Occasional reflections upon several subiects, whereto is premis'd a discourse about such kind of thoughts Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691. 1665 Approx. 591 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 231 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A29010 Wing B4005 ESTC R17345 12108854 ocm 12108854 54159 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A29010) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 54159) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 590:3) Occasional reflections upon several subiects, whereto is premis'd a discourse about such kind of thoughts Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691. [39], 80, 161-264, 229, [9] p. Printed by W. Wilson for Henry Herringman ..., London : 1665. Marginal notes. Dedication signed: R. Boyle. Reproduction of original in Union Theological Seminary Library, New York. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng 2006-05 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2006-05 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-06 Judith Siefring Sampled and proofread 2006-06 Judith Siefring Text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion IMPRIMATUR Liber , qui inscribitur Occasional Reflecti●ns , &c. quem Censeo reliquis ab eodem Cl. Autore Scriptis ( neque enim quicquam ●ajus de eo dicere possum , nec minus ●ebeo ) nequaquam cedere . ●…dib . Lambetha●…s . Feb. ● . 1664 Tho. Cook , Reverend . in Christo Patri ac Dom. Dom. Gilberto Cant. Archiepisc . Sacellanus Domesticus . OCCASIONAL Reflections UPON SEVERAL SVBIECTS . Whereto is premis'd A Discourse About such kind of Thoughts . Omnibus Rebus , omnibusque Sermonibus , aliquid Salutare miscendum est . Cum imus per occulta Naturae , cum divina tractamus , vindicandus est à malis suis animus , ac subinde firmandus . Sen. Natural . Quaest . Lib. 2. cap. 5 9. LONDON , Printed by W. Wilson for Henry Herringman , and are to be sold at his Shop at the Anchor in the Lower-walk in the New Exchange . Anno Dom. MDCLXV . TO * SOPHRONIA . My Dearest Sister , YOu receive in this Effect of my Obedience , one of the highest Proofs I can give You of its Greatness . For when You Command but things that tend to Your Service , the Performance is wont to be accompanied with a Satisfaction , that suffers me not to find it Vneasy . But I confess it was not without Reluctancy , that I was prevailed with to venture abroad Composures , wherein , even when I publish Them , I decline Owning them , and which , ( if our Names be discover'd ) may I fear , not only hazzard the Reputation ( if it have any ) of my Pen ; but , ( where You are less known ) bring into Question that of Your Judgment . 'T was easie for me to represent to You how unfinished and unpolished the Trifles you called for , were , especially considering that the Immatureness of some of them would not probably be the Chief thing that would make many think they come forth Vnseasonably , since they avowedly Aim at the Persuading and Teaching men to Improve their Thoughts , as well as Husband their Time , at a season , when both those Pretious Things are so Neglected , or so Mis-imploy'd , that the chief use , which too many make of the Former , is to devise wayes to get ridd of the Later . But though to my Vnreadiness to Publish these very long neglected Papers , at the same time when a Prae-engagement oblig'd me to Dispatch another Treatise of a quite different Nature , I added all those other dissuading Considerations that I have mentioned in the Preface to the Reader ; yet what I represented proved as Vnavailable , as what I had written was In-compleat . For , whilst You fancied that the following Reflections ( such as they are ) had Fewer Faults , and were like to do More Good , than I can presume ; Your Charity for others , and Partiality for me , made you so resolute and pressing to have me run a Venture , which you are pleas'd to think but a very Small One ; that I judged it more excusable to present you Green Fruit , than , by obstinately Refusing what you seemed almost to Long for , lose an opportunity of Evincing , That Your Commands can Prevail , both where those of Others would have been wholly Ineffectual , and when they required me to present You ( some , if not many , ) things that are so little worthy of You , that perhaps they are scarcely so , ev'n of me . Wonder not , Dear Sophronia , that I appear so Sollicitous to manifest the Greatness of my Obedience ; since That implyes an Vrgency in your Commands , that it highly concerns me to have taken notice of . For those that , having the Happiness to converse with You , shall chance to cast their Eyes upon the following Papers , will probably think that I shew as little Discretion in the Address , as I have shewn Skill in the writing , of these Reflections ; when I expose such Censurable Things to the Judgment of a Person that has so piercing a One , and present Trifles to one , that deserves the Noblest Productions of ( what she is so great a Mistress of ) Wit , and Eloquence . Vpon whose Account she is wont to persuade Piety as Handsomly in her Discourses , as she expresses it Exemplarily in her Actions ; and might , if her Modesty did less confine her Pen to Excellent Letters , both make the Wits of our Sex envy a Writer of Hers ; and keep Our Age from envying Antiquity , for those Celebrated Ladies , who , by their Triumphant Eloquence , Ennobled the People of Rome , and taught their Children to Sway those Rulers of the World. But when I can plead , that not only Your Commands , but even Your Importunity ingaged me ( though not to the Address , yet ) to the Publication of these Papers ; I may reasonably hope , that among those many considerable Persons to whom Your Attainments are not unknown , not only my Dedication will be Excused , but even my Book will not be so hastily Condemned . But I dare not prosecute so Fruitfull a Subject , for fear of offending Your Modesty ; since that predominant Virtue gives You so great an Vndervaluation for all Your other Qualities , that it is as much Your Custome to look ev'n upon Smal Praises as Flatteries , as it is Your Prerogative to keep Great ones from being so . And I should therefore have omitted that little it self which I have said , if , on This occasion , my Interest did not as well Oblige me , as the known Truth Warrant me , so to Consider Your Modesty , as not to be altogether Injurious to Your other Excellencies ; since the Reader 's knowledge of These ( if he be not a strnager to You ) will promise me this Advantage , that divers of the Criticks themselves will chuse rather to Absolve my Writings , than Condemn Your Judgment : and that at least , the Devout , to whom Your Practice has afforded so many other Examples , will be scrupulous to be more Severe to these Papers , than a Person in whom , upon the score of her own Style , Severity were more justifiable than in most Readers ( without excepting the Eloquent Ones ) and will imitate Her , in Considering , that this Book pretends to present them Thoughts , rather than Words , and in Supporting , for the sake of the Design , the Manner in which it is prosecuted . And certainly , my Lady R's . Approbation , is a Happiness which divers sorts of Considerations may render as Advantageous as Welcome to me . For if any of these Thoughts , do ( which yet I can scarce hope ) derive it from Your Justice , that great measure of Esteem You do not only Merit , but Possess , may both Assure them of a General One , and much contribute to Procure it them . But if all of them owe your Approbation ( as I fear they do ) to your Partiality ; since that must not be ▪ Small to be able to pervert such a Judgment , This it self will prove an Evidence of the Blessing of Your Affection ; which is a Felicity , that I know You enough to value above all the Praises I can miss of : since Applause can make me happy but in other Mens Opinion , but Your Friendship can make me so in my own . Yet , apprehend not , Sister , That I should here endeavor , by a solemn Character of You , to justifie what I have been saying : For , though to write a Dedicatory Epistle , without a Panegyrick , be grown of late very Vnfashionable ; yet since 't is as much so , to take the Praises wont to be profusely given in such Letters for Measures of any thing but the Writers Wit , I must rather reserve the Acknowledgments I ow Your Merit and Your Favors to some Occasion , where they may not be lyable to pass for a Tribute paid to Custome , not a Debt due to You ; than draw a needless Suspition upon the Sincerity of our Friendship , by endeavouring to express my Affection and Esteem in a Dedicatory Letter ; and by chusing to Profess , upon an Occasion where Custom allows men to Say what they do not Think , so Great and Real a Truth , as that of my being , far more upon the Account of Esteem and Gratitude , than of Nature it self , My Dearest Sister , Your most Affectionate , and most Faithfull Servant . R. Boyle ▪ AN INTRODUCTORY PREFACE . WHen I consider the Disadvantages , with which the following Trifles come abroad , in an Age , that is not only so Censorious , but so Intelligent , as this of ours ; neither the Partiality of my Friends , nor the favourable Reception that the publick has hitherto vouchsafed to what hath been presented it , of mine , is able to give me a Confidence , ( though they almost create a Hope ) That these Papers will meet with as kind an Entertainment , as those of the samehand that have preceded them . And yet , without being wanting to my self , I canot but ad , that by the help of Their suggestions , who have urg'd the Publication of these Thoughts , I am not unfurnish'd with ( at least ) Tollerable Excuses for the things that seem likely to stand in need of any . I shall not much wonder to find it said , That the Book is , in general , far short of being an Exact and Finish'd Piece . For perhaps few Readers will be more of that mind , than the Author is . But by way of Apology , it may be represented , That most of the following Papers , being written for my own private Amusement , a good deal of Negligence in them may appear as pardonable , as a Careless Dress , when a man intends not , nor expects , to go out of his study , or let himself be seen . And that which I now publish being design'd , not to satisfie the Criticks , but to gratifie the Devout , I hope it will be thought a Venial Crime , if in some of these Meditations I have not aim'd to express Eloquence , but only to cherish Piety . I say , in some , because there may be others ( where a different style was thought fitter ) in whose Favour I would produce such Suffrages , as would not be slighted , if I were concern'd to do any more for those Papers , than Excuse them . And perhaps they that shall take the pains to try their skill in making Meditations , Indifferently upon the Occurrences that shall happen , and wander no further from the Circumstances of their Themes , nor lard them any more with Sentences & other Passages borrow'd from the Fathers , or the Poets , than in most of the following Papers , I have done : will not find the Task so easie , but that they will think it reasonable to be Mild in their Censures , and will discern , that in such Composures , some Unaccurateness is so hard to be Avoided , that it should not be hard to be Forgiven . I know the want of Uniformity in the style of the ensuing Reflections , may speciously enough be censured . For , not to mention that some of them are very long , and others very short ; it will be said , that some are written in a very Neglected , and others ev'n in a Luxuriant strain ; & there may ( perchance ) appear betwixt some of them , as great an Inequality as can easily be found , betwixt Composures that are none of them Excellent . Besides , that the Incoherence of the Subjects , together with the differing Ways wherein they are handled , may make them look so little of kin to one another , as scarce to appear the Productions of the same Pen. But this Uneven way of writing will possibly be rather pardon'd than wondred at , by those that shall be informed . That the nature of this kind of Composures requires not any other than a loose and Desultory way of writing . That these Reflections are very far from coming abroad in the Order of Time wherein they were set down : but in that Casual order , wherein , when I was engag'd to tack them together , I was able to light on them among my loose and forgotten Papers . Many of which being discovered to have been lost when some of the rest were to be at the Press ; I was fain , for the compleating of the number , to insert here and there some of a much fresher date , among those that were made ( as some know who then read them ) sixteen or seventeen years ago ; when my Style could hardly be other than differing enough from what it now is . And lastly , That the differing Natures of several Subjects required , that the Reflections on some of them should be far Longer than on others ; and As my want of Leisure , and sometimes of Dispos'dness to write , induc'd me to make some of my Considerations but short : So I thought fit to let them pass for Their sakes , to whom , for want of Time or Skill , the Brevity of those , may make them the fitter , and the more recommend them . Besides , what has been alledged against the Style ' I know it may be objected , That in some of the Meditations , the Subjects are very Mean , and Trivial , and that such I hemes are not Worthy the being descanted on . And indeed , if I aim'd at the Writer's advantage , more than the Reader 's , I could easily have left them out , and have substituted in their places some others that lye by me , less liable to Contempt . But I confess , I did not think my self oblig'd , to publish no Meditations , but the least Censurable ones that I had made ; and divers of those intimated in the objection , were purposely inserted , when I was prevail'd with to bundle up these loose sticks into Faggots . For Then , designing this Treatise for the Benefit of the Generality of Devout Readers , I thought it not amiss , amongst divers Reflections ( such as most of the II d and of the IV th Sections ) more suited to those Perusers that are either of the more intelligent sort , or good Proficients already ; to insert some few Meditations , of more familiar sort , & easier to be lighted on ; to 〈…〉 from being discourag'd , from trying to ma●● Occasional Reflections , who may chance to have either Barrenner Fancy's , or more unpractis'd Pens , than even I had then : And those ( perhaps ) who , without such easily imitable Examples would not be invited to make Occasional Meditations , may , by the Practice of composing them , grow such Proficients in the Art , as to surpass some that despise such humble Beginnings . But as I send abroad these Papers without the Authors name , that I may have the greater Opportunity to hear other mens Opinions of them , and the less Temptation to wave the complying with those that shall seem Reasonable : so if I shall find , That such Readers as I esteem competent Judges in an Affair of this Nature , shall think that those Reflections wherein I have comply'd with the weaker sort of Perusers , may be better Spar'd , than Inserted : I can sily repair that fault in the next Edition ( if these Trifles shall be thought worthy of another ) . In the mean time , I presume that those devout Readers who may be concern'd in this matter , will take it kindly that I have for their sakes adventur'd to treat of Subjects too mean and barren to furnish me with almost any thing considerable ; save the Opportunity 's of manifesting , how low I can stoop to gratifie such Persons . I know it is a new thing , That I have ventured to put some Occasional Reflections into Dialogues . But the Reader will be less startled at my deviating in this , and other things , from Bishop Hall's way of writing Occasional Meditations , if I acknowledge that not to Prepossess or Byass my Fancy , I purposely ( till of late ) forbad my self , the perusing of that Eloquent Praelates devout Reflections . Which Intimation being premis'd , I shall subjoyn , That when I wrote for my own Divertisement , I sometimes took Pleasure to imagine two or three of my Friends to be present with me at the Occasion , that set my thoughts on work , and to make them Discourse as I fancy'd Persons , of their Breeding and tempers , would talk to one another on such an Occasion . And one of these , whom I call Eusebius , being a Dr. of Divinity ; two others ( Eugenius and Genorio ) being Travellers and fine Gentlemen ; and the fourth , ( whom I name Lindamor ) being a Learned Youth , both well Born and well Bred ; I was apt to think , that some of their Conferences , might be allow'd to pass among the other Papers ; both because Novelty , and Variety , are wont to be not unwelcome things , and because this way of writing allows a Scope for diversity of Opinions , for Debates , and for Replies , which mostcommonly would be Improper , where only a single speaker is introduc'd : Not to add , that possibly if this way of writing shall be Lik'd & Practis'd , by some Fam'd & happier Pen , that were able to Credit and improve it ; it may afford useful Patterns of an Instructive and not unpleasant Conversation ; and such Reflections , being of the nature of short and Occasional Essays , may afford men the opportunitys , of saying the Hansomest things they know , on several Subjects , without saying any thing Else of them , or filling above a Sheet , or perhaps a Side of Paper at a Time. And the Liberty that this way of introducing Speakers , allows , brings with it a Conveniency , which 't is more Easie for an Intelligent Reader to conjecture at , than 't were Discreet for the Writer to mention expressly . Another Novelty will probably be taken notice of , in the following Papers , where the second and fourth Sections , though by far the longest in the whole Book , are intirely taken up , the Former only by Meditations on Accidents relating to an Ague that once afflicted me , and the Latter by those that occurr'd to some Anglers by the River side . But for this Matter , I presume , it will not be difficult to Apologize . For having observed Men to be inclinable , either openly to Object , or at least tacitly to Suspect , That in Occasional Meditations , that may hold true , which is ( perchance not altogether undeservedly ) said of Epigrams , That in most of them the Conceits were not Suggested by the Subjects , but Subjects were Pretended , to which the Conceits might be Accommodated ; I thought , that to manif●st , that ( at least , some ) Writers of this kind of Composures need not have recourse to the suspected Artifice ; the fittest way I could take was , By putting together what the Accidents of my Ague , and of my Angling Journy , had suggested to me , to shew , that 't is very Possible for a person , that pretends not to a very pregnant Fancy , to Discourse by way of Reflection upon the several Circumstances that shall happen to occurr to his Consideration , though one Subject should require above fifteen differing Meditations ; and the other above twenty . Not to add , That 't was rather Weariness and Design , then want of Thoughts upon other passages relating to the same Subjects , that kept me from increasing the Number of those Reflections . As for the Similitudes , though some would make me hope that they will be at least excus'd ; and though it were perhaps no great Vanity , for one that do's assiduously enough converse with the Works of Nature and the Productions of Art , to think he has the means of furnishing himself with pretty store and variety of Comparisons ; yet for all this , I am not willing to quit my Pretensions to a share in the wonted Effects of that common Equity which forbids to exact too accurate a likeness in the making of Comparisons , which Orators confess ought to be judg'd with Indulgence , and without exacting a Conformity in Other Attributes betwixt the things compar'd , provided there be a competent Likeness in reference to the Particular wherein the Collation or Parallel is made . And if I have , on some occasions , prosecuted the Resemblance through all the particularities wherein the Parallel could be made to hold , more fully and nicely than is usual in ordinary Comparisons ; and if in so doing I may have at any time a little Strain'd the Similitude , the better to accommodate it to my present Theme , and Design ; I have this to represent , That to Display Resemblances to the full , and Insist on their particular Circumstances , is oftentimes no more than the Nature of these Composures do's allow , if not require ; and that , on such occasions , to stretch the Parallel as far as it can well be made to reach , is but a venial fault , which many Readers are dispos'd not only to Pardon , but to Like . As if , in some Cases , it far'd with Similitudes as with Bows , which though they may be bent so forcibly as to be thereby broken or spoil'd ; yet by being strain'd somewhat more than ordinarily , they acquire a greater strength , and enable the Arrow to Pierce farther , and to make a smarter Impression , than else it would . The Protasis ( as Rhetoricians call the first part of a Comparison ) may in some of the following Reflections appear to be too much amplified , and needlessly to lengthen the Meditation . But not to urge , that sometimes the more conspicuous Adjuncts of the Subject were so mean and barren , that there was a kind of necessity to Exaggerate , or to Exspatiate upon little Circumstances to invite Attention ; The Protasis , wherein we display and consider the minute particularities of the Theme , being the Ground-work of all the rest , and it being far more easie to say Little , than Much , with equal pertinency upon a Subject ; I thought it not amiss , to afford unpractis'd Readers , the most assistance of Examples in such Cases , wherein 't is probable they will most need it ; especially since he that has accustom'd himself to write Copiously , may easily Contract his Discourse when he will , by Omitting as many passages as he pleases ; and 't is far more difficult for a Beginner to supply Barrenness , than retrench Superfluities . Which are not always such Faults , but that I remember some great Masters in the Art of Oratory , have pronounc'd Redundancy to be a good Sign in a Young Writer , as taking it for a mark of a fruitful and exuberant Phansy , that , in it's Productions , there is somthing to be cut off . So that if there should be found any Luxuriant Expressions in some of those Thoughts that were written down , when I had not yet attain'd my 19 th or 20 th year , when I might be allow'd to write not always to imploy , but somtimes to amuse my self ; I may hope , that the same Youth that was my Temptation to write them , may prove my excuse for having written them ; as it may for leaving them Unexpung'd ; That as I desire to invite as well young Gentlemen as other Readers , to pen Occasional Meditations ; So I find that some of the Readers I am willing to pleasure , do as little dislike that Luxuriant way of writing Now , as I did Then : as Youths and Ladies oftentimes better relish Must than Wine . I know too , that there may be found in some of those Protases , divers passages , and particularly some Descriptions ( that often make a great part of them ) which to some Readers will not seem Noble and Gawdy enough . But to such Perusers it may be represented , that a sutableness to the Theme , how mean soever it be , may very well , as a piece of Decorum , be allow'd to a Writer , and in few Cases more than in point of Descriptions ; and that These being but Pictures drawn ( with Words instead of Colours ) for the Imagination , the skilfull will approve those most , that produce in the mind , not the Finest Idaeas , but the Likest : as a Critick in Limning will more prize the Picture of an old meagre Sibill , where the Wrinkles , and the sallow skin are drawn exactly to the Life , than a dozen ordinary Pictures of the Spring , ( which yet are wont to charm Vulgar eyes ) though the Youthfull face which represents that Florid season , have as Gawdy Colours upon the Cheeks and Lips , as imbellish the Roses and Lillies , which compose the Chaplet that adorns the Head. And possibly there will be found other Readers ( and those too , skil'd in Rhetorick ) that will accuse some other of our Meditations , as being too Elaborate , or too Pompous , for the Themes whereunto they are accommodated . But having laid by a competent number of those lately mentioned Reflections , wherein I aim'd chiefly at inviting and assisting Readers of meaner Capacity : I confess , that in the Other Meditations , aiming either at my own Divertisement , or the gratifying Another sort of Persons , I allow'd my self to make choice of such applications of the objects I consider'd , as I thought every body would not so easily light on . And , provided the Reflections were not strain'd , nor too far fetch'd , I thought it not amiss they should be somewhat surprising : that I might , by the way of Handling the Subjects I was to treat of , ingage an Attention , which otherwise I could scarce expect for such unpromising Themes . I know that if the Judgement of some severe Criticks , were as Infallible as themselves think it , the style of some of the following Reflections would seem disproportionate to such mean and trifling Subjects . I do not perhaps ignore what Rhetoricians are wont to teach of what they call , the three differing Characters of Writing ; I have read those Discourses that Cornificius proposes as the Patterns of the Sublime , the moderate , and the humble way of expressing ones self on differing Occasions ; and I have been taught , and willingly acknowledge , that all Themes are not so well capable of that Character which they call Sublime ; and that according to the Nature and Dignity of the Subjects that one treats of , the Manner of handling them ought to be varied . But if I were much concern'd in this matter , I might reply , that notwithstanding all this , I know , That ev'n the Artists themselves do not so perfectly agree about the defining of these matters , and the grand Rule about these Characters being only , That the Laws of Decorum ( or , as the French call it Bien-seance ) be not violated , in the Estimate of that Decorum , I see no great Reason to confine my self to the Magisterial Dictates of either Antient or Scholastick Writers . For , living in this Age , and in This part of the World , where we are not like to have those for Readers that dy'd before we were born , I see not why one may not judge of Decorum by the Examples and Practices of those Authors of our own Times and Countries , whose Writings are generally esteemed by Judicious Men. And certainly , in the judging of what is Decent on particular Occasions , we must as well consider , Who it is that is introduc'd as the Speaker , as what it is he speaks of . And though it be Improper to do what those have done , that have unadvisedly made Shepherds and Nymphs discourse like Philosophers or Doctors of Divinity ; yet when the Writer either speaks Himself , or introduces any whom he represents as intelligent Persons ; they may be allow'd , ev'n about things Ordinary and Mean , to talk like themselves , and employ Expressions that are neither mean , nor ordinary . As Virgil , in his admir'd Georgicks , does in some passages , where he treats of contemptible Insects , speak of them in so noble & lofty a strain , That when he mentions Multitudes of Ants , one would think he were speaking of an Army of Moors : and when he gives an Account of Bees , his Expressions about their Common Wealth would scarce mis-becom the Majesty of that of Rome . Such passages do , notwithstanding the great disparity of Themes , make the Style of his Georgicks , as well Noble ( if not strictly Heroick ) as that of his Aeneids ; and when he writes of Ants and Flies , he does it in a Strain worthy of the same Pen , that so loftily describes the Destruction of Troy , and the Adventures of that Hero whom he would have to be ( though not immediately ) the Founder of Rome . I will not say , that since there is a Mode in Language as well as in Cloaths , I see not why the fashion , that now a-dayes allows our Gallants to wear fine Laces upon Canvass and Buckram , might not warrant the tricking up of slight subjects , with the richer Ornaments of Language : nor will I examin whether Men may not Except against the Authority of some Jejune Writers , that taking upon them to prescribe the Laws of Styles , make so many of their Precepts Negative , that one may suspect them indited not so much by Skill , as Envy , which makes such assuming Law-givers mistake the Impotence of a Barren Fancy for the Skilfulness of a Criticall Judgment , and ( Valuing only the Idaeas they think they can Reach ) Condemn whatever they despair to Imitate . And , from those that would be thought to censure the Moderns , but out of a Veneration for the Antients , one might methinks reasonably expect but Light Censures for imploying upon occasion , that noble Figure of Rhetoriok call'd Hyperbole ; since I should be loath to use it Often , with no more Reserve than those great Orators Tully and Isocrates have Sometimes done before me . But a just debate of the Rules of Estimating Decency , would take up so much room as must make it improper for this place , where all I contend for , is , That though when one treats of Various Subjects , somewhat Differing Styles are indeed to be accommodated to them ; yet this is to be so done as still to preserve a certain Dignity in Expressions : So that a Writer may be sometimes engaged by his Subject to use a Lofty Style , but without ever being obliged to employ an Abject one ; though indeed in some cases he may be allowed to stoop below what he is bound to , and forbear Soaring , as well as avoid Creeping . Nor am I , for my own part much concerned to Insisthere on the Subject I just now declin'd to Debate . For if I mis-remember not , Cicero himself , as well as some succeeding Orators , allow in divers cases to Shift Characters , even in the same Discourse , according to the differing Particulars that happen to fall under consideration : and some of them add this reason , That hence there will arise variety , which is wont to be a welcome thing . And to apply this to the Occasional Reflections that may be concern'd in this Debate , I must desire the Reader to take notice of these two things . The one , that though the Thing it self , which sets a mans thoughts a-work may be but Mean in Other regards , yet that which the Reflector pitches upon to consider , may be of another Nature ; as though the Glo-worm , which afforded me the I. V th Reflection of the V th Section , be but a small and contemptible Insect , yet the Light which shines in his Tail , and which makes the chief Theme of the Meditation , is a noble and heavenly Quality , and might have justified the having many things said of it , for which the Sublime Character would have been the most proper . The other particular I meant to point at , is , That oftentimes , when the Protasis , or former part of a Reflection , is spent upon considering some mean and Trivial subject ; the Apodosis , or Reddition , contains such an Application of what one was taking notice of in the Subject , that the thing Pointed at , may be some important Moral Instruction , or perhaps some Theological Mystery ; and consequently may Require and Justifie , Another then the former humble Style , and admit all the Quickness of Expression and the richest Ornaments , that belong to those two higher Characters which Rhetoricians call the Subtil , and the Magnificent . But if I should now and then deviate from Bounds , which , not being Conspicuous , 't is difficult Never to swerve from ; I have this Peculiar Apology to make for such Aberrations ; That writing for the most part of Themes wholly New , and untreated of by others , I must needs want the assistance of Examples to Regulate or Authorize my Expressions : about which I need not yet be very Sollicitous , if I may trust a Learned and applauded Writer ( whose censure I desir'd ) that is both able to judge skilfully , and wont to judge freely . These things I have the more carefully Insisted on , because I would not have those Ingenious Persons , that may chance to cast their Eyes on these Papers , to be tempted by any imperfections of mine , to think otherwise of Occasional Meditations , than that though there be some , yet there are not very many , of their Themes so Low and Contemptible , but they are capable of affording Reflections of Another nature to Them , that are dexterous in making Applications of things . And I would not have such discourag'd from hoping to find in many Themes , that seem despicable at first sight , some Hint or other that may give those that have Wit or Eloquence , Opportunity enough to display those Qualities . For as there is a great difference betwixt Such Writers , and Common ones , so 't is very material by what Pens the Subject is treated of ; and Extraordinary persons , in Estimating what they are like to perform , must not only consider the unpromising Nature of their Subject , but the Activity of their own Fancy , and the Pregnancy of their own Wit. For though the Starrs cannot , the Luminaries can , cloath the light and wandring vapours of the Ayr , with the colour of Gold , and of Roses ; And the Sun , by his piercing and improving Beams , cannot only make Diamonde sparkle , and Rubies flame , but by his action upon an obscure Cloud can make even That exhibite all those Glorious and charming Colours , for which we admire the Rain-Bow . And , that the following Papers may prove to such Persons the lesser Temptations to undervalue and mis-judge of this kind of Composures ; I am first to advertise the Reader , that they are capable of so much greater Variety , than the following Treatise presents , that besides the vast multitudes of particulars unmentioned in it , that may be added under those Heads to which the ensuing Meditations are referr'd , there are several distinct sorts or kinds of Occasional Thoughts ( such as those that are Made upon Texts of Scripture , or Relate to less familiar points of Divinity , or other Learning , or contain Historical Applications , &c. ) upon which I have , out of hast , and other Reasons , purposely forborn ( though not to write , yet ) to publish Reflections . And in the next place , I must here frankly acknowledge , that many of the ensuing Reflections are so far from being the Best , that en'n no better a Pen than Mine could make , that they are much Inferior to divers that I have already Made ; though ( for allowable Considerations ) I have for born to Publish them . And I must confess , that I am more beholden to my Occasional Reflections , than they are to me . For , whereas they have furnish'd me with Divers of the Thoughts , which have been the favourablyest entertain'd by the Readers of my other Books of Devotion , I did much impoverish these Papers , that professedly contain my Occasional Reflections , by not only leaving , but taking out of them several things , which were the most likely to have recommended them ; that I might accommodate other Writings , for which I had a greater Kindness or Concern . As for the Discourse of Occasionall Reflections , all that I shall say of it , is , That considering how early I attempted that Subject , and that I was fain to repair , as well as I could , the unseasonable Miss of divers Papers belonging to it , when I dispatch'd it to the Press ; considering these things ( I say ) I dispair not but that it will be thought , that I have not said nothing in favour of a Subject that hitherto had so little said to recommend it , That ev'n the Eloquent Bishop Hall , * imploying but some Lines , not Pages , upon the Prise and Utility of it , ( which he mentions but in very Generall Tearms ) left me to find out , by my own Thoughts and Experience , the various Considerations , by which I have endeavoured to Display the Usefulness of the way of thinking I would invite to . Which I have further manifested , by applying to that Scope , divers passages of Scripture , ( which the Reader must therefore not wonder , if he do not now meet with ) as Texts , that either by way of Example , or upon other Accounts , belong to what I have written about the Method of making Occasional Reflections . 