Page images
PDF
EPUB

The moft excellent natural Cure for Anger is Humility. He who by daily confidering his own Infirmities and Failings, makes the Error of his Neighbour or Servant to be his own Cafe, and remembers that he daily needs God's Pardon, and his Brother's Charity, will not be apt to fall into Paffion at the Levities, or Misfortunes, or Indifcretions of another, greater than which, he confiders, he is very frequently and more inexcufably guilty of.

Tho' our Saviour fuffer'd all the Contradictions of Sinners, and receiv'd all Affronts and Reproaches of malicious, rash, and foolish Perfons; yet in all of them he was without Paffion, and gentle as the Morning Sun in Autumn: In this also he propounded himself imitable by us For if Innocence itself fuffer'd fo great Injuries and Difgraces, it is no great Matter for us quietly to receive all the Calamities of Fortune, Indiscretion of Servants, Mistakes of Friends, Unkindneffes of Kindred, and Rudeneffes of Enemies, fince we have deferv'd these and worse, even Hell itself.

If we are tempted to Anger in the Actions of Government, and Difcipline to our Inferiors, in which Cafe, Anger is permitted fo far, as it is prudently inftrumental to Government, and it is only a Sin, when it is exceffive and unfeafonable, apt to disturb our own Discourse, or to express itself in imprudent Words, or violent Actions: Let us propofe to ourselves the Example of God, the Creator and Preserver of all things; who at the fame time, and with the fame Tranquillity, decreed Heaven and Hell, the Joys of bleffed Angels and Souls, and the Torments of Devils and accurfed Spirits. When at the last Day all the World fhall burn under his Feet, God fhall not be at all inflamed, or fhake in his effential Seat, the Centre, of Tranquillity and Joy. Tho' the Caufe of Anger fhou'd at first seem reasonable, defer to execute it till you may better judge; for as Phocion told the Athenians, who upon the firft News of the Death of Alexander were ready to revolt, Stay a while, for if the

King be not dead, your Hafie will ruin you; if he be dead, your Stay cannot prejudice you, for he will be dead to Morrow as well as to Day. So if your Servant or Inferior feem to deferve Punishment, ftaying till to Morrow will not make him innocent; but it may poffibly preserve you fo, by preventing your ftriking a guiltlefs Perfon, or being furious for a Trifle.

Remove from yourself all Provocations and Incentives to Anger, especially Games of Chance, and great Wagers, pretty Curiofities, and Carefulness about worldly Bufinefs: Manage yourself with Indifference or Contempt of these external things, and do not spend a Paffion upon them; it is more than they are worth; they that defire but a few things, can be crofs'd but in a few.

Set not your Hearts upon gay and coftly Rarities, as Glaffes, China-Ware; nor on weak and useless Animals, as Parrots, Canary-Birds, Lap-dogs, and the like; the breaking the one, or the neglecting of the other, are irresistible Caufes of furious Anger, in those who take too much Delight in them. Jewels and rich Furniture, if damag'd or loft, will infallibly have a worfe Effect on fuch People: So indeed will any thing that the Soul is fet upon, when they meet with Lofs or Disappointment in it: Wherefore our Hearts fhould have more valuable Treasures for their Objects, Treafures that are incorruptible, laid up in Heaven; and in order to the Enjoyment of them, let us endeavour to have a calm and quiet Confcience, void of Offence towards God and towards Man.

Do not entertain nor fuffer Tale-bearers; they abuse your Ear firft, and then your Credulity; they fteal your Patience, and it may be for a Lye; if it be true, the matter is not confiderable; if it be, yet 'tis pardonable; and you may always efcape, by not hearing Slander, by not believing it, by not regarding it, or by forgiving the Perfon: To this Purpose alfo, it may ferve well if we choose as much as we can to live with peaceable Per.ons,

Perfons, for that prevents the Occafions of Confufion; and if we live with prudent Perfons, they will not eafily caufe Disturbance to us. These things, 'tis true, are not in many Mens Power, and are therefore prepar'd. rather as a Felicity than a Remedy or Duty, and an A&t of Prevention rather than of Cure.

