afraid of their Terror, neither be troubled. I Pet. iii. 14. It is declared concerning the Man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his Commandments, that he shall not be afraid of evil Tidings; his Heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. Pf. cxii. 1, 7. He regards all the Power and Rage of wicked Men and Devils as under the fovereign Controul of the most powerful, benign, and righteous Lord and Governor of the World, and is perfuaded they can do no more than he fees fit for wife Ends to permit.

And, as Religion furnisheth the best Remedy against an exceffive Fear of Men or worldly Evils, fo alfo it requireth and affifteth us to moderate our angry Paffions which are ufually excited by the Apprehenfions of Evils or Injuries done or attempted against us. To this Purpose are thofe Precepts, Ceafe from Anger, and forfake Wrath; fret not thyself in anywife to do Evil. Pf. xxxvii. 8. Be not hafty in thy Spirit to be angry; for Anger refteth in the Bofom of Fools. Ecclef. vii. 9. Be ye angry, faith the Apoftle, and fin not. i. e. fo govern your Anger, as not to fin; let not the Sun 80 down upon your Wrath. Eph. iv. 26. To fignify that we must take Care, that our Anger do not transport us into Excefs, or fettle in deliberate Malice and Revenge. This is an eminent Instance

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of Self-government, and argues a true Noblenefs of Mind: For, as the wife Man obferves, He that is flow to Anger is better than the Mighty; and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City. Prov. xvi. 32.

Another Paffion which is apt greatly to affect us, when we are deprived of worldly good Things, or are under the Preffure of worldly Evils, is Grief and Sorrow. And here alfo Religion comes to our Aid. It doth not abfolutely condemn all the Emotions of Sorrow, but forbiddeth the Carrying it to an Excess, and directeth us to guard against that Sorrow of the World which worketh Death. What it requireth of us is this, that we forrow not as thofe that have no Hope. 1 Theff. iv. 13. And that we weep as though we wept not. I Cor. vii. 30. We must learn to bear the Evils which come upon us with Patience, which is an excellent Virtue, of great Ufe, and very neceffary in this prefent State: In Patience, faith our Saviour, poffefs ye your Souls. Luke xxi. 19. Let Patience have her perfect Work, that ye may be perfect and intire, wanting nothing. Jam. i. 4. That we may be the better inabled to govern our Affections and Paffions with regard to worldly Evils, we are inftructed in the holy Scriptures to form juft Apprehenfions concerning them; for our Paffions are generally

very much heightened and exafperated by magnifying thofe Evils in our Imagination beyond the Reality, We are taught therefore to regard them as comparatively short and tranfitory in their Duration: That they can only hurt the Body, but cannot prejudice us in our nobler Interests: That they are all under the Direction of Divine Providence, and are ordered and appointed by infinite Wisdom, Righteoufnefs, and Goodness for valuable and excellent Purposes: And, finally, that they are Part of the Discipline which our heavenly Father feeth to be neceffary for his Children here on Earth, for Correcting their Mifcarriages; for Weaning their Affections from this prefent World; for Exercifing and Strengthening their Faith, Patience, Refignation, and other Virtues; and for Forming them into a Meetness for Heaven. And to him that confidereth them in this View they bear a quite different Afpect from what they do to the Rest of Mankind: I reckon, faith St. Paul, that the Sufferings of this prefent Time are not worthy to be compared unto the Glory that fall be revealed in us. Rom viii. 18. And again, Our light Affliction which is but for a Moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory. 2 Cor. iv. 17. The good Man, and he alone, can upon folid

Grounds

Grounds glory, or rejoice, in Tribulation, knowing that Tribulation worketh Patience, and Patience Experience, and Experience Hope; and Hope maketh not ashamed, becaufe the Love of God is fhed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which is given unto us. Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. And certainly no outward Evils or Accidents can render him unhappy, who hath divine Comforts flowing in upon his Soul from the fupreme Fountain of Good.

Thus it appears, that Religion and the Law of God, by directing and affifting us to vanquish our Fears, to govern our angry Paffions, to moderate our Sorrows, and to maintain a steady Fortitude and Conftancy of Soul under all worldly Evils, doth really confult and promote our own Eafe and Happiness, and difarmeth those Evils of that which is really most hurtful in them; for, when we are inabled to to bear them properly, they can do us but little Harm, whereas, when we fuffer them immoderately to affect us, the Tranquillity of our Minds is liable to be broken by every crofs Accident which befalleth us. We either fink into an exceffive Dejection of Mind, or we give Way to fretting Impatience and querulous Difcontent; or we fly out into furious VOL. III. Transports

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Tranfports of rash Anger, or our Spirits are invenomed and imbittered with Malice, Hatred, and Revenge; all which are greatly difquieting and vexatious. It ought therefore to recommend Religion to our Efteem and Choice, that it tends to remove these Impediments to our Happiness, and to render us fuperior to all the Evils of this prefent Life and World.

Several other Things might be mentioned, as included in that Part of the Duty required of us, which relateth to the right Management and Government of ourselves: We must particularly guard against that inordinate Selfishness, which, where it prevaileth, hath a Tendency to harden and contract the Heart, and to extinguish every noble and generous Sentiment; and must be ready, when a proper Occafion calls for it, to facrifice our fleshly Eafe and Pleasure, and our worldly Interefts, for promoting the Honour of God and the Good of Mankind. This in one Word is expreffed by Self-denial, which, far from being an Enemy to our true Happinefs, doth really and most effectually fecure and promote it, by engaging us to renounce whatsoever Interests and Gratifications are really inconfiftent with it. This argues an excellent Temper of Mind,

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