'T is true , the Discourse may seem somewhat Incompleat , because of the Omission of this Way ( that is more than once mentioned in it . But though the loose Papers , wherein that Method , and divers Examples of it , are set down , were lying by me , when I tack'd up those that now come abroad ; yet my Occasions easily prevail'd with me to continue to suppress them . For though I did not much scruple to comply with my hast , and Avocations , by forbearing to swell a Book , whose Bulk already much exceeded my Intention ; because , that , as the Papers that now appear , were extorted from me ; so I confess , that I was not fond of exposing those that I had an expedient to keep back , but that I think it very fit to observe , first , whether the Reception that the following Meditations will find , will make me and others think it worth while , to have the ways published , that I was wont to use in making them . I had almost forgot to intimate , That some urgent Avocations having obliged me to send the following Treatise to the Press without reading it over my self , I now find that my hast will make me need an Apology to those Readers , that expect to have the passages and Phraises of Scripture printed in a discriminating Letter , and quoted in the Margent . For though in Books of Positive , or of Controversial Divinity , I confess I have often observed , a Margent stuffed with a multitude of Citations , to contain divers so unconcluding , if not impertinent , That the Number does better shew the Authors Memory than his judgment , yet in Books of Devotion , I am not much averse from complying with the generality of Readers , who expect to be inform'd by the Margent , where they may find those Stories , and Expressions , which their being borrow'd from an inspir'd Book , make more Operative and Emphatical . But I must on this Occasion further intimate , That as to those Citations of Passages of Scrpture wherein I may seeme to have mis-recited the VVords of the Text ; though as to some of them that were set down when I had not a Bible or Concordance at hand , my Memory may have deceiv'd me as to the words ( which is no more than has often happen'd to the Fathers themselves in the like case , and is a venial fault , where Dogmatical or Polēmical Divinity are not concerned ) yet oftentimes my variations from the English Version , were made on purpose . For having had the Curiosity to get my self instructed , as well by Jews as Christians , in the Eastern Tongues ( especially the Hebrew ) I thought I need not strictly confine my self to the words of our Translators , when ever I could render the meaning of a Text in such tearms as to me seemed proper or expressive ; or without injuring the sence of the Hebrew or the Greek , could better accommodate my presence purpose . Now whereas some may think that in this Preface I employ Excuses that seem ( some of them ) not to agree with one another ; I desire it may be considered , That the Meditations they relate to , being not only written upon differing Subjects , but ( which is more ) designed for very differing uses ( some of those Discourses being intended to invite the more unskilful , and Incourage the more Despondent sort of Readers ; and Others , to entertain Proficients ) it was but Requisite that I should by very Differing , ( and perchance seemingly Repugnant ) Considerations give an Account of such differing VVays of writing of them , as such distant Subjects , and my Scope , required . But what if it should fare with me Now as it has done on other Occasions , on which my friends have accus'd me , of framing more Objections against my self , than were afterwards made against me by my Readers ? I dare not say it is impossible but that this may prove the case . But if it do so , I shall not yet think my self to have Altogether miss'd my aim in what I have hitherto represented . For I have Mentioned the more particulars , and Discoursed the more largely of them , that if they prove not needful Apologies for my Reflections , they may prove useful Considerations for those whom I would invite to exercise their Pens in some such way of Writing : Divers of whom will probably be incouraged to venture upon making such composures , when they find Excuses for divers of those things that are the most likely to be thought to Blemish such Essays , ( or drhearten Beginners from attempting them ) to be disawn up already to their Hands . But as for my own particular , if I could make none of the Apologies now insisted on , for the Imperfections imputable to this Treatise ; yet I should not be destituted of a very just Excuse for the Publication of it . For divers Devout Persons , that had more Partiallity for these Writings , and less Tenderness of my Reputation , than I could have wished ; having long sollicited the Publications of those they had in their Hands , were at length so Resolved to effect it , that , in spight of the promises I at length made them to comply with their desires , when some other Writings I was then about , shouldbe Dispatched : I was fain to make use of a Legal Artifice to hinder for a while at the Stationers Hall the Publication of divers Papers that I had not so much as read over . But I confess I take notice of these passages , rather to excuse these imperfections , which Hast may have Occasion'd in these immatue Productions , them to Apologize for writing on Such a Subject . For so many Advantages that may accrue to a Devout and skilfull Person , by assiduously making of Occasional Meditations , have been displaid in the Discourse that is premised to those that follow ; that I hope the former Part of this Book will sufficiently Apologize , for my having written the later : Especially if to the Other particulars propos'd in the newly nam'd Discourse , as things fit to Recommend that kind of Thoughts , I here be allow'd to add , That a mans Devotion may not alone be cherish'd by Occasional Meditations , upon the Account of those which every private Christian makes for Himself , but by the help also of those which he finds made By others , or intends for them . For not only whilst pious Reflections are making , they are proper to Instruct the Mind , and Warm the Affections ; but the Objects upon which such Meditations have been made already , either by our selves or others , do Revive the Memory of those good Thoughts , that were suggested by them . So that when Diligence and Proficiency in the Practice of our Meleteticks , shall have supply'd us with Religious and hansome Reflections , upon the most Obvious VVorks of Nature , and the most Familiar Occurrences of humane Life ; Devout persons will have the Advantage to live almost Surrounded either with Instructours , or Remembrancers . And when they want Skill , or are indispos'd to extract Spiritual things out of Earthly ones , they may , without racking their Invention , be furnished with good Thoughts , upon many Objects by their Memory . For , ( as I elswhere more fully declare , ) those Truths and Notions that are dress●d up in apt Similitudes , pertinently appli'd , are wont to make durable Impressions on that Faculty , insomuch that though I am far from Pretending any of the Reflections to be met with in the following Treatise , to be of that Nature ; yet such as they are , divers Considerable persons of differing Ages and Sexes , have been pleas'd to say ( which is an Advantage may richly recompence more trouble than those Writings cost me ) That they scarce ever see such or such particular Things on which I have written Reflections , without remembring both those Thoughts , and their Author . So that They who have so easily attainable ●hings , as Happier Pens than Mine , in setting down Occasional Meditation , may have the Satisfaction of making almost the whole World a great * Conclave Mnemonicum , and a well furnished Promptuary , for the service of Piety and Vertue , and may almost under every Creature and Occurrence lay an Ambuscade against Sin and Idleness . Nor is this Indirectway of instructing men , Unlawful for a Christian , or Unworthy of him . For in the spiritual Warfar , where our Adversary is the old Serpent , Stratagems are as Lawful as Expedient , and he that gets the victory , whether or no he Wins Reputation by the Manner , is sure to obtain ( a greater Recompence ) Glory , by the Success . A Teacher is not oblig'd to imitate Alexander , who upon a Disputable Punctilio of Gallantry , that was neither Wise , nor Charitable , refus'd to steal a Victory : For the Prophet Nathan scrupled not to Deceive David , that he might Reclaim him ; and surprize him into a Confession of the Criminousness of his fault . And the Apostles being tearmed by their Masier , Fishers of Men , were warranted to make use of Baits as well as Hooks , and Nets . And our Saviour himself , by the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman that usurp'd the Vine , drew the Pharisees to an Acknowledgment , which they started from as soon as they perceived what they had done . And the same Divine Teacher , did so frequently imploy Fictions to teach Truths , that to condemn Figurative and Indirect ways of conveying ev'n Serious and Sacred matters , is to forget How often Christ himself made use of Parables . And I am the less troubled to see some Thoughts of mine , which , though unpolish'd , have an natural tendency to Inveagle men ( if I may so speak ) into Piety and Vertue , thrust abroad into the World ; Not only because I see no reason to Despair , that ev'n as to the most Obnoxious of these Meditations , the Examples they afford may make them Useful , when the Things they contain , do not make them Considerable and Equitable , Readers will rather pitty , than Admire to find , that an Author do's not Soar whilst he is Clogg'd or Depress'd by the Meanness of his Subject : but because some Experience seems to promise , that their Novelty and Variety , will procure the Book in the general , a favourable Entertainment ; And , indeed if I had written in a more usual or a more solemn way , I should perchance have had no Readers but Divines , or Humanists , or Devout Persons , or Despisers of the World , or ( in a word ) the Masters , or Lovers of that one kind of Learning , to which my Subject did belong : But treating as I do , of Whatever chanc'd to come in my way , and consequently of many very Differing , and Unusual things , Curiosity will probably invite both the Learned and the Devout ; both Gentlemen , and Ladyes ; and , in a word , Inquisitive Persons of several Kinds & Conditions , to cast their Eyes upon these Reflections ; which , by their Variety and Shortness , will have this advantage , towards the making them entertain'd with Patience , that scarce any of them will give him that peruses them , above half a quarter of an hours Exercise of it . And as I thought it not any Fault to have a Regard to what was like to Please a good part of the Readers I wrote for , ( though it would not else perhaps have pleas'd me , any more than it will the nicer palats of the Criticks ; ) So if these Trifles chance to meet with half so kind a Reception from the Publick , as they have had from Particular Persons , I shall not , perhaps , want the Consolation , which may be deriv'd from the Judgment of a great Master of Wit , who scrupled not to affirm , That he had rather his Entertainments should please the Guests , than the Cooks . Though they that would compleat the Good Fortune of these Papers , may do it more effectually , by Addicting themselves , as considerable Persons have been of late induc'd to do ) to Write Occasional Reflections ( how excellent soever they may prove ) than by being Kind to These ; since having written them , not to get Reputation , but Company , I cannot but be Unwilling to travel alone : and had rather be out-gone , than not at all follow'd , and Surpass'd , than not Imitated . An Advertisement touching the IV. Section . A Reader that is not Unattentive , may easily collect from what he will meet with in some of the ensuing Discourses , That they were written several years ago , under an Usur●ing Government , that then prevail'd . And this may keep it from appearing strange , That in Papers , which contain some things not likely to be Relish'd by those that were then in Power , the Author should take occasion to speak of himself as of Another person , as well to avoid the being Suspected by them , in case his Papers should come into any of their hands , as to comply with the Design he then had ; That if these Discourses should happen to be made publick , the Reader might be left to ghess , whether or no he were entertain'd with a Fiction or a true Narrative . And though a Change of Circumstances , has occasion'd the Publication of these Papers , which should have come forth by themselves ( if at all ) in such a way as will make most Readers look upon them as containing a Story purely Romantick : Yet they may have in them much less of Fiction , than Such will ( t is like ) Imagine . For being really a great Lover of Angling , and frequently diverting my self at that sport , sometimes alone , and sometimes in Company ; the Accidents of that Recreation , were the true Themes , on which the following Discourses were not the Only Meditations I had made . Nor is the Intimation given at the end of this ( 4 th ) Section , of a further Continuation of such Discourses , an Artifice or shift , to steal away from a Conversation I was unable to Continue , without seeming to do so ; there being in readiness divers Reflections relating to our Anglers , which had furnish'd Eusebius and his Friends with Discourses for the Afternoon , if I had judg'd , that to invite an Addition to so Prolix an Account as I had given of them already , nothing could be requisite but a Supply of Thoughts . A DISCOURSE Touching Occasional Meditations . SECT . I. CHAP. I. THE way of Thinking , whose Productions begin to be known by the name of Occasional Meditations , is , if rightly practis'd , so advantageous , and so delightful , that 't is Pity , the greatest part , ev'n of serious and devout Persons , should be so unacquainted with it : And therefore , Dear Sister , your Desire to bring this way of Meditation into Request , with some of our Friends , is that which I cannot disapprove . But I am so far from having the Vanity to think , that the Trifles of this kind , your Commands make me trouble you with , would recommend Occasional Reflections to those , whose Eyes they were not meant for , that I think my self oblig'd to premise something touching the Usefulness of this way of Meditating , lest the careless and unpolish'd Instances you will I fear meet with , among those I now present you , should disparage and bring a Prejudice upon Composures of this kind in general ; Wherefore , judging it requisite , to premise something touching this way of thinking , I shall forth-with apply my self to that Task : And I should judge it a very natural Distribution to divide the following Discourse into two parts , the first of which should contain some Invitations to the Cultivating this sort of Meditations , and the latter should offer something by way of Method , towards the better framing of them . But lest I should at this time be hinder'd from treating of each of them distinctly , I will at present omit that Division , and indeavour in recompence so to deliver the Motives I am to propose , that the first part of the Discourse may not appear maim'd , though it be unattended by the second , and yet the Particulars that might compose the second , may ( if it prove convenient to mention them at this time ) be commodiously enough inserted in opportune places of the first . Of Inducements to this Exercise , I might perhaps name many , but for order's sake , I shall comprize them in the ensuing five ; the first whereof will take up the present Section , and the remaining four , as many others . CHAP. II. ANd first , the way of Meditating , I would recommend , conduces to keep the Soul from Idleness , and Employments worse than Idleness ; for while a Man's thoughts are busi'd about the present subjects of his Reflections , our Ghostly Adversary is discourag'd to attempt that Soul , which he sees already taken up , with something that is at least innocent , if not good . If I had not elsewhere display'd the Evil and Danger of Idleness , and represented it as a thing , which , though we should admit not to be in it self a sin , yet may easily prove a greater mischief than a very great one , by at once tempting the Tempter to tempt us , and exposing the empty Soul , like an uninhabited place , to the next Passion or Temptation that takes the opportunity to seize upon it : If ( I say ) I had not elsewhere discours'd at large against Idleness , I might here represent it as so formidable an Enemy , that it would appear alone a sufficient Motive to welcome our way of Meditation ; That it banishes Idleness . He that is vers'd in making Reflections upon what occurs to him ; He that ( consequently ) has the works of Nature , and the actions of Men , and almost every Casualty that falls under his Notice , to set his Thoughts on work , shall scarce want Themes to employ them on : And he that can ( as it were ) make the World vocal , by furnishing every Creature , and almost every occurrence , with a Tongue to entertain him with , and can make the little Accidents of his Life , and the very Flowers of his Garden , read him Lectures of Ethicks or Divinity ; such a one , I say , shall scarce need to fly to the Tavern , or a worse place , to get a Drawer , or a Gamester ( perhaps no better qualifi'd ) to help him to get rid of his time , such a one will rather pity , than pursue those , who think it their Priviledge to spend their whole Life in Diversions from the main Business of it ; and out of an unskilful , and ill govern'd self-love , are come to that pass , that they cannot endure to be with themselves . Such a one will not need to frequent the company of those Gamesters , that are sure to lose that , which all their winnings will never be able to buy , or to redeem , and expose themselves coldly to as many Casualties , as ev'n War could threaten ; and voluntarily tempt those Passions , it is the Task of Wisdome to decline , and a Virtue to suppress ; losing nothing but their time , without losing their Patience too , and commonly a great part of that Reverence and Submission they owe to him , of whom the Scripture tells us , that ev'n of Lots themselves , the whole disposal is his . Nor will he need , for want of knowing what to do when he is alone , to make it his almost daily Employment , to make impertinent Visits , to unsanctify'd Companies , where sometimes he may lose his good Name , often his Innocence , oftner his Zeal , and always his Time. And , as the Exercise , I would perswade , will help to keep us from Idleness , so will it , to preserve us from harbouring evil Thoughts , which there is no such way to keep out of the Soul , as to keep her taken up with good ones ; as Husbandmen , to rid a piece of rank Land of Weeds , do often find it as effectual a Course to sow it with good Seed , as to cut them down , or burn them up . And indeed , the Thoughts of many a Person , are oftentimes so active , and restless , that something or other they must , and will perpetually be doing ; and like unruly Souldiers , if you have not a care to employ them well , they will employ themselves ill . Wherefore , when a Man hath once rendred this way of Thinking , familiar , sometimes the subject of his Meditation will lead him to Thoughts , and excite Affections , full of Serenity , and Joy , like those fair Mornings , where the cloudless Beams , and cherishing warmth of the Sun , inviting the Lark to aspire towards Heaven , make her at once mount , and sing ; and when the Mind is rais'd to such a welcome and elevated state , to listen to an ordinary Temptation , a Man must forgo his Pleasure , as well as violate his Duty , and in the difference betwixt the Imployment that busies him , and that whereto he is sollicited to stoop , he will easily discern , that his Innocence will not be the onely thing that he would lose by so disadvantageous a Change ; And sometimes too , whether or no the Imployment that busies his Thoughts , happen to be so delightful , it will however appear to be so considerable , that it will seasonably furnish him with that excellent Answer of Nehemiah , to those that would have diverted him from building of the Temple , to come to a Treaty with them , I am doing a great Work , ( and such indeed is the serving God , and the improving the Mind , whether we consider its Importance , or its Difficulty ) so that I cannot come down ; why should the work cease , whilst I leave it , and come down to you ? Which last Expression suits very well with the present case , since , when a pious Soul is once got upon the wing of Contemplation , she must descend and stoop to exchange her converse with Heavenly objects , for one with Earthly vanities , and much more must she debase and degrade her self , if the things she is tempted to , be Lusts , which she will thence clearly discern , to be as Low as the Hell they belong to , and deserve . And as these Objects will afford Employment enough to our Reflector , so will the wholsome Instructions they will suggest , incline him to shun those ways of wasting his time , which they enable him easily to avoid : For I have observ'd this Difference , betwixt Ghostly dangers , and ordinary ones , that , whereas in Military hazards , those that are the most forward to thrust themselves into dangers , are commonly the best able to surmount them ; they on the contrary , are wont to be the most fearful of Temptations , that are the most resolv'd , and best qualifi'd to resist them . CHAP. III. NOr will the Meleteticks ( or way , and kind of Meditation ) I would perswade , keep Men alone from such gross and notorious Idleness , that they may be ask'd the Question , propos'd by the Housholder in the Gospel , Why sit ye here all the Day idle ? But this way of Thinking , may in part keep Men from the loss of such smaller parcels of Time , as though a meer Morallist would not perhaps censure the neglect of them in others , yet a Devout person would condemn it in himself : For betwixt the more stated Employments , and important Occurrences of humane Life , there usually happen to be interpos'd certain Intervals of Time , which , though they are wont to be neglected , as being singly , or within the Compass of one day inconsiderable , yet in a Man's whole Life , they may amount to no contemptible Portion of it . Now these uncertain Parentheses , ( if I may so call them ) or Interludes , that happen to come between the more solemn Passages ( whether Businesses , or Recreations ) of humane Life , are wont to be lost by most Men , for want of a Value for them , and ev'n by good Men , for want of Skill to preserve them : For though they do not properly despise them , yet they neglect , or lose them , for want of knowing how to rescue them , or what to do with them . But as though grains of Sand and Ashes be a part , but of a despicable smallness , and very easie , and liable to be scatter'd , and blown away ; yet the skilful Artificer , by a vehement Fire , brings Numbers of these to afford him that noble substance , Glass , by whose help we may both see our selves , and our Blemishes , lively represented , ( as in Looking-glasses ) and discern Celestial objects , ( as with Telescopes ) and with the Sun-beams , kindle dispos'd Materials , ( as with Burning-glasses ) So when these little Fragments , or Parcels of Time , which , if not carefully look'd to , would be dissipated , and lost , come to be manag'd by a skilful Contemplator , and to be improv'd by the Celestial fire of Devotion , they may be so order'd , as to afford us both Looking-glasses , to dress our Souls by , and Perspectives to discover Heavenly wonders , and Incentives to inflame our hearts with Charity and Zeal ; And since Gold-smiths and Refiners are wont all the year long carefully to save the very sweepings of their Shops , because they may contain in them some Filings , or Dust of those richer Metals , Gold and Silver ; I see not why a Christian may not be as careful , not to lose the Fragments and lesser Intervals of a thing incomparably more precious than any Metal , Time ; especially , when the Improvement of them , by our Meleteticks , may not onely redeem so many Portions of our Life , but turn them to pious Uses , and particularly to the great Advantage of Devotion . And indeed , the Affairs and Customs of the World , the Imployments of our particular Callings , the allowable Recreations , that Health , or Weariness requires , and the Multitude of unfore-seen , and scarce evitable Avocations , that are wont to share our Time among them , leave us so little of it , to imploy in the set and solemn Exercises of Devotion , and make those so unfrequent , that our Hearts are in great Danger , of being , by the Business , and Pleasures , and Hurry of the World , if not perverted from Aspiring to , at least too long diverted from Enjoying , Communion with God , and kept too much Strangers to Him , if in the long Intervals of our more solemn Exercises of Devotion , we be not careful to lay hold on the short , and transient Opportunities of Cherishing , and reviving , that Grace in us , and do not by the Rises given us by the Things that occur , take occasion to make frequent , though but short Flights Heaven-wards , in extemporary Reflections , serious Soliloquies , piercing Ejaculations , and other mental , either Exercises , or Expressions of Devotion , by which means , we may make those very objects , and occasions , that would Discourage , or at least Distract , our Minds , elevate and animate them : As Jonathan made those very things , whereby his Enemies , the Philistims , sought to intrap , or destroy him , Incouragements to fight with them , and Omens of his Victory over them . And as scarce any Time is so short , but that things so Agile , and asspiring as the Flames of a Devout Soul , may take a flight to Heaven , ( as Nehemiah could find time to dart up a successful Prayer to the Throne of Grace , whilst he stood waiting behind the King of Persia's Chair ) so by these extemporary Reflections , as well as by other mental Acts of Piety duely made , a Devout Soul may not onely rescue these precious Fragments of Time , but procure Eternity with them . SECT . II. CHAP. I. A Second Inducement to the Practice of making Occasional Meditations , is , that for an Exercise of Devotion , 't is very delightful , and that upon sundry accounts . For first , Variety is a thing so pleasing to humane Nature , that there are many things , which it , either alone , or chiefly , recommends to us , and 't is rarely seen , that we love the same things very much , and very long ; and of things that else would appear equally good , we usually think that the better , which happens to be another . Now , a Person addicted to make Occasional Meditations , may be suppli'd with Subjects , whose Variety is scarce imaginable : For the works of Nature , and of Art , are not the onely Objects that often present themselves to our Reflector's Consideration ; The Revolutions of Governments , the Fates of Kingdoms , the Rise and Ruine of Favourites ; and on the other side , the most slight and trivial Occurrences : And in short , all that he sees happen from the highest Transactions , to the slightest Circumstances , incident to humane affairs , may afford matter of Contemplation to a Person dispos'd to it . The mind of Man is so comprehensive , and so active a faculty , that it can force its passage into those imaginary spaces , that are beyond the outermost part of the outermost Heaven , and can in a moment return back , to consider the smallest Circumstances of the meanest of humane affairs ; so that the thinking faculty , being equally fit , and dispos'd to reflect upon the works of God , and the actions of Men , how unlikely is it , that it should want Variety of Subjects to be imploy'd on , whilst the whole World makes but a part of its Object : And the several Productions of Nature , and Art , of the Providence of God , and the Will of Man , may be so many ways consider'd , and 〈◊〉 ●●riously compounded , that they may 〈◊〉 be suppos'd capable of affording O●●●sions to Notions , and Reflections , far more numberless than themselves ; so that the most vigorous , and the most active Soul , is in less danger of wanting fresh Game , than Thoughts to pursue such endless Variety of it . Besides , whereas Men are wont , for the most part , when they would Study hard , to repair to their Libraries , or to Stationers Shops ; the Occasional Reflector has his Library always with him , and his Books lying always open before him , and the World it self , and the Actions of the Men that live in it , and an almost infinite Variety of other Occurrences being capable of proving Objects of his Contemplation ; he can turn his Eyes no whither , where he may not perceive somewhat or other to suggest him a Reflection . But , that which may much indear such Meditations , is , their suprizing ev'n him , whose Thoughts they are : For one of the chief accounts , upon which Wit it self is delightful , is , in very many cases , the unexpectedness of the things that please us ; that unexpectedness being the highest Degree of Novelty , which , as I freshly noted , does exceedingly gratifie most Men's minds . We need not in this case , as in most others , make an uneasie Preparation to entertain our Instructors ; for our Instructions are suddenly , and as it were cut of an Ambuscade , shot into our Mind , from things whence we never expected them , so that we receive the advantage of learning good Lessons , without the trouble of going to School for them , which , to many , appears the greatest trouble that is to be undergone , for the Acquist of Knowledge . But though these Irradiations of Light , be oftentimes sudden , as that which we receive from flashes of Lightning , yet 't is not always upon the single account of this suddenness , that the Instructions , presented us by Occasional Meditations , have an unexpectedness ; for oftentimes , the Subject that is consider'd , appears not to be any thing at all of Kin to the Notion it suggests . And there are many of these Reflections , whose Titles , though they name the occasion of them , do so little assist , ev'n an ingenious Reader , to ghess what they contain , that if you tell him what is treated of , he will scarce imagine , how such Thoughts can be made to have a Relation to such remote Subjects ; And the Informations we receive from many Creatures , and Occurrences , are oftentimes extremely distant from what , one would conjecture to be the most obvious , and natural Thoughts those Themes are fitted to present us , though , when the Circumstances are throughly examin'd , and consider'd , the Informations appear proper enough : Thus , when a Navigator suddenly spies an unknown Vessel afar off , before he has hail'd her , he can scarcely , if at all , conclude what he shall learn by her , and he may from a Ship , that he finds perhaps upon some remoter coast of Africa , or the Indies , meet with Informations concerning his own Country , and affairs ; And thus sometimes a little Flower may point us to the Sun , and by casting our eyes down to our feet , we may in the water see those Stars that shine in the Firmament or highest visible Heaven . CHAP. II. AND , lastly , the pleasantness of these Meditations , to him that hath attain'd skill in making them , will , if he be not much mortifi'd , be much increas'd by their being Proofs , as well as Effects , of Skill . To be able to take up Instructions in Books that are replenished with them , and where they are purposely and distinctly exhibited in the form of Instructions , requires rather that a man be docile than ingenious , but to be able to collect Moral and Spiritual Documents out of a Book of Hieroglyphicks , or from a Lanscape or a Map , is more than every attentive considerer can do , and is that which argues something of Dexterousness and Sagacity that is not very ordinary . And so , from Ethical or Theological Composures , to take out Lessons that may improve the Mind , is a thing much inferiour to the being able to do the like out of the Book of Nature , where most Matters that are not Physical , if they seem not to be purposely veil'd , are at least but darkly hinted . And me-thinks there is such a difference betwixt him that but takes up Instructions in Books of Morality and Devotion , and him that by Occasional Reflections derives them from the Book of Nature , and the Accidents he chances to take notice of , as there is betwixt an Ant that contributes nothing either to the Production or Improvement of the Corn she lays up and feeds on , but onely carries away that which she finds ready form'd into its little Granary or Repository , and the Industrious Bee , who , without stealing from Flowers any thing that can prejudice them , does not onely gather , but improve and transform , her food , and live on that which otherwise would be useless , and besides , not onely has the pleasure to gather its food from Flowers , and from variety of them , but lives upon Honey , an Aliment that is as sweet and delicious as nutritive . 'T was doubtless a very great pleasure to Aesop , that by his ingenious Fictions he could , in a manner , lend Reason and Speech to Lions , Foxes , Crows , and other Animals , to whom Nature had deni'd both ; and I know not why it should be less delightful , by Occasional Reflections , to turn not onely Birds and Beasts , but all kinds of Creatures in the world , as well mute and inanimate , as irrational , not onely into Teachers of Ethicks , but oftentimes into Doctors of Divinity , and by compelling senseless Creatures to reveal Truths to us , that they were never acquainted with themselves , perform really something like that , which was but pretended by the antient Augures and other Diviners the Heathen world admir'd , who took upon them , by the casual flights of Birds , and the Inspection of the Intrals of Beasts , to learn the Will of Heaven . 'T is a piece of skill , for which Mathematicians have been deservedly admir'd , and which is little less pleasing to those that have it , than wonderful to those that have it not , that as if Artists were able to prescribe to the Sun and Moon , and the rest of the luminous Globes of Heaven , both their pace and their stages , they can make that inexhausted Fountain of Light , at so immense a Distance , by the Shadow of a little Gnomon , fitly plac'd , give us an exact account of all the Journeys he performs in the Zodiack ; but perhaps , 't is neither a less noble nor a less delightful piece of skill , to be able , by an innocent kind of Necromancy , to consult the dead , and conjure up worm-eaten Carkases out of their Mossy Graves , without fearing to hear from them such dismal Discourses as Saul had from dead Samuel , and to make , not the Stars onely , but all the Creatures of Nature , and the various occurrences that can fall under our notice , conspire to inrich us with Instructions they never meant us ; since the Motion of the celestial lights are known , certain , and invariable ; but these particulars are neither to be defin'd by number , nor limited by Rules . Not to say , that this Secret does as much excel that other , which recommends Astronomy , as Wisdom does Science , and is as much the more useful of the two , as to know how to pass away our time is more profitable , than to know how our time passes away . But there is a fourth particular , which , though somewhat less directly than the three I have already discours'd of , may be reduc'd to the Pleasantness of Occasional Meditations ; and it is , That whereas our innate Self-love is wont to make any thing that minds us of our faults exceedingly uneasie and unwelcome : in the Discoveries that , by this way of thinking , are made us of what is amiss , the uneasiness is very much allai'd , and the Pill very well gilt . For there are two main things that conduce to the sweetning of Reproofs ▪ and to keep men from being offended at them ; The one is , when they come from a person whom we love , and whom we believe to love us , and to have no other design in displeasing us than that of serving us : And the other is , That the Discovery that is made us of our faults be sweeten'd by Acknowledgments of our having Qualities of a commendable Nature , whence wise Reprovers usually mingle , and , as it were , brew their Reprehensions with Praises . Now , both these pleasing Vehicles , if I may so call them , and Correctives of Reproofs , concur in those we meet with in making Occasional Reflections . For , in these cases , being our own Instructors , and our own Consciences being the Makers of the Application , we cannot suspect the Reprehensions to come from Persons , that either mistake us , or are partial against us ; and that Truth which a man's Conscience applies to him , being found out by the sagacity of his own Understanding , extracting from Objects that which every Considerer would not have pick'd out thence ; it may very often happen , that the same Reflection will discover to a man his Excellencies , as well as make him take notice of his faults ; and that which makes him condemn the Disorders of his Affections , may argue , and thereby commend , the Goodness of his Parts . CHAP. III. I Know , it may be objected against the pleasantness of the Mental Exercise I have been speaking of , That to make Occasional Meditations is a work too difficult to be delightful . In Answer to this , I might represent , That there are employments wherein their being attended with somewhat of difficulty , is so far from deterring us , that it recommends them : as we see that in Hunting and Hawking , the toil that must be undergone is so much an indearment of the Recreation , of which it makes a great part , that when it happens that we do not meet with difficulties enough , we create new ones , as when Hunts-men give the Hare Law , ( as they speak ) for fear of killing her before they have almost kill'd their Horses , and perhaps themselves , in following her : Yet I shall rather chuse to make a more direct Answer , by observing , That the difficulties imagin'd in the practice I am treating of , seem to arise , not so much from the nature of the thing it self , as from some prejudices and misapprehensions that are entertain'd about it , especially the following two . The first is a needless Scruple , which makes some fancy themselves obliged to confine their thoughts to the subject that set them on work . And this dwelling long upon one Theme is to many men a thing uneasie and tedious enough . But for my part , I see no necessity of such a strictness ; and I have often observ'd the thoughts successfully to follow objects of a quite differing nature from those that were first started , from which , perhaps , though more obstinately persued , very little instruction or advantage would have been obtain'd , and it not unfrequently happens , that men trouble themselves in vain to make any profitable use of the considerations of those first objects , where the thoughts being licens'd to expatiate themselves , they do often at length pitch upon somewhat or other that is instructive , and at which , perhaps , they aim'd at the very first , though they attain'd it but by degrees , and persu'd it by winding and untrac'd ways . As when we let a Grey-hound loose in a Warren , we confine him not to the first Rabbet he makes after , since we see it frequently happens , that one sets him a running , and another proves his Quarry . Nor do I conceive such a practice disagreeable to the nature of Occasional Meditations , nor to be excluded by their name , for that appellation may well enough be appli'd to those emergent thoughts which fortuitous Occasions did awaken or suggest to us , nor is it necessary that our thoughts be always calculated for the subject that excited them , provided we thence took occasion to think : So that in some cases , the Occasion is not so much the Theme of the Meditation , as the Rise . For my part , I am so little scrupulous in this matter , that I would not confine Occasional Meditations to Divinity it self , though that be a very comprehensive Subject , but am ready to allow mens thoughts to expatiate much further , and to make of the Objects they contemplate not onely a Theological and a Moral , but also a Political , an Oeconomical , or even a Physical use . And I doubt whether the groundless Imagination , that Occasional Reflections ought to be confined to matters of Devotion , or , at furthest , of Morality , have not much helped to keep our Meleteticks so little cultivated as hitherto they have been . And indeed there is so perfect an harmony , and so near a kindred , betwixt Truths , that , in many cases , the one does either find out , or fairly hint , or else illustrate or confirm , the other . And 't is no wonder that divers of them should belong to the same Object , and be deduc'd from it . And if men were sollicitous to apply the things they take notice of in Occasional Objects , to the discovery or illustration of Oeconomical , Political , or Physical matters , it would probably bring such kind of thoughts more into request with several sorts of men , and possibly conduce to the improvement of those parts of Knowledge themselves . CHAP. IV. THE other thing I propos'd to mention , as that which discourages many from the addicting themselves to make Occasional Meditations , is a fancy , That to practise this kind of thinking , one is oblig'd to the trouble of writing down every Occasional Reflection that employs his thoughts ; and they conclude it far easier to forbear making any , than to write down all : But , to do this , were to undertake a task no less unnecessary than tedious . Those Meditations indeed that have some Excellency in them , that fits them to instruct others , should for that purpose be kept from perishing , and those that were not conceiv'd without some extraordinary Affection in a man's self , should be carefully persued , as Bellows to blow or rekindle Devotion , by reminding us of the devout thoughts the like Objects had excited in us . But for the rest of our Occasional Reflections , though they fill our heads , they need not employ our hands , as having perform'd all the service that need be expected from them within the mind already . Nor would I have any man be discourag'd from this way of thinking , that cannot express so much wit or eloquence in Occasional Meditations , as perhaps he may aspire to . For , besides that much subtilty of wit is not to be expected , or at least exacted , in this kind of composures , where we commonly make use of things rather out of haste than choice , as frequently being but the first thoughts we meet with , not the best we have ; besides this , I say , that which ought most to indear this sort of Reflections to a Christian , is rather that they cherish piety , than that they express wit , and help to make the man good , whether or no they make his style be thought so . 'T were injurious to nature to fancy , that the Fig-tree derives no benefit from the Rain and Sun , because they do not make it , like other Trees , flourish with Blossoms , more gaudy than necessary , though without praevious Buds it brings forth welcome Fruits . Not to add , that the difficulty of framing Occasional Meditations , need not be estimated by that which we find when we first addict our selves to the making of them ; for practice will by degrees so much lessen that difficulty , that after a while we shall find , that Occasional thoughts will need but small invitation to frequent those minds where they meet with a kind entertainment . And though men should be reduc'd to purchase this habitude at the rate of a little difficulty , I doubt not but they will find the benefit of it , when gotten , richly to recompense the trouble of acquiring it . Nor will the practice , that must contribute to the attainment of a reasonable degree of skill in making them , be half so troublesome when those Exercises but make up the habitude , as they will prove facil and delightful when they flow from it . SECT . III. CHAP. I. THe third grand Advantage that may be deriv'd from the custom of making Occasional Meditations , is , That it conduces to the exercise and improvement of divers of the faculties of the mind . And this it may do upon several accounts . 