot forefee. And to thefe three, may, lor 
 ought I know, be added, the good will of n:.:.i, 
 whofe miniilry and fervice is very often of ex- 
 cellent \.\(^ to us in this point. 
 
 Firjl^ The firO: thing then lam now to en- 
 quire into, is briefly, what chearfulnels of 
 mind does contribute to the prcfervation of life 5 
 and then more fully, how we may pofieis our- 
 felves of it. 
 
 'Tis true, the morofe and fou-% the froward, 
 the paiiionate and the fullen, thofe ftains and 
 blots of human nature, do often prolong their 
 lives to a great age; as if nature were renewed 
 and repaired bv this kind of fermentation ; or 
 the blood and fpiiits kept fweet, like water, 
 by a perpetual agitation. But 'tis as true, that 
 the loofe and dcbauch'd, the intemperate and 
 incontinent, do fomctimes, tho' rarely, live long 
 and defcend ip.to the grave, rather opprefs'd by 
 their years than their exceffes : and if from fuch 
 extraordinary inftances as thefe, we fliall take 
 the liberty to form rules of life, and to con- 
 tradidr known and received truth, we ihali 
 ever live at the mercy of fancy, and never find 
 
 anv 
 
140 Of the t7nie Notto7t 
 
 any fure and firm footing to reft upon. I will 
 not therefore doubt, notwithftanding thefe rare 
 inflances, but that the chearfulnefs of the mind 
 has a very propitious, its difcontent a very 
 malign influence upon the life of man : the 
 contentment of the mind prefervcs the balfani 
 of the blood, and the pleafure of it enlarges 
 the heart, raifes the fpirits, ad:uates and invi- 
 gorates all our powers ; fo that when the mind 
 Ihines ferene and bright, it feems to impart a 
 new warmth and new life to the body, a nevv- 
 fpring and new verdure to this earth. On the 
 contrary, a difeas'd mind does, as it were, 
 fcatter its contagion through the body; difcon- 
 tent and melancholy, four the blood and clog 
 the fpirits i envy pines away, and pafiion frets 
 and wears out our ftrength and life. In few 
 words, there is an intimate conjundlion between 
 the mind and body : 'and foclofe is the depen- 
 dancs of the latter upon the former, that the 
 face of infeir: nature does evidently vary, 
 wither our f ourifli, according to that variety 
 of weather it makes in the Iky above it, as 
 the mind fmilcs or lowrs upon it: and accord- 
 ingly, if we appeal to experience and obfcr- 
 vation, I believe, we may fafeiy pronounce, 
 that generally, fuch live longeli, who either 
 think very little, or whofe thoughts are always 
 calm and chearful; fuch who are ftupid, and 
 have no paliions ; or are wife and good, and 
 have none but fuch as are regular and de- 
 lightful : to this purpofe, in part, is that of 
 Sobmoriy The fpirit of man 'will fujlain his in- 
 firmity : but a ivounded fpirit uho can bear ? 
 
 AH 
 
^ Human Life. 141 
 
 All this, I think, is notcontefted; and all the 
 difficulty lies in poffeffing ourfelves of this fatis- 
 fadtion and contentment of mind : men feek 
 it in everything; and even thofe things that are 
 diametrically oppofite to one another, do each 
 pretend to be infallible guides to it : atheifm 
 and religion, philofophy and ignorance, worldly 
 prudence or policy, and an affed:ed con- 
 tempt of it, which I know no name for, do 
 all promife to teach us the art of fatisfadion : 
 but it will not be a very difficult tafk, when 
 we have examined the pretences of each, which 
 we are to follow. 
 
 Ignorance, luft and fancy, are too blind, 
 rafli and violent for us to abandon ourfelves 
 to their condud: : nor are they more giddy and 
 inconftant in themfelves, than weak and fub- 
 je6t to all the changes and odd accidents of the 
 world : fo that ffiould they lead us on to plea- 
 fure, we have reafon to apprehend pain the 
 next moment ; and at beft they leave us not in 
 a condition, either rationally to approve our 
 enjoyments, or to fortify ourfelves againft the 
 lofs of them. 
 
 Worldly policy is built wholly upon miflakes; 
 it propofes to us things under the notion of 
 great and good; which, when we have exa- 
 mined, we find not worth our feeking; and of 
 thefe, it can give us no afluiance, whether we 
 refped: their acquifition or poffeffion ; and the 
 ways it prefcribes to put us in poffeffion of all 
 that fatisfadion which refults from thefe things 
 have fomething in them fo mean, fo laborious, 
 fo uncertain, fo vexatious, that no fuccefs can 
 
 com- 
 
142 Of the true Notion 
 
 compenfate that trouble and fhame, which the 
 canvaffing for them puts us to. 
 
 Athelfm pretends indeed to extlnguiHi our 
 guilt and fears ; but it does alfo deface all the 
 beauty and lovelinefs of human a6tions : it 
 pretends indeed to let loofe the reins to plea- 
 fure: but withal, it leaves us no fupport under 
 evil: it takes off indeed many reftraints; but 
 withal, it unchains and lets loofe our paffions: 
 in a word, it leaves us nothing truly great or 
 lovely to enjoy in this world, or hope for in 
 another; and if its tenets wereufeful to us, yet 
 have they no certainty, no foundation : it derives 
 all its credit from the confidence, not reafon of 
 men; who under colour of a free and impartial 
 philofophy, advance the interefl of thofe lufts 
 to which they are intirely enflav'd. 
 
 Religion then only remains to be foUow'd : 
 this redifies our opinions and difpels our errors, 
 routs thofe armies of imaginary evils which ter- 
 rify and torment the world, much more than 
 fpiritsand ghoftsdo; this difcovers to us objecfts 
 worthy of all the love and admiration of our 
 fouls; this expiates our guilt, and extinguilhes 
 our fears ; this (hews us the happinefs of our pre- 
 fent condition, and opens us a glorious profped 
 of our future one ; this difcovers to us the hap- 
 py tendency of temporal evils, and the glorious 
 reward of them; and, in one word, teaches us 
 both to enjoy and fuffer; it moderates our de- 
 fires of things uncertain, and out of our power, 
 and fixes them upon thofe things for which we 
 can be refponfible; it raifes the mind, clears 
 the reafon, and finally forms us into fuch an 
 
 united. 
 
of Human Life. 143 
 
 onited, fettled, andcompad:ed ftate of ftrength, 
 that neither the judgment is eafily (haken, nor 
 the affedions hurry'd by any violent tranfport or 
 emotion. But do I not here imitate phyficians, 
 who attend only to the moft dangerous fymp- 
 toms, and negleft others? Whether I do or no, 
 they, who read fuch diligent diredtions, are wont 
 to do fo in their application of them; and moft 
 are apt to look upon religion as delign'd only to 
 redrefs fubftantialand formidable evils. And yet 
 'tis with the mind as with the body; tho* fevers, 
 impofthumes, defiuxions, ^c. kill, the anger 
 of a puftule, the pain of a tooth, do ftrangley 
 diforder and difturb : and thus, tho' pain and 
 death, and fuch like evils, overthrow and over- 
 whelm the mind; yet are there a croud of flight 
 and trifling evils which difquiet and difcompofe 
 it : and this is a matter not to be condemn'd, 
 efpecially by me, in the profecution of the dc- 
 lign I am here upon ; fince I perfuade myfelf, 
 that the great and formidable evils, guilt, pain, 
 poverty, ficknefs, death, or the thoughts and 
 apprehenfions of them, do but very rarely affiidl 
 the life of man: but there are other evils of 
 a Highter nature, which, like pirates, are perpe- 
 tually cruifing on our coafts; and tho' they can- 
 not invade and deftroy, do much difturb and 
 annoy us. Nay, what is yet more, 'tis very ufu- 
 al to fee men acquit themfelves very honourably 
 under true and fubftantial evils, who come off 
 very poorly from the encounter of flight and 
 defpicable ones : how common is it for one who 
 maintains bravely his courage and judgment 
 amidft fwords and bullets, to lofe all patience, 
 prudence and government, when attacked by a 
 
 rude 
 
144- ^f ^^^ ^^^^ Notio7i 
 rude jeft, a briflc, or, it may be, a bold and 
 fenfelefs refled:ion ? to fee a man that bears 
 very calmly the lofs of a (hip, or a confiderable 
 fum of money, tranfported into ftrange inde- 
 cency upon breaking of a glafs, or the fpoiiing 
 of a difli of meat ; and he who fits very tamely 
 and unconcernedly down under a diigraceful 
 character, fweats and raves, if robb'd but of a 
 cabbage or an apricock. Thefe, and fuch like 
 remarks, one may make every day, and almoft 
 in every company : and, what is the worfl: of 
 all, our fears and forrows, our hate and anger, 
 are as violent and uneafy, when they fpring 
 from caufes oi the leall:, as of the highefl mo- 
 ment. We bewail fantaftick and true misfor- 
 tunes with the fame fighs and tears ; and refent 
 imaginary and fubftantial injuries with the 
 fame diforder'd pulfe and deform'd looks. 
 When I have refleded on all this, I have often 
 thought that it was as neceflary to the tranquil- 
 lity of human life, to guard myielf againft 
 dud and flies, as againft llorms and tempefts ; 
 to arm myfelf againft the ftings of a fvvarm 
 of vexatious accidents, as againft peftilence and 
 war, and poverty and blindnefs, or deafnefs. 
 And to this end, thefe three or four following 
 rules have often been of great ufe to me. Firjtj 
 Of the evils of life I never take more to my 
 fhare than are really my own. I never travel 
 abroad to find out foreign mifchiefs to torment 
 myfelf, as if there were not enough of the na- 
 tive growth of my country ; my own mind, my 
 own body, my own houfe, are provinces wide 
 enough for me, and a little too fruitful too j nay, 
 
