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is applicable to my present Pur pose.

Nor love thy Life, nor hate; but what thou livst Live well, how long or short permit to Heav'n.

Be not fo Fond of Life, nor fo Unealy under the Inconveniences of it as to diminish the Pleasure to be had in it; but live Well; Enjoy whilft you do live, be the time More, or Lefs: If we are to Die to Morrow, at least let us Live to Day.

Cowards die many times before their Death
The Valiant never tafte of Death but once.

Death a Neceffary End

Will come when it will come.

Shakef. Jul. Caf

Not only Fear, but even Hope is many times an Abatement to our Happiness; as when we Overlook the Prefent Good by having our Eyes too Longingly fix'd on fomething at a distance. When Hope helps to make us Eafy under what we Suffer; or when we Enjoy the Prefent

Present to the Full, and with an Addition rather than Otherwife from our Hopes all is Well; Hope is then Wisely manag'd; but else tis Abfurd, and Injurious to us.

The Earth's Foundations can't thou move, or ftay
The Ocean's Waves, or rapid Wheels of Day,
Then try to Alter, or to Know thy Fate:
"Tis Fix'd, 'tis Hid.

Nor thy Determin'd State O Man deplore;
"Tis Good, not Beft; with Thanks the Gods adore,
Their Gifts are Wifely giv'n; Expect no more.
Regret not what is Paft; the Prefent Good Enjoy;
Nor let vain Hopes, or Fears the Sweets of Life de-
ftroy.

And now nothing more remains towards obtaining a Happy Life but that we Learn to be Pleas'd. This is a Noble, and a Useful Science; it not only makes our Selves Happy, but communicates Happinefs to all about us.

Like Maia's Son he flood

And fhook his Flumes that Heavenly Fragance fill'd

The Circuit wide.

Milton.

'Tis

'Tis a wretched Turn many Peoples heads have taken; They are perpetually Depreciating every thing in This World; and feem to fancy there is a fort of Merit in fo doing; As if the way to express the Efteem we had for what we hope God has provided for us in Another State was by railing at This; Or as if the Prefent was not also the Effect of his Goodnefs, and Bounty. It has been the Practice of all Polite People in all Ages, and Countreys to Disguise, or Hide thofe Saletès, and Defects which tho' Common to all Animals are a fort of Reproach to our Nature; and to endeavour to Exalt our Species as much as poffible to what we conceive of the Angelick State: This alfo is one End of Painting, and Poetry; they are to impregnate our Minds with the moft Sublime, and Beautiful Images of things; and thus in our Imaginations do Raife

all

all Nature fome Degrees above what is Commonly, or Ever feen: Why fhould we not do thus with respect to our Condition in the particular now under Confideration? Why should we not reprefent it to one another, and to our felves in the Beft manner the thing will bear; and if we must be in One Extreme, why not on the Right Side, and to our Advantage.

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It must be own'd our Enjoyments are Short, Uncertain, and have their Alloy. But this is not an Abatement to our Happiness proportionable to the Clamour that is raifed concerning it. If our Pleasures are Short, and Uncertain we have a Succeffion of them; fo that Pleafure in General is not So, tho' Particular Ones Are. Aye but Life it felf is Short not if compar'd with that of most other Animals. And tho' we have many Sufferings, and our Pleasures are never Pure, and unmixt

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unmixt, whether from our own Mifmanagement (which is often the Cafe) or otherwife; We, even thefe Murmurers themselves are fed with a Quails, and Manna: There is not Day, not an Hour wherein the moft wretched has not fome Taftes of Pleafure; but the Generality of Men (as much a Wilderness as this World is) have a Flow of Enjoyments: not Perfect indeed, but fuch as are Suited to our Imperfect State, appy, tho' to a certain Degree; fuch as Unerring Wisdom has appointed.

What is done with refpect to our Condition in the Main is alfo.com-¿ monly practised in particular Cafes; One Cross Circumstance puts us | fo out of Humour as to make us incapable of Pleasure from the many Advantageous Ones that are in our Hands.

We fhould therefore learn to confider things as they are, and to Expect no other, but to Enjoy what

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