1. For , in the first place , it accustomes a man to an attentive observation of the Objects wherewith he is conversant . Whereas there is scarce any thing that may not prove the subject of an Occasional Meditation , so the natural propensity we have to manage well the Themes we undertake to handle , unperceivably ingages us to pry into the several attributes and relations of the things we consider , to obtain the greater plenty of particulars , for the making up of the more full and compleat Parallel betwixt the things whose resemblances we would set forth . By which means a man often comes to discover a multitnde of particulars even in obvious things , which , without such an ingagement to attention , he would never have minded , and which common beholders take no Notice of . And though it may seem , that the habit , produced by the practice of Occasional meditating , should accustom a man to heed only such Objects as are like to suggest to him devout thoughts ; yet , not to mention now that I shall advertise you anon , that there is no necessity of confineing occasional meditations , to matters Devout , or Theological , I shall only represent , that , since we know not , before we have considered the particular Objects that occurr to us , which of them will , and which of them will not , afford us the subject of an Occasional Reflection , the mind will , after a while , be ingag'd to a general and habitual attention , relating to the Objects that present themselves to it . Besides , that though we should at first apply our heedfulness to circumstances of only some few sorts of Objects , yet the habit , being once acquir'd , would easily reach to others than those that first occasion'd it ; as men , that by Learning to sing Anthems , are come to have critical ears , will be able to judge , much better than they could before , of the resemblances and differences of Tones in other Songs , and will take Notice of divers particularities in Voices , which would not be heeded by an unpractised Ear : And as we have made it appear , that the way of thinking we would recommend , does very much dispose men to an attentive frame of mind ; so , that such a frame or disposition is a great advantage in the whole course of a man's life , will not appear improbable to him who duly considers , that since attention , like a magnifying glass , shews us , even in common Objects , divers particularities , undiscerned by those who want that advantage , it must needs make the things he is conversant with , afford the considerer much more of instruction than they obtrude upon the ordinary regardless beholder , and consequently , this exercise of the mind must prove a compendious way to Experience , and make it attainable without grey-hairs ; for that , we know , consists not in the multitude of years , but of observations , from Numbers and variety of which it results : nor is there any reason , why prudence should be peculiarly ascrib'd to the Aged , except a supposition that such persons , by having liv'd long in the World , have had the opportunity of many and various occurrences to ripen their judgment ; so that if one man can by his attention make , as well he may in a small compass of time , as great a number of Observations as less heedful Persons are wont to do in a longer , I see not why such a man's Experience may not be equal to his , that has liv'd longer ; for it matters not much whether a man make a competent Number of Observations , in much time or in little , provided he have made them well . CHAP. II. II. THe Practice I would recommend , accustoms a man to make Reflections upon the things he takes notice of , and so , by exercising , improves his reasoning Faculty . For , as most men have much more strength and Agility in the right hand than in the left , and , generally speaking , those Limbs of the body that are most exercis'd , are stronger than the rest of the same kind , so the faculties of the mind are improv'd by Exercise , and those that we frequently employ , grow thereby the more vigorous and nimble . And , for my part , I have been often inclin'd to think , that the chief advantage that the reasoning faculty derives from the Institution received in Logick-Scholes , comes not so much from the Precepts themselves , which are pretended to make up an Art of reasoning , as from the frequent exercises that , by occasion of such Precepts , the Students are put upon ; and perhaps , if men were oblig'd to read the controversies of subtle Wits , and to engage in frequent Disputations , both premeditated and extemporary , it would add little less of readiness and acuteness to their wits , though they disputed of other matters than such as properly belong to Logick , and were not before imbu'd with the Precepts of that Art ; as we see , that the use of singing with those that can sing well , does much improve ones Voice , both as to strength and clearness , whatever the Tunes or Songs be that are sung , and how little soever those with whom one sings make it their Business to teach him the art of Musick . But this is only Conjecture ; and whether it be true or no , yet this I am confident is so , That the bringing of a man to be a thinking and a reflecting Person , is to procure him so great an Advantage , as though it were the only one may justly endear to him the custom of making Occasional Meditations ; and he that could bring this practice into the Request it deserves , would do a greater piece of service , not only to the particular Persons he perswades , but to mankind in general , than the greater part of good men themselves seem to be aware of . For though God having been pleased to make Reason the chief part of our Nature , among the various Objects that daily occur to us , it can scarce be but that some or other will in a manner obtrude some Notions ev'n upon the unattentive ; yet certainly , all that has been found worthy of Mankind in Mathematicks , Philosophy , and other kinds of Learning , has been attain'd by thinking Men , or by a frequent and regular Practice of imploying the thoughts : And lest it should be objected , that these various , and Elaborate effects of assiduous meditation were the productions only of Philosophers or other men of speculative heads ; Let us but consider , that though Gallants and Courtiers do seldom love to tire themselves with thinking , and are as seldom fond of writing Books , not to add , fit to write them , and though love be not the fruitfulest Theme that may be pitch'd on , yet that Passion , and some Particulars relating to it , frequently busying their thoughts , and being several wayes consider'd by them , has been display'd and contriv'd ev'n by such writers as I have been just now mentioning , into those numerous Play 's that daily imploy the Stage , and those Voluminous Romances that are too often the only Books which make up the Libraries of Gallants , and fill the Closets of Lady's . He that most truly called himself , the Truth , tells us , that the Devil is not only a Liar , but the Father of Lies , that is , the great Patron and Promoter of falshood , and , as such , he studiously opposes all useful Truths ; not only those for which we must be beholden to Revelation , but those also which may be attain'd by Ratiocination , and the well regulated exercise of our natural Faculty's ; And he were much less an Adversary and an Old Serpent than he is , if his Enmity to God and Man , did not justly make him think that scarce any thing is more his interest than sollicitously to divert men from thinking , and discourage them in it , there being few things whereby he could more effectually oppose at once , both the Glory of God and the good of Men. And sure , if so subtile an Adversary did not think it very much his Interest to be sollicitous about this matter , it could not be that men should choose for a Priviledge , the laying aside that faculty of Meditating which is indeed so much their Priviledge , that , if Experience did not convince the contrary , I could never suspect that the Non-employing of their thoughts could be their Choice rather than their Punishment , and that rational Creatures , especially professing Christianity , should either keep idle , or confine to Employments worse than Idleness ; so noble and improvable a Faculty , that enables an Ingenious Man to pry into the innermost Recesses of mysterious Nature , and discover there so much of the Wisdom ; Power , and Goodness , of the Author , as are most fit to give the Discoverer a high and devout Veneration for those Excellencies . A Faculty , whereby an Inquisitive Soul may expatiate it self through the whole Immensity of the Universe , and be her own Teacher in a thousand cases , where the Book is no less delightful than the Lessons are Instructive . A Faculty ( to conclude ) by whose help the restless mind having div'd to the lowermost parts of the Earth , can thence in a trice take such a Flight , that having travers'd all the corporeal Heavens , and scorn'd to suffer her self to be confin'd with the very Limits of the World , she roves about in the ultra-mundane spaces , and considers how farr they reach . CHAP. III. III. BEsides the two already mention'd Advantages , which the Intellectual part of the Mind may derive from the practice of Occasional Reflections , I should not scruple to add a third , if there were not too just Cause of apprehending , that my Writings may discredit any thing that comes propos'd of that Nature , by no better a Pen , and that the manner of what I am about to deliver , may disparage the Matter . But since , from the Experience ev'n of purblind and dim-sighted Persons , good Perspectives may be , not improperly , nor unsuccessfully , recommended , though their Native and peculiar Debility of Sight keep them from being able to see as clear , and as far , through such Glasses , as other Men can do , if themselves can , by the use of them , do far more than they could without them . I will adventure to speak of an improvement I cannot boast of , lest by suppressing the mention of an Advantage , because I cannot make it , I should seem either Vain , or Envious , as well as Dull . I shall then take notice , that the Meleteticks we are considering , may , where it finds a capable and dispos'd Subject , much improve that nimble and acceptable Faculty of the Mind , whereby some Men have a readiness , and subtilty , in conceiving things , and a quickness , and neatness , in expressing them , all which the custom of speaking comprehends under the name of Wit , which pleasing , and ( if well manag'd ) useful , Quality , the exercise I am discoursing of , may three or four several ways promote . For ( first ) the accustoming ones self to make Extemporal Reflections , and that upon all kind of Occasions , do's by degrees bring the Mind to a readiness of Conception , which keeps a Man from being easily surpris'd by the Subject he has occasion to consider , and enables him oftentimes to surprise his Hearers ; and that such a kind of surprise is one of the most endearing Circumstances of the productions of Wit , he must not have much consider'd the Nature of them , that ignores . Next , the same Exercise inures a Man to draw his Conceptions from the very Nature of the thing he speaks of , which , among those that can judge of Wit , is held a far greater sign of it , than the saying things more specious , and elaborate , that appear to be Antienter than the Occasion , as is usual in Epigrams , and other solemn premeditated pieces of Wit , where oftentimes the Thoughts were not made for the Themes , but before them : Whereas , the suddenness of a good Occasional Reflection , and its congruity to that which gave it Rise , persuades the Hearers , that the Speaker's Wit is of its own growth , and is rather suggested by the Occasion , than barely applied to it . A third way , whereby our Meleteticks may conduce to Wit , is , by bringing those that use to write their Thoughts , to what may be call'd a certain Suppleness of Style ; for when a Man treats of familiar , or of solemn Subjects , he is so much assisted by the received phrases and manners of speaking , that are wont to be imploi'd about them , that being seldome at a loss for convenient expressions , his Wit is seldome distress'd how to furnish him with words fit for his turn . But the Subjects that invite Occasional Reflections , are so various , and uncommon , and oftentimes so odd , that , to accommodate ones Discourse to them , the vulgar and receiv'd forms of Speech will afford him but little assistance , and to come off any thing well , he must exercise his Invention , and put it upon coining various and new Expressions , to sute that variety of unfamiliar Subjects , and of Occasions , that the Objects of his Meditation will engage him to write of : And by this difficult exercise of his Inventive faculty , he may by degrees so improve it , and , after a while , attain to so pliant a Style , that scarce any Thought will puzzle him to fit words to it , and he will be able to cut out Expressions , and make them sit close to such Subjects , as a Person unaccustom'd to such kind of Composures , would find it very difficult to write of , with any thing of propriety . CHAP. IV. IT remains , that I mention one way more , and that a considerable one , whereby the practice of Occasional Reflections may contribute to the Improvement of Wit ; and that is , by supplying Men with store and variety of good Comparisons . How great , and how acceptable , a part of Wit that is , which has the advantage to be express'd by apt Similitudes , every Man 's own experience , if he please to consult it , may , in some measure , inform him . And certainly , there is no one part of Wit that is so generally applicable to all kind of Persons ; for good Comparisons serve equally to illustrate , and to persuade ; the greatest Wits disdain them not , and ev'n ordinary Wits are capable to understand them , and to be affected by them ; and if a Sermon , or a long Discourse , be enrich'd with one apt Comparison , what part soever else be forgotten , that will be sure to be remembred . And , a but plausible Argument , dress'd up in fine Similitudes , shall be more praevalent among the generality of Men , than a Demonstration propos'd in a naked Syllogism ; and therefore , the antient Sages did so much chuse to imploy a Figurative way of delivering their Thoughts , that when they could not furnish themselves with Resemblances fit for their turns , they would devise Parables , and Apologues , to recommend what they said to the attentention and memory of those they would work upon . And those famous Orators , who , though they Liv'd in Common-wealths , did , by their Eloquence , exercise a more than Monarchical Government there , and who , by their inchanting Tongues , rul'd those Warlick people , whose Swords had made them Masters of the World ; those imperial Wits , I say , whose Oratory perform'd such Wonders , performed them chiefly by the help of their happy Comparisons , which alone contributed more to their success , than almost all the other persuasive Figures of their Triumphant Rhetorick : Lucky Comparisons being indeed those parts of Wit , that as well make the strongest Impressions upon the Mind , as they leave the deepest on the Memory . Now , as the being furnish'd with apt Comparisons , do's so very much conduce to the making a Man's Discourses and Writings appear Witty , so there is scarce any thing more fit and likely to supply a Man with store and variety of Comparisons , than the Custom of making Occasional Meditations : For he that uses himself to take notice of the properties and circumstances of most things that Occur to him , and to reflect on many of them , and thereby observes the relations of things to one another , and consequently discerns , how the properties or circumstances of one may be accommodated , by way of Resemblance or Dissimilitude , to somewhat that relates to the other , will often find , besides those things which afford him his Occasional Reflection , divers others , which , though less fit for the Meditation , that invited his taking notice of them , may be very fitly applicable to other subjects , and purposes , and will easily furnish him with Resemblances , wherewith he may , if he pleases , much increase the Books of Similitudes , already extant : And the Comparisons that may be this way lighted on , may sometimes prove strange , and unobvious enough , to be surprising ev'n to Himself , as well as to his Auditors , or his Readers . CHAP. V. BUt , besides those Similitudes , we may be furnish'd with , by the things we observe , without turning them into Occasional Meditations , we may find in those very Subjects , whereon we do make Reflections , Circumstances , that , though improper , or at least unnecessary , to be taken into the Occasional Meditation , may be very fitly accommodateD to other things , and plentifully contribute to the store and variety of Comparisons we lately mention'd ; this must appear so much a Truth , to any that is exercis'd in making Occasional Reflections , that I should perhaps forbear to illustrate it , by any particular example , but that this part of my Discourse recalls into my Mind some Thoughts that were suggested to me , by one of the last Occasions I had , to make Reflections of this Nature . I shall add then , that being all alone , and diverted a pretty while by a sudden storm of Thunder , Lightning , Wind , and Rain , from the imployments I had design'd my self to , I had the unwelcome leisure to make some Reflections upon the rude Objects that obtruded themselves upon my Observation . And the chief thing that presented it self to my Thoughts , was , a resemblance betwixt Prophane or Atheistical wits , and the black Clouds that then over-cast the Sky : For , as those Clouds are rais'd to an elevated Station , and do afford flashes of Light ; so these Irreligious wits are oftentimes conspicuous enough , and may bring forth Notions that are surprising , and instructive ; but as the same Clouds , whil'st they give us but their own momentany Light , obscure ( by darkning the Sky ) and hinder us , as much as they can , from receiving that of the Sun , which reaches further , and is many other ways preferrable to vanishing Coruscations ; so these Wits , whil'st they seem to enlighten those they dazle , with their own new Opinions , do really deprive them of the true Heavenly Light , that would else shine forth to them in the revealed Word of God : And as the Light that we do receive from the Clouds , may dazle and astonish us , but is not sufficient for us to Travel by ; so the admir'd reasoning of these Sophisters may surprise and amaze us , but will never prove sufficient to be , like the Scripture , a constant Lamp unto our feet , and Light unto our paths . And as the Light afforded by such Clouds , is not onely wont to be attended with affrighting Thunder , and hurtful Storms , but burns , and destroys , or at least scorches , and blacks , where it passes , and oftentimes falls upon Churches , Hospitals , Colledges , and brings such frights and ruins wheresoever it comes , that 't were a great deal better Men wanted the Light of such flashes , than that they should be expos'd to such inconveniencies by them : So the insolent and irregular Wits , I am speaking of , do not onely make an unwelcome Noise in the World , but do oftentimes so denigrate the Reputation of them that oppose them , and bear so little respect ev'n to things sacred , or useful to Mankind , without sparing the Church or Seminaries of Learning , if either come in their way , that they do far more Mischiefs by their errors , or their practices , than the little Instruction they give us , is able to make amends for . This , if I forget not , was the substance of the Occasional Meditation , suggested to me by the Storm ; but , besides that , there are in this some particulars , which are not necessary to the Meditation it self , and may be fitly enough accommodated , by way of Comparisons , to other Occasions . I remember , the same Subject ( the Storm ) had other Circumstances in it , fit to afford Similitudes , applicable to other Subjects , and some of them unobvious enough : For instance , 't is not easie to find so illustrious a Comparison , to set forth , how the most contrary Qualities may proceed from the same Subjects , as that which we may be suppli'd with , by considering , that , from the same Clouds , we derive both Light and Darkness ; and a noble Comparison of contraries , conjoyn'd in one Subject , may be borrow'd from the same Clouds , which afford us Lightning , and Rain , shew , that they contain in them two of the eminentest and seldomest consistent contraries of Nature , Fire and Water . And another Comparison may be deriv'd from the differing productions of these Clouds , to illustrate those things which do at once both much good , and much mischief , or sometimes the one , and sometimes the other : For the same Clouds both produce the Thunder , and the Lightning , and thereby blast Trees , kill Men and Beasts , fire Houses , and ruine the noblest Buildings , without sparing Churches themselves ; and , on the other side , plentifully afford us those refreshing and fertilizing Showers , that correct the heat of the sultry Air , and cure the barrenness of the parched Earth . And one that is skill'd in framing Comparisons out of Dissimilitudes , and exercis'd in the other ways of turning and winding of Simile's , may easily enough find , in the Subject we have been considering , Circumstances capable of being conveniently enough accommodated to more subjects and purposes , than I have leisure now to take notice of . And since , as the being able to find the latent resemblance betwixt things seemingly unlike , make up a great part of what we are wont to call Wit ; so the being able to discern the unobvious disparities of things manifestly resembling , is one of the chief things that displays the Faculty , Men call Judgment ; and since both these are very much assisted by the Custom of making Reflections , wherein we must take notice of the several properties , wherein things either are alike , or disagree ; Me-thinks it should not a little manifest the usefulness of our Meleteticks towards the improvement of Men's parts , that they not onely instruct the more serious faculty of the Soul , but sharpen the more subtile . CHAP. VI. IV. BUt the Practice I have all this while been recommending , do's not onely dispose us to Attention , in observing the things that occur to us , and accustom us to reflect on them seriously , and express them fitly , but do's also , though insensibly , suggest to us Ways and Methods , whereby to make the Objects we consider informative to us . For by Example , Analogy , or some of those other ways which we may be invited , on another occasion , to insist on , we are , as it were , led by the hand to the discovery of divers useful Notions , especially Practical , which else we should not take any notice of . And indeed , the VVorld is the great Book , not so much of Nature , as of the God of Nature , which we should find ev'n crowded with instructive Lessons , if we had but the Skill , and would take the Pains , to extract and pick them out : The Creatures are the true Aegyptian Hieroglyphicks , that under the rude forms of Birds , and Beasts , &c. conceal the mysterious secrets of Knowledge , and of Piety . And as Chymists boast of their Elixir , that 't will turn the ignoblest Metals into Gold ; so Wisdome makes all Objects , on which it operates , inrich the Possessor with useful and precious Thoughts : And since , ev'n the illiterate Husbandman can , with the most abject Dung it self , give a flourishing growth to the most useful Grains , to Medicinable herbs , and ev'n to fragrant Flowers ; why may not a wise Man , by the meanest Creatures , and slighted'st Object , give a considerable Improvement to the noblest Faculties of the Soul , and the most lovely Qualities of the Mind ? But the particular Method of deriving Instruction from the Subjects we consider , will be more fit to be particularly insisted on , when we shall have more time , or some other opportunity , to treat of the manner of making Occasional Meditations , and shew , how they may be fetch'd from Example , Analogy , Dissimilitude , Ratiocination , and other Topicks , which we must not now take any further notice of . SECT . IV. CHAP. I. HItherto we have considered the Benefits that may be afforded by the practice of Occasional Meditations to the Intellectual Faculties . We will now proceed to the Advantages that may accrue from the same Practice to the Will and Affections . These advantages being not onely the most valuable in themselves , but those upon whose account I have been engag'd in the present Undertaking . V. The last therefore and greatest Benefit I shall take notice of , in the practice I would invite you to , is , That it awakens good thoughts , and excites good motions , in the Will and Affections . For since we have already manifested , that it is wont to suggest variety of Notions to the Meditator , and such as are usually accompani'd with delight : This friendly property to Devotion , which I now ascribe to our Melecticks , is a very easie and genuine off-spring of the marriage of the two others : The Beams of Knowledge , acquired by such Reflections , having in them , like those of the Sun , not onely Light but Heat . And indeed it were somewhat strange , as well as sad , if a person disposed and accustomed to observe and consider , conversing with such instructive Books as those of God's Creatures and his Providence , with an intention to take out practical Lessons , should not find them . For amid'st that rich variety of Objects that in differing manners proffer themselves to his consideration , and suggest to him a great diversity of Reflections , it cannot reasonably be imagin'd that he should not find subjects or circumstances , that are proper , either to afford him Examples to imitate , or shew him the Danger , or Unhandsomeness , or Inconvenience of some thing that he should avoid , or raise his thoughts and affections Heaven-wards , or furnish him with some new practical consideration , or shew him some known Truth in a varied and delightful dress , or ( at least ) recal some Notions his frailty makes him need to be put in mind of , or , in a word , either refresh his memory , or otherwise cherish his Devotion . Let us suppose a person , who being qualifi'd and accustomed to reflect upon various objects that occur to him , mainly designs , in the exercise of that faculty , the warming of his Affections , and the improvement of his Piety , and we shall scarce doubt , but when he looks about him in the world , he will find it , what one of the Fathers loftily styled it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( a Schole for Rational Souls to learn the knowledge of God. ) There is scarce any thing that Nature has made , or that men do or suffer , though the Theme seem never so low and slight , whence the devout Reflector cannot take an occasion of an aspiring Meditation ; as in a hopeful morning the humble Lark can , from the lowest furrow in the field , take a soaring flight towards Heaven , and ascend thitherward with a melody that delights both her self and her hearers . If such a person considers how amongst such an admirable Variety , and such odd Antipathies of the numberless Creatures that compose the Universe , the constant observation of the Laws of their Nature makes them universally , and , as it were , unanimously , to conspire to make the Author of it appear wonderful in it , he cannot but be willingly possess'd with such an awful admiration of the matchless wisdom of their great Disposer , as made the Psalmist cry out , upon a somewhat what like occasion , * How manifold are thy works , O Lord , how wisely hast thou made them all ? If he have occasion to consider the merciful Dispensations of Divine Providence to the Godly , or to take notice of the severe Inflictions of Divine Justice on the Wicked , he will find himself powerfully engag'd to relie on the one , and to apprehend provoking the other . If he take notice that the World is but our Store-house , and that multitudes of admirable Creatures seem to have had a being given them , principally for the use of undeserving Man , insomuch that many of the Beasts , and Birds , and Fishes , are but our Caters for one another , he will burst out into Mental , if not Vocal , expressions of Thankfulness and Humiliation to the Father of Mercies , for so unmerited and ill returned a Bounty , and will be apt to say with David , What is man that thou takest knowledge of him ? or the son of man that thou makest account of him ? And if he compare this Munificence of God , in daily giving so many Creatures , that never violate the Laws of their Nature , nor endeavour to disappoint him of his Ends in creating them , for the necessities , nay , for the pleasures , of rebellious and unthankful Man , he will resent an ingenuous shame , and a noble disdain , That that Creature should be of all the least grateful that has received the most Benefits , and that he should of all others prove the most unruly , who alone has been endowed with Reason to rule himself withall . If in a Starry night he looks upon the Firmament , and considers how many fixed Stars there are , and how many thousand times more there might be without wanting room , the least of which Astronomers teach us to be far bigger than the whole Earth , which yet , by the probablest computation , contains above ten thousand millions of Cubick German Leagues , ( and consequently above threescore times as many English miles of solid measure ) he will find abundant cause to exclaim with David , When I consider thy Heavens , the work of thy hands , the Moon and Stars which thou hast ordained , What is man that thou should'st be mindful of him , or the Son of man that thou visitest him ? CHAP. II. ANd since our Discourse has led us to the mention of a Text , where the truly inspired Poet ( who , by his omitting to speak of the Sun , seems to have compos'd this Psalm in the night ) makes the Moon the chief subject of his Meditation , it will not perhaps be amiss , if , on this occasion , we add a few short Reflections on the same Theme , and thereby confirm what we lately noted about the differing Reflections , and Similitudes , which may be afforded by the same subject , as its several Attributes may be differingly consider'd . If then , in the first place , when our Contemplator takes notice of the greatest Brightness of the Moon , he remembers too , that 't is when she is at the Full , that she is subject to be Eclips'd , it would put him in mind of the mutability of humane things , and that oftentimes Prosperity proves never the more secure for appearing the more full and resplendent . Next , our Reflector may find in the Moon , a lively Emblem of a true Minister of the Gospel . For , as the Moon communicates to the Earth , the Light , and that onely , which she receives from the Sun ; so the Apostles , and first Preachers of Christianity , and ( in their measure ) their true Successors , communicate to Mankind , the Light , which themselves have receiv'd from the bright Sun of righteousness . And the Similitude may be advanc'd , by adding , that as the Moon shines not on the Earth , with any other Beams , than those she derives from that fountain of Light , the Sun ; so the true Preachers of the Heavenly Doctrine mingle not their own Inventions , or humane Traditions , with that pure and sincere Light of Revelation , they are emploi'd to dispense ; it being safest , and most desirable , for the Church , that Christians should receive the Bread of Life , as the Jews are recorded to have receiv'd the material Bread , in a passage of St. Matthew's Gospel , where 't is said , that Christ first brake , and gave to the Disciples , the Bread , which they afterwards , from Him , distributed to the People ; so that they might each of them , in a literal sence , imploy that expression of St. Paul , I have received of the Lord , that which I delivered unto you . And as though the Moon be destitute of native light , yet by vertue of that borrow'd one , which she plentifully receives from the Sun , she affords more to Men than any of the Stars , which , upon the score of their vast distance from the Sun , are , by modern Naturalists , suppos'd to shine by their own Light , so those illiterate Fisher-men , whom the Sun of Righteousness call'd , and made the Light of the world , did , by vertue of the copious Irradiations he vouchsaf'd them , diffuse far more Light to mankind , than the greatest Philosophers , that , being unassisted by Divine Revelation , had onely their own native beams to shine with . And as oftentimes the same Subject , but variously consider'd , may afford both somewhat fit to be shunn'd , and somewhat fit to be imitated ; so , in that which we suppose our Reflector now considering , he may easily discern the Emblem of an ungrateful person : For as the Moon , though she receive all the Light that ennobles her from the Sun , does yet , when she is admitted to the nearest Conjunction with him , eclipse that bright Planet , to which she owes all her splendour ; so unthankful men abuse those very favours that should endear to them their Benefactors , to the prejudice of those that oblige them . And 't is like that our Reflector may , by the way , take notice , That as what passes betwixt the Moon and the Sun , does thus afford him a Simile , whereby to set forth Ingratitude ; so what passes betwixt the Moon and the Sea , may supply him with an example of the contrary quality , and put him in mind , that a thankful man will be true and obsequious to his Benefactor , though the person that oblig'd him have lost that Prosperity that before made him conspicuous , and attracted vulgar eyes , as the Sea follows the course of the Moon , not onely when she shines upon it with her full Light , but when at the Change she can communicate little or no light to it . To the two above-mentioned Attributes , upon whose account the Moon afforded a comparison for humane Prosperity , and another for Preachers of the Gospel , we will now add , That she may afford us a Similitude to set forth a liberal Person by : For as the Moon freely communicates to the Earth , the Light she receives from the Sun , so the bountiful person imparts to indigent men the Largesses he receives , from the exuberant goodness of God. And as to Intellectual Communications the Parallel will hold further , since as the Moon enjoys not the less of Light , for her imparting so much to the Earth ; so in Mental Communications Liberality does not impoverish , and those excellent gifts cease not to be possess'd , by being imparted . And 't is very possible , ( to add that upon the By ) That after the light of the Moon has ( according to what I lately noted ) represented to our Contemplator the qualifications of a Preacher , it may also put him in mind of the Duty of a Hearer . For , as it were very foolish in us , and unthankful towards the Father of Lights , not to make use of the great Light we receive from the Sun , by the Moon , or not to acknowledge the Moon to be a very useful Creature , upon the score of that Light , wherewith she shines upon the Earth , though , in her , that Light be destitute of Heat ; so it were unwise and ungrateful for Hearers to refuse to acknowledge , or to be guided by , the conspicuous Endowments of Learning and Eloquence , that God vouchsafes to great Scholars , though they themselves were but illustrated , not warmed , by the Beams they reflect . But therefore , as Oysters , and other Shell-fish , are observ'd to thrive at the Increase of the Moon , though her Light be unattended with Heat , and though even when she is at Full , she wants not her spots , so devout Hearers will be careful to prosper proportionably to the Instructions they receive even from those Preachers , whose Illuminations are unaccompani'd with Zeal and Charity , and who , when they shine with the greatest Lustre , are not free from their Darknesses , as to some Points , or from notorious Blemishes . And as the Moon may thus furnish our Contemplator with Similitudes , to set forth both a Vertue and a Vice of the Mind , so may it supply him with an Emblem of its Condition : For as the Light of the Moon is sometimes Increasing , and sometimes in the Wane , and not onely is sometimes totally Eclips'd , but even when she is at the Full , is never free from dark Spots ; so the mind of Man , nay , even of a Christian , is but partly enlighten'd , and partly in the dark , and is sometimes more , and sometimes less , Illustrated by the Beams of Heavenly Light , and Joy , and not alone now and then quite Eclipsed by disconsolate Desertions , but even when it receives the most Light , and shines the brightest , knows but in part , and is in part blemish'd by its native Darknesses , and Imperfections . And these Resemblances are not so appropriated to the mind of Man , but that they might easily be shewn to be applicable to his condition , in point of outward Prosperity , and Adversity . And to these Resemblances other Reflections on the several Adjuncts of the Moon might be also added , together with several Examples of this nature on other Subjects , were it not that I think my self to have spent time enough already upon a Theme , that fell but incidentally under my consideration ; and were it not also , that the Reflections which might here be annex'd upon the Attributes of other Objects , may be more properly subjoyn'd to what may be on another occasion presented you , by way of Illustration of some Particulars , that belong to the fourth part of the precedent Section , in which my haste , and some other reasons , made me content my self , to give some few general Hints about such Reflections , and an Intimation of the Topicks whence I am wont to fetch them . CHAP. III. ANd having given you this Advertisement , en passant , we may now proceed a little further , and add , that if we suppose our Contemplator's thoughts to descend from Heaven to Earth , the far greater multitude and variety of Objects , they will meet with here below , will suggest to them much more numerous Reflections . But because so spacious a Field for Meditation as the whole Earth , would afford us too vast a Theme to be attempted on this occasion , we will confine our Contemplator to his Garden , or rather to any one of the Trees of it , and take notice , not of all the Meditations he might fetch thence , but onely of four or five of the considerablest of those , that the viewing it , may , as he walks by at several times , supply him with . In then , in the Spring of the Year , our Reflector see the Gardener pruning a Fruit-tree , we may suppose him invited by that Object , to reason thus within himself : Though one that were a Stranger to the Art of Gardening , would think , that that Man is an Enemy to this Tree , and goes about to destroy it , since he falls upon and wounds it , with a sharp Iron , and strikes off several of its Youthful parts , as if he meant to cut it in pieces ; yet , he that knows , that the Gardener's arm is not set on work by Anger , but by Skill , will not conclude that he hates the Tree he thus wounds , but that he has a mind to have it Fruitful , and judges these harsh means the fittest to produce that desirable Effect . And thus , whatever a Man , unacquainted with the ways and designs of Providence , may surmise , when he sees the Church not onely expos'd to the common Afflictions of humane Societies , ( for that is but like our Trees being expos'd to be weather-beaten by Winds , and Rain ) but distress'd by such Persecutions , as seem to be Divine Inflictions , that invite Men to say of the Body , what the Prophet fore-told should be said of the Head , We esteem'd him stricken , smitten of God , and afflicted . Whatever , I say , a carnal , or a moral , Man would be apt to imagine , upon sight of the Churches distresses ; the knowing Christian will not from thence infer , that God hates Her , or that he has abandon'd Her , since 't is He , that lov'd his Church so well , as to give Himself for it , who declares , that as many as He loves , He rebukes , and chastens . And this is so fitly applicable also to particular Believers , that the Divine Son of the great * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do's not onely give us cause to think , that Afflictions do not suppose God's Hate , but to hope that they may not always suppose Man's Guilt , but sometimes rather aim at his Improvement ; since they are the memorable words of our Saviour , speaking of his Father , Every branch in me , that beareth not Fruit , he taketh away , and every Branch that beareth Fruit , he purgeth it , that it may bring forth more Fruit. And it may somewhat illustrate the Similitude , to add , that the Husbandman uses onely to prune the Trees of his Garden , not those that grow wild in his Woods : But though he oftner wound these , yet he wounds the other more fatally , imploying but the pruning Hook to pare off the superfluous Twiggs , or , at most , Branches , of the one , whil'st he lays the Ax to the root of the other , to fell the Tree it self . But these are not the onely Thoughts , which the pruning of a Fruit-tree may suggest to our Reflector : For if he considers , That by cutting off several of the parts of the Tree , and by Nailing many of the rest to the Wall , the Gardener do's not onely secure the Tree from being blown down , or torn , by the rudeneness of boisterous Winds , but makes it look well shap'd : So the Divine Husbandman , ( as we have lately seen God stil'd in the Scripture ) by the wise , and seasonable , though seemingly rigorous , and usually unwelcome , Culture , he imploys upon those Children of his whom he afflicts , do's not onely protect them from several dangers , whereto , without those harsh restraints , they would be expos'd ; but as he makes them amends in point of Safety , for what he denies them in point of Liberty , so he adorns them by VVounding them . His kind and skilful stroaks adding as much to the Beauty of a Christian's Mind , as they cut away from the Superfluities of his Fortune : For the pressures of Affliction do give so much smoothness and gloss to the Soul that bears them patiently , and resign'dly , that the Heathen Moralist ventur'd to say , That if there were any Spectacle here below noble enough , and worthy to entertain the Eyes of God , it was that of a Good Man , generously contending with ill Fortune . And the Hyperbole ( though after this manner somewhat loftily expressed ) will appear the less strange to him that considers , That Job had not onely his Patience , when it had been tried to the uttermost , crown'd with a Fortune double to that which had been the fairest in the East ; but before his constancy was tried near so far , receiv'd that much higher recompence of an Honour never vouchsaf'd to Mortals until then , when God himself did not onely approve , but ( if I may so speak with reverence ) make his boast of , a Man. Hast thou consider'd ( says he to Man 's great Enemy ) my Servant Job , that there is none like him in the Earth , a perfect , and an upright Man , one that feareth God , and escheweth Evil ? and still he holdeth fast his Integrity , although thou moved'st me against him to destroy him without cause . Sure one may call him more than happy Job , since , if , as David tells us , the Man is happy whose sins God is pleas'd to cover ; what may that Man be accounted , whose Graces he vouchsafes to proclaim ? CHAP. IV. ANd as the consideration of the pruning of Trees , under the Notion of that which wounds them , may afford our Contemplator the Reflections already pointed at ; so the considering of the same Action , under another Notion , may lead him to Reflections of another Nature : For if he observes , that , in certain cases , Gardeners oftentimes do not onely prune away all the Suckers , and many of the Luxuriant sprigs , but cut off some of the Branches themselves , provided they spare the Master boughs ; and yet these Amputations , though they take much from the Tree , are design'd to add to the Fruit , as accordingly they are wont to do : If , I say , our Reflector takes notice of this , it may easily supply him with an illustration of what he may have observ'd among some Men , who , by Afflictions , ev'n in point of Fortune , are brought to be far more charitable than they would have been , if their peace and plenty had continued unimpair'd . As , besides that Saint Paul , speaking of the Macedonian Churches , gives them this Character , That in a great trial of Affliction , the abundance of their Joy , and their deep Poverty , abounded unto the Riches of their Liberality ; We have in Zacheus a memorable Instance to our present purpose , since , after his Repentance had , by his own consent , cut off from his Estate more than all that Slander , Oppression , and other unjust ways of Getting , ( which us'd to bring in but too great a part of a Publican's ) had added to it ; he gave away more , out of the Remainder of his Estate , than every liberal Man would have done out of the Whole . His Wealth , like a skilfully prun'd Tree bore the more Fruit to Piety ; for having had some parts of it cut away , he grew Rich ( in good works ) by being despoil'd , and his