 I am 
 
o/' Human Life. 145 
 
 1 am not aGiam'd to confcfs, I decline, if I can, 
 an evil, even lying in my way, as I do a buftle 
 or a fray, by paffing on the other fide of the 
 ftreet. I'll never fplit upon a flielf or rock, if I 
 have fea-room enough. And as a little diflance 
 of place, fo a little diftance of time, ferves my 
 turn to make me reckon fuch evils as none of 
 mine: I'll no more diftrad: or difturb myfelf 
 with the evils that are fancy'd teeming in the 
 womb of time, than with thofe that are now 
 in being in Peru or Mexico. This is the very 
 lecture religion reads me: for fare, to incorpo- 
 rate diHant evils, or to anticipate future ones, 
 were far from ' Jliidyiug to be quiet, and doing 
 ones own biifmefs; or from thinking, with our 
 Saviour, fufficient for the day, is the evil thereof -, 
 and were indeed to fuffer as bufy bodies, fi'-'^- 
 Jul and unbelievers. If any man will impute 
 this to me as brutality and uncharitablenefs, 
 I cannot help it : I thank God, that I have 
 icnic enough to pradtife caution without fear, 
 care without anxiety, and charity without dif- 
 trefs or agony of mind. Secondly, As to thofe 
 evils (I fpeak flill of flight and daily ones) 
 which (^o really fall to my fhare, and I cannet 
 avoid J my next care is to weaken their force, 
 to dilarm them of their fling, their teeth and 
 venom, if they have any: I take from them all 
 the terror that fancy and opinion have givea 
 them ; and will no more, if I can help it, fuffer 
 my imagination, than my tafte or feeling, 
 to be abus'd or impos'd upon. In the next 
 place, I carefully fortify and ftrengthen myfelf; 
 fee that my ilate be healthy, and my nature 
 V'o L. I. D d firm: 
 
1 46 Of the true Notion 
 
 firm J left I (hould complain of the meat, when 
 the fault is in my ftomachj or think the bed 
 ill made, when the caufe of my uneafinefs is 
 in the body. And laftly, when I have reduc'd 
 the evil to its own natural fize, generally 'tis 
 of fuch a Pigmy, dwarfifh growth, that I can 
 fecurely flight it; I can maftcr it with very little 
 trouble and induftry, or at worft, with a very 
 little patience ; and, that I may not be want- 
 ing here, I look upon it as a tafk I am born to, 
 as an inconvenience that I can no more (hun, 
 than any natural defeds in my body or my 
 mind; or that I can the cares and fatigues of my 
 calling. Thirdly^ I labour above all things to 
 fill my foul with great and ravifhlng pleafures, 
 to inflame it with a generous ambition, and, 
 in a word, to pofTefs it with that habitual po- 
 verty of fpirit, meeknefs, purity, charity, com- 
 mended to his difciples by our Lord and Mafter ; 
 that I am generally above the buz and flut- 
 tering of thefe, rather impertlnencies, than 
 evils of human life; and do often fuffer them 
 without being fenfible of them; but lean ne- 
 ver often enough put the world in mind of the 
 vaft difference there is between the fits and habits 
 of thefe virtues. What we could do in a pious 
 humour, that we (hould always do, were but the 
 weak impreflion once converted into nature, the 
 {hort-liv'd paifiOn chang'd into fteady habit: but 
 'tis high time to.purfue my dcfign; I am almoil: 
 afraid, Idvvcll fo long upon a head, that the mofl 
 periinent parts of my difcourfe may now and 
 then look like digreffion. The next thing to be 
 conlidered, after the chearjuhiefs of the mind, is, 
 
 Secofidly, 
 
of Human Life. 147 
 
 Secondly, The health of the body. Life does 
 fo apparently depend on this, that in the vulvar 
 notion it ligniiies much the fame thing. 'Tis 
 notorious, life decays and expires with the 
 .health and ftrength of the body ; and when it 
 is protraded after thefe are gone, it fcarce de- 
 ferves the name of life, any more than the 
 noife of an ill-fl:rung and an ill-tun'd inftrument 
 does that of mufick. But I need not teach any 
 body the value of health, or prefs them to the 
 prefervation of the body : I (hould be fiiffici- 
 ently obliged to the world, if I could teach it 
 any art by which they might be reflor'd to that 
 bleffing which it enjoy 'd before the flood, a long 
 life of many hundreds of years. But I know 
 no art that can raife nature above its own laws, 
 or retrieve its youth, if it be now in its decrepi- 
 tude: One thing I know, that we too commonly 
 debauch and corrupt nature firft, and then 
 load her with our reproaches and accufations : 
 We fhould undoubtedly live much longer, and 
 this life vi'ould be more healthy and verdant, 
 that is, more vital than it is, did we but obferve 
 the didates of religion, the laws of virtue, and 
 not prefer before them thofe of luil and fancy. 
 Kow much foever men complain of the (hort- 
 nefs of 1-fe, 'tis little to be doubted, but that mofl 
 men do notwithdanding (horten it themfelves, 
 by fome crime or error or other. If we could 
 confult the f ckly, crazy part of mankind, I 
 mean, fuch as are fo in the middle, or almoft be- 
 ginning of theiryears, and demand of them, what 
 blafted their beauty, and impair'd their ftrength; 
 what thus violated, and contaminated their na- 
 D d 2 ture ? 
 
148 Of the true Notion 
 
 ture ? we (hould foon be refolv'd to what ori- 
 ginal their difeafes were owing, if at leaft tneir 
 ihame or blufhes would give them leave to in- 
 form us : and if we fhould endeavour to trace 
 the deaths of moft of thofe who are gone 
 hence before their time back, to their fir ftcaufe, 
 I do not think, but that our fearch would foon 
 end in fome vice or folly or other : this man 
 drank too much, the other too much indulg'd 
 his appetite ; one was devoted to his luft, and 
 another putrified in his floth : all of them, in 
 our common phrafe, did live toofajl ; but in 
 truth, and propriety of fpeech, died too faft ', 
 for fince life is nothing elfe but adting by rea- 
 fon, every deviation from it is an approach 
 towards death. But to proceed : 'tis not un- 
 ufual to fee pride kill one, paflion another, 
 avarice and ambition a third 3 while to gratify 
 thefe affedions, the body is either expos'd to 
 dangers, or worn out by labour. Now, if wc 
 can generally find the caufes of moft early 
 deaths in mens vices, when fo little of other 
 mens lives com.e to our knowledge ; what think 
 you, fhould we not be able to difcover, if we 
 could enter into the retirements, and penetrate 
 all the fecrets of mankind ? how many hidden 
 pafTions do gnaw the heart ? how many fecret 
 fins do wafle and confume the ftrength ? where 
 not only concealment excludes the eye, but a 
 {hew of probity, nay, a real and eminent prac- 
 tice of fome particular virtue, excludes even 
 fufpicion and jealoufy ? if then immorality do 
 often contrail the term of life, 'tis evident what 
 is to be prefcribed fpr the prolonging it j reli- 
 gion 
 
^HuMAN Life. 149 
 
 glon or virtue is the beft phyfick ^ it has often 
 mended an ill conftitution, but never fpoiled 
 a good one. When did ever chaftity impove- 
 ri(h the body, or deflour the face ? when did 
 ever temperance infiame the blood, or opprefs 
 the fpirits ? when did ever induftry or vigilance 
 four the humours, and enfeeble the nerves ? 
 no crudities, no plethories, no obftrudions, no 
 acidities, no ftagnations, extravafations, and I 
 know not what hard names and harder things, 
 derive themfelves from virtue or religion. 'Tis 
 true, a man may be righteous over much, he 
 my entitle his folly, his melancholy, his par- 
 ticular fancy, or his particular complexion or 
 conftitution, to religion ; and this may prove 
 mifchievous to him, to his health, to his 
 ftrength 3 but then this is not the fault of reli- 
 gion, but the man ; and, to fpeak properly, this 
 is not righteoufnefs nor religion, tho' it be called 
 fo ; but 'tis fancy and folly, or an ill conftitu- 
 tion difguifed under the garb and the mein of 
 religion. Virtue then is the moft probable way 
 to a long life ; or if not fo, at leaft, to a more 
 comfortable and honourable death : for where 
 an early death is the refult of a providence not 
 a crime, we muft needs meet it with lefs 
 amazement ourfelves, and our friends behold 
 it with lefs regret and afflidion. 
 