Be not inquifitive into other Mens Affairs, nor the Faults of your Servants, nor the Errors of your Friends. If your Friend was mif-represented to you, as may very well happen, confider what an Injuftice you do him, in fufpending your Friendship, and being angry without a Caufe; ufe all reasonable Difcourfes to excufe the Faults of others, confidering there are many Circumstances of Time, of Perfon, of Accident, of Inadvertency, of Infrequency, of Aptness to amend, of Sorrow for doing it; and it is well that we reap any Good for the Evil that is done or fuffer'd.

Be always paffive in Contentions, never Active, upon the Defenfive, not the Offenfive; and then alfo give a gentle Answer, retrieving the Furies and Indifcretions of others, by foft Compliance: You will find it fink down quietly, like a Stone in a Bed of Mofs: whereas Anger and Violence make the Contention loud and long, injurious to both the Parties. If Anger rife fuddenly, reftrain it first with Confideration, and let it end in a hearty Prayer for him that did the real or feeming Injury; the former ftops its Growth, and the latter quite kills it, making amends for its monftrous and voluntary Birth

VOL. I.

I

CHA

CHARITY.

C

HARITY is a Duty fo amiable to God and
Man, that we find it often injoin'd in the Gofpel,

[ocr errors]

as if it was to be a distinguishing Virtue of Chriftianity. The New Commandment our Saviour gave us, was, Love ye one another: Again, By this fall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, if ye love one another. The Command of God fpeaks more for this Duty, than all the Arguments of human Reafon can do, in Recommendation of the moft human of all Virtues. Charity is to be confider'd as it has Relation to the Affections and to the Actions: In the Affections it is a fincere Kindnefs, which difpofes us to wifh all Good to others, in all their Capacities, in the fame manner that Juftice obliges us to with no Hurt to any Man, in refpect either of his Soul, his Body, his Goods, or his Credit ; in all of which the first Branch of Charity binds us to wish all good.

We cannot have the leaft Spark of this Virtue, if we do not wish all Good to the Souls of "Men, so precious, that our Saviour thought them worth ransoming with his own Blood. If we do not thus love one another, we are far from obeying the Command of loving as he has lov'd. It were to be hop'd that none who carry'd himself a Soul about him, could be fo cruel to that of another Man, as not certainly to wifh its Happiness, did not Experience fhew us, there are fome Perfons, whofe Malice is fo devilish as to teach even the direct contrary, the wishing the damnation of others. Some there are, who, in any Injury or Oppreflion, make it their only Comfort

that

that their Enemies will damn themfelves by it. He who is of this Temper is a Difciple of the Devil, and not of Chrift, it being directly oppofite to the whole Scope of that grand Christian Precept of loving our Neighbours as ourselves. Now, no Man furely, who believes there is fuch a thing as Damnation, wifhes it to himself; be he never fo fond of the Ways that lead to it, yet he ftill wishes his Journey may not end there; and therefore, by that Rule of Charity, he fhould as much dread it for his Neighbour.

We are to with all Good, all Health and Welfare to the Bodies of Men; of our own we are generally tender enough, and dread the least Pain or Ill which can befal them. Now Charity, as it is injoin'd us in Scripture, extends this Tenderness to all others, and whatever we apprehend as grievous to ourselves, we must be unwilling fhou'd befal another. What kind Wishes we owe to their Bodies, are owing alfo to their Eftates and Credit. As we defire our own Reputation shou'd flourish, fo must we, in like manner, defire that our Neighbour's fhou'd, or it can never be said that we love our Neighbours as ourselves.

If this Charity of the Affections be fincere, it will keep the Mind in a peaceable and meek Temper towards others; fo far from feeking Occafion of Contention, that no Provocation shall draw us to it. Where we have Kindness we fhall be unapt to quarrel, it being one of the fpecial Qualities of Charity, that it is not eafily provok❜d.

It will breed Compaffion, when it is fincere, towards all the Miferies of others. Every Misfortune that happens where we wish well, is a kind of Difafter to ourfelves. If we wish well to all, we fhall neceffarily be concern'd in 'the Calamities of all, have a real Grief and Sorrow to see any in Mifery, and that according to the Proportion of their Sufferings; it will alfo give us Joy in the Profperity of others, as well as Compation in I 2

their

« PreviousContinue »