Charity increas'd as much as his Fortune was lessen'd . If , towards the end of the Spring , our Reflector see the Ground under his Tree strowed with the Blossoms , that Time and Winds may have cast down thence , 't is like it would furnish him with this consideration , That , as though the Blossoms are in themselves great Ornaments to a Tree , and oftentimes both useful and pleasant things , yet to be seasonably depriv'd of them , is not a mischief to the Tree that loses them ; since , till the Blossoms are gone , the Fruit , which is a better and more lasting thing , and more principally intended by Nature , cannot be had : So it will not always follow , that because certain things are in their kind desirable , and therefore may be reckoned among Goods , the loss or depravation of them must necessarily be an Evil. And so , though a fair and healthy Body may be look'd upon as a Blessing , yet it will not follow , that a Death ( as the Scripture speaks ) either in or for the Lord , because it throws this flourishing Body to the Ground , and makes it rot there , must needs be a deplorable Evil ; since , as the Blossoms falling off , is , according to the course of Nature , necessarily praevious to the formation , or at least the perfection , of the Fruit : So the being depriv'd of this Life , is , according to God's Ordination , a necessary Antecedent to our being inrich'd with those more solid and durable blessings of perfect Virtue and Happiness . And if , whil'st our Contemplator's Tree is adorn'd with Leaves , as well as Blossoms , ( as we often see several of the former come before all the latter are gone ) he chance to take notice how busie the Bees are in sucking these , whil'st they leave the others untouch'd , he may peradventure make this , or some such other Reflection on it ; That , though the Leaves be not onely Ornaments of a Tree , but Productions , often useful to shade and shelter the Fruit , and are of a more solid Texture , and a more durable Nature than the Blossoms , which seem to be of a slighter make , and rather gawdy and delightful than lasting ; yet 't is not about the Leaves , but the Blossoms , that the industrious Bee assiduously imploys her time , as sucking from those gawdy productions of the Tree , store of that Honey which the Leaves would not afford her . Thus , though the Books written about Dogmatical and Controversial points in Divinity , may be in their kind valuable and useful productions of skill in Theology , and may seem more strong and substantial Composures , and likely to retain their Reputations longer , than Books of Devotion ; yet 't is of these , rather than those , that the devout Christian will be a sollicitous Peruser ; since 't is not from barren , though solid Assertions or Disputes , but from florid and pathetical Books of Devotion , which first allure the Reader , and then affect him , that the devout Soul extracts her Honey , I mean those Caelestial pleasures that result from , as well as maintain , a free communion with God , which does at once both exercise her Devotion , and recompense it , and afford her , as Flowers do the Bee , an Aliment equally Nutritive and Delicious . And he may somewhat illustrate , as well as continue , the Allusion further , by considering , That Silk-worms that live upon Leaves , and Bees that feed on Flowers and Blossoms , do indeed both of them thrive upon their respective Aliments , and are thereby enabled to present Men with useful productions , but with this difference ; That the subtil threds of Silk-worms serve principally to cloath others , whereas the Honey that is elaborated by the Bee , does not onely supply others with a healing and cleansing Medicine in some Distempers , but affords a great deal of pleasure to the Bee her self : For thus , though as well the diligent Studiers of Speculative and Polemical Divinity , as the careful Perusers of Books of Devotion , may be advantag'd by what they Study , yet this difference may be observ'd betwixt them , that the former may , by the Discourses they read , be assisted to write others of the like Nature , whereby their Readers may be enabled to talk with more Acuteness , and Applause , but the latter may not onely be assisted by making such Composures as they assiduously converse with , to contribute to the cleansing of Men's Consciences from Dead works , and as well pacific the troubles of their Minds , as heal the Wounds which Schism or Scandal may have given to the Church ; but do often , in the first place , feel themselves all the Joys , and Advantages , they would procure to others , and they happily find Pious Reflections , Devout Soliloquies , Ardent Ejaculations , and other Mental Entertainments of a Religious Soul , to be of a Nature not onely so sweet , but so improving , and so advantageous , that whil'st many other laudable Imployments recommend us to the Students of Theology , these more especially recommend us to the Author of it , and indear us to God himself . If when our Fruit-tree has chang'd its white Livery for a Green , our Considerer chance to take notice how thick 't is set with Leaves , of which it had not one some Moneths before , it may possibly put him in mind of the Instability of their condition , that are undeservedly envied for a Numerous train of such seeming Friends , and gawdy Attendants , as are so to the Fortune , rather than the Person : For , as in the Sun-shiny moneths of Summer , when the fair weather would keep the Tree warm enough without the help of Leaves , it is wont to be cover'd with those Verdant Ornaments , but loses them all in Winter , when it needs their shelter from the Rigors of that Cold season : So those , that during the Sun-shine of prosperity , are beset with seeming Friends , of which they had no need , find themselves left naked , and forsaken of them all , when Adversity would make their Company of some Advantage . If our Contemplator chance to observe how his Tree flourishes with verdant Leaves , and gawdy Blossoms , at that Season of the Year , when it is providing to bring forth Fruit , it may put him in mind of the pleas'dness and alacrity , with which a Charitable person should set himself to the doing of good , and mind him , That as the God of Nature loves a cheerful Giver , so the temper of a liberal Person is pointed out by Nature her self , in a Tree , which seems to triumph in all the Ornaments it can put on , when it is about to exhaust the greatest part of its own stock of Sap to produce Fruits which onely others are to eat . If he take notice of the order wherein 't is usual for the Leaves and Blossoms to precede the Fruit , it may possibly invite him to look with a more favourable Eye upon the green and immature Essays of early Writers , if they discover , that the Author aims at good things , though he does not yet perform great ones : For , however these Youthful productions of the Pen are commonly rather pleasing and florid , than otherwise considerable , yet if they be good for their Season , and in their Kind , though that kind it self be not of the usefullest , they may deserve pardon , and perhaps incouragement ; since , though they be not yet solid , they may promise something that will be so ; and ev'n the best Trees present us their Blossoms , before they give us their Fruit. If the same Contemplator happens to see young people first shake the Tree in vain , and then climb it to gather unripe Fruit , it may afford him a representation of Men's over-eager and untimely persuits of several desirable things , and especially of Honour : For , as green Fruit , though of a good Kind , will not easily be shaken down by them that would gather it , but reduces them either to climb the Tree , or forcibly strike it off , which commonly bruises , and disfigures what it procures ; and as the Fruit , when thus obtain'd , is but sowr , and unwholsome , being neither sweetned nor concocted by Maturity , so that it usually both sets the Teeth on edge , and breeds Sickness in the Body , whereas , if the same Fruit were let alone till it were fully Ripe , and in Season , it would both readily drop into the Eater's mouth , and prove delicious , and more wholsome Food : So , when we greedily pursue after Honour , and Pleasure , of which this Life is not the proper Season , we not onely meet with Difficulties in acquiring them , but find not , in possessing them , either that Satisfaction , or that Advantage , that the Eagerness of our unruly Appetites promises us ; whereas , if we would stay contentedly till God's time be come , ( which is always the best , and fittest ) we should not steal , or force , but receive unfading Honours , and uncloying Delights , by being presented with Incorruptible Crowns of Glory , by him , with whom there is fulness of Joy , and at whose right hand ( the Station design'd for those that overcome the World's Allurements , and their own Impatience ) there are Pleasures for evermore ; that is , Eternal ones . Lastly , if towards the end of Summer , or of Autumn , our Reflector , coming to visit his Instructive Tree , find it present him store of Fruit , and perhaps observes it to be grown taller since the last Winter , each Bough will afford him a lively Emblem of a true Believer . For , as the loaded Branch makes use of the moisture it attracts from the dirty ground , to recede as much as it can from the Earth , and spends its sap in shooting up towards Heaven , and bearing Fruit for Men : so the devout Christian improves the Blessings he receives of this inferiour World , to elevate his mind above it : And the use that he makes of earthly Goods , and Advantages , is to raise his grateful Soul nearer to God , and dispense them by works of Charity to men . CHAP. V. THese ( Sophronia ) are some , and but some , of the Thoughts , which the Occasional Consideration of a Fruit-tree might suggest to a Considering Person . And if we should lead our Reflector from the Garden to the Woods , or to the River side , or into the Fields , or to the Street , or to a Library , or to the Exchange , or , in a word , to I know not how many other places I could name , I have some reason to think , that each of them would supply him with variety of Occasional Meditations . Wherefore , since the want of Themes will not , 't is fit that somewhat else should , place Bounds to this Discourse . And since , by finding , that I my self begin to be weary of writing , I have too much cause to fear that you are quite tir'd with reading , I think it high time to hasten to a Conclusion : Onely , before I make one , I must do our Meleteticks the right to advertise you , that you would do them wrong if you should imagine , that in the pass'd Discourse I have either carefully enumerated , or fully displai'd , the Advantages , which a devout and ingenious Contemplator may derive from the Exercise of the ways of Thinking I have been treating of . For , though I have in the past Discourse , especially those parts of it that are contain'd in the 3 d precedent , and in this present 4 th Section , said enough to recommend the Subject to any that is not much indispos'd to be prevail'd with ; yet I will not deny , but that , even in those two Sections , I have left much unsaid . For , besides the several Advantages and ways of making Occasional Meditations already pointed at , there are other accounts upon which the practice I would persuade may both benefit a pious Soul , and be made use of by an ingenious one . For the respects one thing may have to another are so numberless , and the mind of a rational man , vers'd in Meditations , may compound and disjoyn Notions so many ways , and may make such Inferences from them , and such Applications of them , that it frequently happens , that besides the Reflection , suggested by that which gave the first Rise to his Meditations , he lights upon Conceipts differing enough from them , and perhaps better than they : As when Hounds , hunting a Hare , meet in their way with a Stag. For , though Philosophers seem to have justly enough rejected the Opinion , attributed to Plato , That all Knowledge is but Reminiscence , yet certainly the Mind of a Man well furnish'd with variety of Notions , is , by the Analogy or Contrariety of Things and Notions , in reference to each other , so easily and readily excited to lay them together , and discourse upon them , that he is oftentimes by any sleight occasion helped to light ( and that with a strange and almost surprizing facility ) upon things that he would else have scarce taken the least notice of . When the Mind is once set on work , though the Occasion administred the first Thoughts , yet those thoughts themselves , may , as well as the Object that excited them , become the Themes of further Meditation : and the Connection of Thoughts within the Mind , may be , and frequently is , so latent , and so strange , that the Meditator will oftentimes admire to see how far the Notions he is at length lead to , are removed from those which the first Rise of his Meditation suggested . And by these Incidental Excursions he may sometimes be as much delighted and surpris'd , as Samson was , when going aside to look upon the Carcass of a Lion , he met with a Stock of Honey . But I can add one thing towards the inducing you to exercise your self in the way of Thinking , we have all this while been speaking of , which though I had almost forgot to take notice of , it will , I doubt not , seem important to Sophronia , to whom it need not be a discouragement from aiming at one of the noblest uses of Occasional Reflections , that it supposes not a bare acquaintance with them , but springs from an entire and ( if I may so speak ) intimate familiarity with our Meleteticks . For this use of Occasional Meditations , though it do but gradually differ from some of those that have been already mentioned , will perhaps by the devout ( and consequently by Sophronia ) be esteemed the highest Advantage that this way of Thinking can confer ; and it is , That the custom of making Occasional Reflections may insensibly , and by unperceiv'd degrees , work the Soul to a certain frame , or temper , which may not improperly be called Heavenly Mindedness , whereby she acquires an aptitude and disposition to make pious Reflections upon almost every Occurrence , and oftentimes without particularly designing it . But as this privilege will , as I was intimating , scarce fall to the share of any but those that , by long or frequent Exercise , have so accustom'd their minds to reflect upon what they see , that they continue that practice , as it were , of their own accord ; so when once , by such a constant kindness and hospitableness to such thoughts , that they will , as it were , come to the mind without calling , and make themselves its guests , without particular Invitations , the Soul has attain'd that desirable Frame we lately call'd Heavenly mindedness , which is a Disposition and a Readiness to make Spiritual uses of Earthly things , both the Advantage and the Delight of that frame of heart cannot but be extraordinary . It must surely afford a great deal of satisfaction to an Ingenious and Devout person , to be able to make the world both his Library and his Oratory . And which way soever he turns his eyes ( not onely upon unobvious things , but even upon the most familiar ones ) to behold something that instructs , or that delights him . And to find that almost every object that presents it self to his notice , presents also good Thoughts to his Mind , to be gather'd with as much Innocency and Pleasure , and with as little prejudice to the things that afford them , as Honey is gather'd by the industrious Bee from the differing Flowers she meets with in her way . Certainly , if we would carefully lay hold on , and duly manage , this help , it would prove a powerful Remedy to prevent or cure much of that Dulness and Drousiness , that do so frequently smother or blemish our Devotion . There would scarce any thing pass us , out of which we would not strike some spark or other of that Heavenly Fire , or that would not contribute something , either to kindle it , or to feed it , or to revive it . If but half the pretious time we impertinently trifle , or squander away , upon Employments that will be sure to cost us either Tears or Blushes , were carefully laid out in the cultivating of this kind of Thoughts , it might often save our Ministers the labour of insisting so long upon the Uses of their Doctrines , when the whole VVorld would be a Pulpit , every Creature turn a Preacher , and almost every Accident suggest an Use of Instruction , Reproof , or Exhortation . No Burial but would toll a Passing-bell to put us in mind of our Mortality : No Feast but would make us aspire to the Marriage-feast of the Lamb : No Cross but would add to our Desires to be dissolv'd and to be with Christ : No Mercy but would be a fresh Engagement unto Obedience to so good a Master as the Author of it : No Happiness of others , but would prove an Encouragement to serve him that can give That , and much greater : No Misery of others , but would awake and heighten our Gratitude , that we are priviledg'd from It : No Sin in our Neighbours , that would not disswade us from what we see look'd so unhandsomely in others : Nor any Virtue of theirs , but would excite our Emulation , and spur us on to imitate or surpass It. In a word , when the devout Soul is come to make that true use of the Creatures , as to look upon them as men do upon water , that the Sun gilds with his Beams , that is , not so much for it self as for the Reflective vertue it has to represent a more glorious Object ; and when she has , by long practice , accustom'd her self to spiritualize all the Objects and Accidents that occur to her , I see not why that practice may not be one of the most effectual means for making good that magnificent Assertion of the Apostle , That all things work together for good to them that love God. A devout Occasional Meditation , from how low a Theme soever it takes its Rise , being like Jacob's Ladder , whereof though the foot lean'd on the Earth , the top reach'd up to Heaven . OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS . The I. SECTION . REFLECTION I. Upon his manner of giving Meat to his Dogg . IGnorantly thankfull Creature , thou begg'st in such a way , that by what would appear an antedated Gratitude , if it were not a designless Action , the manner of thy Petitioning , before-hand rewards the Grant of thy Request ; thy Addresses and Recompence being so made and order'd , that the Meat I cast thee may very well feed Religion in me . For , but observe this Dogg , I hold him out Meat , and my inviting Voice loudly encourages and invites him to take it : 'T is held indeed higher than he can Leap ; and yet , if he Leap not at it , I do not give it him ; but if he do , I let it fall half way into his Mouth . Not unresemblingly deals God with us ; He shews and holds forth to us ( the Soul 's true Aliment ) Eternal Glory , and his most Gracious Word summons and animates us to attempt it . Alas ! it is far above the reach of our Endeavours , and our Deserts , and yet if we aspire not to it , and strive not for it , in vain do we expect it ; but if we faithfully do what in us lies , and our Endeavours strain themselves to their utmost , God mercifully allows the VVill for the Effect , measures our performances by what they aim'd at , and favourably accepting what we can do , for what we should do , He supplies the imperfections of our faint , but yet aspiring Attempts , by stooping Condescentions ; and what our Endeavours want of reaching up to , his Grace and Acceptation brings down . Piety is the condition , though not the price , of Heaven ; and ( like the VVedding Garment in the Parable ) though it give us not a Right to the Beatifick Feast , is , yet , that without which none shall be admitted as a duely qualify'd Guest : For though we cannot reach Heaven by our good Works , we shall not obtain it without them . REFLECTION . II. Upon his distilling Spirit of Roses in a Limbick . ONe that knew how well I love the scent of Roses , and were ignorant of the Uses of this way of Distillation , would , questionless , think me very ill advis'd , thus hastily to deprive my self of the Flowers I most love , and employ Art to make them wither sooner than Nature would condemn then to do ; but those that know , both the fading condition of Flowers , ( which , unimprov'd by Art , delight but whilst they are , what they cannot long be , fresh ) and the exalting Efficacy of this kind of Distillation , will think this Artificial way , that Chymists take , of spoiling them , is an effect as well of their Providence as their Skil : For that pleasing and sprightly scent , that makes the Rose so welcome to us , is as short-liv'd and perishing , as the Flower , that harbours it , is fading ; and though my Limbick should not , yet a few days inevitably would , make all these Roses wither . But by this way of ordering my Roses , though I cannot preserve them , I can preserve that Spirituous and Ethereal part of them , for whose sake it is , that I so much prize and cherish this sort of Flowers ; which , by this means , I preserve , not indeed in the fading Body , but in the nobler and abstracted Quintessence ; which purer and lastinger Portion of them , will be more highly fragrant than ordinary Roses are wont to be , ev'n whilst they are fresh , in that Season , when those Flowers , that have not been thus early and purposely destroy'd , will , according to the course of Nature , whereto they are left , wither and putrifie . Thus he that sees a charitable Person , liberally part with that Money , which others are so fond of , if he be a stranger to the Operations of Faith , and the Promises of the Gospel , he will be apt to mistake the Christian's Liberality for Folly , or Profusion , and to think that he is fallen out with his Money : But he that remembers how clear a Prospect , and how absolute a Disposal of the future , the Scripture of Truth ( to use an Angel's expression ) ascribes to him , that bid his Disciples make themselves Friends with the uncertain ( or unfaithfull ) Mammon , ( for so the use I sometimes meet with of the Greek word , together with the Context , invites me to render it ) That when we fail , they may receive us into everlasting Habitations ; and he that shall likewise consider , not only the transitory Nature of VVorldly Possessions , ( from which their Perishing , or ours , will be sure e'r long to Divorce us ) but the inestimable Advantage , with which we shall receive in Heaven whatever we employ in pious Uses here on Earth , will conclude this way of parting with our VVealth , the surest and gainfullest way of preserving it ; since the Christian , by parting but with what ( however ) he could not long keep , shall , through God's munificent Goodness , obtain a much more valuable Treasure , that he shall never lose : So that thus to sacrifise Wealth to Charity , is not an early loss of it , but the right way of securing it ; for by this gainfull way , when we shall , in another VVorld , be past the possibility of possessing our Riches in Kind , such an Employment of them may help us to enjoy them , though not in the capacity of Riches , yet in that noble capacity of Goods , under which Notion alone they are desirable ; and thus laid up , they may there procure us , what they could never here afford us , Happiness . REFLECTION III. Upon his being in great Danger wandring , on Mendip Hills , among cover'd Lead Mines that he knew not of . HOw have I travell'd all this while upon the Brink of the Grave ! I thought only to be out of my Way , but little dream'd to be so near the end of all my Journeys , in that of my Life ; by Traversing to and fro amongst those deep and cover'd Pits , upon any one of which if my Horse had but chanc'd to stumble , ( and the very Mine-men I at length met with , think it a kind of Miracle he did not ) I had been Kill'd and Bury'd at once , and my Fate had been for ever as much conceal'd from my Friends as my Body : And all this escape a VVork so totally of God's Goodness , that I did not so much as know my Danger till I was past it ; so that it seem'd , sent , but to give me occasion of rejoycing in my Deliverance . How vast a Debt of Gratitude then do I owe to God ? and how extremely do I fall short of acquitting my self of it ? since , besides , that I make him but very unsuitable Returns for the Blessings I know I have receiv'd , I receive from him signal Blessings , that I do not so much as know of , and which consequently I am very unlike particularly to acknowledge . But this gracious Rescue , from so great and unexpected a Hazard , shall , I hope , teach me henceforth to beware , both of security , since I often fall into Dangers that I know not , and of Distrusts of God's Providence , since I have found it so watchfull to deliver me from those that I fear'd not . REFLECTION IV. His Horse stumbling in a very fair way . HEre is a patch of way , to which any less smooth than a Bowling-green were rugged , and in which it seems not only so unlikely , but so difficult , for a Horse to trip , that nothing could have made me believe a Horse could have stumbled here , but that mine has dangerously done so . This Jade has this very Evening carry'd me safely through ways , where stumbles were so much to be expected , that they were to have been forgiven ; and now in a place so smooth , that sure he could not faulter in it , only out of Curiosity and Trial , he falls under me so Lubberly , that I as much admir'd my Escape as Danger : But 't is too usual with us , unfaultringly to traverse Adversities rough ways , and stumble in Prosperities smoothest paths . The Observation is almost as Old as Prosperity , That Fortune ruins more Persons whilst she Embraces them , than whilst she would Crush them : But though the Observation be very common , it is not more so , than 't is to see ev'n those that make it , add to the instances that justifie it . I have seldome yet been so fortunate as to be obnoxious to that less frequently pittied than disarming Danger : Fortune has seldome yet vouchsaf'd to turn Syren to pervert me ; and she has hitherto given me much more Exercise for my Constancy than for my Moderation . I think too , that without slandering my self , I may confess , that I have sometimes wisht my self in the Lists with that bewitching Enemy , Prosperity ; and increas'd the Number of those many , who never think so fair an Adversary formidable till they find themselves Vanquish'd by her : But upon second Thoughts , I judge it better , to leave the choice of my Antagonist to him , who not only best knows my Strength , but gives it me ; especially , when I consider , that as we are all of us naturally such Stumblers , that ( as Solomon speaks in somewhat another sence ) even the just Man falls seven times a Day , Pro. 24. 16. so it is observ'd in Stumblers , that they are most so in fair way ; into which , if Providence lead my steps , I shall think it seasonable to pray , and lead us not into Temptation ; and shall not think it unseasonable to remember , That Ice is at once the smoothest and the slipperest of ways , and that ( the Jadishness of our Natures well consider'd ) there is no way wherein we ought to Travel with more heed , than that whose treacherous Evenness would divert us from taking heed to our way . REFLECTION V. Upon two very miserable Beggars , begging together by the High-way . BEhold this fore-most Wretch , whose strange Deformity and ghastly Sores equally exact our Pity and our Horrour ; he seems so fit an Object for Compassion , that not to exercise it towards him can scarce proceed from any other Cause than the not having any at all : The sadness of his Condition is augmented by his want of Eyes to see it ; and his Misery is such , that it calls for an increase of Pitty , by his being so Distracted , as to desire a longer Life , or rather longer Death : He sues more movingly to the Eye than to the Ear ; and does Petition much less by what he says , than what he is : Each several Member of his tortur'd Body is a new Motive to Compassion , and every Part of it so loudly pleads for Pitty , that ( as of Scoulds ) it may ( in another sence ) be said of him , that he is all Tongue . But yet this other Beggar thinks not his Condition the less deplorable for his Companions being the more so : He finds in the Diseases of his Fellow as little Consolation , as Cure ; nor does he at all think himself supply'd with a deficient hand , because the other wants one . And therefore , he is as importunate for Relief , as if all Miseries were not only heap'd on him , but confin'd to him : His fellows Burthen lightens not his Load ; and if Fortune never had persecuted any other , he could not more deplore nor resent her Persecutions ; so that , if we should judge of their Miseries rather by the Ear than by the Eye , this latter's sadder Complaints would move us to decree him the Advantage in point of Wretchedness . Translate now ( O my Soul ) all this unto Spirituals ; and as we measure the straightness of Lines , not by a Ramms Horn , but a Ruler ; so be not thou so Rash , as to infer thy Health from others more forlorn and desperate Diseases : Let not the greater difficulty of another's Cure , lessen the sollicitousness of thy Care for thine , nor make thee the less earnest in the Imploring and Labouring for Relief . In so deprav'd an Age as Ours , one may ( and perhaps in vain too ) search Hell to find wickeder Men than are to be , but too frequently , met with upon Earth : He will scarce be innocent , that will think himself so as long as he finds a Man more culpable than he ; and he shall scarce ever judge himself Guilty , whom the sight of a Guiltier will absolve : Nor will that Man ( till 't is perhaps too late ) be apt to attempt an Escape from the Pollutions of the World , that stays till he can see none more inextricably intangl'd in them than himself . Do not therefore , O my Soul , content thy self with that poor comparative Innocence that in Heaven ( which it will never bring thee too ) has no place , by reason of the absence of all vitious Persons ; and in Hell it self ( which it secures not from ) can afford only the ill Natur'd consolation of not being altogether as Miserable as the wretchedest Person in that place of Torment . REFLECTION VI. Sitting at ease in a Coach that went very fast . AS fast as this Coach goes , I sit in it so much at Ease , that whilst its rapid Motion makes others suspect that I am running for a VVager , this lazy Posture , and this soft Seat , do almost as much invite me to Rest , as if I were A-bed . The hasty VVheels strike fire out of the Flints they happen to run over , and yet this self-same swiftness of these VVheels , which , were I under them , would make them Crush my Bones themselves into Splinters , if not into a Jelly , now I am seated over them , and above their reach , serves but to carry me the faster towards my Journey 's end . Just so it is with outward Accidents , and Conditions , whose restless Vicissitudes but too justly and too fitly resemble them to VVheels : VVhen they meet with a Spirit that lies prostrate on the Ground , and falls Groveling beneath them , they disorder and oppress it : But he , whose high Reason , and exalted Piety , has , by a noble and steddy Contempt of them , plac'd him above them , may enjoy a happy and a setled Quiet , in spight of all these busie Agitations , and be so far from resenting any prejudicial discomposure from these inferiour Revolutions , that all those changes , that are taken for the Giddy turns of Fortune's VVheel , shall serve to approach him the faster to the blest Mansion he would arrive at . REFLECTION VII . Upon the Sight of a Wind-mill standing still . Genorio , Eusebius , Lindamor . Gen. YOur Eyes , Gentlemen , have been so long fix'd upon this Wind-mill , that in spight of the Barrenness of the Subject , I cannot but suspect it may have afforded one , or each of you ▪ an Occasional Meditation . Euseb . To justifie your Conjecture , Genorio , I will confess to you , That I was considering with my self , that if one , who knew not the Miller's Trade , and Design , should look upon this Structure , he would think the Owner worthy of so incommodious a Mansion , if not of a Room in Bedlam ; for we see he has chose to erect this Fabrick in a Solitary place , and upon the cold and bleak top of a swelling Ground , where nothing shelters it from the Violence of a Wind , whilst its high Scituation exposes it to the successive Violences of them all : But he that is acquainted with the Exigencies of the Miller's Design , and Trade , will think he has made a very proper choice , in scating himself in a place where no Wind can blow , that he shall not be able to make an Advantage of . And having consider'd this , Genorio , my Thoughts , when you interrupted them , were making this Application of it , That we ought not to be too forward to censure Men , otherwise Virtuous , and Discreet , for engaging themselves upon some accounts to troublesome and unsettling Employments ; for if th' end be not mischosen , the means are to be estimated by their tendency thereunto ; and though a calmer condition of Life , might be in it self more desirable , yet when a more expos'd one , can make him that is qualify'd for such Employments more serviceable in his Generation , this may , upon that account , be more Eligible than the other , since , as it exposes him to more hardships , so , in those very hardships , it affords him more Opportunities of prosecuting his Aims , so that his Station is recommended to him by those very Circumstances that make other Men dislike it . Gen. But may not I also know what Thoughts this worthy Theme suggested to Lindamor ? Lind. I was , Genorio , taking notice , that this whole Fabrick is indeed but a large Engine , where almost every thing , as well as the Sails and the Wheels , is fram'd and fitted for the Grinding of Corn : But , though this whole Structure be Artificially enough contriv'd , yet it can now do nothing in order to its end , for want of such a light and Airy thing as a breath of VVind , to put all this into Motion ; And , Genorio , this VVind-mill , thus consider'd , brought into my Mind the condition of a great Lord , that you and I not long since Visited , and who is far from being the only Person to whom the Reflection may be applicable ; for one that not knowing his Humour , and his Aims , should see how great a Provision his plentifull Fortune , and his Skil to manage it , have laid together , of those things which are wont to be thought the chiefest Instruments ( and perchance the chief Parts ) of Happiness , would be apt to envy his Condition , as discerning nothing that is wanting to it . But alas ! the Man expects and covets Esteem , and Reputation ; and though Fame have these Resemblances to the VVind , that 't is an Airy and Unsolid thing , which we must receive from others , and which we are not only unable to procure for our selves , but know not how long we shall keep it when we have it , yet the want of this alone makes all the rest utterly insufficient for his satisfaction . Thus the not so Great , as Ambitious Alexander , after all the Blood he had spilt in Conquering the VVorld , is said to have shed Tears , that he had Conquer'd but one , when a Philosopher told him there were more . And all the Favours that the greatest Potentate upon Earth , could heap upon proud Haman , were , by his own Confession , unable to make him think himself happy , as long as he could not neglect a Captives neglect of him ; all his Greatness did him no good , if but one Man had the Courage not to Bow to it ; and an unsatisfy'd Appetite of Revenge , quite spoild the Rellish of the great Monarch's Favours , and the fair Hester's Banquets . Nor do I doubt , Genorio , that we often marvel , if not repine , at Providence upon a great Mistake ; for by refusing to be God's Servants , Men usually become ▪ so to their own unruly Passions , and Affections . And therefore , we often very causelesly Envy the Great and Rich , as if they were as happy as the Advantages vouchsaf'd them , would make a wise and good Man ; whereas perhaps the Man courts a Reputation , that is not to be acquir'd by what Men have , but by what they are , and do ; or else he is in love with a Lady that loves not him , or loves another better : And the Coyness of a Mistress , the greater Title of a Neighbour , or some such trifling accident , that another would either not be subject to , or not be much concern'd for , will keep him from Enjoying any of those very things , for which By-standers Envy him : So just it is , that in Estimating a Man's condition , we should not only consider what Possessions he has , but what Desires . REFLECTION VIII . Upon his Paring of a rare Summer Apple . HOw prettily has curious Nature painted this gawdy Fruit ? Here is a green that Emeralds cannot , and Flora's self might boast : And Pomona seems to have affected , in the fresh and lively Vermilion that adorns this smooth Rind , an Emulation at Rubies themselves , and to have aim'd at manifesting , That she can give her Vegetable productions , as Lovely , and Orient , though not as lasting , Colours as those that make Jewels pretious Stones ; and if , upon the hearing the Praises this Scarlet deserves ▪ her Blushes ennoble her own Cheeks with so Vivid a Colour ▪ perhaps such a Livery of her Modesty might justifie her Pride . In a word , such pure and tempting Green and Red dye this same polish'd Skin , that our Vulgar boldness must be no longer question'd , for rendring that Fruit an Apple , that inveagled our first Parents : But though these winning Dyes delight me strangely , they are Food for my Eye alone , and not my Stomach ; I have no Palate for Colours , and to rellish this Fruit well , and know whether it performs to the Taste what it promises to the Sight , and justifie that Platonick definition which styles Beauty the Lustre and Flower of Goodness ; all this Gay out-side is cut and thrown away , and passes but for Parings . Thus in Opinions , though I look with Pleasure on that neat fashionable Dress , that smoother Pens so finely Cloath them with , and though I be delighted with the pretty and spruce Expressions , that Wit and Eloquence are wont to trick them up with ; yet when I mean to examine their true Rellish , that , upon liking , I may make them mine , I still strip and devest them of all those flattering Ornaments ( or cheating Disguises rather ) which so often conceal or mis-represent their true and genuine Nature , and ( before e'r I swallow them ) after they have been admitted by the more delusible faculty we call Fancy , I make them pass the severer scrutiny of Reason . REFLECTION IX . Upon his Coaches being stopt in a narrow Lane. HEre , for ought I can guess , my stay is like to be long enough , to afford me the leisure of a Reflection on it : For I have found already , in this narrow Lane , a very large Scene to exercise my Patience in ; and this Churlish Dray-man seems resolv'd to be as tedious to me , as Ludgate-hill is to his Horse , when his Cart is overloaden . They that are going on Foot to the same place this Coach should carry me to , find not their Passage hindred , or their Way obstructed by that which keeps me here ; and were I dispos'd to leave my Coach behind , and Foot it after them , I might in their Company sooner reach the place my Designs and Affairs call me to , than I shall ( probably ) be supply'd with hopes of getting quickly out from hence . Alas ! How frequently falls it out thus in our Journeys towards Heaven ? Those whom their adverse Fortune , or a Noble Scorn , hath stript of , or releas'd from , these troublesome and intangling Externals , may tread the Paths of Life nimbly , and cheerfully , being unstopt by many Obstacles , that intercept the Progresses of others . But those stately Persons , whose Pride or Effeminacy will not permit them to move an Inch towards Heaven , unless they may be carry'd thither in Pleasure's easie Coaches , and who will not bate a Superfluity , or lay by the least Circumstance or Punctilio of Grandezza , to lessen themselves into a capacity of entring in at the strait Gate , may soon find these treacherous and over-lov'd Conveniences turn'd into cumbersome Cloggs , and real Impediments , that will , if not Block up , at least Obstruct the passage to the Seat of so much Joy ; that ev'n to be cast Ashore there , by Shipwrack , were a Blessing ; and that he is thought unworthy to be admitted there , that cannot think it his Happiness to reach that place himself , though he leave all behind him to get thither . REFLECTION X. Looking through a Perspective Glass upon a Vessel we suspected to give us Chase , and to be a Pyrat . THis Glass does indeed approach the distrusted Vessel , but it approaches her only to our Eyes , not to our Ship ; if she be not making up to us , this harmless Instrument will prove no Loadstone to draw her towards us , and if she be , it will put us into a better readiness to receive her . Such another Instrument in relation to Death , is the Meditation of it ; ( by Mortals so much , and so causelesly , abhorr'd ) for though most Men as studiously shun all Thoughts of Death , as if , like nice Acquaintances , he would forbear to Visit where he knows he is never thought of , or as if we could exempt our selves from being Mortal , by forgetting that we are so ; yet does this Meditation bring Death nearer to us , without at all lessening the real distance betwixt Us and Him : If that last Enemy be not yet approaching us , this innocent Glass will no more quicken his pace , than direct his steps ; and if he be , without hastning his Arrival , it will prepare us for his Reception : For my part , my Beardless Chin allows me to presume , that by the course of Nature , I have yet a pretty stock of Sand in the upper part of my Hour-glass ; Wherefore , though I am too Young to say with Isaac , behold , now I am Old , And I know not the Day of my Death , Gen. 27. 