 ^hirdly\ The third way of prolonging life, 
 is to engage the providence of God in its pre- 
 fervation. If all the promifes God has made 
 the virtuous, of a long life, did really fignify 
 nothing, I cannot fee how we could put up 
 any requeft to God, relating to temporal pro- 
 
 D d 3 te<5tion, 
 
150 Of the true Notioii 
 
 tediion, with faith or fervour, or as much as 
 fincerity; bu: if they fignify any thing, then 
 furely they mull fignify, that his providence 
 is adually employed for the prefervation of vir- 
 tuous men : and how great fecurity is this ? 
 What can be impoflible to him v\'ho is the 
 Governor and Creator of the world, in whofe 
 difpofal all created meajis are, and in whofe 
 po'.ver it is, if thefe be unfufficient to create 
 new ones? to him whole unerring laws can 
 r'^ver mifs of thofe ends he aims at ? or if 
 they could, his power is ever at hand to fup- 
 ply their defeats, and accommodate and at- 
 temper them to particular em.ergencies j and 
 his p.-erogative is under no ties, no limitations, 
 but rhofe of his divine wifdom: Well might 
 the Pfalmifi fay, / laid me down and Jlept, for 
 'tis thouj Lord, makeft me dwell in fafety. 
 Every good man might fay the fame as far as 
 he has a divine warrant; not in peace and 
 health only, but in ficknefs, in a tempeft whe- 
 ther by fea or land ; in a plague, in a battle, 
 in a fiege, in aflorm : to believe ourfelves un- 
 der the patronage and protedion of God, feems 
 to me nothing lefs than to believe, that he will 
 make thofe thiiags we are concern'd in, flow 
 with afrnooth and gentle flream ; that he will 
 place us in a Hate or condition of life, fafe and 
 agreeable ; or if not, that in diftreiTes and dan- 
 gers he will contrive the methods of our ref- 
 cue, and where the ordinary are infufficient, 
 find out extraordinary; that he will concur 
 and co-operate with the natural courfe of 
 things ; or, if he fee it fit, that he will exert a 
 
 fuper- 
 
of Human Life. 151 
 
 fupernatural force, and vouchfafe an extraordi- 
 nary fuccour. Plainly thus, tho' I know not 
 the unfearchable methods of divine providence, 
 yet from God's concerning himfelf for my good, 
 I may boldly infer, that in my ficknefs I may 
 hope for that from God, which I cannot from 
 the fkill of my phyfician ; that in troublefome 
 times I may exped that from providence, which 
 I cannot from the wii'dom, juftice, or power of 
 the magiftrate; that in neceilitous, involv'd and 
 intricate circumllances, 1 may promife myfeif 
 that iffue from his favour, which I cannot from 
 the prudence and integrity, or bounty of my 
 friends; and, in a word, that in all cafes I can 
 hope for that from my prayers, which I other- 
 wife could not from human povv^er or policy. 
 The fum of all is 3 all the natural means of 
 our fecurity and life are in the hands of God ; 
 and if thefe (bould be deficient, nothing can 
 reflrain him from exerting a fupernatural force 
 and virtue for our prefervation ; his fix'd and 
 univerfal laws are infinitely wife : but if at any 
 time our affairs fliould require his immediate 
 interpofal, I know not why i ihould fancy his 
 prerogative fo bounded, that he cannot or will 
 not interpofe : and tho' his pavilion be thick 
 clouds, and he walk upon the ^ wings of the 
 wind ; tho' his providence be a great abyls, 
 and the fwiftnefs and fecrecy of his acftings 
 elude our fearch, and baftle our inquiries, fo 
 that we cannot difcern when he ads by pre- 
 rogative, when bylaw; yet, I doubt not, but 
 that he does frequently exert a miraculous and 
 extraordinary power. 
 
 D d 4 This 
 
1^2 Of the true Notion 
 
 This being fo, 'tis plain that our great bu(i- 
 nefs is to engage the providence ot God on onr 
 behalf, that we mav have an unerriny; guide of 
 this dubious and floating life, a firm fupport or 
 this mortal corruptible natnrej and, I think, I 
 need not prove, that religion is the effedual 
 way to oblige God. If this be the great mef- 
 fage that we have received of the Son of God, 
 that God is light ; then St. Johns inference 
 mufl needs be good, that he who only walks in 
 the light can maintain a communion with him, 
 that is, be dear and acceptable to him ; a fpiri- 
 tual and rational worfbip muO: be the only me- 
 thod to endear ourfelves to a God, who is a 
 wife Spirit. Nay, tho' all the precepts of reli- 
 <rion fliould not be neceffarilv founded in their 
 confonancy and agreeablenefs to the divine na- 
 ture ; yet ftilh iince they are the precepts of 
 God, we need fearch for no other realbn tor 
 the acceptable nefs ot our obedience : 'tis true, 
 all the heights of purity, to which the gofpel 
 invites us, are not neceliary to the health and 
 firen.gth of the body ; yet are they ferviceable 
 to the perfedtion and improvement of our na- 
 ture: they are not all indifpenfable to the happy 
 condiid of our temporal affairs ; but they are 
 ufeful to the felicity and glory of our eternal j 
 and therefore the more religious we are, the 
 more we fhall ple?-fc- God. But I will infifl: no 
 1onf2;er on fo uncGntef}:ed a point; nature itfclf 
 dicftates, that an imitation of their virtues is 
 the ftrongeft obligation we can lay upon the 
 wife or sood ; and obedience the moft effe(£taal 
 recommendation of us to the fovereign powers: 
 
 w heth 
 
of Human Life. 153 
 
 whether fherefore we confider God as the befl, 
 or the greateft^ the characters under which the 
 light ot nature did ever prelent him, religion, 
 that is, imitation and obedience, are the only 
 ways by which we may ever come to pretend 
 to his favour. 
 
 Nor is virtue lefs apt to procure the favour 
 and amity of man, th^n that of God; it fences 
 us about with the arms and fuccours of mankind, 
 it guards us with all their eyes, and with all their 
 prayers: for their love and reverence make them 
 both adiive and wakeful in our fervice. 
 
 How diredly repugnant to all this are the 
 effed:s of irreligion ? it leaves us no other fafe- 
 guard than that of our own ftrength and vigi- 
 lance ; which to fpeak properly, is to deliver 
 us up into the hands of our folly and fear, our 
 weaknefs and cowardice : for alas, what were 
 my finale reafon or force, when I have neither 
 God nor man to fecond me ; how much lefs, 
 when the indignation of the one, and the fecret 
 averfion or open enmity of the other, fcare and 
 intimidate me ! how can a man hold out againft 
 dangers, if he be betrayed by his own guilt 
 within ; and his reafon, overthrown by omir- 
 nous fears, do not leiTen, but multiply his ter- 
 rors : hence is that of »S(7/(5;;2(j;2, T^he wicked flee 
 when no man piirfueih ; but the righteous are as 
 bold as a lion: abandon'd by God and man, 
 he feems at lafl: abandon'd by himfelf too. 
 
 The fum of what I have faid under this ar- 
 ticle, amounts to this ; firft, I have proved that 
 the date of human life is not fatal and unalte- 
 rable J from whence I thought it neceffarily 
 
 follow'd. 
 
154 ^f ^^^ ^^^^ Notion 
 
 follow'd, that it was capable of being prolong'd 
 or protradted : therefore I proceeded, fecondly,. 
 to confider by what means it might be pro- 
 long'd : and here fuppofing that nothing could 
 be more conducive to this, than a cbearjid mind^ 
 a healthful bcdy^ mid a propitious providence 5 
 I have made it evident, that thefe are to be 
 fought in the pradice of religion and virtue j 
 which is nothing elfe than what infpired au- 
 thors have frequently taught ; Length of days is 
 in her right hand, and in her left hand riches 
 and honour. T^hou fJjalt come to thy grave in a 
 full age, like as a fhock of corn cometh in its 
 feafon. A blefled and perfed: religion ! at once 
 the guard and joy of life ! at once the fupport 
 and delight of human nature! 
 
 Sedl. 3. Two ohjeBiom againfi the defign 
 tf the former paragraphs anfkverd. 
 
 But againft this whole difcourfe it will be ob- 
 je(5led, fir/}^ How 'o this that you contend for ? 
 how are thofe texts which make length of days 
 the reward of obedience to the divine laws, 
 reconcileable with thofe other, which, as far as 
 concerns their temporal efle6ts, feem to equal 
 wifdomap.J folly, and level righteoufnefs with 
 wickednefs, averting the promifcuoufnefs of all 
 events to the virtuous and vicious? All thi?igs 
 come alike to all : there is one event t6 the righ- 
 teous, and to the imcked ; to the good, and to 
 the clean, and to the unclean ; to him that facri- 
 ficefh, and to him that J'acrificeth not : as is the 
 good, fo is the fmner ', and he that fweareth, 
 
 as 
 
of Human Life. 155 
 
 as he that feareth anoathj Ecclef. ix. 2. And 
 this is extended as far as death itfelf j How 
 dieth the wife ma?2? as the fool^ Ecclef. ii. 16. 
 Innumerable are the anfwers to this objedion j 
 but one only fits my purpofe, which is plainly 
 this, that thefe are rhetorical exaggerations 
 of human vanity : wife and good men, as 
 well as others, have their natural paflions 5 
 and therefore divine writings have their figures, 
 as well as thofe that are purely human : 
 Thefe therefore, and the like fpeech^s, defign 
 not to derogate from the efficacy of virtue, or 
 weaken the force of the divine promifes, but 
 to humble the vanity of man, and convert his 
 fondnefs for this world, into a greater for a 
 better ; and are not therefore to be underAood 
 in fuch a general and unlimited fenfe, as if 
 there were no difference betv^^een the righte- 
 Ous a-id the wicked, with refpedt to temporal 
 good and evil, life and death ; but only thus, 
 that the righteous are not fo univerfally ex- 
 empt from temporal evils, but that fome or 
 other of them, in all ages, are liable to them, 
 even to an untimely death itfelf: but what 
 then ? Such extraordinary inftances of an in- 
 difcrutable providence ought no more to dero- 
 gate from the excellence of wifdom and virtue, 
 or the veracity of God, than fome few (hip- 
 wrecks ought to difcredit navigation ; or, the 
 failing of fome few traders, difparage art and 
 induftry : 'tis enough that the experience'd and 
 ikilful, the careful and diligent, do generally 
 fail and trade fuccefsfully. And this may in 
 part fuffice for an anfwer to another objection 
 
 of 
 
156 OJ the true Notion 
 
 of the fame nature with this; only that this 
 relates to all events in general, but the objed.ion 
 following, to a particular one. 
 