2. yet since the Youngest and Lustiest of us all , has cause to say with the Mirrour of Patience , When a few Years are come , then shall I go the way whence I shall not return , Job . 16. 22. and since 't is the wise Man's Counsel , Not to boast our selves of to Morrow , because we know not what a Day may bring forth . I will endeavour ( to use our Saviour's tearms ) To take heed to my self , least at any time that Day come upon me unawares , Luke 21. 34. And as the only safe Expedient in order thereunto , I will ( in imitation of holy Job ) All the Days of my appointed time wait till my Change come , Job 14. 24. The II. SECTION , Containing OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS , Upon the Accidents of an Ague . MEDITATION I. Upon the first Invasion of the Disease . THis Visit , ( Dear * Sophronia ) which you intended but for an act of Kindness , proves also one of Charity ; for though it be not many hours since we parted , and though you left me free from any other discomposure than that which your leaving me is wont to give me ; yet this little time has made so great a change in my Condition , as to be , I doubt not , already visible in my Looks : For whilst I was sitting quietly in my Chamber , and was as far from the Thoughts of Sickness , as from any such disorders as are wont to be the occasions of it ; and whilst I was delightfully entertain'd , by an Out-landish Virtuoso that came to Visit me , with an Account of the several attempts that are either made , or design'd ▪ in foreign Parts , to produce Curiosities , and improve Knowledge ; I was suddenly surpris'd with a Chilness , and a Shivering , that came so unexpected , and increas'd so fast , that it was heightned into a downright Fit of an Ague , before I could satisfie my self what it was . But I confess , that this unwelcome accident had not amaz'd me , as well as troubled me , if I had sufficiently consider'd to what a strange number and variety of Distempers these frail Carcasses of ours are Obnoxious ; for , if I had call'd to mind what my Curiosity for Dissections has shown me , and remembred how many Bones , and Muscles , and Veins , and Arteries , and Grisles , and Ligaments , and Nerves , and Membranes , and Juices , a humane Body is made up of , I could not have been surprised , that so curious an Engine , that consists of so many pieces , whose Harmony is requisite to Health , and whereof not any is superfluous , nor scarce any insensible , should have some or other of them out of order , it being no more strange that a Man's Body should be subject to Pain , or Sickness , than that an Instrument with above a thousand Strings ( if there were any such ) should frequently be out of Tune , especially since the bare change of Air may as well discompose the Body of a Man , as untune some of the Strings of such an Instrument ; so that ev'n the inimitable Structure of humane Bodies is scarce more admirable , than that such curious and elaborate Engines can be so contriv'd , as not to be oftner out of order than they are ; the preservation of so nice and exact a Frame being the next wonder to its Work-man-ship . And indeed , when I consider further , how many outward accidents are able to destroy the Life , or , at the least , the Health , ev'n of those that are carefull to preserve them ; and how easily the Beams of a warm Sun , or the Breath of a cold VVind , or too much , or too little Exercise , a Dish of green Fruit , or an infectious Vapour , or ev'n a sudden Fright , or ill News , are able to produce Sickness , and perhaps Death ; and when I think too , how many evitable Mischiefs our own Appetites , or Vices , expose us to , by acts of Intemperance , that necessitate the Creatures to offend us , and practices of Sin , whereby we provoke the Creator to punish us ; when I say , I consider all this , and consequently how many Mischiefs he must escape that arrives at Gray-hairs ; I confess , the commonness of the Sight cannot keep me from thinking it worth some wonder , to see an Old man , especially if he be any thing Healthy . But these kinds of Thoughts ( Sophronia ) are seldome entertain'd , unless they be excited by some unwelcome Occasions ; and when we are long accustomed to Health , we take it for granted , that we shall enjoy it , without taking it for a Mercy that we are so ; we are not sensible enough of our continual need and dependance on the divine Goodness , if we long and uninterruptedly enjoy it ; and by that unthankfull heedlesness we do , as it were , necessitate Providence to deprive us of its wonted supports , to make us sensible that we did enjoy , and that we always need them : It being but fit that Mercies should cease to be constant , which , their constancy only , that should be their indearment , keeps us from entertaining as Mercies ; I will therefore ( Sophronia ) endeavour to derive this advantage from this sudden Fit of Sickness , to make me thankfull for Health , when God shall be pleas'd to restore it me , and to keep me from reckoning confidently upon the lastingness of it : For though we are very unapt to take ev'n the Wise man's Counsel , where he forbids us to boast our selves of to Morrow , because we know not what a Day may bring forth ; yet by such accidents I find , that Solomon spoke much within compass , and had not done otherwise , if for a Day he had substituted an Hour : For so many , and so various are the unfore-seen accidents to which we poor Mortals are expos'd , that the continuance of our Health , or Prosperity , do much more merit our thanks , than the interruption of them can deserve our wonder . And I must confess , ( Sophronia ) that though my falling Sick may be but my unhappiness , my being so much surpris'd at it was my fault . MEDITATION II. Upon the immoderate Heat and Cold of the Aguish Fit. ONe that , not knowing what Ails me , should come in , and see me in this soft Bed , not only cover'd , but almost oppress'd , with Cloaths , would confidently conclude , that , whether or no I be distress'd by the contrary Quality , I cannot at least be troubled with Cold ; and if he himself were so , he will be apt to Envy me . And if instead of coming in my Cold fit , he should Visit me in my Hot one , and see me with my Shoulders and Arms quite uncover'd , and nothing but the single Sheet on the rest of my Body ; he would be apt to think , that I must lye very cool . But alas ! in spight of all that lies upon me , an internal Frost has so diffus'd it self through every Part , that my Teeth chatter , and my whole Body does shake strongly enough to made the Bed it self do so ; and , though I still wish for more Cloaths , yet those that are heap'd on me , can so little controle this praeternatural Cold , that a Pile of them might sooner be made great enough to Crush than to VVarm me : So that when I Travell'd ev'n in frosty Nights , the VVinter had nothing near so strong an Operation on me . And as that external Cold was far more supportable whilst it lasted , so it was incomparably more easie for me , by Exercise , and otherwise , to deliver my self from it . Thus , when a Great or Rich Man's mind is distemper'd with Ambition , Avarice , or any immoderate Affection , though the By-standers , that see not what disquiets him , but see what great store of Accommodations fortune has provided for him , may be drawn to Envy his Condition , and be kept very far from suspecting that he can want that Contentment , the means of which they see him so Richly supply'd with : And yet alas ! as the Colder heat of the external Air is much less troublesome to a Man in Health , though furnished with an ordinary proportion of Cloaths , than the Cold or Hot fit of an Ague , with a pile of Blankets first , and then a single Sheet ; so to a Vigorous and Healthy constitution of mind , External inconveniences are much more supportable than any Accommodations can make the condition of a distemper'd Soul. Let us not then judge of Men's happiness , so much by what they have , as by what they are , and consider both , that Fortune can but give much , and it must be the Mind that makes that much enough : And that , as 't is more easie to endure Winter , or the Dog-days in the Air , than in the Blood ; so a Healthfull mind , in spight of Outward inconveniences , may afford a Man a condition preferrable to all External accommodations without that . MEDITATION III. Upon the Succession of the Cold and Hot Fit. WHen the cold Fit first seiz'd me , me-thought it was rather melted Snow than Blood that Circulated in my Veins , where it mov'd so Inordinately , and maintain'd the vital Flame so Penuriously , that the greatest Sign which was left to distinguish this Cold from that of Death , was , its making me shake strong enough to shake the Bed I lay on . I call'd for more and more Cloaths , only because I needed them , not because I found any relief by them : I fancy'd the torrid Zone to be of a far more desirable Constitution than that we call the Temperate ; and as little as I am wont to reverence vulgar Chymists , I then envy'd their Laborants , whose imployment requires them to attend the Fire : But when the Cold Fit was once over , it was quickly succeeded by a Hot one , which after a while I thought more troublesome than it . I threw off the Cloaths much faster than my former importunity had procur'd them to be laid on me ; and I , that could a little before scarce feel all that had been heap'd on me , could not now support a single Sheet , but thought its weight oppress'd me . I envied the Inhabitants of Norway , and Iceland , far more than those that dwell either in the richest Province of East-India , or of the Golden Coast it self : And of all Creatures , not Rational , I thought the Fishes the happiest , since they Live in a cool Stream , and , when they please , may Drink as much as they List . If then ( Sophronia ) the self-same Person may , within less than two hours , have such different apprehensions of his own Condition , as now to complain of that as a sad Grievance , which but an hour before he wish'd for as a Relief ; we may well acknowledge , that we frequently mistake in estimating the Hardships and Afflictions we complain of , and find them not so uneasie as we make them , whilst we not only endure the whole Affliction that troubles us , but often increase it , by repining at the envied Condition of others . An afflicted Man is very apt to fancy , that any kind of Sickness , that for the present troubles him , is far less supportable than if it were exchang'd for another Disease ; and imagines his case to be so singular , that one cannot say to him in Saint Paul's Language , No Temptation has befallen you , but that which is common to Men , 1 Cor. 10. 13. He presumes , that he could far more easily support his Crosses , if instead of his present Disease , he had this or that other , though , if the Exchange were made , he would perchance wish for his first Sickness , if not be as much troubled at his own Folly , as with the Disease . He that is tormented with the Gout , is apt to envy any Sick man that is exempted from that Roaring pain , and able to VValk about ; He that is swell'd with the Dropsie , fancies all Persons happy whose Diseases allow them Drink to quench their Thirst : And the Blind man envies both these , and thinks no Persons so miserable in this VVorld as those that cannot see the VVorld . Feavers burn us , Agues shatter us , Dropsies drown us , Phrensies unman us , the Gout tortures us , Convulsions wrack us , Epilepsies fell us , Collicks tear us ; and in short , there is no considerable Disease that is not very troublesome in it self , how ever Religion may sanctifie and sweeten it : For as a Fortress , whose Defendants are not Treacherous , can scarce be taken otherwise than either by Famine , or Storm ; so Life , for whose preservation Nature is so faithfully sollicitous , cannot be extinguish'd , unless either Chronical Diseases do Lingringly destroy , or some Acute do hastily snatch it away . And indeed , if a Disease prove Mortal , 't is no more than is to be expected , if it tire out the Patient with tedious Languishments , or else dispatch him with dismal Symptoms : Nor is it in point of Sickness only , that we are often more unhappy than we need , by Fancying our selves more unhappy than we should be , if we were allow'd to exchange that which now troubles us , for any thing which does not . But there are Evils , which , though exceeding contrary in appearance , and circumstances , do yet agree in being extremely troublesome ; as the possest Wretch our Saviour cured in the Gospel , though he were sometimes cast into the Fire , and sometimes into the VVater , yet in both states was tormented by the same Divel , who in variety of Inflictions still express'd the same Malice . But we should make a righter Estimate of suffering , if we did but consider , that much uneasiness is annex'd to an Afflicted condition in general ; and that therefore , which we are sensible of , may proceed rather from the general nature of Sicknesses , and Crosses , than from the particular Kind and Degree of ours . And indeed , if a Man were permitted to exchange his Disease with those of others , he would often find his granted wishes to bring him a variety of Mischiefs , rather than an Exemption from them ; and many of those that we Envy , as thinking them far less Sufferers than our selves , do look with invidious Eyes on us , and do but dissemble their Grievances more handsomely than we , not find them more easie than ours . And that of Saint Peter may be more generally apply'd , than most Men think , where he exhorts to constancy , upon this consideration , That the same Sufferings are accomplish'd upon our Brethren in the World , 1 Pet. 5. 9. For 't is all one as to the Efficacy of this Lenity , whether our Afflictions be the same with those of others , in Kind , or not Superiour to them in Degree : And I doubt not , but we should support many of our Grievances as easily as those for which we wish them exchang'd , if the chief account upon which they trouble us , were not rather that they are the present ones , than the greatest . MEDITATION IV. Upon the being let Blood. ONe of the most troublesome Symptoms in almost all Feaverish Distempers , is wont to be Thirst ; and in mine it was importunate to a degree , that made me very much so , in frequently solliciting those that were about me for Drink , which , in the heat of the Fit , seem'd so desirable an Object , that it then much lessen'd my wonder at that parch'd King's agreement , who , urg'd with Thirst , sold his Liberty for a full Draught of cold VVater . But alas ! I sadly found , that the Liquor I swallow'd so Greedily , afforded me but a very transient Relief , the latter being gone almost as soon as the former had pass'd thorow my Throat , so that not only it did but amuse me , not Cure me ; but , which is worse , Drinking it self increas'd my Thirst , by encreasing the Feaver , whose uneasie Symptom that was . Wherefore , seeing all the cooling Juleps that could be administer'd , did free me from nothing but the Expectation of being much reliev'd by such slight and palliative Medicines ; the Doctor thought himself this Day oblig'd to a quite contrary , and yet a more generous Remedy ; and order'd , that , instead of giving me Drink , they should take away Blood , as judging it the best and far the surest course to take away the uneasie Symptom , by removing that which Foments the cause . Thus when the Mind is distemper'd with turbulent Commotions , and the disquieted Appetite does too restlessly and eagerly crave Objects , which , though perhaps in themselves not absolutely Bad , are at least made , by a Conjunction of Circumstances , unfit and dangerous for the Person that longs for them : VVe , like unskilfull or unruly Patients , fondly imagine , that the only way to appease our Desires , is , to grant them the Objects they so Passionately tend to . But the wise and soveraign Physitian of Souls , who considers not so much what we do wish , as what we should wish , often discerns , that this praeternatural Thirst indicates and calls for a Lancet , rather than a Julep , and knows it best to attempt the Cure , rather by taking away somewhat that we have than by giving us that which only a Spiritual superfluity reduces us to want : And in effect , we often see , that as a few Ounces of Blood taken away in a Feaver , does cool the Patient more than the giving him ten times as much Drink would do ; so a few Afflictions , by partly letting out , and partly moderating our corrupt Affections , do more compose and appease a Mind molested with inordinate Appetites , than the Possession of a great many of the Objects we impotently desire . VVhilst our Appetites are roving , and unreasonable , and insatiate , the obtaining of this or that particular Object does but amuse the Patient , not take away the Disease ; whereas seasonable , and sanctify'd Crosses , that teach us to know our selves , and make us sensible how little we deserve , and how little the things we are so Greedy of could make us happy , if obtain'd , may reduce us to a Resignation , and Tranquility of Mind , preferrable to those over-valu'd things , which , as it keeps us from enjoying , so it keeps us from needing . Thus Zacheus , who , whilst a Publican never thought he had enough , when he had once entertain'd our Saviour , though he offer'd to make a quadruple Restitution of what ever he had fraudulently acquir'd , was , upon a sudden , by being freed from Avarice , grown so Rich , that he was forward to give no less than half he had to the Poor ; as if his Divine Guest had wrought upon his Goods , such Miracles as he had done upon the five Loaves , and two Fishes , of which the Remains amounted to more than the whole Provision was at first . MEDITATION V. Upon the Taking of Physick . THe last bitter Potion that I took , ( Sophronia ) was , I remember , sweetned with the hopes were given me with it , that it might prove the last I should need to take , and would procure me a setled and durable Health : But I find by sad Experience , That the benefit I deriv'd from it is nothing near so lasting as it was welcome ; for I am now reduc'd to take Physick agen , and I fear must often do so , before I shall be able to dislodge this troublesome Ague that haunts me : For though the last Physick I took , wrought so well , that I hop'd it had brought away not only the ill Humours themselves , but the very sources of them ; yet by the effect of what I took this Morning , I not only find there is as much to be purged away now as there was then , but , what is sadder , I can scarce hope this Physick will excuse me from the need of taking more again ere long : But though 't is a troublesome thing , and must be often repeated , yet 't is a salutary thing too , and cannot be more unpleasant than 't is usefull ; and as Loathsome as it is , a Sickness were far worse . Thus when a relenting Sinner has endeavour'd to wash away his Sins with his Tears , he may possibly think himself so throughly wash'd in that abstersive Brine , ( which yet owes its cleansing Virtue not to its own Nature , but to the Blood of Christ ) that if he be a new Convert , and be entertain'd with those Ravishing delights wherewith God is often pleas'd to engage such returning Prodigals , ( as the Kind Father welcom'd his Riotous Son with Feasting , and with Musick ) that he is apt to fancy Repentance to be like Baptism , which , being receiv'd once for a Man 's whole Life , needs never be renewed . But though , during such transports , an unexperienc'd Convert may be apt to cast the Gauntlet to the VVorld , saying in his Spiritual prosperity , that he shall never be mov'd ; yet , as our Saviour speaks , The Spirit indeed is willing , but the Flesh is weak ; and too commonly our Resolutions flagg with our Joys , and those that a while before imagin'd they despis'd the World , find themselves Worsted , if not Captivated , by it ; and find it far more difficult than they thought it , to Live in the Company of Sinners without being of their Number , and in so defil'd a World without being spotted by it . And as the same David , who said in his Prosperity , he should never be mov'd , said in his Distress , he should one Day perish by the hand of Saul : So many of those , that whilst their Tears of Repentance , and of Joy , are not yet dry'd off their Eyes , are apt to defie and contemn all the Ghostly enemies , and difficulties , that oppose their present zealous Resolutions , will perhaps in a while after , when they meet with unexpected Impediments , and Foyls , change their confidence into despair , and think those very Enemies , whom they lately look'd on as Despicable , to be Insuperable : But as Physick , that does good for a time , ought not to be rejected , because it does good but for a time ; nor should we reject the only sure means of our present Recovery , for fear of future Relapses ; so , though we sadly find that Repentance must be repeated , and that after we have practis'd it often , we must have need of it agen ; yet since 't is the only proper means to recover a Soul out of a state of Sin , which is worse than any Disease , and leads to the worst of Deaths , we must never suffer our selves to be so far Discouraged , as to forgo so necessary and so profitable a Duty , and must not more frequently Relapse into faults , than renew our Sorrow for them , and our Resolves against them : For Innocence indeed is far more desirable than Repentance , as Health is than Physick . But as Physick is more Eligible than the continuance of Sickness , so is Repentance more Eligible than continuing in the state of Sin : And as the Drinking ev'n of a bitter Potion is a less Evil than the heat , and thirst , and restlesness of an Ague ; so to lament for Sin here , is a far less uneasie thing than to do it in a place where there is nothing but remediless VVailing , and Gnashing of Teeth . 'T is true , that our Souls are in this too like our Bodies , that our whole Lives are spent betwixt Purging away of naughty Humours , and accumulating them : And me-thinks I hear the Flesh still saying unto the Spirit , as Ruth did to Naomi , The Lord do so to me , and more also , if ought but Death part thee and me , Ruth 1. 14. But although there are Defilements , which , though often wash'd off , will as often come again to blemish us ; and though the Deeds of the * Body , will scarce all of them perfectly be put to Death , but with the Body it self ; yet next to an uninterrupted state of Health , frequent and early Recoveries are desirable : And though the shamefull necessity of needing to beg many pardons for the same fault , may justly make an ingenious Christian cry out with Saint Paul , O! Wretched Man that I am , who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death ; yet the same sense of his own frailty , that puts this Exclamation into his Mouth , may comfort his Heart , by its being a pledge , that he shall one Day be able Exultingly to say with the same Apostle in another place , Thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory , through our Lord Jesus Christ , 1 Cor. 15. 57. MEDITATION VI. Upon the Sirrups and other sweet things sent him by the Doctor . THis complaisant Physitian ( Sophronia ) is you see very sollicitous , that his Remedies should as well gratifie the Patient , as oppose the Disease : And besides , that this Julip is ting'd with Sirrup of Clove-gilly-flowers , that it may at once delight the Palate , and the Eye ; some of these other Remedies are sweetned with as much Sugar , as if they came not from an Apothecaries Shop , but a Confectioners . But my Mouth is too much out of Taste to rellish any thing that passes through it ; and though my Sickness makes this Flattering of the Palate almost necessary to the rendring these Medicines takable by me , yet upon the account of the same Distemper , all that the Doctor 's tenderness and skil could do to make them Pleasant , can at most but keep them from being Loathsome . And therefore , you will easily believe , Sophronia , that I enjoy these sweet things upon a score , that if it does Imbitter them , does at least , as to me , deprive them of their Nature : So that he , that for the sake of these Sirrups , and Electuaries , should , notwithstanding the Malady that needs them , envy me , might be suspected to be troubled with a worse Disease than an Ague is , a Frensie . Thus there are many Favourites of Fortune , whose seeming Enjoyments may perchance be Envy'd by those that do but Gaze on their Condition , whilst 't is rather pitty'd by those that know it : To be brought by Greatness of Power , or Riches , and Effeminacy of Mind , to that pass , that they seldome hear any thing but their own Praises , ev'n when their Actions merit Reprehension , and that they can rellish nothing that is not sweetned with so much of Flattery , as quite to disguise , and perhaps pervert , its Nature . These , as I was going to say , and such other unhappy Priviledges , are things , which ( whatever Fools may think ) will not recommend Greatness to a considering Man , and are far more fit to procure the Possessour's ruine , than wise Men's envy : And besides , that a vain and impotent Soul is , by those disquieting Qualities , molested with greater Distempers than those Gratifications can make amends for , and which often hinder the full Rellishing of these or any other Pleasure . The delight these treacherous Delicacies afford , is so much less considerable than the Weakness they suppose ; that 't is far more Eligible to be without them than to need them . MEDITATION VII . Upon the want of Sleep . AH ! Dear Sophronia , in spight of all the care , and officiousness of those diligent Attendants , that you were pleas'd to send to watch with me , I have Slept all Night as little as I do now , or as I shall desire to do whilst you stay here . This unwelcome leisure brought me as much a Necessity as an Opportunity to spend the time in entertaining my Thoughts , which on this occasion were almost as Various , and seem'd too as Wild , as , if I had Slept , my Dreams themselves would have been : And therefore , I presume you will not wonder , if I can now recall but few of them , and if the rest be as easily Vanish'd out of my Memory , as they came abruptly into my Mind . The first Thought that I remember entertain'd me , was that which was the most naturally suggested by the condition I was in : For when I found how tedious and wearisome each hour was , and observ'd how long a time seem'd to intervene betwixt the several Divisions that the striking of the Clock made of a Night , that must at this time of the Year be much shorter than the Day , I could not but consider , how insupportable their condition must be , to be cast into outer Darkness , where tormented Wretches lye , not as I do upon a soft Bed , but upon Fire and Brimstone , where no attendance of Servants , or kindness of Friends , is allow'd them , that need it as much as they deserve it little ; and , which is worst of all , where no Beam of hope is permitted to Consolate them , as if the Day should Dawn after so Dismal a Night , though protracted to Millions of Ages , each of whose miserable hours appears an Age. The next thing I was considering , was , How defective we are in point of Gratitude to God ; I now Blush that I cannot call to Mind the time , when I ever thought that his having vouchsaf'd me the power of Sleeping , deserv'd a particular Acknowledgment . But now I begin to see that 't is our Heedlesness , not their Uselesness , that keeps us from daily being thankfull for a multitude of Mercies , that we take no notice of ; Though it be injurious , That that only commonness that heightens the Benefit , should keep us from being sensible of the Greatness of it . I confess I was very lately one of them , who look'd upon Sleep as one of those inconveniencies of humane Nature , that merit a Consolation ; and I very little apprehended , that I should ever complain of the want of Sleep , as of a Grievance , the necessity of it being what I always look'd upon under that Notion : But I now perceive , he was a Wise man , who said , That God made every thing Beautifull in its Season . And yet , when I consider the Affinity betwixt Sleep and Death , whose Image it is , I cannot but think it very unlikely , that this Life should be design'd for our Happiness , since not to lose almost half of it were an Infelicity . Another thing I remember I was considering , was this , That though want of Sleep be one of the uneasiest accidents that attend on Sickness , yet in many cases it proves as usefull as it can be unwelcome : For there is a sort of Jolly people , far more Numerous than I could wish them , who are at utter defiance with Thinking , and do as much fear to be alone , as they should to do any course that is naturally productive of so unmanly a fear : And the same Sinfull employments , or Vain pastimes , that make them afraid of being alone , do so much keep them from the necessity of being so , that they keep them almost from the very Possibility of it : For in the time of Health , Visits , Businesses , Cards , and I know not how many other Avocations , which they justly stile Diversions , do succeed one another so thick , that in the Day there is no time left for the distracted Person to converse with his own Thoughts : And ev'n , when they are Sick , though they be debarr'd of many of those wonted Diversions , yet Cards and Company will give them enough to prove a Charm against Thinking , which the Patient is so willing , or rather sollicitous , to decline , the need of that Sickness less troubles him , as it keeps his Body from going abroad , than as it tends to drive his Thoughts home ; so that Sickness does little or nothing towards the making such Men consider , by casting them upon their Beds , unless it also hinder them from Sleeping there . But in the long and tedious Nights , when all the Praters , and the Gamesters ( who are usually call'd good Companions , but seldome prove good Friends ) are withdrawn , and have left our Patient quite alone , the Darkness of the Night begins to make him discern , and take some notice of his own Condition ▪ and his Eyes , for want of outward Objects , are turn'd inwards , he must , whether he will or no , during the Silence of the Night , hear those Lessons , which by the Hurry and Avocations of the Day he endeavour'd to avoid . And though this be a very unwelcome Mercy , yet 't is a Mercy still , and perhaps the greater for being so unwelcome : For if he could Sleep in Sickness , as he us'd to do in Health , he were in great danger of having his Conscience laid Asleep , till it should be Awak'd by the Flames and Shriecks of Hell. And the design of God in chastning , being to reclaim and amend us , we not only do , by our want of Reflecting , indure the trouble of Sickness , without reaping the benefit of it , but also by our shunning to consider , we are so Ill-natur'd to our selves , as to lengthen the Sickness , we are so Impatient of ; which is in us as foolish as 't would be in a nice Patient , after having been made to take a bitter , but a salutary Potion , to send unseasonably for Cordials and Julips to hinder the working of it , and so by such unruliness lose the benefit of the Operation , and lengthen his Pain and Sickness , to avoid the far less trouble of complying with the Nature of the Medicine , and the Designs of the Physitian : So that Repentance being necessary to Recovery , and the considering of a Man 's own ways as necessary to Repentance , the want of Sleep , which both allows us time , and imposes on us a necessity to think , may well be look'd upon as a happy Grievance , since it very much tends to the shortning of our Afflictions , by the disposing us to Co-operate towards God's aims in sending them . MEDITATION VIII . Upon telling the Strokes of an ill-going Clock in the Night . THe same Violence of my Fit , that made me very much need Sleep , allow'd me so little of it , that I think I miss'd not hearing one stroke of the Clock all the Night long . But since you know , Sophronia , that the Clock is kept by the Souldiers that are Quarter'd in the place where it stands , you will easily believe , that 't is not very carefully look'd to , especially since they are not only wont to let it go Ill , but do oft times make it do so on purpose , and as may best comply with the Officers occasions , and as they would have the Guards that are to be set here , or to be sent hence , sooner or later Reliev'd . Of this uncertain going of the Clock , I never had occasion to take so much notice as the last Night , when , lying too constantly awak'd , I began to observe , that though all the hours were so tedious , as to seem every one of them extraordinary long , yet they manifestly appear'd to me not to be equally so ; and therefore , when the Clock struck Eleven , to satisfie my self whether it did not mis-inform me , I call'd to one that sat up by me for the VVatch I use to measure the time with in nice Experiments , and found it to want but very little of Midnight ; and not much above an hour after , when by my VVatch it was but about one , those that kept the Clock , whether out of Negligence , or Design , or to make amends for past Slowness , made it strike two , which seem'd to me to hint a not unusefull Rule in estimating the length or shortness of Discourses : For there are Cases , where the difficulty or importance of the Subject is such , that though it cost a Man many words , yet , if what he says be not sufficiently fitted to the Exigency of the Occasion , and the Theam , he may speak much , without saying enough . But on the other hand , if ( as it often happens ) a Man speak either Unseasonably , Erroneously , or Impertinently , he may , though he say little , talk too much ; The paucity or number of VVords , is not , as many think it , that which is in such cases to be chiefly consider'd ; for 't is not many , or few , that are requir'd , but enough . And , As our Clock struck not so often as it should have done , when it struck Eleven , and yet struck a while after too often when it struck but two , because the first time it was Mid-night , and the second time it was but one of the Clock ; so to estimate whether what is said have its due length , we are not so much to look whether it be little , or much , as whether a Man speak in the right time , and say neither more nor less than he should . MEDITATION IX . Upon comparing the Clock and his Watch. THe occasion I had ( Sophronia ) to compare the Clock and my Watch , suggested to me this other Reflection , That the Dyal-plate of the Clock being I know not how many times larger than that of the Watch , the Circle on which the hours were mark'd in the one , did by vast Odds exceed the correspondent Circle of the other : And yet , though the Index of the Clock had then past through a far greater quantity of space than that of the Watch , this little Index , being , when it was indeed Mid-night , arriv'd at the mark of the twelfth hour , when the greater Index was come but to that of the eleventh , I justly concluded , That the VVatch did not only go truer , but more forward than the Clock . Thus in estimating Men's Lives , there is something else to be look'd at than the meer duration of them : For there are some Men , who having Loyter'd and Trifled away very many Years in the VVorld , have no other Argument of their Age , than the Church-books of their Gray-hairs ; and as little do they indeed Live , that waste a number of insignificant Years in successive or perpetual Diversions from the true business and end of Life . These , and many other kinds of Persons , that consume much Time to little purpose , may be said rather to have Lasted long , than to have Liv'd long : As the careless VVanderer , who , instead of Travelling , does nothing but stray from one wrong way to another , though he do so at Midsummer from Mornning to Night , may be said to have been long a Horse-back , but not to have perform'd a long Journey ; whereas he , that by thriftily Husbanding his time , and industriously Improving it , has early dispatch'd the business for which he was sent into the VVorld , needs not Gray-hairs to be reputed to have Liv'd long enough , and consequently longer than those that wear Gray-hairs , only because they were Born many Years before him . In a word , to one of these sorts of Men we may attribute a longer Time , but to the other a longer Life ; ( for ev'n the Heathen could say , Non est vivere sed valere Vita ) and within how narrow a compass soever a Man's Life be confin'd , if he have Liv'd so long , as before he comes to the end of Life he have reach'd the ends of Living ; The attainment of that Measure of Knowledge , and the practice of those Graces and Virtues that fit a Man to glorifie God in this short Life , and to be Glorified by him in that which shall have no End. MEDITATION X. Upon a Thief in a Candle . THe silence of the Night , and my being unable to Sleep , disposing me to have my attention very easily excited ; I chanc'd to take notice , that the Dim light of the Candle , which the Curtains were not drawn so close as to exclude every where out of the Bed , was on a suddain considerably increas'd , and continued so long in that condition , that , for fear of some mischance , I put my Head out of the Bed to see whence it was that this new and unexpected increase of Light proceeded ; but I quickly found , that 't was from a Thief ( as they call it ) in the Candle , which by its irregular way of making the Flame blaze , had melted down a good part of the Tallow , and would have spoil'd the rest , if I had not call'd to one of those that Watch'd with me , to rescue the remains by the removal of the Thief . But I had scarce done this , when , I confess to you , ( Sophronia ) I found my self invited to make some Reflections upon what I had done , and to read my self a new Lesson by the Beams of this new Light : For though this Thief made the Candle shine more strongly , and diffuse a much greater Light than it did before ; yet because it made a great and irregular waste of the Candle , I order'd it to be taken away ; and on this occasion me-thought I might justly make use of that saying of Pharaoh's forgetfull Butler , I do remember my Faults this Day , Gen. 41. 9. For though I find no great difficulty in abstaining from other kinds of Intemperance , yet to that of Studying , my Friends , and especially my Physitians , have often accus'd me of being too Indulgent : Nor can I altogether deny , but that in mental Exercises , there can be Exorbitancies , and Excesses , I may have sometimes been Guilty of them ; and that the things for which I think Life valuable , being the satisfaction that accrues from the improvement of Knowledge , and the exercise of Piety , I thought it allowable , if not commendable , to consume or hazard it for the attainment of those Ends ; and esteem'd Sickness more formidable for its unfitting me to learn , and to teach , than for its being attended with pain and danger , and look'd upon what it made me forbear , as far more troublesome than what ever else it made me endure . But I find my Body is a Jade , and tyres under my Mind , and a few hours fix'd Contemplation does sensibly so spend my Spirits , as to make me feel my self more weary that the Riding post for twice as many hours has ever done . Wherefore , since , though the proper use of a Candle be to consume it self , that it may give others Light , I yet thought fit to have the Thief taken away , because , though it made the Candle give more Light , it would have wasted it too fast , and consequently made it expire too soon ; I see not how I can resist their perswasions , that would have me husband better the little stock of strength Nature has given me , and the rather , by a moderate expence of it , endeavour to make it shine longe , though but Dimly , then consume it to fast , though for a while to keep up a Blaze : I will therefore endeavour to learn of this Sickness , and of this Accident , what the Doctors hitherto could never teach me , and injoyn my self an Abstinence , which to me is more uneasie , than if Wine , or VVomen , or other sensual Pleasures were to be the Objects of it ; but if in so difficult an Exercise of Self-denial , I do not always perform what I am now perswaded to , 't is like I shall easily forgive my self , for but a little hastning the end of my Life to attain the ends of it . MEDITATION XI . Upon the being in danger of Death . I Know that Physitians are wont after their Master Hypocrates , to tell us , That Feavers which intermit are devoid of Danger : But though an Ague , whilst it continues such , could not be a mortal Disease ; yet why may it not degenerate into such a one ? And for my part , who take the Prognosticks of Physitians to be but Guesses , not Prophesies , and know how backward they are to bid us fear , till our Condition leave them little hopes of us : I cannot but think that Patient very ill advis'd , who thinks it not time to entertain thoughts of Death , as long as his Doctor allows him any hopes of Life ; for in case they should both be deceiv'd , 't would be much easier for the mistaken Physitian to save his Credit , than for the unprepar'd Sinner to save his Soul. Wherefore , Sophronia , finding my Disease attended with unusual threatning Symptoms , not knowing where they would end , I last Night thought it fit to suppose they might end in Death : And two things especially made me the more ready for such an entertainment of my Thoughts . One , That we can scarce be too carefull and diligent in fitting our selves for the Acting of a part well , that we can never Act but once ; For where the Scripture tells us , It is appointed for all Men once to Dye ; it is immediately subjoyn'd , That after that comes Judgment ; and if we Dye ill once , we shall never be allow'd to Dye again , to see if we would Dye better the second time than we did the first : But as the Wise man Allegorically speaks , Where the Tree falls there shall it lye : So that the faults committed in this last and importantest of humane Actions , being irreparable , I think the only safe way is to imitate him , who , having said , If a Man Dye , shall he Live again ? presently annex'd by way of Inference and Resolution : All the Days of my appointed Time will I wait till my Change come . The other consideration that recommended to me the Thoughts of the Grave , was this , That we may be often sollicitous to provide against many Evils and Dangers that possibly may never reach us ; and many endure from the Anxious fears of contingent Mischiefs that never will befall them , more Torment than the apprehended Mischiefs themselves , though really suffer'd , would inflict . But Death will sooner or later infallibly come , and never finally deceive our Expectations , and therefore the fore-thoughts of it are an imployment which may prove , we know not how soon , of use , and will ( however ) prove of excellent Advantage : The frequent Meditation of the end of our Lives , conducing so much to make us lead them well , that the expectation of Death brings not less Advantages to those that scape the Grave , than to those that descend into it . Such like considerations ( Sophronia ) having put me upon the thoughts of Death , I presume you may have some Curiosity to know what these Thoughts were ; and therefore , though I have neither Fitness , nor Inclination to mention to you those that almost every Sober person would have upon a Death-Bed , as a Man , and as a Christian , I will only take notice to you of those few that were suggested to me , by the less general Circumstances of my condition . And I am the more willing to satisfie you Curiosity now , because I have my self been very inquisitive on the like occasion : For the approach of Death will ( if any thing can ) make Men serious and considerate , being for good and all to go off the Stage ; they make a truer and sincerer Judgment of the World they are ready to leave , and then have not the wonted Partiality for the pleasures and profits of a Life they are now abandoning . And as the Mind looks with other Eyes upon the World , when Death is ready to shut those of the Body ; so Men are then wont as well to speak their Thoughts more franckly , as to have them better grounded . Death stripping most Men of their Dissimulation , as well as of other things it makes them part with ; and indeed it is then high time for the Soul to put off her Disguises , when she is ready to put off the very Body it self . One thing then that I was considering , ( Sophronia ) was , in how wretched a condition I should now be , if I had been of the same Mind with the generality of those , who are of the same Age with me : For these presume , That Youth is as well made for Pleasures , as capable of them , and is not more a Temptation to Vanity , than an Excuse for it . They imagine themselves to do a great Matter , if , whilst Youth lasts , they do so much as resolve to grow better when it is gone ; and they think , That for a Man to be otherwise than Intentionally Religious before his Hair begin to change Colour , were not only to lose the priviledges of Youth , but to incroach upon those of old Age. But alas ! How few are Destroy'd by that incurable Disease , in comparison to those that Dye before they attain it ? And how little comfort is it upon a Death Bed , to think , that by the course of Nature , a Man might have Lived longer , when that very Thought might justly prove Dismal to an unprepar'd Man , by suggesting to him , that this early Death may argue the Measure of his Iniquities exceeding great , and that this untimely End is not so much a Debt due to Nature , as a Punishment of Sin. All the fruition of these deluding Pleasures of Sin , cannot countervail the Horrour that a Dying Man's Review of them will create , who not only sees himself upon the point of leaving them for ever , but of suffering for them as long . And on the contrary , the Review of Youthfull pleasures declin'd for Virtue 's or Religion's sake , will afford a Dying Man far higher Joys than their Fruition would ever have afforded him . MEDITATION XII . Upon the same Subject . ANd one thing more there is , ( Sophronia ) that I dare not conceal from you , how much cause soever I have to blush at the disclosing it ; And it is , That I judge quite otherwise of a competent preparation for Death now I am near it , than I did when I was in health . And therefore , if one , that , since his Conscience was first thorowly awakened , still resolv'd to be a Christian , and though he too often broke those good Resolutions , never renounc'd them , but tripp'd and stumbled in the way to Heaven , without quitting his purpose of continuing in it , finds a formidableness in the approach of Death : How uncomfortable must that approach be to those that have still run on in the ways of Sin , without once so much as seriously intending to forsake them ? A Youth free from Scandal , and sometimes productive of Practices that were somewhat more than Negative piety , is not so frequent among those that want not opportunities to enjoy the Vanities and Pleasures of the World , but that the Charity of other being seconded by that great inward flatterer Self-love , made me imagine that I was in a Condition fitter to wish for Death , than to fear it . But now I come to look on Death near at hand , and see beyond the Grave , that is just under me , that bottomless Gulf of Eternity ; me-thinks it is a very hard thing to be sufficiently prepar'd for a Change , that will transmit us to the Barr of an Omniscient Judge , to be there Doom'd to an endless state of infinite Happiness or Misery . There is no Art of Memory like a Death-Bed's Review of ones Life ; Sickness , and a nearer Prospect of Death , often makes a Man remember those Actions wherein Youth and Jollity made him forget his Duty ; and those frivolous Arguments , which when he was in Health , and free from Danger , were able to excuse him to his own indulgent Thoughts , he himself will scarce now think Valid enough to excuse him unto God , before whom , if the sinless Angels cover their Faces , sinfull Mortals may justly tremble to be brought to appear . VVhen the approach of Death makes the Bodily eyes grow Dim , those of the Conscience are enabled to discern , That as to many of the Pleas we formerly acquiesc'd in , it was the prevalence of our Senses that made us think them Reason : And none of that Jolly company , whose examples prevail'd with us to joyn with them in a course of Vanity , will stand by us at the Barr to excuse the Actions they tempted us to : And if they were there , they would be so far from being able to justifie us , that they would be condemn'd themselves . 'T is true , ( Sophronia ) if we consider Death only as the conclusion of Life , and a Debt all Men sooner or later pay to Nature , not only a Christian , but a Man , may entertain it without Horrour : But if one consider it as a change , That after having left his Body to rot in the Grave , will bring his Soul to the Tribunal of God , to answer the miscarriages of his whole past Life , and receive there an unalterable Sentence that will Doom him to endless and unconceivable Joys , or everlasting and inexpressible Torments ; I think 't is not inconsistent either with Piety or Courage , to look upon so great a change with something of Commotion : And many that would not fear to be put out of the VVorld , will apprehend to be let into Eternity . MEDITATION XIII . A further Continuation . ANother thing , Sophronia , which my present state suggested to me , was , a Reflection on the great mistake of those that think a Death-Bed the fittest and opportunest place to begin Repentance in : But sure these Men are very little acquainted , either with the disadvantages of a dangerous Sickness , or the nature of Repentance . 'T is true , that Sin and Death do more easily frighten one , when they are look'd on as both together : But I much doubt whether the being frighted by Hell , be sufficient to give a Man a well-grounded hope of Heaven : For when we see Sin and Torment at one view , and so near one to another , 't is not so easie to be sure which of the two it is that , as we presume , scares the Sinner towards Heaven . And surely Repentance , which ought to be the change of the whole Man , and in some sense the work of the whole Life , is very improperly begun , when Men have finished that course , which it should have guided them in : Nor have Men cause to presume , that when God is severely punishing them for their Sins , he will vouchsafe them so great a Grace as that of Repentance , which they would none of , till it could not make them serviceable to him . And as for the oppornity 't is hop'd an expiring State may give Men for Repentance , they must needs be great Strangers to great Sicknesses , that can promise themselves so unlikely a matter : VVho can secure them , that the Acuteness of the Disease will not invade the Brain ? and as Deliriums and Phrensies are not unfrequent in Feavers , and other acute Diseases , so in case they happen to persevere , the VVretch'd patient is cast into a desperate condition , ev'n on this side the Grave , and as near as the Body is to its Dissolution , the Man may be Dead a pretty while before it . But supposing he escape these Accidents , which make Repentance impossible , a dangerous Sickness has other Circumstances enough to make it very uneasie : For the Organical faculties of the Mind cannot but be dull'd and prejudic'd by the Discomposure of the Spirits , by which their Functions are to be exercis'd ; and the sense of Pain , the troublesome prescriptions of Physitians , the loathsome and bitter Potions , the weakning Operation of Physick , the Languishments produced by want of Spirits , the Restlessness proceeding from Heat and want of Sleep , the distracting Importunity of those interested Persons , especially if any of them be suspected to hover about the Dying Man's Bed , as Birds of Prey that wait for a Carcass , the Sighs and Tears of Friends and Relations that come to take their last Farewell , and to Imbitter it , The Lawyer that must be directed to draw up the VVill , the Divine that must be allowed to say something concerning the Soul , and the affrighted Conscience , that alone brings more disquiet than all the rest put together , do make a Dying Man's condition so Amazing , so Dismal , and so Distracting , that to think this an Opportune time to begin such a work , ( which may well enough imploy the whole Man in his calmest state of mind ) is a Madness as great as any , that ev'n a Death-Bed can , by the translation of the Humours into the Brain , occasion : For my part , I think it so wild , and so unadvisable a thing to put off the beginning to provide all Graces to a Death-Bed , that I think it uneasie enough so much as to exercise then those that were acquir'd before ; Men being in that state commonly unable so much as to Reap the consolation they have been Sowing all along a pious Life . And this ( Sophronia ) brings into my mind a consideration , which being taken from the very nature of a Death-Bed Repentance , should me-thinks very much deterr Men from resolving before hand to rely on it ; And it is this , That granting those ( Socians , and others ) to be mistaken , that think so late a Repentance to come too late to be available ; yet the Dying Sinner , though he may be kept from dispair of passing to Heaven , can scarce in an ordinary way have a comfortable assurance of getting thither ! For though it be said , That a true Repentance cannot come too late , yet it is a hard thing to be certain , that so late a Repentance is true . Since Repentance confessedly importeth an abandoning and renouncing of Sin , at least in Hearty purpose and resolution ; 't is very difficult for an habitual Sinner , that remembers what vows and purposes of change of Life , Sicknesses or Dangers have formerly induc'd him to make , which were forgotten , or violated , when the apprehensions that occasion'd them were over ; 't is hard I say for such a One to be sure , that his present Repentance is not of the same ignoble and uncurrent kind , since he has no Experience to satisfie him that it would be ordinarily , though not constantly , prevalent over the opposite Temptations ; and since also ( which is mainly to be consider'd ) 't is so easie for a Man to mistake for the true hatred of Sin , and the love of God , a horrour of Sin springing from the present painfull sense of the Mischief procur'd by it , together with the great fear of the approaching Torments that it threatens , and a strong desire of going to Heaven , when seeing himself unable to stay any longer on Earth , he must get thither to escape Hell. And as it is thus difficult , when a Man already feels much Punishment for Sin , and sees himself in danger of more , to discern clearly upon what account it is , that he is sorry for what he has committed ; so it must be certainly a state unspeakably anxious and uncomfortable to find ones self dragg'd to the Grave , without knowing whether the last Trumpet shall call him thence to Heaven , or to Hell : And if he should be deceiv'd in judging of the Validity of his Repentance , the fatal errour would be remediless , and the mistake far sadder and more horrid than that of the Syrians , who , when they thought they were arriv'd Victorious at Dothan , found themselves at the mercy of their Enemies in Samaria , 2 Kings 6. 18. To conclude , ( Sophronia ) he that resolves not to renounce his Sins , till he thinks Christ ready to renounce him for them , may very probably lose his Soul , and has most certainly lost his Ingenuity ; and that will appear a very sad loss for a Man , that being by Death denied the opportunities of actually leading a new and pious Life , must derive his comfort from the assurance that he sincerely intends it . MEDITATION XIV . Upon the Apprehensions of a Relapse . I Have now at length , Eusebia , by the goodness of God , regain'd that measure of Health , which makes the Doctor allow me to return to my former Studies , and Recreations , and Dyet ; and in a word , to my wonted course of Life , so that the Physitian having dismiss'd himself , nothing seems more seasonable and pertinent to my present Condition , than that of our Saviour to the Paralitick Man , to whom he gave both Recovery , and an Admonition , which , if he obey'd , he found the more advantagious of the two ; Behold , thou art made whole , Sin no more , least a worse thing come unto thee . But I am not so free from the apprehensions of an Ague , as my Friends think me from the danger of it : For having sadly Experienc'd the uneasiness of Sickness , I am thereby brought , though at no easie Rate , to set a high Value upon Health , and be a very Jealous Preserver of so great a Blessing ; and those petty Chilnesses that formerly I regarded not , but was apt to impute to nothing but Fumes of the Spleen , or Melancholy Vapours , are now able to give me hot Alarms , and make me apt to fancy them the fore-runners , if not the beginners , of the Cold fit of an Ague , the first Invasion of that Disease having been preceded by the like Distempers ; and accordingly , I carefully avoid the least Irregularities in point of Dyet , or of any other kind that may any ways endanger a Relapse into the Disease that once handl'd me so ill . But why should I be more apprehensive for my Body than my Mind ; and if at any time ( as it may but too often happen ) any Sin should come to be prevalent in my Mind , why should I not be sollicitously afraid of all the occasions and approaches of it , and tremble at these Commotions of the Appetite , which would not else perhaps be formidable to me , in case I have found that such Beginnings indulg'd or neglected have ended in actual Sin , the real Disease of the Soul ; and as dangerous Sicknesses do for the most part leave a crasie Disposition behind them , which threatens Relapses , so Sins once prevalent , though afterwards supprest , do yet leave behind them a secret Disposition or Propensity to the Repetition of the same faults ; and as 't is less difficult to find examples of Bodily Diseases , than of Spiritual ones , where the Patient is protected from Relapses , so I think we should be more watchfull against falling back into the Sins , than into the Sicknesses , we have once found our selves subject to , unless we would think , that a greater Danger , and of a Nobler part , deserv'd less of our care . MEDITATION XV. Upon his Reviewing and Tacking together the several Bills fil'd up in the Apothecary's Shop . EIther my Curiosity , Sophronia , or my Value of Health , has made it my Custom , when I have pass'd through a course of Physick , to review the particulars it consisted of ; That taking notice by what Remedies I found most good , and by what , little or none ; if I should fall into the like Distemper for the future , I might derive some advantage from my past Experience . In compliance with this Custom , as I was this Day reviewing and putting together the Doctor 's several Prescriptions sent me back by the Apothecary ; Good God! said I , in my self , what a multitude of unpleasant Medicines have I been order'd to take : The very Numbring , and Reading them were able to Discompose me , and make me almost Sick , though the taking of them help'd to make me VVell . And certainly , if when I was about to enter into a course of Physick , all these loathsome Medicines , and uneasie Prescriptions , had been presented to me together , as things I must take , and comply with , I should have utterly despair'd of a Recovery that must be so obtain'd , and should not perhaps have undertaken so difficult and tedious a Work , out of an apprehension that it would prove impossible for me to go thorow with it . Thus when a Man considers the Duties , and the Mortifications , that are requisite to a recovery out of a state of Sin , into a state of Grace , he must be resolute enough , if he be not deterr'd from undertaking the conditions that Piety requires , by so many and great difficulties as will present themselves to his affrighted Imagination : But let not this make him Despondent ; for 't is true , that these discomposing Medicines , if I must have taken so much as a tenth part of them in one Day , would have either dispatch'd me , or disabled me to endure the taking any the next . But then , although I now see these troublesome Prescriptions all at once , I did not use them so , but took only one or two harsh Remedies in one Day , and thereby was enabled to bear them , especially being assisted by moderate Intervalls of Respite , and supported both by other seasonable Cordials , and by that highest Cordial , the Hope that the use of these troublesome means of Recovery would soon free me from the need of them . And thus , though the hardships of Piety are , by the Ghostly and Carnal enemies of it , wont to be represented to one that begins to grow a Convert , so great and formidable a Multitude as to be insuperable ; yet if he consider , that though his fore-sight meet with them all at once , yet he will need to grapple with them but one after another , and may be as well able to overcome a Temptation this Day , or to Morrow , as he did another Yesterday : So that to this case also may in some sense be applied , that ( either Counsel , or Precept ) of our Saviour , not to be sollicitous for to Morrow , but to charge no more upon a Day than the trouble that belongs to it . And if he considers too , That as a wise Physitian has always a great care , that his Remedies be not disproportionate to the Patient's Strength , and after harsh Physick to relieve him with Cordials , so God will not suffer those that intrust themselves to him to be tempted above what they are able ; but will allow them Cordials after their Sufferings , in case he do not turn the Sufferings themselves into Cordials . If ( I say ) our new Convert shall consider things of this Nature , he will not be much discourag'd by the appearance of difficulties , that will as much ennoble and indear his success , as they can oppose it ; and he will never despair of Victory in an engagement , where he may justly hope to have God for his Second , and Heaven for his Reward . OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS . The III. SECTION . REFLECTION I. Upon the sight of some variously Colour'd Clouds . THere is amongst us a sort of vain and flanting Grandees , who for their own Unhappiness , and their Age's , do but too much resemble these painted Clouds ; for both the one and other are Elevated to a Station , that makes most Men look upon them , as far above them ; and their Conspicuousness is often increas'd by the bright Sun-shine of the Prince's favour , which , though it really leaves them Creatures of the same frail Nature that it found them of ▪ does yet give them a Lustre and a Gawdiness , that much attracts the Eyes , and perhaps the Envy and Respect of those superficial Gazers upon things , that are wont to be Amus'd , if not Dazl'd , with their insignificant Out-sides . But the Parallel holds further ; for as , in spight of these Clouds sublimity and conspicuousness , they are but Aëry and Unsolid things , consisting of Vapours , and steer'd by every VVind : So the fine People I am comparing them too , in spight of their Exaltation , and of all the Shew they make , are really but slight Persons , destitute of intrinsick and solid worth , and guided either by their own blind Lusts , and Passions , or else by Interests as fickle as those , ( to which it will be no addition to say ) or as variable as the VVind . And as these Clouds , though they seem Vast as well as High , and are perhaps able , for a while , to make the Sky somewhat Dark , have usually but a short duration , and either quickly fall down in Rain , or are quite dissipated , and made to disappear : So these Titled persons , what Shew soever their Greatness makes , do oftentimes , either by a voluntary Humility and Repentance , as it were , descend of their own accord , and , by doing of good , endeavour to expiate and make amends for their former Uselesness , if not Mischiefs ; or else , after having been for a while stared at , they do ( some of them more slowly , and some more abruptly ) vanish , without leaving behind them any thing that can so much as entertain our Sight in the very place , where before they Ingross'd it : And this Ruine sometimes happens to the most Elevated persons , from that very Prince , whose favour made them attract so many Eyes ; as Clouds are oftentimes dispers'd before Night , by the same Sun that had rais'd and gilded them in the Morning . REFLECTION II. Upon his making of a Fire . HOW many fruitless Blasts have I been spending upon this sullen Fire ! 'T was not , though , the Greenness of this VVood ▪ that made it so uneasie to be Kindled ; but , 't was alone the greatness of the Loggs , on which the Fire could take no hold , but by the intervention of such smaller Sticks as were at first wanting here : VVitness ▪ that I had no sooner laid on a little Brush-wood , but the Flame , from those kindled Twiggs , invading and prevailing on the Billets ▪ grew suddenly great enough to threaten to make the House it self part of its Fuel , and turn it to such Ashes as it makes haste to reduce the VVood into . Me-thinks the blaze of this Fire should light me to discern something instructive in it : These Blocks may represent our Necessary , these Sticks our less important , Religious practices , and this aspiring Flame , the subtile Inhabitor of that of Hell. 'T wil be but succeslesly , that the Devil can attempt our grand Resolves , till he have first Master'd our less considerable ones ; and made his successes against these , not only Degrees , but Instruments , in the Destroying of the other : Our more neglected and seemingly trivial Affections , having once receiv'd his Fiery impressions , do easily impart them to higher Faculties , and serve to Kindle solider Materials . It is therefore the safest way , to be faithfull ev'n to our lesser Determinations , and watchfull over our less predominant Passions , and whensoever we find our selves tempted to violate the former , or neglect the latter , not so barely to cast one Eye upon the seeming inconsiderableness of what we are intic'd to , as not to fix the other upon the Consequences that may attend it ; and therein , to consider the importance of what such slighted things may , as they are manag'd , prove Instrumental , either to endanger , or preserve . REFLECTION III. Upon my Spaniel's Carefulness not to lose me in a strange place . DUring my stay at Home , whilst every Body this Cur chanc't to meet , made so much of their Landlord's Spaniel , that they seem'd to have added to Oracles that Proverb of Love me , love my Dogg , the cajoll'd Cur would never keep at home ; but being welcom'd to so many places abroad , made me few Visits , that cost me not the trouble of sending for him . But now , that we are in a place , where he sees not more Men than Strangers , he stirrs not from my Heels , and waits so close , and carefully , that it were now more difficult to lose him , than it was formerly to keep him from wandring . Thus doth it generally fare with us ; whilst we are Environed with numerous outward Objects , which , smiling on us , give our Gaddings to them , the Temptation of an inviting welcome ; how inclin'd are we to forget and wander from our great Master : But when we are depriv'd of those Enveigling Courters , our Maker too is freed from those seducing Rivals , and our undistracted Affections are brought to settle on their noblest Object , by the removal , and the displacing , as well as they would be by the Knowledge and the Undervaluation , of inferiour ones . Lord ! when I lose a Friend , or any outward Idol of my Fondness , teach me to reduce him to leave thee his Heir , by taking that loss for a Summons , to transfer and settle my whole Love on Thee ; and if Thou but vouchsafe to make me so happy , I shall think my self enough so , not to Envy him , to whom the loss of his Asses prov'd an occasion of his finding a Crown ; and shall not so much Regret what thy Dispensations shall have taken from me , as Gratulate to my self their having reduc'd me unto Thee . REFLECTION IV. Upon the prodigiously wet Weather , which happen'd the Summer that Colchester was Besieg'd . ( 1648. ) HOw strangely unseasonable is this Melancholy weather ! and how tedious a Winter have we indur'd this Summer ? More than these few last Weeks have not afforded us half as many Days , wherein we were neither troubl'd with Showry , or threaten'd by Cloudy , weather ; and we in England have great Temptations to envy Nature's Kindness unto Rhodes , if it be true what Geographers relate of that Island , that 't is a Rarity for the Inhabitants to see a Day pass without their seeing the Sun : For among us , the Confusions of our Country seem to have infected our very Air , and Serenity is as great a Rarity in the Sky , as in Men's Consciences ; so that those , who are wont to make Fires , not against Winter , but against Cold , have generally displac'd the florid , and the verdent Ornaments of their Chimneys , and think Vulcan more proper there than Flora ; and some begin to doubt , whether our Almanacks be not mistaken , by calling this Moneth July instead of November . But notwithstanding all this appearance of Winter above our Heads , yet whilst we see , that Cherries , and Strawberries , and other Summer fruits , do grow , and , though but slowly , make a Progress towards Maturity in our Orchards , we doubt not that 't is Summer , and expect that these Fruits , though they will not be Early ones , will at length come to be Ripe ones . Thus , for Reasons , which , though we know not yet , our knowing of God may assure us to be both VVise , and Just , a pious Soul may sometimes be reduc'd to so sad a Condition , that the Face of Heaven does to Her appear perpetually over-cast ; and the Tokens of God's Displeasure do so closely follow one another , that , to borrow Solomon's Phrase , The Clouds return after the Rain : But if , notwithstanding all this , the seemingly deserted Soul , do , like the good Ground mention'd in the Gospel , bring forth Fruit with Perseverance ; if Prayer , Charity , Resignation , and those other Divine Graces , that are wont to be the proper and genuine Productions of God's Spirit , do flourish , and prosper in the Soul , we may safely conclude that Soul , though never so Disconsolate , to be in the state of Grace , and that she really receives the blest Assistances of Him , who can alone give the Increase ( to the Seeds of Piety and Virtue ) though not in the glad and conspicuous way of an unclouded Heaven , yet in the effectual , though secret , Method of fructifying Influences ; and we may reasonably hope , That He that has not only begun a good Work , but carry'd it on thorow such Impediments , and Disadvantages , will perfect it , by bringing the slow , but yet gradually , ripening Fruit to the due Perfection : For those that are the humble Christian 's proper Graces do so much depend upon the Author , that , if they Flourish , his hiding himself in Clouds need not make us doubt the Fruits we see , to be the Productions of the Son of Righteousness , though we see Him not . VVe must not hastily conclude it VVinter with the Soul , though the Heaven be Lowring , provided the Earth be Fruitfull ; but remember , that the saving Influence of God's Spirit may be , where his comfortable Presence is not perceiv'd : The Living in sensible Comforts and Joys , is rather a part of our Reward , than of our Duty ; and that ( consequently ) it may save many Modest and Pious persons a great deal of Disquiet , if they would learn to judge of their Spiritual condition , rather by the Duties , and Services , they pay God , than by the present Consolations he vouchsafes Them ; or , in a word , rather by what they do , than by what they feel . REFLECTION V. Upon his being Carv'd to at a Feast . THorow many hands hath this Plate passed , before it came to mine ; and yet , though I bow'd to every one of those that helpt to Conveigh it , I kept my chief and solemnest Acknowledgment for the fair Lady that sent it . VVhy should'st thou not , O my Soul , instruct thy Gratitude to tread in the steps of thy Civility ? VVhen thou receivest any Blessing from that Father of Lights , from whom every good and perfect Gift comes down , pay a fitting share of thy thanks to them that hand it to thee ; but thorow all those means , look principally to that God that sends it : Let not the Pipe usurp upon the Spring , ( that were as absurd , as 't were for me to Kiss my hand to the Plate , or at best , to those that helpt to conveigh it , with a neglect of the Lady ) but so pay thy due Acknowledgment to the Reachers , that thou be sure to reserve thy principal Thanks , and highest strains of Gratitude , for the Giver . REFLECTION VI. Upon the sight of a Looking-glass , with a rich Frame . Eugenius , Lindamor , Eusebius . Lind. THis Glass , has a Frame so curious , and so rich , that though I could scarce , if I would , with-hold my Eyes from Gazing here ; yet , I believe , the Operation it has on my Curiosity , is no more than what it generally has on that of others ; and by the attention with which I saw , ev'n you , Gentlemen , surveigh it , I am easily perswaded , that one needs not be a Lady , not to pass by such a Looking-glass without repairing to it . Eug. I am much of your opinion , Lindamor , and such a sight as this has often made me a greater Friend , than many severer Persons are , to Eloquence in Sermons : For as if this very Glass had been plac'd here in a mean or common Frame , it would scarce have stopp'd us in our Passage through the Room , or have invited us to consult it ; so a Sermon , may , by the nicer sort of Auditors , be left unregarded , though it be for Substance excellent : VVhen , as the Frame , though it be not part of the Glass , nor shews us any part of our Faces , does yet , by its curious Work-manship , attract our Eyes , and so invite us to consult the Glass , that is held forth in it ; so the Wit , and fine Language , wherein it is Dress'd up , though it be no Essential or Theological part of the Sermon , yet it is often that which invites Men to hear , or read it . Lind. I think indeed , Eugenius , that Wit and Eloquence do highly recommend Sermons , and devout Composures , to the Curiosity and Attention of some , that else would scarcely mind them ; and upon that account , I allow of your Comparison , but give me leave to carry it on a little further , by observing , That as the curious Frame doth as well please , as attract , the Eye , without representing to it the lively Image of the beholders Face ; so the fine Expressions you applaud , are commonly parts of a Sermon that have no specular Virtue in them , I mean , that have no Power , like a good Looking-glass , to acquaint the Beholder with the true Image or Representation of his own Complexion , and Features : Nor will this Gaudy frame shew him what is otherwise than it should be , the discovery of which , nevertheless , in order to the rectifying what is amiss , is the principal and genuine use of a Looking-glass ; and therefore , as no skilfull Man will judge of the goodness of a Glass , by the fineness of the Frame , but rather by its giving him a true Representation of his Face , without liking it the worse , for shewing him its Moles , and Warts , or other Blemishes , if it have any ; so no wise Christian will judge of a rowsing Sermon , rather by the Language , than the Divinity , or will think the worse of a good Book , for discovering his Faults , or making him think the worse of his own , or other Men's , ill courses . Euseb . Let me add , Gentlemen , that as when a Glass has a rich and gawdy Frame , Children's Eyes are oftentimes so entertain'd and amus'd with it , that they are regardless of any thing else ; and for the sake of that part , which they can but see , they are unmindfull to consult that usefuller part , whose Office it is , to discover to them , themselves : So , when there is too much of Rhetorick in a Sermon , many , that should not be Children , have their Attention , not only so attracted , but so detain'd , by that , that they are not thereby invited to consult , but diverted from regarding , the more instructive part of the Discourse . And the more VVitty and Critical sort of Auditors , are so much more accustom'd to judge of Sermons , than to judge of themselves by them , that they deal with them , as if , in this Glass , a Man should only praise or discommend the VVork-man-ship of the umboss'd Images of the Frame , without caring to make use of the Glass it self , to mend any thing he finds out of order about him : For thus , these Fastidious and Censorious hearers , make no other Use nor Repetition of Sermons , than to censure or applaud the Expressions , and Contrivance , ( which should be look'd upon but as the Ornaments of it ) without minding the Doctrine , or caring to amend what that has discover'd to be amiss in them . But it must be confess'd , though I must Grieve and Blush , it can be truly so , that it is but too often , as the Scripture somewhere complains , like People , like Priest ; and that there is a sort of Preachers , and those of the most Celebrated , who take a Course more likely to encourage , than reform , such Hearers , and which would , perhaps , make Men such , if it did not find them so : For one of this sort of Preachers ( for I am loath to call them Divines ) appears more sollicitous to make his Expressions , than to make his Hearers , good . And whereas , these that are concern'd for the winning , or the saving , of Souls , think it a less sure sign of a good Sermon , that it makes the Hearers applaud the Preacher , than that it makes them condemn themselves : The Orator I am mentioning , had much rather hear their Praises , than their Sighs ; and accordingly , is more sollicitous to tickle their Ears , than , how much need soever there be of it , to launce their Consciences : He may , with far more Truth than Piety , invert the Profession of Saint Paul , and say , that he Preaches not Christ crucify'd , but himself ; and though now and then he seem very Vehemently to declaim against Vices , yet one may easily enough perceive , that 't is but a personated Anger , and that he rather fences with Sin , than is concern'd to Destroy it , and speaks against it rather to shew Skil , than to exercise Hatred ; and as he affects to appear rather an Orator , than a Divine , so he is well enough content , his Auditors should rather admire his good Language , than follow his best Counsel : And , as if all that belongs to Ministers , and their Flocks , could be perform'd in the Pulpit , and the Pew , he is more carefull to remember his Sermons before he has deliver'd them , than to keep his Auditors from forgetting them afterwards ; and unconcern'd for their Proficiency , seeks but their Praises , scarce ever aiming at so much as his own Discharge . In a word , in such kind of Sermons , there is little spoken , either from the Heart , or to the Heart ; the Orator and the Auditory tacitely agreeing to deceive themselves ; and the Conversion of Sinners , being neither the effect , nor the aim , of such florid , but unedifying , Discourses , the business is translated on both sides , as if the Preacher thought he had done his part , when he has shewn his VVit , and the Hearers thought they had done theirs , when they have commended it . REFLECTION VII . Upon my Spaniel's fetching me my Glove . POor Cur ! How importunate is he to be imploy'd about bringing me this Glove ? and with what Clamours , and how many Fawnings , does he court me to fling it him ? I never saw him so eager for a piece of Meat , as I find him for a Glove : And yet he knows it is no Food for him , nor is it Hunger that creates his Longings for it ; for now I have cast it him , he does nothing else with it , but ( with a kind of Pride to be sent for it , and a satisfaction which his glad Gestures make appear so Great , that the very use of Speech would not enable him to express it better ) brings it me back again ; as he meant to shew me , he desir'd it not to keep it for himself , but only to have it in his power , to return it as a present to his Master . But he must not bring me thus an empty Glove ; it is in thee , my Soul , to fill this Accident with Instruction , by learning from Religion , as dis-interess'd a Behaviour towards God , as Nature taught this Brute Creature towards me . I will in my addresses , for Externals , less earnestly implore them for the service they may do me , than for the service I may do God with them ; and ( as Princes Commands are look'd upon by Courtiers as Honours , and as Favours ) contenting my self with the Satisfaction of being trusted , and imploy'd by Him , I will rejoyce at the liberaller Expressions of his Love , as they may be improv'd into proportionable Expressions of mine , and will beg no Largess of his Bounty , without a design of referring it to his Glory . REFLECTION VIII . Upon the taking up his Horses from Grass , and giving them Oats before they were to be Ridden a Journey . JUst so does God usually deal with his Servants ; when he vouchsafes them extraordinary Measures of Grace , they are to look for Employments that will exercise it , or Temptations that will try it . Thus that great Captain of our Salvation , Heb. 12. 2. whom the Scripture so much and so deservedly exhorts us to have our Eyes on , When at his solemn Inauguration into his Prophetick Office , the Heavens were open'd , from whence the Spirit of God did in a Bodily shape , descend like a Dove upon him , accompany'd with a Heavenly Voice , proclaiming him the Beloved Son of God , in whom the Father is well pleas'd , Matth. 4. Then , I say , that is ( as Saint Mark tells us ) immediately , Jesus ( being , as another Evangelist has it , full of the Holy Ghost , Luk. 4. 