 If long life be a great bicfling at prefent, and 
 recommends men to greater afterwards ; and if 
 religion and virtue be on both thefe accounts 
 entitled to it, whence is it that an immature 
 death fnatches away fometimes the beft of men, 
 that it flops them in the very progrefs of their 
 virtue, and in a full career towards perfedion 
 and glory ! I anfwer, 
 
 I. The providence of God is a great deep, 
 his judgments are unfe arch able ^ and his ways 
 paji finding out. 
 
 Secondly^ I cannot believe that this early 
 death, which intercepts the fruits of a growing 
 virtue, fhall bereave the virtuous of any de- 
 gree of that future glory to which fuch fruits 
 would have entitled them ; I Ihould rather 
 think, with the author of the book of Wifdom^ 
 that having compleated their perfection in a 
 little time, they had in a little time finillied their 
 courfe ; and by what they did do, gave fuch 
 plain proofs of what they would do, that God 
 rewards their purpofes as he does the atftions 
 of others, and therefore haflencth to take them 
 to himfelf. But however this matter be, I am 
 content to believe, 
 
 "Thirdly, That as God orders all the parti- 
 cular events of life to the good of thofe that 
 love him, fo much more mull: he difpofe this 
 biggeft event that befals a mortal man, that is, 
 death, to their intereft and benefit; and there- 
 fore this immature death is doubtlefs, to the 
 
 ri-^hteouSj 
 
of Human Life. 157 
 
 righteous, better than life, tho* we fhould not 
 be able to difcern why. 
 
 They die in their perfedions, their glory yet 
 unfuUied, their felicity unftained ; no vile 
 temptation, no misfortune having yet tri- 
 umphed over them ; an advantage which we 
 much admire, when we fee great and good 
 men furprifed or overpower'd by weaknefs and 
 calamities : for then we cannot but acknow- 
 ledge, that if death had come fooner, it had 
 been much kinder j for they had been gather'd 
 it^to the ftore-houfe of the dead, like corn into 
 the granary, before unfeafonable or immoderate 
 rain had corrupted it, or any malignant vapoiu's 
 blafted it. 
 
 Laftly, I know not how heaven has dealt 
 with thcfe, its favourites ; peradventure 'tis In 
 the moral as in the political world ; fome are 
 born to that greatnefs which others acquire 
 with labour: he never dies too foon, who dies 
 ripe and perfect : and if the divine fouls came 
 into the world enrich'd with more light and 
 beauty, with more impetuous inclinations to 
 virtue, than thole of other men; if their iLorC 
 life were fo innocent, fo bright, that out of a 
 particular grace God thought fit to exempt them 
 from the miferies of this life; or that upon the 
 account of a particular pre-eminence, they 
 needed not pals through the trial, the difci^ 
 pline and purgations of it : On either of thefe 
 fuppofals, we ought not to commiferate, but 
 revere their fate. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
158 Of the true Notion 
 
 CHAP. IIL 
 
 Of improving life, or living much in 
 a little time. 
 
 What is to be underjlood by improving or exalting 
 lifey and the advantage of this notion. Three 
 ways of improving life. Sedt. i . By per- 
 
 feSiing nature. Man and life mean things^ 
 till wtfdom and virtue flamp a value on 
 them. This particularly exemplified with re- 
 fpecS to knowledge, a7id the due regulation 
 of the 2i^Q^\o\-\s. Sedt. 2. By beginning to 
 live betimes^ or at leafl i mediately. No ob- 
 
 je5lion againjl becoming prefently wife and 
 happy but the difficulty of becoming Jo. An 
 exhortation^ addreff'edy Firjl, to the young. Se- 
 condly^ To thofe advanced in years. Clofed 
 with a refeBion on the day of judgment, 
 Sed:. 3. By avoiding all thofe things that are 
 injurious to life^ asfloth, impertinence^ remif- 
 nejs or coldnefs in religion : levity and incon- 
 
 Jiancy. Some other directions defer rd to the 
 
 following treatifes. 
 
 TO underftand aright whit it is I here aim 
 at, what I mean by the improvement or 
 exaltation of life^ 'tis ncceflary to call to mind 
 the true notion of life, laid down in the begin- 
 ning, That it is the right ufe of all our powers 
 and faculties, the rational exercife, the wife em- 
 ployment of our whole nature. Now, if this be 
 
 fo. 
 
jj/* H U M A N L I F E. 159 
 
 fo, 'tis plain that we live juft as much as we act 
 and enjoy, I mean, always rationally; that as 
 we advance and ^row up toward a perfedlion of 
 nature, the more is life alio raifed and refined. 
 Thus if the life of the underftandingbe to think, 
 to difcover and contemplate truth and goodnefs, 
 then furely its life is enlarged with its know- 
 ledge : if the life of the foul of man, I mean 
 his will and'affedions, be to chufe and purfue, 
 admire and love true good, then certainly our 
 life is perfected with our virtue, and augmented 
 with our religion. In a word, if the life of man 
 do not confift in the motion of animal fpirits, 
 but the exercife of his rational powers and f?.- 
 cultics : if the true health of man be not to be 
 judg'd by the regularity of his pulfe, but the 
 harmony of his affediions J if finally, the thin o- 
 call'd lije, be not to be meafured by hours, 
 and days, and months, and years, but by a(fti- 
 vity and enjoyment, by the rational ads of a 
 rational nature j then furely I may boldly con- 
 clude, that the more regularly and conftantly 
 we purfue the proper bufinefs of ournature, the 
 more adively and vigorouHy we are carry 'd on 
 towards that which is our proper good ; fo 
 much the more we live, fo much the more rich 
 and racy, the more true, natural and pure is 
 life : and all this is no other philofophy, than 
 what the wife man has long ago advanc'd : for 
 honourable age is not that which ftandeth in 
 length of time, ?2or that is meafured by number 
 of years. But wifdom is the gray hair unto 
 men, and unfpotted life is old age, Wifd. iv. 8, 9, 
 This indeed is a truth of too vaft an importance 
 
 or 
 
1 6 o Of the true Notion 
 
 to be a new one: for were it but once thoroughly 
 imbib'd, it would relieve ail the preffures, and 
 redrefs all the grievances of human life. \Vc 
 complain of life that it is dull and naufeous ; 
 we impeach it of vanity and vexation, of fhort- 
 nefs and uncertainty: how would this one 
 notion, well purfued, foon filence all thefe com- 
 plaints ? he would never think life too ihort, 
 who were ripe for death: he would never com- 
 plain that life were uncertain, who was always 
 ready to diej he would not accufe life of dul- 
 jiefs and naufeoufnefs, who was daily advan- 
 cing his difcovery of truth, and enlarging his pof- 
 feffion of o;ood, nor would he ever charge it with 
 vanity and vexation, were his actions ftill wife 
 and rational : for thus every a6t of life would 
 be an a6l of fiuition too, being both agreeable 
 to nature, and attended by a delightful approba- 
 tion and complacency of confcience. 
 
 By this time 'tis plain what the defign of 
 this chapter is, namely, to compenfate the 
 (hortnefs, by the excellence of life; and redrefs 
 the vanity and vexation of it by its perfection : 
 a defign, I confefs,' worthy of a more compre- 
 henfive mind, and a more elevated fancy than 
 mine ; a d.<t[v^\^^ demanding all the wifdom 
 and experience of an attive, and all the 
 thought and learning of a contemplative life ; 
 a defign, in a word, that requires at once the 
 prudence of old age, and the vigour of bloom- 
 ing years. That I am willing to contribute 
 the little I can towards it, proceeds from a 
 fenfe of its being a duty I owe myfelf 
 and mankind : let me not therefore be op- 
 
 prefs'd 
 
<?/'HumanLife. 161: 
 
 prefs'd by the grandeur of my fubje(5t, and the 
 expedation of my reader : I promote the good 
 of mankind in my way, and as I am able; it 
 were a crime if I did not, and it will be injuf- 
 tice to exped more from me. Befides, I pur- 
 pofe not here to lay out my whole ftrength, 
 the' this be little ; having deflin'd an entire vo- 
 lume to human ferJeSlion : and therefore fljall 
 here difcourfe but very briefly, and in very ge- 
 neral terms, of the improvement of life. 
 
 All the advice I (hall offer here, m^ay be 
 reduc'd to thefe three heads : 
 
 Firji^ That we endeavour to perfecl and 
 exalt our nature. 
 
 Secondly^ That we begin to live betimes; or, 
 if vve cannot now do that, our years being 
 far fpent, that we begin to live immedi- 
 ately. 
 
 Thirdly^ That wc avoid all thofe things that 
 are enemies to our true life. 
 
 SeB, I. We mud: endeavour to perfefl and 
 exalt our nature. The neceflity of this v/ill be 
 very confpicuous to any one who (hall cocfider 
 that the perfection of our a6ts depends upon 
 the perfedion of our faculties and pov/ers, jufl 
 as the pleafure of feeing does on the goodnefs of 
 the eye, or that of hearing on the perfed:ion. 
 of the ear; fo much, and much more, does the 
 beauty of human adlion, and the guft of all our 
 enjoyments depend upon the clearnefs of the 
 judgmentj the re61itude of the will, and the vi* 
 gour of our pailions. To render this argument 
 
 V o L. L E e vet 
 
1 62 Of the true Notion 
 
 yet more vifible and palpable, let us confidei* 
 how mean a thing man were, and how contemp- 
 tible life, without cultivation or improvment: 
 the body is but a heap of dud: ; fomething there 
 needs to ll:amp a value upon it; fomething there 
 mull: be to give fvveetnefs to the eye, charm to 
 the tongue, and grace to motion : 'tis a mere 
 machine, alike capable of being made the inftru- 
 ment of cruelty or mercy, ofluft or chaflity, 
 of avarice or charity ; 'tis religion muft purge 
 and fandVify it ; 'tis wifdom muft conduct and 
 guide it, and make it the happy inftrument of 
 great and glorious aulions. The fpirit within 
 us is a volatile, mutable, unfleady thing, capa- 
 ble of all forts of impreffions, fufpended, as \\ 
 were, between heaven and earth, floating be- 
 tween the different Ihores of good and evil : 
 knowledge and virtue form it into an angel ; 
 ftamp a fort of divinity upon it (for we are 
 not born, but made, great;) 'tis wifdom that 
 imprints it with bright ideas, that impregnates 
 it with noble paflions, and determines its ten- 
 dency towards its true good and fupreme felici- 
 ty: our converfation with the world is naturally 
 nothing elfe but a dull intercourfe of forms» 
 and ceremonies, and civilities, a naufeous cir- 
 culation of the fame taftelefs and fuperficial 
 entertainments, a tedious and repeated purfuit 
 of vain miftaken ends, and often baffled de- 
 ligns ; 'tis virtue and knowledge that give gufl 
 and reliOi to our enjoyments, and life and fpi- 
 rit to all our adions; that lead us on towards 
 excellent ends, and infpire us with immortal 
 hopes: our fortune and condition in the world 
 
 is 
 
^HuMAN Life. i6? 
 
 is naturally aflu(ftuatingunftableagitation, made 
 up of a confus'd and motley variety of events ; 
 knowledge and virtue fix the floating ifland^ 
 and give light and beauty to the Chaos. 
 