1. ) was led up of the Spirit into the Wilderness to be Tempted of the Devil . That wise and mercifull Disposer of all things , who will not suffer his Children to be Tempted above what they are able , seasonably fortifies them by these preparatory Provisions and Consolations , for the Labours and Difficulties they are to be expos'd to . But whereas , if these Horses had reason wherewith to fore-see the Journey in order whereunto the Provender is so plentifully given them , they would ( if not be troubl'd at their good Cheer ) at least lose much of the Pleasure of it , by thinking of the Labour to ensue ; with the Servants of God the case is much otherwise . For such is his Goodness to those he is pleas'd thus to deal with , in proposing and reserving them a Crown in some sort proportionate to , and yet inestimably out-valuing , the Toils and Difficulties requisite to obtain it ; that as advantageous , and as welcome as his Preparatory Vouchsafements can be , the pious Soul may well think them less Favours upon their own Account , than as they enable the Receiver to do the more Service to the Giver . REFLECTION IX . Upon the making of a Fire with Charcoal . THose that Lust fascinates are apt to imagine , that if they can suppress its visible Effects , and sensible Heat , that will be sufficient to free them from all the Mischiefs , they need fear from it : But Lust is so pernicious a Guest , that not only he is very watchfull to intrude again where he has once been entertain'd , but , notwithstanding his Absence , he may continue to do Mischief to those that seem to have quite expell'd him . For as Wood that is once thorowly set on Fire , may afterwards have that Fire quite choak'd , and extinguish'd , and yet by those changes be turn'd into Charcoal , whereby it is not only made Black , but dispos'd to be far more easily Kindled , and Consum'd than before ; so those , who have once had their Hearts thorowly possest by the pernicious Flames of Lust , ( which is indeed , to imploy an inspir'd Expression , to be set on Fire of Hell ) ev'n when they have stifled these criminal Flames , and feel no more of their Heat , may not only have their Reputation irrecoverably blemish'd by what is past , but commonly carry about with them an unhappy Disposition to be re-inflam'd , and to have by a few Sparks , and a little Blowing , those destructive Fires so re-kindled , as to Rage more fatally than ever . REFLECTION . X. Looking through a Prismatical or Triangular Glass . THis more than flattering Glass , adorns all the Objects I look on thorow it , with a Variety of Colours , whose Vividness does as much charm my Sense , as their Nature poses my Reason ; Without the help of the Sun , and Clouds , it affords me as many Rain-bows as I please . And not only when I look on Trees , and Meadows , and Gardens , and such other Objects that are of themselves acceptable to the Sight ; this Glass lends them Ornaments above any they are beholden for , either to Nature , or Art : But when I cast my Eyes upon courser , and homely things , and ev'n on Dunghills , this favourable Interposer presents them to me in such curious and gawdy Colours , that it does not so properly hide their Deformities , as make them appear Lovely ; so that which way soever I turn my Eyes , I find them saluted , as if I were in some Rich Jewellers Shop , with Saphires , Topazes , Emerauds , and other Orient Gems , the Vividness of whose Colours , may justifie those that think Colours to be but disguised Light , which , by these various Reflections , and Refractions , comes to be rather Dy'd than Stain'd . But this Glass must as well afford me Instruction , as Delight , and ev'n by deceiving me , teach me : For thus , sinful Christians , when God looks upon them in themselves , must needs seem too Polluted , and Disfigur'd , not to appear Loathsom to Him , Who is of purer Eyes than to behold Inquity without Abhorrency ; but when Christ interposes betwixt his Eyes and Us , we then seem far other things than otherwise we should , and not only we do not appear Filthy , but we do appear Lovely , if not Glorious . And as though , some Objects , as things purely White , and Flames , look better through this Glass , than homely and dirty ones ; yet ev'n these , look'd upon through this Glass , are more Richly adorn'd , than the others beheld without it : So , whatever Difference there may be betwixt Persons that are either Innocent , or Exemplary , upon the bare account of Morality ; and those ignorant or frail Children of God , that , in themselves consider'd , would be much inferiour to those newly mention'd ; yet when these are look'd upon thorow Christ , they are much more acceptable in God's Eyes , than the others consider'd out of him . And I shall add this further , that , whereas my looking upon Objects through the Prism , however it makes them appear to my Eyes , does work no real Change in the things themselves , but leaves those that were homely and foul before , foul and homely still ; God's gracious looking upon us in Christ , makes us by degrees become fit for his Goodness to take delight in , and has an improving and transfiguring Power on us , like the Sun , that cherishes Green and unblown Flowers , and paints them with their curiousest Colours , by his looking on them . Since then , the Scripture tells us , that we are not only reconcil'd to God , but , if I may so express it , are ingratiated and endeared to him in the Beloved ; How much do we owe to that blessed Saviour , upon whose Account we enjoy the invaluable Priviledge to appear ( and grow fit to do so ) pleasing in God's Eyes ? which besides , that it is the highest Honour , leads to the highest Happiness ; or rather , is the one as well as the other . OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS . The IV. SECTION . Which treats of Angling Improv'd To Spiritual Uses . DISCOURSE I. Upon the being call'd upon to rise early on a very fair Morning . THe Sun had as yet but approach'd the East , and my Body as yet lay moveless in the Bed , whilst my roving Thoughts were in various Dreams , rambling to distant places , when , me-thought , I heard my name several times pronounc'd by a not unknown Voice ; This noise made me , as I was soon after told , half open my Eyes , to see who it was that made it , but so faintly , that I had quickly let my Self fall asleep gaain , if the same Party had not the second time call'd me louder than before , and added to his Voice the pulling me by the Arm. But though this wak'd me so far , as to make me take notice that I was call'd upon to rise , yet my Drowsiness , and my Unwillingness to forgo a not unpleasant Dream , keeping me from discerning distinctly , who it was that call'd me , made me briskly enough bid him , what ever his business were , let me alone ; But though at the same time I turn'd away my Head to shun the Light , though dim , which at the half open'd Curtain shone in upon me , yet the Party instead of complying with my desires , did by throwing open the Curtains , further let in so much more Light upon my Face , that finding it would not serve my turn to keep my Eyes shut , I open'd them to see who it was that gave me this unwelcome Disturbance . This I had no sooner done , than I perceiv'd that 't was Eusebius , who with Lindamor , and two or three other Friends , was come to call me to go a Fishing , to a place , where by appointment we were to meet about Sun-rising . The respect I paid Eusebius , and the value I plac'd upon his Conversation , covered me with Blushes to be thus surpris'd by him , and oblig'd me to satisfie him as well as I could , how much I was troubl'd and asham'd to have the favour of his Company brought me to my Bed-side , which I ought , and intended to have waited on him . And thus , whilst I was making him my Apologies , and he was pleasantly reproaching me for my Laziness , and Laughing at the disorder I had not yet got quite out of , I made a shift hastily to get on my Cloaths , and put my self into a condition of attending him and the Company to the River-side . Whilst we were walking thither-ward , and Lindamor was minding Eusebius of the promise he had made the Day before , to exercise , upon most of the things that should occur to us , his Art of making Occasional Reflections , I was delighting my self with the deliciousness of that promising Morning , and indeed the freshness of the Air , the verdure of the Fields and Trees , and the various and curious Enammel of the Meadows , the Musick of the numerous Birds , that with as melodious as chearfull Voices welcom'd so fair a morning . The curious and orient Colours wherewith the rising Sun embellish'd the Eastern part of the Sky , and above all that source of Light , who , though he shews us all that we see of glorious and fair , shews us nothing so fair and glorious as himself , did so charm and transport me , that I could not hold expressing my satisfaction in tearms that , Eugenius was after pleased to say , needed not Rhymes to make them Poetical . And the sense of this invited me to add , that I now would not for any thing have miss'd being wak'd , and thought my self hugely oblig'd to Eusebius's freedome , that would not suffer me to sleep out so glorious a Morning , nor lose the satisfaction of such desirable Company . Eusebius , who was but a little way off in discourse with Lindamor , over-hearing a good part of what I had said , thought fit to take thence a Rise , to begin complying with his Friends requests , and accordingly , walking up towards me , and addressing himself to me , he told me , you are unconcern'd enough , Philaretus , in what I am about to say , to make it allowable for me to tell Lindamor , that what has this Morning happen'd to you , puts me in mind of what I have several times observ'd on another occasion . For when a Man is so lull'd asleep by sensual pleasures , that like one that sleeps , he has but the faculty , not the exercise of Reason , and takes his Dreams for realities , if some serious Divine , or other devout Friend , concern'd for the Sinner's soul , or his glory that Dy'd to redeem it , endeavour to awaken him , and rowse him out of that State wherein he lies so much at ease ; such attempts are wont at first to be look'd upon by the lazy Sinner , enamour'd of his ease , and present condition , but as pieces of unseasonable , if not uncivil officiousness , and entertaining the Light it self but as an unwelcome Guest , he obstinately shuts his Eyes against that which alone makes them usefull , and instead of looking upon the Attempter as his Friend , he checks him , and expostulates with him , and uses him almost as an Enemy ; Insomuch , that too often those that love the welfare of Souls too little , or their own ease too much , forgo , with their hopes , their endeavours to reclaim him . But if by God's blessing , upon the constancy of this kindness , and the letting in of so much Light upon the Sinner , that he finds himself unable to continue his Slumber any longer with it , he comes to be thorowly awak'd , he quickly grows sensible that he is brought out of the Kingdome of Darkness into a true and marvellous Light , and instead of those empty fleeting Dreams , which did before amuse and delude him , and which to rellish , and be fond of , the Eyes of his Mind must be as well clos'd as those of his Body , he is admitted to noble and manly entertainments , such as Reason chuses , Conscience applauds , and God himself approves . And this change of his condition he finds so advantageous , that he would not for all the World return again to that , he was at first so angry to be disswaded from , and he does not forgive , but thank the Person that disquieted him , and blushes at the Remembrance of his having reduc'd others to importune him to be happy : And betwixt shame and gratitude , the sense of his present , and of his past condition possessing him , how much he has reason to make his Rescuer as well amends for what he indur'd , as retributing for what he acted for him , he does perchance , especially in the first fervours of his Zeal , think himself as much oblig'd to his Awakener , as Philemon was to Saint Paul , to whom the Scripture says , that he ow'd even himself . And sometimes such a new Convert , as I am speaking of , will think his Obligation to the Instrument of his change so suitable to the transcendent satisfaction he finds in the change it self , that he would despair of seeing his Benefactor sufficiently recompens'd , if he did not remember a saying of the Prophet , ( That those that turn others to Righteousness , shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever , ) that gives him ground to hope that God himself ( whose plenty as well as bounty is inexhausted ) will make the Recompence his work . Wherefore , concludes Eusebius , if you chance to have any Friends , ( as 't is odds most Men have ) that stand in need of this as great as unwelcome expression of kindness , let us not be too soon discourag'd , by finding the effects of our friendship coldly received , and possibly too look'd upon as disturbances ; for besides , that the less they are desir'd , and the worse they are entertain'd , the more they needed : a Christian is not bound so much to concern himself in the success of his endeavours , as to leave it in the power of every one that will be obstinate , to make him unhappy , when the business one way or other come to an end , he may miss his aim , without losing his labour , since he serves a Master that is as ready to reward , as able to discern Intentions ; and in case your indeavours do succeed , you will at once make a Man your Friend , and worthy to be so . And you shall scarce ever find Men more affectionate to you , than those you have made your Friends , by making them Enemies to Vice. DISCOURSE II. Upon the Mounting , Singing , and Lighting of Larks . THe agreement we had made at our setting forth , that the motion of our Tongues should not hinder that of our Feet towards the River-side , was the cause , that the past Discourses not having discontinued our Walk , by that time they were ended , we began to Traverse certain plow'd Lands , that lay in the way betwixt us and the River . But we had scarce entred those Fields , when our Ears were saluted with the melodious Musick of a good number of Larks , whereof some mounted by degrees out of Sight , and others hovering and singing a while over our Heads , soon after lighted on the ground , not far from our Feet . After we had a while enjoy'd this costless , and yet excellent Musick , both Eusebius and I , chancing to cast our Eyes towards Eugenius , observ'd that his did very attentively wait upon the motions of a Lark , that , singing all the way upwards , and mounting by degrees out of sight , not long after descended and lighted among some clods of Earth , which being of the colour of her Body , made us quickly loose sight of her . Whereupon Eusebius , who was full as willing to hear as speak , and in the Occasional Reflections that he made , was wont at least as much to aim at the exciting others thoughts , as the venting of his own , begg'd Eugenius to tell us what it might be , which his attentiveness to the motions of the Lark made us presume he was thinking on . Eugenius after a little backwardness , which he thought Modesty exacted of him , soon answer'd us in these tearms . Among all Birds that we know , there is not any that seems of so elevated , and I had almost said Heavenly a Nature as the Lark , scarce any give so early and so sweet a welcome to the Springing day . And that which I was just now gazing on , seem'd so pleas'd with the unclouded Light , that she sung as if she came from the place she seem'd to go to , and during this charming Song , mounted so high , as if she meant not to stop , till she had reach'd that Sun , whose Beams so cherish'd and transported her ; and in this aspiring flight she rais'd her self so high , that though I will not say , she left the Earth beneath her very Sight , yet I may say , that she foar'd quite out of Ours . And yet when from this towring height she stoop'd to repose or solace her self upon the Ground , or else when to seise upon some worthless Worm , or other wretched Prey , she lighted on the Ground , she seem'd so like the Earth that was about her , that I believe you could scarce discern her from its Clods . And whereas other Birds that fly not half so high , nor seem any thing near so fond of the Sun , do yet build their Nests upon Trees , the Lark does as well build hers upon the Ground , as look like a part of it . Thus I have known , in these last and worst times , many a Hypocrite , that when he was conversant about sublimer Objects , appear'd , as well as he call'd himself , a Saint ; nothing seem'd so welcome to him as new Light ; one might think his Lips had been touch'd with a coal from the Altar , his Mouth did so sweetly shew forth Gods praise , and sacred dispensations . In sum , take this Hypocrite in his fit of Devotion , and to hear him talk , you would think , that if he had not been already in Heaven , at least he would never leave mounting , till he should get thither . But when the Opportunities of advantaging his lower Interests call'd him down to deal about Secular affairs here below , none appear'd more of a piece with the Earth than he , for he look'd as if he had been besmear'd all over with the Earth round about him , and he seem'd , in providing for his Family , to be of a meaner and a lower Spirit , than those very Men whom in discourse he was wont to undervalue , as being far more Earthy than himself . Since we know , says Eusebius , that the best things corrupted prove the worst , it can be no disparagement to Piety , to acknowledge that Hypocrisie is a Vice which you cannot too much condemn . And when the pretending of Religion grows to be a thing in request , many betake themselves to a form of Religion , who deny the Power of it ; And some perchance , have been preferr'd less for their Jacobs voice , than for their Esaus hands . But , Eugenius , let us not to shun one extream , fondly run into the other , and be afraid or asham'd to profess Religion , because some Hypocrites did but profess it ; His course is ignoble , and praeposterous , that treads the paths of Piety , rather because they lead to Preferment than to Heaven ; But yet 't is more excusable to live free from scandal for an inferiour end , than not to live so at all : And Hypocrites can as little justifie the profane , as themselves . It may be , that all that own Religion are not Pious ; but 't is certain , that he that scorns to own it must less be so . And if scoffers at Piety should succeed the Pretenders to it , they cannot be said ( as sometimes they would be thought ) to be an innocent sort of Hypocrites , that are better than they seem ; for Scandal is a thing so criminal , and contagious , that whosoever desires , and endeavours to appear evil , is so : To refuse to be Religious , because some have but professed themselves to be so , is to injure God , because he has been injur'd . A skilfull Jeweller will not forbear giving great rates for Neck-laces of true Pearl , though there be many Counterfeits for one that is not so ; Nor are the right Pearls a whit the less Cordial to those that take them , because the artificial Pearl made at Venice , consisting of Mercury and Glass , for all their fair shew , are rather Noxious , than Medicinal . And indeed our knowledge , that there are Hypocrites , ought rather to commend Piety to us , than discredit it with us ; since as none would take the pains to counterfeit Pearls , if true ones were not of Value ; So Men would not put themselves to the constraint of personating Piety , if that it self were not a noble Quality . Let us then , Eugenius , fly as far as you please from what we detest in Hypocrites : But then let us consider , what it is that we detest ; which being a bare , and therefore false pretence to Religion , let us only shun such a pretence , which will be best done by becomming real Possessors of the thing pretended to . DISCOURSE III. Upon the Sight of a fair Milk-maid singing to her Cow. EUgenius , who was not at all indispos'd to listen to Exhortations of this Nature , not only imbrac'd this made him by his Friend , but with earnestness enough continu'd the Conference to explain his meaning , and satisfie Eusebius , that he did not think Piety fit to be discountenanc'd , though he thought Hypocrisie was so , and that he was no Enemy to the Profession of Religion , but to those that blemish'd it by unsuitable Practices . And with such kind of Discourses we continu'd our Walk , till being come to a Style , over which we were to pass out of one Meadow into another , I chanc'd to stop , and turn about to pay Lindamor the Respect of desiring him to lead me the way over : But not finding him there , I hastily cast my Eyes all over the Field , till at length they discover'd him a good way off , in a Posture that seem'd extremely serious , and wherein he stood as immoveable as a Statue . This sight soon carry'd me towards him , and I had dispatch'd half my way before his changing his Posture gave him an opportunity to discover me , which as soon as he did , he immediately came to meet me , and almost before I had ask'd him the occasion of what I had seen ; Whilst ( reply'd he ) Eugenius was purging himself from a fault that none that knows him will suspect him to be guilty of , I was detain'd a little behind you by the Musick of one of those Larks , whose melody was so charming , that I could not find in my heart to make haste from it : But whilst I was listening to it , my Attention was diverted by a nobler Object , for I heard , from the further corner of this Meadow , a Voice , which , though not govern'd with Skil , did so repair the want of it by its native sweetness , that Art was absent without being miss'd , and I could not but have some Curiosity to see who was the Possessor of so much power to please ; turning then my steps towards that part of the Field whence the Voice came , my Eyes quickly ceas'd to envy my Ears , for they discover'd , kneeling by a Cow , and singing to her whilst she milk'd her , a Person , who , in the habit of a Milk-maid , seem'd to disguise one of those Nymphs that Poets are wont to describe us . And that you may not wonder , continues Lindamor , at what I shall say to you of a country Girle , Know , that methought I saw in her Face something more like Hermione , before she prov'd inconstant , than I expected to find in any of her Sex : I will not tell you , that this fair Creature had the Blushes of the Morning in her Cheeks , the Splendour of the Sun in her Eyes , the freshness of the Fields in her Looks , the whiteness of the Milk she express'd in her Skin , and the melody of the Larks , we were admiring , in her Voice , least you should think Mr. Boyls Seraphick Love had lost its Operation on me . But I may perhaps without much Hyperbole , give you this Account of her , that though her Cloaths are almost as course as cleanly , and though they are suited to her Condition , yet they are very ill suited to her Beauty , which , as if Nature intended a Triumph over Fortune , has , without any assistance of Ornament , more distress'd my Liberty , than others have been able to do with all their most curious Dresses . And this fair Creature , continues Lindamor , as she is rich in Natures bounty , appear'd as well by the chearfulness of the Tune she sung , as by the manner of her Singing it , so satisfy'd with the unpurchas'd Treasures she possesses , that she seem'd almost as much pleas'd as I was to look upon her . This Character of Lindamors inviting me to go see , whether or no it were deserv'd , and the frequent Experience I have had , that ev'n upon such bright Eyes as Poets , and Lovers , call'd Suns , I could gaze undazel'd enough to approve my self a right Eagle , assuring me I might safely do it , I fearlesly , but softly , approach'd the place where the fair Milk-maid was solliciting the Udder of a fresh Cow , and I found , that though indeed some Resemblance she had to Hermione , had made Lindamor flatter her , yet she look'd at once so innocently , and prettily , that she seem'd like to do Mischief , without at all intending it ; and I could not but fancy , that if some Ladies that are much cry'd up , and are very imperious Mistresses , because they are so , were bound to change Dresses with this unsophisticated and unadorn'd Maid , the one would appear to owe her Beauty to Art , and the other to be beholden for hers to nothing but Nature . But , Lindamor , who is not naturally indispos'd to be Amorous , did not think that this Imagination of mine did that pretty Creature right : for when I told him she would eclipse a hundred of our fine Ladies , if she had but the Dress of one of them ; Why , that ( replies he , with a kind of Indignation ) she can do without it , and perhaps , subjoyns he , as much as with it : For her present habit leaves her most her self , and Bravery would but disguise , or hide what it cannot adorn . And I am confident , ( continues he ) that should such a genuine Beauty appear among the Gallants , she would really captivate many , ev'n of those wary ones that do but pretend to be so , to the designing and applauded Ladies : For though Skil may encounter the Wiles of Art , it would scarce be able to resist the Charms of Nature . But whilst Lindamor was thus Complementing with what he fancy'd the Picture of his once lov'd Hermione , and had his Eyes as much fix'd upon her , as dazl'd ones could be , the lovely Milk-maid , ( who , all this while having not taken notice of us , was as regardless of Lindamor , as he seem'd to be of all things but her ) having dispatch'd what she was doing , took up her Pail to carry it homewards : But her way chancing to lye by that part of the Meadow where we were yet standing , she could not but discover us , and judging by our Cloaths , and more by Lindamors Meer , that we were of a Quality differing from theirs she was wont to converse with , she gave us a Salute low enough to let us see that she forgot not her Condition , but attended with so much Gracefulness , as made Lindamor conclude she merited a better , and , as she pass'd by him , to return the gesture of Respect , which he thought so much Beauty had a right in any habit to exact ; she vouchsaf'd him a Smile , which , I after told him , would have made him happy , if he had thought it had proceeded from Kindness , not Civility ; and she went away with a Look so serene , as well as taking , that she seem'd to carry home with her far more quiet , than she left him possess'd of . But I that had lost sight of her , without losing any thing with it , save the expectation of seeing in haste so fair a Milk-maid , was going to Railler with Lindamor , about what had pass'd , when I was restrain'd , by perceiving that the sight of a Person that seem'd so contented , together with the native pleasantness of that place , and of that glorious Morning , had such an operation upon him , that he could not forbear to celebrate the happiness and innocency of a Country life . And after he had with much Transport , and Fluency , repeated the substance of what Ovid and other antient Poets had in their strain deliver'd concerning the felicity of the Golden Age , he began to apply as much of it as the Matter would bear , to the recommending of a Rural life , and was very sollicitous to make me acknowledge , that though we are wont to look upon Villagers as an inferiour and wretched sort of People , yet they are the persons of the World , whose condition is the most proper , not only to keep them innocent , but to make them happy : Their cheap and simple way of Living , allowing them to rest contented , with what bounteous Nature has provided for them , or an easie Industry can procure them . Whereas among Men nobly Born , or Persons of Quality , 't is look'd upon as want of Breeding , for a Man not to think himself unhappy , as long as he hath not a thousand Pound a Year . Lindamor , though he here made a Pause to take breath , would yet perhaps have prosecuted his Discourse , had he not been prevented by the intervening of Eusebius , who a while after we had left him , having miss'd us , had follow'd us to the palace he found us in , and who , when he drew nigh , having over-heard Lindamor speaking , stood still a while at some distance off , to listen to what he said , and so became an unsuspected Auditor of the last part of his Friends Discourse . Whereupon taking him by the hand , and leading him towards the River , he told him , with a serious , not to call it a severe Look ; I had thought , Lindamor , you had made righter Estimates of the several courses of Life , than , by what I have newly over-heard you say , I now suspect you do . Know then , Lindamor , ( adds he ) That Innocence and Contentment depend more upon a Man's mind , than upon his condition : To manifest this to you , I shall in the first place observe , that 't is not always the Occasion , or the Object , but rather the Degree that makes an Affection of the Mind unruly and troublesome ; Nor is it according to the intrinsick value of things , which none save the Wise can discern ; but the Rate , how unskilfully soever fixt , which we put upon them , that they operate upon our passions . And therefore , you shall see a Child take on more sadly for the scape of a Sparrow , or the breaking of a Rattle , than some will do for the loss of a good Estate , nay , of a Friend ; and Haman , for the want of a Bow from Mordecai , complain'd more in his Place , than Job , till his miserable comforters had exasperated his grief , did for the loss of the biggest Fortune in the East , and of the Children he reserv'd it for , and valu'd far above it . And then , Lindamor , ( continues Eusebius ) do not imagine , that though Courtiers and Gallants have more spendid and glittering Temptations to Sin and Discontent , Country people are exempted from Temptation to either : Theirs may be as great , though not the same , nor so specious as the other ; their Faults and Infelicities are indeed less taken notice of , because their Persons and Conditions are obscure , and their Poverty conceals their Vices , as well as their Virtues , from our Eyes ; as in a sharp Winter the Snow does as well hide their Dunghills , as cover their Gardens . But if your Quality allow'd you to acquaint your self with the true state of this inferiour sort of People , you would soon perceive , that ev'n of rural Families , there is scarce any , that , as far as their Wits will reach , has not its several Parties , and little Intrigues ; Nor is there any Cottage so low , and narrow , as not to harbour Care , and Malice , and Covetousness , and Envy , if those that dwell in it have a mind to entertain them : And what Envy alone may do to produce Crimes and Discontents , we may conjecture by what happen'd betwixt Cain and Abel , since their being heirs to the whole World , could not keep two Brothers at peace , whilst one of them was envious : And there are some sordid Vices , which are more incident to the meaner and more necessitous sort of Men , as Spiders and Cobwebs are wont to abound more in thatch'd Cabbins , than in great Mens houses . I should perhaps ( says Eusebius ) think these people happy , if I found they thought themselves so ; but the Pomp and Vanities of the World have oftentimes stronger allurements for them , than for the Grandees and Courtiers themselves : For those that are possess'd of these imaginary Joys , are disabus'd by their own Experience ; and those that live among these Theatrical persons , are near enough to discern that they are but causelesly envy'd . As ( for my part ) when I had occasion to be conversant in great Mens Families , and the honour to preach in Princes Courts , the sight of their course of Life did as thorowly convince me of the Vanity of the World , as my Sermons endeavour'd to convince them . Whereas Country people see but the glittering and deluding outside of Greatness , and beholding it but at a distance , see it in the favourablest light which Men can behold it in , and consequently are strongly tempted to envy what they admire , and repine at their own condition , for the want of it : Nay , every gawdy trifle , that those that live in Towns and Cities chance to make shew of , is wont to make a Country man envy , as well as gape ; And 't is odds , but that very Milk-maid , whose condition you are pleas'd to think so happy , envies some Neighbouring Farmers Daughter for a piece of taudry Ribbon , or a black Hood : Nor are they so much more priviledg'd from the assaults of Temptation , than Men of higher rank ; For 't is not so much a Mans outward condition , as his inward disposition and temper of mind , that makes Temptations either to sin , or to discontent , prevalent , or unsuccessfull . When Joseph was sold into Egypt , and sollicited by a Woman that would needs be his Mistress upon more scores than one , though his condition expos'd him more to hopes and fears , than almost any other condition could expose another Man , And though his Youth made him very capable of rellishing the pleasures that his Beauty made him courted to receive , by giving them ; yet this chast Youth chose rather to be Imprison'd any where , than in a fair Ladies Arms , and preferr'd the being made a Captive , before the Captivating of his amorous Mistress . But whilst young Joseph was thus chast in the Aegyptian Potiphar's House , his eldest Brother Reuben was Incestuous in good Jacob's whose Family was then the visible Church of God ; and Lot , who was chast and temperate in Sodom it self , was Drunk and committed Incest in a Cave ; so much more does the success of Temptations depend upon the temper of a Man's mind , than upon the place he lives in . I know not ( says Eugenius ) whether the Innocence of Rural people be more easie than that of great Men , but sure it is not so commendable : For as a Woman that has never yielded , because she was never sollicited , may be call'd rather Innocent than Virtuous ; so their condition , that owe their not being Inveigl'd by the Vanities of the World , to their Ignorance of them , has more in it of good fortune than of merit . I thank you for that consideration , ( subjoyns Eusebius ) for I confess I think there is a great Disparity betwixt an unacquaintedness with the bewitching pleasures of the World , and a contempt of them . And he is the truly heroick Spirit , that can ( as David could ) plentifully enjoy all those sensual Delights and Vanities he chose to reject : For he could feast a Nation , and prefer Temperance before all that Abundance ; He could gain strange Victories at once over his outward Enemies , and over the Temptations he was expos'd to by such successes ; He could Build stately Palaces , and then profess himself to be but a Stranger , and a Sojourner upon Earth ; He could afford Humility room to sit with him on his Throne , and could listen to her Memento's amidst all the Acclamations of his People , and the Panegyricks of his Courtiers ; He was not to be resisted by Beauties , that to others were irresistible , when he postpon'd the fairest Objects that could here charm his Eyes , to such as were visible only to those of Faith ; He had got together the greatest Treasure , that for ought I remember we read of in any History , and yet seems never to have been much pleas'd with it , but when he dedicated it to the Building of the Temple , and made the fruits of his Valour the oblations of his Piety . To be short , he was the greatest Person upon Earth , when he was content to leave it ; and was willing to descend from the Throne into the Grave , whilst he look'd upon that as the place whence he must ascend to the Mansion of his God ; so much did he , ev'n whilst he wore an earthly Crown , aspire to an Heavely one . And though ( continues Eusebius ) we must now a days as little expect to meet with a Man of David's condition , as of his temper , yet proportionably we may put a vast Difference betwixt those that but escape the sight of the World's allurements , and those that reject the Profers of them . Eusebius was in this part of his Discourse , when we were come near enough to the River , to discover it within a little way of us : And therefore finding by his silence , that he thought it seasonable to desist , I only ventur'd to tell him , with a low Voice , as we continu'd our Walk , that I suspected , that in some of the things he had been saying , he had a design rather to check Lindamor a little , and keep up the Discourse , than to deny , that a retir'd and rural Life has great advantages towards Contentation : To which , that he might conclude what he had to say , before we reach'd the River , he made haste to reply in the same Tone , That I was not altogether mistaken : For ( says he ) I think the case may be pretty well represented , by saying , that as there are some Airs very much wholesomer than others , and fitter to preseve Men from Diseases ; so a very private and quiet condition of Life , does much more easily than a more expos'd and turbulent one , protect most sorts of Men from Vices and Disquiets . But then on the other side , as there are some Men of such sound and strong Constitutions , that they will enjoy their Health in the worst Airs , when Men of tender and vitiated Complexions will be Sickly in the best ; so there are some generous and steady Souls , that will pass thorow the most troublesome and most expos'd courses of Life , with more of both Innocence and Contentment , than others can enjoy in a condition far remoter from Disturbances and Temptations . And , annexes Eusebius , ( purposely raising his Voice ) as for these Villages that Lindamor thought so happy , I must dissent from him as long as I see they can admire , and almost worship , a Man for wearing a Gaudy suit of Cloaths , or having two or three Foot-men behind his Coach , before they know whether he be not a Knave , or a Fool , or both : For I shall scarce think , that he , who is himself posses'd with Envy , deserves mine . DISCOURSE IV. Upon Fishing with a counterfeit Fly. BEing at length come to the River-side , we quickly began to fall to the sport , for which we came thither , and Eugenius finding the Fish forward enough to bite , thought fit to spare his Flies , till he might have more need of them , and therfore ty'd to his Line a Hook , furnish'd with one of those counterfeit Flies , which in some Neibouring Countries are much us'd , and which being made of the Feathers of Wild-fowl , are not subject to be drench'd by the water , whereon those Birds are wont to swim . This Fly being for a pretty while scarce any oftner thrown in , than the Hook it hid was drawn up again with a Fish fastened to it , Eugenius looking on us with a smiling Countenance , seem'd to be very proud of his success ; which Eusebius taking notice of , Whilst , ( says he ) we smile to see , how easily you beguile these silly Fishes , that you catch so fast with this false Bait , possibly we are not much less unwary our selves ; And the Worlds treacherous pleasures do little less delude both me and you : For , Eugenius , ( continues he ) as the Apostles were Fishers of men in a good sense , so their and our grand adversary is a skilfull Fisher of men in a bad sense ; And too often in his attempts , to cheat fond Mortalls , meets with a success as great and easie , as you now find yours . And certainly , that Tempter , as the Scripture calls him , does sadly delude us , even when we rise at his best Baits , and , as it were , his true Flies : For , alas ! the best things he can give , are very worthless , most of them in their own nature , and all of them in comparison of what they must cost us to enjoy them . But however , Riches , Power , and the delights of the Senses are real goods in their Kind , though they be not of the best Kind : Yet alas , many of us are so fitted for deceits , that we do not put this subtle Angler , to make use of his true Baits to catch us ! we suffer him to abuse us much more grossly , and to cheat us with empty titles of Honour , or the ensnaring Smiles of great ones , or disquieting Drugeries disguis'd with the specious names of great imployments . And though these , when they must be obtain'd by sin , or are propos'd as the recompences for it , be , as I was going to say , but the Devils counterfeit Flies ; Yet , as if we were fond of being deceiv'd , we greedily swallow the Hook , for Flies , that do but look like such ; so Dim-sighted are we , as well to what Vice shews , as to what it hides . Let us not then ( concludes Eusebius ) rise at Baits , whereby we may be sure to be either grossly , or at least exceedingly deceiv'd ; For who ever ventures to commit a Sin , to taste the luscious sweets , that the fruition of it seems to promise , certainly is so far deceiv'd , as to swallow a true Hook for a Bait , which either proves but a counterfeit Fly , or hides that under its alluring shew , which makes it not need to be a counterfeit one to deceive him . DISCOURSE V. Upon a Fishes strugling after having swallow'd the Hook. FOrtune soon offer'd Eusebius a fair Opportunity to confirm this last part of his Reflection , for he had scarce made an end of it , when a large Fish , espying the Fly that kept my Hook swimming , rise swiftly at it , and having greedily chop'd it up , was hastily swimming away with it , when I struck him , and thereby stopt for a while his Progress ; but finding himself both Arrested and Wounded , he struggl'd with so much violence , that at length he broke my slender Line , ( that was fitted but for weaker Fishes ) and carry'd away a part of it , together with the annexed Hook , and Bait. If Philosophers ( says hereupon Eusebius ) be not too liberal in allowing Brutes to think , we may well suppose that this Fish expected a great deal of Pleasure from the Bait he fell upon so greedily , and that when once he had got it into his Mouth , he might well look upon it as his own , and those other Fishes that saw him swallow it , and swim away with it , did probably envy his good Fortune ; but yet indeed he does not enjoy his wish , though he seem to have the thing wish'd for within his power , for by the same action in which he suck'd in the Fly , he likewise took in the Hook , which does so wound and tear his tender Gills , and thereby put him into such restless pain , that no doubt he wishes that the Hook , Bait , and all , were out of his torn Jaws again , the one putting him to too much torture to let him at all rellish the other . Thus men , which do what they should not , to obtain any Object of their sensual Desires , whatever Pleasure they may before hand fancy to themselves in their success , are oftentimes , ev'n when they obtain then ends , disappointed of their expectations ; sometimes Conscience , Reason , or Honour , making them , ev'n when their desires are not of the worst sort , do as David did , when he had , more vehemently than became a pious General , long'd for Water out of the Well at Bethlehem , and by the strange Venterousness of his bold and affectionate Officers obtain'd it , could not find in his heart to Drink it , but pour'd it untasted on the Ground . But when the things we so long for must be criminally obtain'd , then it not only often fares with them , as it did with Amnon , who immediately upon the incestuous fruition of his ravish'd Sister , hated her more than before he had lov'd her ; but it sometimes happens to those that sin more heinously in this matter , as it did to Judas , who , after having betray'd a Master , that was incomparably more worth than all the World , and thereby for ever lost himself for a few pieces of Silver , seem'd to have it in his power , without having it in his will , to enjoy them , and in a desperate , but unseasonable , fit of anguish and remorse , did of his own accord disburthen himself of that Money , which he had sold his Conscience to get ; so that though he had what he sought , he had not what he expected : And when what he coveted was in his possession , he had the guilt of acquiring it , without the power of enjoying it . And ev'n in cases far less heinous , ( concludes Eusebius ) when Men seem to have got what they aim'd at , and to have carry'd it away as their Booty , in spight of all opposition , the Wound thereby inflicted on injur'd Conscience , puts them to so much of deserved