 1 can never carry this argument too far; and 
 therefore 1 will yet a little more particularly 
 confider, what acceffion or increafe of life we 
 derive from perfediing our natures. Does life 
 confifl in the excrcife of our faculties ? true 
 life then is the portion of the active and induf- 
 trious; the dull and heavy motion of the flug- 
 gard is but a faint imitation or refemblance of 
 It; 'tis a difeafed languiHiing thing, a com- 
 pound or mixture wherein there fe^ms to be 
 more of death than life. Does life confift in 
 fruition ? how dark and difmal are thofe of the 
 wicked, compared to the calm and bright days 
 of the good? for what can there be like enjoy- 
 ment, to that man who dares make no reflexions 
 on thepafl:, nor can entertain anyjuft hopes of 
 the future; and whofe mind concurs not with 
 his prefent paffions, and refufes to join in the 
 fenfelefs dcfigns he is upon ? Does life, laflly, 
 conflfl:, as I have proved it does, in the know- 
 ledge of tiuth and love of goodnefs ? howfcan- 
 ly, narrow and beggarly is the life of the fool 
 and hnner, compared to that of the wife and 
 virtuous? Tally faid, One -virtuous day was to be 
 prej erred be j ore afinful immortdlity. 
 
 This is true in the prefent fenfe and notion 
 of life: error and ignorance are, as it were, a 
 difeafe or flate of infenfiblenefs and death to 
 theunderflanding; the mind that is utterly ig- 
 norant of objeds worthy of it, has nothing to 
 E e 2 employ 
 
164 Of the true Notion 
 
 employ itfelf upon, or, at leaft, nothing tha 
 gives it any folid fatisfadlion j but the mind, 
 which is fill'd with the knowledge of excellent 
 things, has a great variety of fcenes to entertain 
 it, and never wants fome frefh occafion of de- 
 light and wonder. But it will be faid, does 
 not the fool behold the vilible world as well as 
 the philofopher ? he doesj but juft as he reads 
 a poem, without difcovering the artfulnefs of 
 its contrivance, the richnefs of the fancy, or 
 variety of the incidents. The finner hears talk 
 too of an invifible world, of moral perfedtions 
 here, and of divine joys hereafter; but he 
 hears it, unmov'd, unaffe(!ledj which Q:iewshe 
 has no lively notion, no diftin6t perception of 
 anv thing of this kind; the glafs is duU'd and 
 fullied; beauty itfelf would lofe all charm, re- 
 fledled thus. But human perfedion confifts 
 not in knowledge alone, but alfo in the purity 
 of the heart, in the regulation of the affedions, 
 in love and true liberty; that is, the heart muft 
 be fet upon objecfls worthy of it, and we muft 
 purfue our true good with vigour and conftan- 
 cy ; and this is that which renders Hfe truly de- 
 lightful and uniform : without objects to en- 
 gage our affedions, we can fcarcely be faid to 
 live; we fliall be becalm'd, and fcarce be fenfi- 
 ble of the breath we draw ; and unlefs thefe 
 objeds be worthy and agreeable, all is but ftorm 
 and tempeft, cheat and torment; and our facul- 
 ties are not rationally employ 'd, but abus'd, de- 
 luded, deprav'd, tortur'd. Could we but com- 
 prehend what all this did amount to; or at leaft, 
 could we feel and experience it, we ftiould foon 
 
 difcern 
 
(t/* Hu M A N L I F E. 165 
 
 dilcern that the wife and good, and they onIy> 
 did truly live: for thefe only know God and 
 themfelves; thefe only admire, and love and 
 rejoice, and ope rationally j and thele only 
 are not confined or limited in their knowledge 
 or their affedions ; for the objeds of both are 
 infinite ; their minds can never travel lb far in 
 the contemplation of God, and the moft im- 
 portant truths, but that there is ftiU a new 
 world to be further difcover'd : nor can their 
 . admiration or love, their joy or hope, fo enlarge 
 themfelves, as ever to equal the objects of thefe 
 paffions, and reach the utmoil that is in them. 
 But 'tis probable, after all, the fool and finner 
 will pretend to engrofs the goods of the earth -, 
 as if they alone were to poflefs and enjoy them ; 
 as if they were the heirs of this world, the 
 righteous of the other ; but this is a vain fan- 
 cy, and has been often baffled. Who can 
 haften more to enjoy, than he that knows the 
 true value and right ufe of all things ? and who 
 can enjoy more in any thing, than he who 
 at once gratifies his reafon and his appetite, and 
 pleafes his inclination, without forfeiting his 
 true liberty ? If to be fool'd and cheated, if to 
 be enfnar'd and tormented by the things of 
 this w®rld, be a pleafure, in this the Chriftian 
 mufl: indeed give place to the Infidel, the righ- 
 teous man to the finner. 
 
 The fum then of this whole matter is, life 
 in the fooliili, mean, and vicious foul, feems 
 like a little rill of water, confined within nar- 
 row and fcanty bounds; or, like the light of a 
 candle inclos'd within the narrow compafs of a 
 E e -: dark 
 
1 66 Of the tme Notion 
 
 dark lantern; but in the wife and underf^iind- 
 ins: 'tis like a mightv ftream which fwells above 
 its banks, and ipreads itfelf over a vail: plain ; or 
 like light unconhn'd, which diftufes and darts 
 itfelf over all the face of nature. Ah ! there- 
 fore, how much does it impoit me to fill my 
 underftanding with bright and lovely images, 
 with pleafing and important notions, with all 
 the truths that can ferve either to delight or 
 guide, to nourifh and adorn, to fupport or for- 
 tify me in this world, or advance my title to the 
 ]oys of another; how much does it import me, 
 to fill my foul with love, love of all that's good 
 or great; love of all that's pure and facred; love 
 of all that's beautiful or delightful? aiid, iaflly, 
 that my body may be a fit inftrument of fuch 
 a mind, it does not a little import me, that this 
 be firong and healthy, vigorous and vivacious. 
 
 Se6l. 2. The fecond way to improve life, is 
 to begin to live betimes: or at Icafl:, if your 
 years be far fpent, to begin to live immedi- 
 ately, which is all we can do. Life, in my 
 notion of it, dawns with our reafon, and grows 
 up to ripenefs and perfedion with the virtue, 
 liberty, and tranquillity of the foul. To be 
 wife, and to be religious, this is to live : for in 
 this confiiis fruition and enjoyment ; in this 
 the health and vigour of our faculties ; in this 
 the harmony and beauty of the whole frame 
 of our nature; and this, and no other, is a ra- 
 tional and agreeable exercife of all our powers 
 and capacities. Whoever therefore will im- 
 prove life, ought to begin next moment to 
 
 affert 
 
^HuMAN Life. 167 
 
 alTert his liberty, and to give up himfelf to true 
 philofophy: 'tis ft range to fee how men put off 
 this, or attempt it only fuperficially and by 
 the bye J they prefer, I will not fay, trades and 
 hullDandry, and various forts of knowledge fo- 
 reign and remote from the fervice and conduct 
 of human life, (ah ! that time were but fo well 
 fpent in general;) but they prefer, even dref- 
 ling, painting, drinking, gaming, and all, not 
 only the moft filly and trifling, but the moft vile 
 and infamous v;ays of confumingiime, before 
 true wifdom and philofophy : nay, amongft 
 thofe that make profeffion of wifdom, and pre- 
 tend to have dedicated themfelves to the doc- 
 trine of Jefus, 'tis common to fee great num- 
 bers hearing, talking, reading, difputing, with- 
 out ever making any ufe of thofe truths they 
 ftudy and contend for, or feeling any warmth or 
 influence of them ; like thofe wife ones in tem- 
 porals, who are laving up provifion and trea- 
 sure all their life long, which they will never 
 ufe, never enjoy. Ah wretched confamption of 
 life! how foon will the 1 aft: minute expire? and 
 the unhappy man u ill not have liv'd one year, 
 one month, one day, but will have wafted a pre- 
 cious treafure of time, and he muft go immedi- 
 ately and account for it. Well, let the world 
 live after its own falliion, I plainly fee the point 
 I am to make; no day, no hour fhall pafs me 
 uneraplov'd; every moment, if I can, I will 
 grow wlferand better; 'tis not how long I laft, 
 but how much I live; I will bioii>^ I will aSfy I 
 will enjcy today, andthen, I am fure, I haveliv'd 
 a day : this moft propofs to do, fome time or 
 E e 4 ether, 
 
3 68 Of the true Notion 
 
 other, but not to day : and why not to day ? 
 why not prefently ? is there any evil in being 
 immediately wile, immediately free, immedi- 
 ately rational, immediately happy? it cannot 
 be, if the ftate I am in, be really good; if the 
 pleafures I enjoy, be really fuch as my reafon 
 can Ihare in, and my confcience can approve: 
 I then indeed live : There's no need of change 
 and reformation, but continuance and perfeve- 
 rance -, but if they be not, why v/ill I not ex- 
 change falfe for true, and irrational for rational 
 pleafures? if I am in the right, if my condition 
 be truly good and fafe.. 'tis well; there's nothing 
 further to be done, but to maintain my ground; 
 but if I am in the wrong, if the foundation be 
 iinfound and rotten, and whilft I dream not of 
 it, my health and fortune, I mean, my imagi- 
 nary happinefs, confume inv/ardly, wafte and 
 decay infenfibly ; why am I fond of the cheat? 
 why am I unwilling to be undeceiv'd and dif- 
 abus'd \ and why not prefently ? the realon is 
 plain ; they acknowledge the reprefentation 1 
 have made to them of a virtuous and rational 
 life, is very pleafant and taking ; but to be 
 born into this new flate, to come forth into this 
 moral light, is as troublefome, as the infants 
 being born into the natural. They love the 
 cafe and wealth of a profperous trader, but not 
 the hardfnips of his apprenticefhip, the thrilt 
 and confinement of his beginnings ; they love 
 laurels and triumphal arches, the glory and the 
 pleafure of victory ; but cannot endure the 
 toils and hazards of war. Or plainly thus, 
 they admire liberty of mind, ferenity and rati- 
 onal 
 
^j/'HuMAN Life. 169 
 
 onal joy, but it will coil them much labour 
 and pains to purchafe it. Thus the wretched 
 man, fearing the regimen- of phyfick, wears out 
 a miferable Hfe in the pains of adiieafe; and one 
 that has a cancer or gangreen, chufes towafte 
 and rot in pain by piecemal, rather than under- 
 go the Ihort pain of amputation or abfcifion. 
 Nay, what is worfe than all this, men are fond 
 of their difeafes; love the things that increafe 
 and nourilli them, as the grols and corpulent do.' 
 reft, the lethargickfleep, and hydropick drink. 
 This is the ftate, the deplorable ftate of the 
 far greater part of mankind : a ftate of difeafe 
 and death, a ftate of bondage and captivity, a 
 ftate of infatuation and inchantment 3 and I 
 very much fear, that whatever motives can be 
 extra(5ted out of the fubjedl I am now upon, 
 will be too weak and feeble : for what can all 
 the difcourfes in the v/orld about rational plea- 
 fure and the fatisfadions of a regular and vir- 
 tuous life amount to, with men wholly given 
 up to fenfuaiity, and incapable of rcliftiing any 
 pure and facred delights ? If I have fucceeded 
 fo far, as to poftcfs them with an opinion 
 that a life of reafon and religion, is a life of 
 pleafure, tho' they have not any true guft, or 
 clear and lively notion of this pleafure, 'tis the 
 utmoft I can hope for : but to perluade thefe 
 men to embrace this life, there is need of all 
 the arguments that either reafon or religion can 
 adminifter ; and thefe too, pointed with all the 
 life and fpirit, with all the edge and flame that 
 wit or iudjrment can pive them; a taftsi too 
 
 JO o 
 
 hard for me. O God ! thou lover of man- 
 kind,. 
 
170 Of the true Notion 
 
 kind, that thou woiildft aid me by thy Spirit, 
 while I ftrive to prevail with young and old, 
 to feek thy glory and their own happinefs, to 
 purfue virtue and true pleafure. I will firft 
 addrefs myfelf to the young, and then to thofe 
 more advanc'd in years. 
 
 I. To the younger. You are now in your 
 bloom : what glorious fruit may you bring 
 forth, what honour may you do God ! what 
 fcrvice may you render your relations and your 
 country 1 and what joys and bleffings may you 
 not heap on j'ourfelves ! time and tide feem to 
 wait on you j even the providence and grace of 
 Cod, with reverence be it faid, feem to attend 
 and court you. But ah ! remember, they will 
 not do fo for ever ; thefe fmiles and invitations 
 of heaven and nature will not laft continually ; 
 your infidelity or ingratiude, your folly and 
 fenfuality, will foon blafi: and wither all thefe 
 fair hopes, turn all your pleafures into gall and 
 wormwood, and all your blclTed advantages in- « 
 to the inftruments of your ruin, and agrava- 
 tions of it too : grace will foon retire, nature 
 degenerate, time grow old, the world defpife 
 vou, the God of it frown upon, and con- 
 fcience, guilty confcience, will be either ftupi- 
 fy'd and benumb'd, or feller and rage within 
 yoUj and death will come, and then judgment: 
 and how foon 'twill corner, ah 1 who knows ? 
 fudden and early deaths ought to convince you 
 on what uncertain ground you ftand ; the 
 fcythe of death flays not alv/ays till the harvefl 
 be ripe ; but promifcuoufly mows down the 
 young and old. Ah! begin, begin then to live; 
 
 feize 
 
^y Human Life. 171 
 
 feize upon pleafure and happinefs, while they 
 ftand courting and inviting you; purfue virtue 
 and glory immediately, while the difficulties 
 are fewer, your ftrengths and aids greater; your 
 judgments being not yet corrupted by the 
 maxin:is, or rather the fancies of the world j 
 nor your wills yet difabled and enflaved by a 
 cuflom of fin. Ah 1 venture not to devote 
 your youth to vanity and folly, on prefumption 
 of devoting your age to repentance and religi- 
 on : for if this were a rational and juft defign in 
 itfelf, yet it is to you a very unfafe and doubt- 
 ful one : for which way can you infure life, or 
 on what ground can you confide on the mor- 
 row ? Boajt not thyfclf of to morrow^ for thou 
 knoweji not what a day may bring forth j Prov. 
 xxvii. I. 
 
 I know what oppofition will be raifed againft 
 this kind of exhortation, and with what rude 
 refled:ions thev will be treated. ComCy (-Ay they, 
 this is cur jpring^ let lis enjoy our f elves whil/I 
 we have time and vigour-, religio?i looks too 
 grave and formal for t he fe years: we Jhall have 
 time e?20ugb to be dull and melancholy : come on 
 then, let us enjoy oiirfelves, as becomes our youth : 
 this is our portion, and our lot is this ; and 
 whatever they, who have now out-livd tlycm- 
 felves, whofe blood is four, and fpirits loio^ 
 may gravely talk againjt thefe things ; they too, 
 when time was, admired what they now would 
 have us dejpije as vanity ; and committed them- 
 f elves what they now condemn in us. In an- 
 fwer to this, let us pafs over the brifknefs and 
 the fiourilhj and examine the i<^\\[Q and reafon 
 
 of 
 
tjz Kjj cm true Notion 
 
 of this fort of talk : the fubftance of it may be 
 reduced to three heads. 
 
 F/V//, Youth is the feafon of pleafure, /. e, 
 fin and folly : inclination and opportunity con- 
 fpire to invite you to it; therefore you indulge 
 it. What a flrange argument is this ? is there 
 any period of our life, from our cradle almoft to 
 our coffin, I mean, from the moment we ar- 
 rive at the ufe of reafon, to our grave, wherein 
 fome fin or other is not in feafon. May not man- 
 hood defend ambition, and old age covetouf- 
 nefs, by the fame argument by which you do 
 your finful pleafures? if inclination to a folly 
 would juftify our commiffion of it, in what part 
 ^f life fhould we begin to be wife and virtuous ? 
 Twill be hard to find the time wherein we fhall 
 have no inclination to any fin or folly: or rather 
 if this be fo, who can be guilty: The adulterer 
 will impute his uncleannefs to the impetus of his 
 liift J the murderer his blood{hed to the violence 
 of his rage; i. e. each of them their fins to the 
 ih-ength of their inclinations : and if your ar- 
 gument be good, they will be innocent. But 
 do not deceive yourfelves ; then is your obedi- 
 dence, as mod acceptable to God, fo mofl: indif- 
 penfible in itfclf, when you lie under temptati- 
 ons to fin: and heaven is propos'd as a reward, 
 not of following, but conquering youi- inclinati- 
 ons. The fecond partof theobjedion is, that re- 
 ligion doth not look very graceful in youngyears. 
 This I could never well underftand : if you be 
 fo foolifh, as to think religion confifts in four 
 faces, or an affed:ed morofenefs and fullennefs, 
 or in fcupidity and melancholy, I muft confefs 
 
 you 
 
^ H u M A N Life. 173 
 
 you have little reafon to be fond of it : for this 
 becomes no age, and much lefs the more ver- 
 dant one. But if by religion you underftand 
 devotion towards God, reverence towards your 
 parents and fuperiors, temperance and chaftity 
 in yourfelves, and fach like virtues ; I mull 
 needs fay, nothing can appear to me more great 
 and lovely than religion in youth : what can 
 better become thofe who poilefsthe gifts of na- 
 ture in their perfediion, than gratitude to the 
 God of nature ? what can be a greater glory to 
 the young, than obedience to parents, and re- 
 verence to their elders and fuperiors? what does 
 more preferve or better become ftrength than 
 fobriety and temperance ? what is a more 
 charming or more lading ornament to beauty, 
 than modefty and chaftity ? After all this, 'tis a 
 vain thing to comfort yourfelves with fayino-, 
 that the grave and wife, when they had the 
 fame inclinations you now have, did as you do, 
 indulge and gratify them : for, Firjij This is 
 not generally true j and. Secondly^ The lefs 
 they did it, the more were thev henoured and 
 belov'd : Eur, Thirdly j If they did, 'tis certain, 
 that they have bitterly condemn'd it, and re- 
 pented of it. And is it not ftrangely abfur'd, 
 that you fl-iould propofe to yourfelves nothino- 
 in the lives of the wife and \irtuous, but their 
 frailties and errors, for your example : that you 
 ftould pitch upon that only for your imitation, 
 which all the wife and good detefl and bemoan, 
 as their fin and (harae, and think it their higheft 
 v/ifdom to do fo ? 
 
 To conclude this addrefs to the younger fort; 
 
 unlefs 
 
174 ^f ^^^ ^^^^ Notion 
 
 unlefs there be any who are poiTefs'd with a fpi- 
 rit of infidelity, againft which I will not now 
 enter the lifts, all the pretences you can pofTibly 
 form, for your deferring to devote yourfelves 
 inftantly to wifdom and religion, are founded 
 in two fuppofitions ; of which the one is falfe, 
 and the other abfurd. The falfe one is, that 
 fin is a ftate of pleafure, virtue, of trouble and 
 uneafinefs : the contrary of which, is, I think, 
 fufficiently dennonftrated through this whole 
 treatife : and would you but be prevailed with 
 to tafte the pleafures of a lincere virtue, your 
 experience would foon confute this fancy. What 
 madnefs then is it to be afraid of becoming hap- 
 py too foon ! Ah ! how differently are we affed- 
 ed under the maladies of the mind and of the 
 body! Did the lame or blind, the lepers, the lu- 
 natick, or demoniacks, ever intreat our Lord 
 to defer their cure, and give them leave to en- 
 joy their miferies, difeafes, and devils, a little 
 longer? The other fuppofition is abfurd; which 
 is, that you will repent hereafter. Muftyou 
 then repent hereafter ? Muft this be the fruit of 
 all your finful pleafures, guilt and remorfe, 
 grief and fear, diftrefs and agony of foul ? do 
 revelation ;ind reafon, death and judgment; do 
 all your fober and retir'd thoughts preach you 
 this one lelTon, repentance''^ and yet can you 
 refolve to plunge yourfelves in that filthiiiefs 
 which muft be waihed oft" with tears ? can you 
 refolve to indulge thole cheating and deceitful 
 lufts which will one day fill your foul with 
 fhame and forrow, with diftradlion, horror, and 
 amazemenr ? Ah infatuation ! Ah bewitchery 1 
 
 that 
 
o/* Human Life. lyr 
 that ever a rational creature fliould live in 
 fuch an open defiance and hoflility againil 
 his reafon ! and yet, if repentance, after many 
 years, and innumerable fins, would be more 
 eafy; if your fins would be more eafily con- 
 quer'd, or more eafily aton'd ; this frenzy would 
 not want fome little colour ; but how contrary 
 is this to truth ? which puts me in mind of 
 another fort of readers, to whom lam now to 
 apply myfelf, namely, 
 
 Secondly, To thofe who are advanc'd in years. 
 [Tis obferv'd oi Cafar, by Suetonius, that light- 
 ing upon the ftatue of Alexander the Great in 
 the temple ol Hercules at Gades, and refledln^ 
 on himfelf, that he had yet done nothing 
 remarkable at thofe years, wherein that (iS 
 CcBJar^ notion of gallantry) brave and gallant 
 man had over-run all the^'^/, he did fweat and 
 blu(h under ^the keen reproaches of his own 
 mind, and groan'd under the uneafy cojifcience 
 of his floth, and prefently defired to be difmifs'd 
 from his queftorfliip, that he might purfue glory 
 and immortality, fame and dominion. Had 
 you but one fpark, I will not fay, of the zeal of 
 a Chriflian, but of this generofity of a pagan, 
 you would blufli at the foul, to think that yoJ 
 have not yet buckled on the armour of light, at 
 an age in which many others have been cover'd 
 with laurels i that you have not yet ftarted forth 
 at thofe years, in which fome others have 
 iinirh'd, tho' not their race, yet all the difficulties 
 of It : the miferable account that you will give 
 of thirty, forty, peradventure of fifty years I 
 I will not fay, that you kave liv'd to no pur- 
 
 pofe. 
 
176 Of the true Notion 
 
 pofe, bat to the worft imaginable : ignorant, 
 enllav'd to luft, opprefs'd by guilt 1 all that 
 you have done, is, Ton have treajured up 
 wrath again ji the day of wrath : for this to 
 be the produ6t of fo many years ! (hame and 
 confuiion 1 but greater, infinitely greater, to go 
 on thus. Sin may to fome feem the misfortune 
 of youth; but 'tis unqueftionably the reproach 
 of age: unhappy nature, and up.hjppy educa- 
 tion bear a ihare of the imputation in youth ; 
 butinthefeyears, your own obflinacy and choice 
 engrofs the whole guilt. Young people are like 
 weak barks, which in boirierous feas and winds, 
 carry too m.uch fail, and too little balafl: ; their 
 judgment is weak and unrefolv'd, and their paf- 
 fions light and violent as hurricanes ; but riper 
 years do, or Ihould, bring on naturally wifer 
 and llancher thoughts, cooler, fedater teuiperr; 
 and therefore certainly fm in thefe carries a deeper 
 guilt and fhame in it ; the raw, unexperienc'd 
 fmner periiheth whilfl he but taftes and gazes ; 
 the virgin-foul comino; into aftrange world, is 
 deflour'd whilft it gratifies its curiolity and fan- 
 cy ; like DtJiah, when fhe went forth only to 
 fee the daughters of the land : but the full- 
 grown fnner fins agaiiiil, not only the preach- 
 er's inftru(ftion, but his own experience too ; 
 he repeats thofe fins which he has often confelVd 
 to be his follv and fhame ; and return?, like 
 fooliili mariners, to thofe treacherous feas 
 where they were iliipwreck'd but the other 
 day. If this be not to outrage confcience, defy 
 reafon, and dare God, what is ? No, you'll 
 fay, yoo too do refolve to repent hereafter : 
 
 Hereafter ? 
 
^HuMAN Life. 177 
 
 Hereafter ? How ill does this word found in 
 one who does begin to bow already under the 
 weight of years? Hereafter! How ill does this 
 language become this decaying mouldering 
 body ? But fuppole the wheels of time would 
 ftop, though running now down a headlong 
 precipice ; fuppofe your fun would for a while 
 fland flill, yet what a work have you to finilh ! 
 what guilt to expiate ! what fins to van- 
 quifh ! and what a day of jiidgme?7t to pre- 
 pare for ! Are thefe flight confiderations ? Will 
 your fins, think you, be eafily aton'd, when 
 their number is fwollen, not only by length of 
 time, but alfo by an uncontroll'd licentiouf- 
 nefs ? For a novice in fin is aw'd by modefty, 
 held in byfcruples, and difcourag'd by regret 
 and remorfe; but the veteran finner is carry'd 
 away by a torrent of debauch'd affedtions, and 
 repeats his follies with a relentlefs confidence, 
 and an authority that brooks no oppoiition. 
 Will it be an eafy tafk to fubdue thofe fins, 
 which have maintained a long and undifturb'd 
 dominion, and exercis'd an abfolutefoverelgnty 
 over you ? What fliall awaken that finner, 
 who, like Soiomo?2S drunkard, Prov. xxiii. 35. 
 is infenlible of ftripes and wounds : and alas 1 
 when rous'd out of the arms of his Dalilabj 
 his locks, like Sampfons, are cut off, the 
 fpirits retir'd, his flrength impair'd, and the 
 force of his enemy augmented ; and with what 
 will he conquer ? Is it, lafty, a trivial thing 
 to appear before the judgment-feat of God, 
 that you fliould think a moment will ferve 
 the turn to prepare for it ? I will fuppofe the 
 Vol. I. F f Ji^^ge 
 
rj8 Of the true Notion 
 
 Judge of the whole world as merciful as 
 you can defire him, if you will fuppofe him 
 too, with reverence be it fpoken, to have fo 
 much fenfe, as not to be impofed on j fo much 
 integrity, as to expedl: fincerity, though not 
 perfedion ; and this alone will make that 
 judgmei'it formidable. 1 very much fear that 
 young and old do entertain too mild and fa- 
 vourable a notion of that dav, andfo elude and 
 baffle tlie force of the moft powerful motive 
 to virtue and religion the gofpel has : I {hall 
 not therefore wander far from the purpofe of 
 this paragraph, if I clofe this exhortation, to 
 begin to li'-jc immediately J with a fhort refledion 
 on that day. 
 
 VVe muft firft; bid adieu to this world, to 
 every thing in it that's dear to us, and die 
 eie we can go and appear before God. What 
 a perfedt mortification of all our fenfual appe- 
 tites is neceffary, ere we can calmly part with 
 all here below ! What a long experience of love 
 and dutv is neceilary to confirm and aflure the 
 foul againd: all its fears and apprehenfions ! 
 What a vigorous faith to carry us through this 
 dark paifage into another world! When we are 
 got there, what a ftrid trial are we to undergo ! 
 There all dilguifes will be taken off, and every 
 thing appear in its naked nature : there all 
 our iupcrftrudures of hay and ftubble will 
 be burnt up : only pure folid virtue will bear 
 the tei^ : there darling vices will not pafs un- 
 der the difguife of fins of infirmity : there 
 an honed: iloth and harmlefs luxury will not be 
 thought innoce nt enough to entitle men to 
 7 heaven : 
 
^HumanLife. 179 
 
 heaven : there fomc few good fits v/ill not pafs 
 for godly forrow ; nor fome feeble and Ihort- 
 liv'd attempts, for repentance and a change : 
 there the effeds of a lucky conllitution, will 
 not be crowned as tb.e works of grace, and 
 fruits of the divine life : there, in a word, 
 talk will not pafs for adion, nor ceiifure of 
 others commute for mortification in ourfelves : 
 finally, nothing (hall be rewarded there, but a 
 conquering faith, an avlive charity, an humble 
 conftant zeal, patient pcrfevering hopes, fpiri- 
 tual joys, and pious fears. This needs no ap- 
 plication : begin, begin to live before you die ; 
 begin to repent, and reform before you be 
 judged. 
 
 ScB. 3. A third way of improving life^ is 
 to avoid and cut off all thofe things that are 
 injurious to it: fuch are fioth that wafles, and 
 in:ipertinence that embroils it; coldnefs or re- 
 miinefs in rtli'^ion, that diipirits and dilutes it ; 
 levity and inconflancy, that diforder and con- 
 found it: and finally, -all thofe evils that four 
 and imbittcr it. I am fenfible that thefe heads 
 occur often; and, though it be under different 
 afpedts, yet 'tis pofiibie that I may fometimes 
 light upon the fame thoughts, nay, perad ven- 
 ture the fame words; 'tis againfi: my will, if 
 I do: but I want fight to revile my papers; 
 and am glad to difDurden my memory as fart: 
 as I can, and therefore charge it with nothing 
 that I have once entraded to writing : and 
 the toil of recollefting my thoughts, feat- 
 tcr'd -up and down, like Sibyh oracles, in 
 
 F f 2 difperfed 
 
i8o Of the true Notion 
 
 difperfed leaves, by a hand, which 'tis impofTi- 
 ble for me to diredt or animate, is mof]: into- 
 lerable. If therefore I flip into any error of 
 this kind, which I fhall very unwillingly, I 
 cannot but prefume of pardon, having fojuft 
 an excufe. But I proceed. 
 
 Firjl^ We muft avoid idlenefs. Sloth is the 
 ruft of time; fleep is^^n image of death, and 
 floth offleep: the life of the flugi;iil: is but a 
 waking dream; a vacation f."^"'^- all h-iri-^fs, 
 and true enjoyment too ; a ceiladon and ftop, 
 though not of time, which ftill runs on, yet 
 of the very power and faculties of the fnul j 
 whereas life confifts in the exe.cixb of both. 
 }Iow remjote then mufl idlenefs be from im- 
 proving or exalting life ? it never ploughs nor 
 fows, and therefore never reaps; it never plants 
 nor fets, and therefore never gathers any fruit ; 
 nothing great was ever performed by it, no- 
 thing great ever enjoyed by it ; and flTall the 
 richeft fruit that ever grew upon any of the 
 trees of paradife, wifdom and virtue, /. e. 
 knowledge and life, be gathered by a lluggifli 
 hand ? No, tho' no an^el, or iiaming fword do 
 ftop liis way ; yet are there difficulties, in it, 
 too many and too great for this heavy, daftard- 
 iy animal to conquer. Plato, as I remember, 
 tells us fomewhere, that a god tied pain and 
 plcafure by the tails together : there is no 
 coming at the one, by him who fliuns the 
 other. So is the world contriv'd, that even 
 temporal and feeming goods cannot be ob- 
 tained without the travail of the mind, and 
 toil of the body, and yet what lean, ftarved, 
 
 and 
 
of Human Li f e. i8i 
 and beggarly bleffings are thefe, compared to 
 thofe I treat of ! The rich man may ftarve for 
 want of true pleafure, in the midll of his glit- 
 tering heaps ; forrow may fit heavy on the 
 heart of the conquerer, or the bride, even on 
 the days of folemn triumph and feftival noife ; 
 the prince may be a (lave, an Egyptian flave, 
 even while he reigns with abfolute and un- 
 controlled power : but life and pleafure, con- 
 tent and happinefs, are the infeparable compa^ 
 nions of wifdom and virtue ; let no man there- 
 fore flatter himfelf with the hopes of fuch a 
 treafure, who lives idly and at his eafe: he muft 
 pray, meditate, watch, and exercife himfelf 
 in induftry, fobriety, and purity, who will 
 overcome the corruptions of his nature, and 
 obtain the tranquillity and liberty of a true 
 Chriftian. Nor let this frighten any man : 
 for thofe duties, which are a little troublefome 
 in the beginning, do foon grow eafy and de- 
 hghtful too. In this knfe mufl: we underftand 
 that of the author oi Ecclefwfiicus^ ch. iv. 17, 
 18. though render'd a little harfhly : For at 
 the firft fie (that is, wifdom) will walk with 
 him by crooked ways, and brifig jcar and dread 
 upon him, torment him with her difcipiine, 
 until fie may truji his foul, and try him by 
 her laws. The?i will fie return the jiraight 
 way unto him, and comfort him, aiidfiew him 
 her fecrets. 
 
 Secondly, Impertinence, or being bulled and 
 employed in trifles, is indeed as different from 
 floth, as motion from refi: ; but yet fuch a 
 wretched confumption of time cannot deferve 
 
 the 
 
1 8 2 Of the true Notion 
 
 the name of life : for this is not adivity of 
 foul, but a poor arid mean debafing of it: fan- 
 cy, and that a fiily and extravagant one, may 
 be faid to live, hwt reafon cannot. That idle- 
 nefs, which confifts in heavy paffive dulnefs, is 
 like a flate of deep without dream or fancy ; 
 that which confifts in a fluttering and imperti- 
 nent adivity, is notliing elfe but a giddv fer- 
 ment of the fpirits, and agitation of the fancy, 
 the incoherent disjointed thoughts, the ccn- 
 fus'd and fruitlefs proje(fls and attempts of a 
 dream ; and we may almoit as properly fiy of 
 him that dreams, that he eats and drinks, 
 fights or travels, or whatever he fancies him- 
 felfto do ; as we can of this fort of fluggard, 
 that he lives. 'Tis true, could a man be for 
 ev^er impertinent, this f.)rt of idleneis would 
 feem to fome men to have no great evil in it ; 
 but how could fuch a mind bear the fhock of 
 human misfortunes? How could fuch a foul 
 difcharge the great duties of human fociety ? 
 How could it entertain itfelf with objecfls 
 a2:reeable to a rational nature? And if it could 
 do none of thefe things, 'tis impolTible to con- 
 ceive how it could be other than miferable : 
 for though we could fuppofe fuch a creature 
 to be fo mere a trifle, as never to be nearly 
 concern'd in any changes of fortune, nor ever 
 caird upon by that community he belongs to; 
 that is, I (liould ahnon: fay, never to be regarded 
 or minded either by God or man j yet ftill fuch a 
 one did no way live up to the excellence of his 
 nature; his bufinefs and enjoyment were not 
 manly and rational j and his childiih life were 
 
 there- 
 
of Human Life. 183 
 
 therefore only pretty and pleafing to him, be- 
 caufe he had a childi(h and filly foul. 
 
 Nor is the grave much better than the gay 
 impertinent', or the man of bufinefs, if he ne- 
 gled: the main, the one thing neceflary, to be 
 preferr'd before the man of mode : fenfuality, 
 'tis true, foftens, and drudgery hardens the 
 mind; but both alike intoxicate it, both wed 
 it to this, and alienate it from the ether world: 
 it imports very little to what idol one do facri- 
 lice, whether Jptaroth, Moloch^ or Mammon^ 
 if wc facrifice not to the true God. In vain do 
 they pretend to any other art, who are ignorant 
 of the art of living; to plod or drudge, intrigue 
 or trade, canvas and court; 'tis all but folemn 
 impertinence, if virtue and religion be negle(5t- 
 ed: ah! what phantoms, and clouds, and 
 dreams, do men purfue and hunt after, inftead 
 of life and peace, of reft and pleafure ! 
 
 Thirdh. Remifnefs or lukewarmnefs in reli- 
 gion, a fort of neutrality between vice and 
 virtue, is the next thing to be avoided : we can 
 never truly live, unlefs we be entirely uniform, 
 unlefs we be wholly given up, and without 
 referve, to the condud: of reafon. There is 
 little pleailire in religion, if there be no ardour 
 and fervency in it : 'tis love makes the duty 
 eafy, and the profped delightful. If there be 
 no ftrength in faith, no life in devotion, no 
 fpirit in duty, no delire in hope ; this is reli- 
 gion without afoul, 'tis the carcafe of an un- 
 animated virtue : what peace, what alTurance, 
 what joy, what tranfport, can ever be the por- 
 tion ofiuch aChriftian ? 
 
 Fourthly, 
 
184 Of the true Notion^ Sec, 
 
 Fourthly, Levity and inconftancy is the 
 lafl thing I will now mention, and the mod 
 irreconcileable enemy to life : for this does not 
 only interrupt the courfe of life, or, like fleep 
 or iloth, make a vaft chafm or gap in it, but 
 puts us more back than we had advanced for- 
 ward; an unhappy guft of wind that throws us 
 off to the fea again, when we are aimoft come 
 tofiiore: if we will reap the fruit ofvidory, 
 we mufl: purfue it; if we will find reft, we muft 
 be ftedfaft and unmoveable; if we will enjoy 
 virtue, we muft unite and incorporate it with 
 US; 'tis impoflible that the unconftant, unftahle 
 profelyte of virtue (hould either have a pleafant 
 life, or a comfortable death: for if he build to 
 day what he pulled down yefterday ; if he 
 pradife one hour what he condemns another ; 
 'tis impoiTible he ihould pleafe himfelf, much 
 lefs his God. 
 
 To (liun the evils, and make the moft of the 
 goods of life, is none of the leaft important 
 rules conducing to happinefs, and might pro- 
 perly enough be iniifted on here. But 1 
 begin to tire; and fince this may better be re- 
 duced under the heads of indolence and fruiti- 
 on, I will defer the confideration of it till I 
 come to treat of them, which I may one time 
 or other do, if I fee reafon for it : if not, I 
 would not willingly be impertinent ; if I can- 
 not ferve tk 'ivorU, I will not trouble it. 
 
 E N D of P A Pv T II. 
 
1 
 

 Date Due 
 
 f 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
J 
 
 iVi.^ ijb.6,irC v.i oloJyo i 
 Lucas . 
 
 Enoulry aixer Hapolnees 
 
 = ciirr\ TO 
 
 1?1.4 L935E v.l 613098 
 
u 
 
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