pain , that the wishes they are thus criminally possest of , they do not enjoy , but detest . DISCOURSE VI. Upon the sight of ones Shadow cast upon the face of a River . THe fight of some Fishes playing to and fro upon the top of the VVater , diverted us from prosecuting our Conference , and drew us to apply our selves attentively to the catching of them , in which accordingly we spent some part of the Morning ; yet whilst we continu'd Angling , not far from one another , we often cast our Eyes ( as is usual in such cases ) upon each others fishing Corks , to learn as well the successes of our Friends , as in what places the Fish were forwardest to bite : As I chanc'd to look towards that Cork at which Eusebius's Hook was hanging , I perceiv'd that it was divers times drawn under VVater , without his endeavouring thereupon to strike that Fish that made thus bold with his Bait ; wherefore laying down my Angle a while , I went softly towards Eusebius , to see what it was that made him so regardless of his Sport , whilst yet , by the posture be continu'd in , he seem'd to be intent upon it : But approaching near enough , I quickly perceiv'd , That instead of minding his Hook , his Eyes were fixt sometimes upon his own Picture , reflected from the smooth Surface of the gliding stream , and sometimes upon the Shadow projected by his Body , a little beside the Picture upon the same River . The unwilling noise I made in coming so near , having oblig'd Eusebius to take notice of me , I thought fit , since I found I was discover'd , to ask him smilingly , whether he were Narcissus-like , making Love to his own Shadow . Eusebius ghessing by these words , that I had conjectur'd what he was doing , answer'd me with a look somewhat more serious than that I had spoken to him with ; I was indeed , Philaretus , attentively enough considering , sometimes my Picture , which the VVater presents me with , and sometimes the Shadow , which the Sun and I together cast upon the Water ; But ( says he , with a half Smile ) I look'd upon both these , not with the Eyes of a Narcissuss , ( for that would make me much Madder than he was ) but with those of a Christian : For I was considering , that one of the Differences betwixt the Law , and the Gospel , might not be ill represented by the Difference betwixt a common Looking-glass , and that afforded me by this Crystal stream : For though both being specular Bodies , I can see my Face in either ; yet if my Face be spotted with Dirt , or grown Pale by reason of the Faintness usual in such hot VVeather , a common Looking-glass will indeed discover those things to me , but will not otherwise assist me to remedy them ; whereas , when I consult this Stream , if it shew me any spots in my Face , it supplies me with water to wash them off , and by its cooling , and refreshing VVaters , can relieve me from that Faintness that reduces me to look Pale . Thus the Law , which is commonly , and which seems ev'n by an Apostle to be compared to a Looking-glass , shews us indeed the pollutions of our Souls , and discovers to us the effects of our spiritual I anguidness , and Faintness ; but the Gospel does not only do so , but tells the Embracers of it , by Saint John's mouth , If any Man sin , we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ , the Righteous , who is the Propitiation for our sins , and whose Blood cleanses us from all sin . And the Author of the same Gospel invites all those , that find themselves tired and thirsty , to come unto him , and to be refreshed . By this time , Lindamor , who was Angling not very far off , perceiving us stand together , as if we were engaged in some Discourse , laid by his Rod a while , and came to listen to what he expected he might learn from Eusebius ; who pausing here , I put him in mind , that he had also mentioned to me the sight of his Shadow upon the face of the River , as another object of his Contemplations , and that therefore my curiosity ( wherein I knew Lindamor , as soon as I should acquaint him with the occasion , would share ) made me very desirous to know what thoughts had been suggested to him , by a Subject that seem'd so slight and barren . Since you will needs know , ( replies Eusebius ) I will confess to you , that my Thoughts were Theologically enough employ'd , and therefore , least you should think , I affect to Preach out of the Pulpit , I will but succinctly mention some of these Various things , that this Shadow , as despicable as you think it , suggested to me : But since I was only entertaining and exciting my self , not discoursing with Naturalists , or disputing with Atheists , I presume you will not wonder , that I take the Doctrine of the Creation for granted , as it is acknowledged by Christians in general , and particularly by You. I was then considering , that this Shadow , related to me , might in some particulars be no unfit one of the Universe in reference to God : And indeed , perhaps the VVorld may without much extravagance be tearmed the Shadow of him , of whose Attributes , or Perfections , it exhibites to an attentive considerer divers excellent Impresses , and the resemblance may thus far be advanc'd , that as though it represents the Shape and Out-lines of my Body , which projects it , yet it represents but them , and consequently this Shadow in reference to it is but a superficial and worthless thing ; so the VVorld , though it be not destitute of several Impresses , and as it were Lineaments or Features of the Divine Wisdome and Power , yet for all this , its representations of the Divine Author of it , are but very Imperfect , Superficial , and Dark , and the Excellency of the Adorable Author of things , keeps him infinitely above all the works that he has made . But to mention some of the Comparisons I took notice of : In the first place we may consider , that I make this Shadow here without taking the least pains to do so , and with as little toyl God made the VVorld : He spake , and it was done ; He commanded , and it stood fast , ( says the Psalmist , speaking of the Creation ) and elsewhere the Scripture says , That the everlasting God , the Lord , the Creator of the ends of the Earth fainteth not , neither is weary , and therefore that Rest ascrib'd him on the seventh Day , is to be understood but a Cessation from Creating , not a Repose from Labour , for all disproportions to the power of created Agents , are so equally inconsiderable , in reference to one that is Infinite , that Omnipotence may make even the World without Toyl . Secondly , To make this Shadow , I neither use nor need Colours , nor Pencil ; I digg no Quarries , nor fell no Trees to perfect this work , and employ no Materials about it ; As little had God any Pre-existent matter to contrive into this vast Fabrick : Our Creed proclaims him the Creator of Heaven and Earth ; the Angel , that holds the Book , in the Revelations , describes him resemblingly ; and the Apostle tells us , That through Faith we understand that the Worlds were framed by the word of God ; so that things which are seen , were not made of things that do appear : And indeed it became an Omnipotent Architect , not to be beholden but to himself for his Materials . He that calleth things that are not , as though they were , makes them by calling them ; He brought forth Light out of Darkness , by calling for Light , and there was Light ; he spake it , and it was done , says the Psalmist ; and the VVorld was , if I may so express it , but the real Eccho of that productive , FIAT . The next thing , I was considering , was , that , to destroy this Shadow , I needed neither Sword , nor Pistol , the withdrawing of my self under the Neighbouring Trees being sufficient to make the Shadow disappear , and leave behind as little shape of it , as if there never had been any . And thus , as the VVorld could not have had a beginning , without having been provided by God , so for the continuance of the Being it enjoys , it depends altogether , and every moment , upon the will and pleasure of its first Author , of whom Saint Paul tells us , That in Him , we not only live , and move , but have our being ; and to the same purpose I think one may allege that place , where the Scripture says of God , not only , That he has made Heaven , the Heaven of Heavens with all their Hoast , the Earth and all things that are thereon , the Seas and all that is therein ; but adds , That he preserveth them all , as our Translatours English it ; for in the Hebrew I remember it is , Vivifies them all , that is , sustains them in that improper Kind of Life , or that Existence , which , whilst their Nature lasts , belongs unto it ; so that if God should at any time withdraw his preserving Influence , the World would presently Relapse , or Vanish into its first Nothing , as there are many Notions of the Mind such , as that of Genus , and Species , which are so the Creatures of Reason , that they have no longer an Existence in the nature of things , than they are actually upheld therein , by being actually thought upon by some Intellectual Being ; And God is so the preserver of all his Creatures , that one may say of the rest , as the Psalmist speaks of many of them , where addressing himself to God , he says , Thou hidest thy Face , they are troubled ; Thou takest away their Breath , they Dye , and return to their Dust ; Thou sendest forth thy Spirit , they are Created , &c. I was also taking notice , ( pursues Eusebius ) that to produce what changes I pleas'd , in all , or any part of this Shadow ; I needed not employ either Emissaries , or Instruments , nor so much as rowse up my self to any difficult Exertion of my own strength , since , by only moving this or that part of my own Body , I could change at pleasure in the twinkling of an Eye , the figure and posture of what part of the Shadow I thought fit : And thus , when God had a mind to work those Miracles , we most admire , as when at Josuah's prayer he stop'd the course of the Sun , and at Hezekiah's , made him go back , we Men are apt to imagine that these prodigious Effects must needs cost their Author much , and that he must strain his Power , and be necessitated to a troublesome Exertion of his Omnipotence , to be able to produce them , whereas to that Divine Agent , those things that would be to all others impossible , are so far from being difficult , and the Creatures have so absolute and continual a dependance on him , that 't is as easie for him to effect the greatest Alterations in them , as to resolve to do so , And even those Miraculous changes of the course of Nature , that do the most astonish us , do so naturally and necessarily flow from the Motions of his own Will , that to decree , and to execute , ( whether or no they require powers otherwise than Notionally differing ) are alike easie to him : And that irresistible Agent finds as little more difficulty to produce the greatest changes among the Creatures , than to produce the least ; as I find it harder to move the whole Arm of my Shadow , than to move its little Finger . And this consideration ( subjoyns Eusebius ) might be , methought , consolatory enough to his Church , who by reposing an entire trust in her God , entitles her self to the protection of him , that can as easily produce changes in the VVorld , as resolve on them , and can with the same facility destroy her and his greatest Enemies , as decree their Destruction . I was also further considering , ( says Eusebius ) That though the little wat'ry Bodies , that make up this River , and consequently those that glided along by me , were in a restless Motion , the hindmost always urging on , and chasing those that were before them , yet my Shadow was as compleat and stable upon the fugitive Stream , as if it had been projected on the water of a Pond , or rather as if all the parts of VVater , whereon 't was Visible , had been fixt and moveless ; of which I made this Application , that though we may say with Solomon , in a larger sence than his , That one Generation goes , and another comes , the VVorld being maintained by perpetual Vicissitudes of Generation and Corruption , yet the Wisdome and Providence of God does so far confine the Creatures to the establish'd Laws of Nature , that though vast Multitudes of Individualls are always giving place to others , yet the particular Creatures , which do at any time make up the VVorld , do always exhibit the like Picture of its divine Original . But yet lastly , ( says Eusebius ) I was considering too , that though this Shadow have some kind of resemblance to that , whose Shadow it is , yet the Picture is but very superficial and obscure ; And if we should suppose , the Fishes that inhabit this Stream , to be endued with reason , they could even from Lindamors shadow but collect , that the Original is a Man , and not a Brute ; but they could not hence make any discovery of what manner of Man he is , nor know any thing of his Virtues , or his Thoughts , or his Intention , nor consequently have that Notion of him , that I ( pursues Eusebius , turning to him , and a little Smiling on him ) do harbour and cherish , who having the happiness to converse with him , have the opportunity and the justice to admire him . Thus , where I formerly ventured to call the VVorld Gods Shadow , I did not forget , how imperfect a Picture a Shadow is wont to be : And though this dark Representation , that God has vouchsaf'd Men of himself in the Universe , be sufficient to convince us , that it was not made by chance , but produced by a Powerfull and Intelligent Being ; the eternal Power and God-head of the Great Author of Nature , as the Scripture seems to teach us , being manifested to attentive and rational Considerers , in the visible productions of his Power and VVisdome ; yet how short and dim a Knowledge must they have of him , that have no other than these Corporal Instructors . How many of his glorious Attributes are there , for whose Knowledge we must be beholden , rather to his VVritten , than his Created Word ? and how little will humane Intellects , without Revelation , discover of that manifold VVisdome of God , which the Scripture teaches us , That even to the Angels it must be made known by the Church . And if those Illuminated persons , such as Moses and Saint Paul himself , who had both extraordinary Revelations from God , and intimate Communion with him , confessed , that in this Life they saw him but Darkly , and , as it were , in a Glass ; sure the Dim light of meer Nature will give us but extremely imperfect , and detracting Idea's of him , whom the like Limitedness of our Nature will allow us to know but very imperfectly , in Heaven it self , though as we shall there see him Face to Face , our apprehensive Faculties will as well be inlarged , as the dazling and ravishing Object be disclosed . But , ( says Eusebius ) though I forget , that I am not in the Pulpit , I hope you remember , that I told you at first , how little I pretended these kind of Reflections would endure a rigorous Philosophical Examen , and that I am not so Indiscreet , as to expect that they should work Conviction in an Infidel , though I hope they may excite good Thoughts in a Believer . These last words of our Friend being not followed by any other ; Lindamor , having waited a while to ascertain himself , that Eusebius had ended his Discourse , began another , by saying : I perceive , Eusebius , with much more satisfaction than surprise , that the same Subject , and at the same time , did , as 't was fit , suggest very differing considerations to you and me ; for whilst your Shadow afforded you the rise of sublime Speculations , I was making but a moral Reflection upon mine : For taking notice , ( continues he ) that the Shade my Body projected , near Noon , was almost as much shorter than it , as in the Morning it was longer , prompted me to think , how foolish it were for me , who know by sure ways of measuring my own Statute , that it is moderate enough , not to be either proud of , or complain'd of , should imagine that I am either as Tall as a Gyant , or as Low as a Dwarf , because I see my Shadow either exceeding long , or extreamly short ; and I was further considering , pursues Lindamor , that if Philosophers , as well as the Vulgar , have rightly called Fame or Glory the Shadow of Virtue , it would be as irrational to estimate ones self not by the testimonies of ones Conscience , which is the Authentick standard of Intrinsick worth , but by the sickle Opinions of others , ( which oftentimes flatter , and oftner detract ) but very seldome give a just and impartial estimate of merit : The Fame may have its encrease , and decrements , whilst the Person continues the same , and loses nothing of substance with the Shadow . And for a Man that should examine himself , and judge of himself by his own designs , and actions , not other Mens words , to suffer himself to be puff'd up by vulgar applause , or dejected by unmerited censures , were to mistake a Shadow for a Standard . DISCOURSE VII . Upon a Fall occasion'd by coming too near the Rivers Brink . IT was not long after this , that Eugenius chancing to spy a little Nook , which seem'd to promise him a more convenient Station for his Angling , he invited Lindamor to share the advantage with him , and began to walk thitherward along the Rivers Brink , which the abundant moisture of the Waters that glided by it , had adorn'd with a pleasant Verdure ; But he had not marcht very far , when chancing to tread on a place , where the course of the Water had worn off the Bank , and made it hollow underneath , he found the Earth falter under him , and could not hinder his Feet from slipping down with the Turf that betray'd him ; nor could he have escaped so , had not his indeavours to cast the weight of his Body towards the Bank been assisted by Lindamor , who though not so near the Brink as to be in danger , was not so far off but that he was able to catch hold of him , and draw him to the firm Land. The noise that Lindamor made , when he saw his Friend falling , quickly drew Eusebius and me thither , where , after I had a while made my self merry with the Disaster , I found to have been so harmless ; Eusebius ( who arriv'd there a little later ) as'd him how he came to fall , and Eugenius answering , that he thought he had trod upon firm Ground , because he saw the Bank look to the very edge as if it differ'd not from the rest of the Field , which it terminated ; Eusebius took occasion from thence to tell him , You may from this take notice , that 't is not safe Travelling upon the confines of what is Lawfull , and what is Sinfull , no more than upon the Borders of two Hostile Nations : VVhen we suppose , that thus far we may go towards that which is Sinfull , without committing it , we are wont with more boldness than considerateness to conclude , that we need not scruple to venture , or rather that we shall run no venture , having firm footing all the way . But 't is much to be feared , that when we allow our selves to come as far as the utmost Verge of what is Lawfull , and to do that which in the Casuists Language , is , tantum non to Sin , the natural Proclivity of our minds to Evil , which carries them downwards , as weight does our Bodies , will sometime or other make us find hollow Ground , where we presume to find it firm : He that to Day will go towards Sin as far as he thinks he may , is in danger of going to Morrow further than he should ; And it is far more easie for him to be secure than to be safe , that walks upon the Brink of a Precipice . He was a wise Man , that as soon as he had forbidden his Son to enter into the path of the Wicked , and to go in the way of Evil men , subjoyns , as the best course to conform to the Prescription , avoid it , pass not by it , turn from it , and pass away : God's indulgence leaves us a Latitude to comply with our Infirmities , and Necessities , and to give us opportunities of exercising a pious Jealousie over our selves , and of shewing how much we fear to offend him . But a wary Christian will say in this case , as Saint Paul did in almost a like , All things are Lawfull for me , but all things are not Expedient ; And he must often go further than he can with Prudence , that will always go as far as he thinks he can with Innocence . DISCOURSE VIII . Upon the Good and Mischief that Rivers do . THis Discourse being ended , we All , as it were , by common Consent , apply'd our selves again to prosecute the Sport that had invited us to the River : But we had not Angl'd very long , before we were Disturb'd by a loud and confus'd Noise , which we soon discover'd to proceed from a Ship , that , together with some Barges , and other lesser Boats , were , by the help of a favourable Breath of Wind , Sailing up the River towards London . The sight of these Laden-Vessels , together with the prospect of the Thames , Which , ( as it happen'd in that place ) seem'd , in various Windings and Meanders , wantonly to fly , and to pursue it self : This sight , I say , together with that of the rich and flourishing Verdure , which the Waters , in their passage , bestow'd upon all the Lands that were on either side any thing near their Banks , invited Eugenius , to fall upon the praises of that Excellent River , which not only imparts Fertility and Plenty , here at home , by Inriching all the places that have the advantage to be near it ; but helps to bring us Home , whatever the Remoter parts of the World , and the Indies themselves , whether East or VVest , have of Rare or Usefull . Lindamor , having both applauded and recruited these Commendations , Me-thinks , ( says he ) That amongst other good things , wherewith this River furnish us , it may supply us with a good Argument against those Modern Stoicks , who are wont , with more Eloquence than Reason , to Declaim against the Passions , and would fain perswade Others , ( for I doubt whether they be so perswaded themselves ) That the Mind ought to deal with its Affections , as Pharaoh would have dealt with the Jews-Males , whom he thought it wise to Destroy , least they might , one Day , grow up into a condition to Revolt from him . But , because the Passions are ( sometimes ) Mutinous , to wish an Apathy , is as unkind to us , as it would be to our Country , To wish we had no Rivers , because ( sometimes ) they do Mischief , when great or suddain Rain swells them above their Banks . VVhen I consider , ( says Eusebius ) That of the Immaculate and Divine Lamb himself , 't is recorded in the Gospel , That He look'd round about , upon certain Jews , with Indignation , being griev'd for the Hardness of their Hearts ; So that two Passions are ascrib'd to Christ himself in one Verse : And when I consider too , the Indifferency , and ( consequently the Innocence ) of Passions in their own Nature , and the Use that VVise and Virtuous Persons may make of them , I cannot think we ought to throw away ( or so much as wish away ) those Instruments of Piety , which God and Nature has put into our Hands : But am very well content we should retain them , upon such conditions as Abraham did , Those Domesticks he bought with his Money , whom the Scripture tells us , He both Circumcis'd , and kept as Servants . But , ( continues Eusebius ) As I do not altogether disallow Lindamors Comparison , between Rivers and Passions , so he must give me leave to add this to it , That as Rivers , when they over-flow , Drown those Grounds , and Ruine those Husbandmen , which whilst they flow'd Calmly betwixt their Banks , they Fertiliz'd and Enrich'd : So our Passions , ( when they grow Exorbitant and Unruly ) destroy those Virtues , to which they may be very Serviceable whilst they keep within their Bounds . Instances of this truth , ( pursues Eusebius ) are but too Obvious ; 't is said , That Valour is Anger 's Whetstone ; and our being Councell'd by the Apostle , To be Angry , and not to Sin , argues , that Passion not to be Incompatible with Innocence , whilst 't is confin'd within the limits of Moderation . But when once Anger is Boyl'd up into Rage , or Choler into an habitual Fury , or appetite of Revenge , it makes more Havok in the VVorld than Beasts and Inundations : The greatest part of those Rivers of Blood , that are shed in Battels , ( though spilt by Anger ) do rather Irritate than Appease the unnatural Thirst of that insatiate Fury : The burning of Cities , the sinking of Fleets , and the Desolations of Provinces , and of Kingdoms , make but part of the Tragick effects of this Inhumane Passion , when it once thorowly possesses those that wield Scepters , and handle Swords . I will not tell Lindamor , That ev'n that noblest and best of Passions , Love , as gentle and amiable as it appears , when once it comes to degenerate by growing Unruly , or being Misplac'd , is guilty of far more Tragedies than those that have the fortune to be Acted on Theatres , or to furnish the VVriters of Romances ; and that which ( perchance at first ) seems to be but an Innocent Love , being not duely watch'd , and regulated , may , in time , grow to disobey , or deceive Parents , to violate Friendships , to send Challenges , and fight Duels , to betray the Honour of harmless Virgins , and of the noblest Families , to Rebel against Kings , procure the Ruine of Monarchies and Common-wealths ; And , in a word , To make thousands miserable , and those it possesses most of all , and thereby to bring Credit to , if not also to Surpass , the Fictions of Poets , and the Fabulous stories of Romances . And as for the desire of Excelling others , as great and noble things as it makes Men undertake , whilst it aspires only to a Transcendency in Virtue , and in Goodness , when that Passionate desire , by making Men too greedy of Superiority in Fame and Power , degenerates into Ambition ; How many Vices are usually set a work by this one Passion ! The contempt of the Laws , the Vilation of Oaths , the Renouncing of Allegiance , the Breach of Leagues and Compacts , the Murther of ones nearest Relation , ( if they be more nearly related to a Crown ) and all the other Crimes and Miseries , that are wont to beget or attend civil VVarrs , are the usual as well as dismal Productions of this aspiring Humour in a Subject ; Nor does it less Mischief when Harbour'd in a Prince's Breast , for the Undoing of his own People , the Subversion of his Neighbour's States , the Sacking of Cities , the Slaughter of Armies , the Dispeopling of some Provinces , and the Peopling of others with VViddows and Orphanes , are Sacrifices that are more frequently offer'd up to Ambition , than able to satisfie it : For what can quench his Thurst of Rule and Fame , or hinder the Attempts to which it stimulates him , that can find in his Heart to destroy Armies , and ruine Provinces , only that he may be taken notice off to be able to do so . Certainly ( subjoyns Eusebius ) he knew very well the Frame of humane Spirits , that said by the Pen of an Apostle ; From whence comes Warrs and Brawlings among you ? Come they not hence , ev'n of your Lusts that War in your Members : And I doubt whether Plagues , Wars and Famines have done more mischief to Mankind , than Anger and Ambition , and some other inordinate Passions ; for these do frequently bring upon Men those publick and other fatal Calamities , either as Judgments , which they provoke God to Inflict , or as Evils , which as proper consequents naturally flow , from those Mischievous practices , to which unbridl'd Passions hurry the criminally unhappy Persons they have Inflav'd . VVherefore , ( concludes Eusebius , casting his Eyes upon Lindamor ) As the usefulness of a River hinders us not from making good the Banks , and , if need be , making Damms , to confine it within its Limits , and prevent its Inundations ; So the usefulness of the Passions should not hinder us from watchfully employing the Methods and Expedients afforded us by Reason and Religion , to keep them within their due Bounds , which they seldome over-flow without shewing to our Cost , that , as 't is observed of Fire and VVater , they cannot be so good Servants , but that they are worse Masters . DISCOURSE IX . Upon the comparing of Lands , seated at differing distances from the River . THis last Discourse , to which the River had afforded the occasion , inviting me to Survey as much of it as was within my View , a little more attentively , gave me the opportunity of taking notice of a manifest difference betwixt the Lands that lay near it , and those whose Situation was remoter from it , and having acquainted Eusebius with what I had observ'd , which his own Eyes could not but presently bear witness to ; One ( says he ) that should only consider how swiftly this Stream runs along these flowery Meadows , and how great a quantity of Water passes through them , and from them , towards the Sea , would be apt to conclude , that certainly these Grounds retain none of the Water which runs from them so hastily , and so plentifully , especially since we can see no Chanels , nor other manifest Inlets , and Receptacles , that should divert and retain the fugitive Water , so that the Grounds confining on the River , must be but little advantag'd by its Neighbourhood . But , ( continues Eusebius ) though these Grounds have not any patent Passages , whereby to derive Water and Fatness from the River , and therefore must suffer the greatest part of it to run by them undiverted , yet still some of the Cherishing and Fertilizing moisture is from time to time soak'd in by the Neighbouring Ground , and ( perhaps by blind Pores , and crooked Chanels ) so dispersed thorow the whole Fields , that they have thereby Water , and in that vehicle Fertility convey'd to them , which you will not doubt , if you do but with me take notice , how much the Lands that lye on both sides near the Course of the River , are more Verdant , and Flourishing , and more Rich than those less happy Grounds , to whom their Remoteness denies the advantage of so improving a Neighbourhood . Thus ( resumes Eusebius ) many a pious Person that is an Assiduous attendant on the means of Grace , and has a care to place himself as it were in the way , by which the Ordinances of God , especially those of Reading , and Expounding of the Scriptures , are wont freely and copiously to flow , is ( especially upon any fit of Melancholy , or distress of Mind ) apt to be extremely discourag'd from prosecuting that course of Duties , and by looking upon the little that he remembers of so many excellent Sermons as he has heard , he is often inclined to conclude not only he has lost all the good Sermons that he has heard already , but that at least for such as he there is little to be expected from them for the future . But though to lose so much of a thing , so precious as the Doctrine of Salvation , be that , which is oftentimes a fault , and always an unhappiness , yet 't is a far less Mischief to forget Sermons than to forsake them , the one may be but an effect of a weak Memory , the other is that of a depraved Will , perverted by Laziness , Impatience , or some greater fault , we should scarce allow it for a Rational proceeding ; if one in a Consumption , or Disentery , because he grows not Fat with Feeding , should resolve to renounce Eating and Drinking . But this ( says Eusebius ) is not that which I chiefly intended : For Pious , but melancholy Persons , are oftentimes too Partial against themselves , to be competent Judges of their own Estate , they seem not to forget any Sermon so much as that , Charity should begin at home ; And they are much more carefull not to accuse any body wrongfully than themselves , though they might remember , that in the Estimate of Christ himself , all Grounds are not equally Fruitfull that are good , some bringing forth hundred , some sixty , some but thirty Fold , and yet to all he vouchsafes the title of Good ; and though , as mad Men that have quite lost their VVits , seldome or never complain of the want of them ; so those that have forfeited , or are devoid of Grace , rarely bemoan themselves of the weakness of it . And 't is no mean sign of Proficiency in Piety , to be apt to deplore ones unproficiency ; 'T is true , that Preaching is not always , and I fear not so much as often , the Savour of Life unto Life , the Perversness of the Hearers making it but too frequently the Savour of Death unto Death . But yet , speaking in the general , though it aggravate the Sins committed in spite of it , yet it usually hinders many others from being committed ; and he that twice a VVeek is told of God , and Duty , and Heaven , and Hell , has his Conscience more awak'd than he that never hears of any of these things . And if you but compare one of these despondent Christians , we are considering , with the careless Sensualists , that fly a rowzing Sermon , as they should do what it would deter them from ; you will easily discern a sufficient disparity between them , to invite you to conclude , that the Instructiveness of Preaching may , like the moisture of the River , be convey'd but by little and little at a time , and by unperceived Passages , and yet be able to impart Fertility : For though much run by , yet commonly something will stick , which we may safely conclude , if though we can discern it no other way , it disclose it self by the Effects ; for 't is not always to those that remember the most of them , that Sermons do the most good , as VVater retained in Ponds makes not the Bottom flourishing , but the Banks , and the Efficacy of a Sermon is better to be collected from the Impression it has on the Understanding , and Affections , than from that it leaves on the Memory , whether we retain the Particulars faithfully or no , and carry them home with us ; yet if a Sermon leave us Devouter than it found us , if we go from God's Ordinances , with a love to them , and a rellish of them , and a purpose to frequent them , we may be Despondents , but are not altogether Non-proficients ; that incorruptible Seed by which we are Regenerated , being once thrown into an honest Heart , may , as our Saviour intimates , grow up we know not well how , and though perhaps by insensible degrees , yet at length attain Maturity . To dispatch , ( concludes Eusebius ) whether or no a Man can orderly repeat all the Particulars that composed the Sermon , it does him good , if it either makes him good , or keeps him so : And its Operation is to be estimated , not so much by what we Remember , as by what we Resolve . What you have been saying , ( subjoyns Lindamor ) when he perceived that Eusebius had done speaking , suggests to me a Reflection , that till now I did not dream of ; And though it differ from that wherewith you have been pleased to entertain us , yet because 't is applicable to the same purpose , and occasioned by the same River , I shall without scruple , though after your Discourse , not without Blushes , tell you , that it is this ; I , among many others that Live near it , have often resorted in hot Weather to this River , to bathe my self in it , and after what I have been hearing , I now begin to consider , that though incomparably the greater part of the River run by me , without doing me any good , and though when I went out of it , I carried away little or none of it with me ; yet whilst I stayed in it , that very Stream , whose Waters run so fast away from me , washed and carried off whatever Foulness it might find sticking to my Skin : And besides , not only cooled me , and refreshed me , by allaying the intemperate heat that discomposed me , and made me faint , but also help'd me to a good Stomach for some while after . Thus ( resumes Lindamor ) I have sometimes found , that a moving Sermon , though it did not find me qualified to derive from it the Advantages it questionless afforded better Auditors , and when I went from it , I found I had retained so little of it , that it seemed to have almost totally slipt out of my Memory , yet the more Instructive and Pathetick passages of it had that Operation upon me , as to cleanse the Mind from some of the Impurities it had contracted , by Conversing to and fro in a defiling World , without suffering Pollutions to stay long , and settle where they began to be Harboured ; And besides , I found that a course of such Sermons , as I have been mentioning , did oftentimes ( and if it had not been my own fault , would have always done so ) both allay those Inordinate heats that tempting Objects are but too apt to Excite ; refresh my drooping Spirits , that continually needed to be revived , and raise in me an Appetite to the means of Grace , which are Piety's ( and consequently the Soul's ) true and improving Aliments . So that , ( concludes Lindamor ) though I seldome let Sermons do me all the good they may , and should , yet I dare not forsake them , because I forget them ; since 't is to do a Man some good , to make him less bad than he was , and to give a Value and Inclination for the means of growing better than he is . DISCOURSE X. Upon a Fishes running away with the Bait. THis Reflection of Lindamor's was soon follow'd by another of the same Gentleman's , who seeing many Fishes rise one after another , and bite at Eugenius's Bait , which he let them sometimes run away with , that he might be the surer to be able to draw them up , as he afterwards did several of them ; See , ( says Lindamor , as one of the Fishes had just swallowed the Hook ) how yonder silly Fish , having at length seized the beloved Bait , he has been Courting , posts away with it as his obtained wish , little dreaming of being himself taken : Thus ( continues the same Speaker ) when greedy Mortals have an opportunity to obtain forbidden things , they joyfully run away with them as the Goods they aimed at , and when they fondly think they have caught , they are so , and whilst they imagine themselves to carry away a Booty , they become a Prey ; for that he is in his Judgment that never errs , who , whatever he gets into the Bargain , loses himself . The Scripture , ( subjoyns Eusebius ) mentions , among other properties of Vice , that which it calls the Deceitfulness of Sin. And the wise Man tells us , that Wine is a Mocker ; and it may be one of the reasons of these Expressions , that when we think our selves possessed of a sinfull Pleasure , we are indeed possessed by it , as Doemeniacks are possessed by the Divel , who serves many other Sinners , though less perceivedly , as he serves Witches , whom he gets the Power to command , by seeming to obey them , and to comply with their criminal desires ; And , if we compare this , with what I was just now observing to you , on the occasion of the counterfeit Fly , we may add , That even when Sin seems the Kindest and most Obsequious to us , and to answer if not exceed our Desires , our case may be but like the Canaanitish General 's , who though he had Milk brought him by Jael instead of the Water he only requested , was but thereby invited to Sleep the Sleep of Death , and to have his Fears more surpass'd than his Desires had been . But , ( pursues Eusebius ) this may supply us with another Reflection ; for though this Fish seems to have devoured the Hook and Bait it swallowed , yet in effect it is taken thereby ; so the Divel , when he had played the Serpent and the Lion , when he had brought the Jews and Gentiles to conspire against their common Saviour , and had made Herod and Pilate friends to make them joynt Enemies to Christ , and when by these means he seemed to have obtained his end , by employing their hands to Kill the formidablest of all his Enemies , this pursued Prey destroyed the seeming Conquerour ; and Death appearing to swallow the Lord of Life , was , if I may so speak , choaked by the Attempt , since he not only was quickly able to say in the Apostles Triumphant Language : O Death , where is thy Sting ? O Grave , where is thy Victory ? but did by Death conquer him that had the power of Death , that is , the Divel ; nay , and made all his followers so much sharers in the advantages of his Conquest , as by the same way ( which we are informed by the same Text ) to deliver those whom the restless fear of Death perpetually kept from relishing the Joys of Life . DISCOURSE XI . Upon a Danger springing from an unseasonable Contest with the Steersman . THis Discourse being ended , Eugenius , who was look'd upon by us all as the most Experienc'd as well as concerned Angler among us , descrying at a good distance a place which he judged more convenient for our Sport , than that we there were in , where the Fish began to bite but slowly ; He invited the Company to this new Station , but when we were come thither , finding in a short time , that either it was ill stock'd with Fish , or that the Season of their Biting in the places thereabouts was over , he thought it concerned him to provide us some better place ; and accordingly , whilst we were yet , by the pleasure of mutual conversation , endeavouring to keep the Fishes sulleness from proving an Exercise to our patience , he walk'd on along the River , till he lighted upon a Youth , that by his Habit seem'd to belong to some Boat or other Vessel ; and having enquir'd of him , whether he could not be our Guide to some place where the Fish would bite quick , he replied , that he easily could , if we would take the trouble of coming to a place on the other side of the River , which his Master , who was a Fisher-man , had Baited over Night , and would questionless let us make use of for a small Gratification ; Eugenius , being very well content , call'd away the Company , which were led by the Youth to a Boat belonging to his Master , into which being entred , the old Man , who was owner of the Boat , hoys'd up Sails , and began to steer the Boat with one of his Oars , to a place he shewed us at a good distance off , but did it so unskilfully , that since a Mariner of his Age could scarce mistake so grossly for want of Experience in the River , we began to suspect , that he had too plentifully tasted a far stronger Liquor than that which was the Scene of his Trade ; and as the old Man was half Drunk , so the Youth appeared to be a meer Novice , both which we had quickly occasion to take notice off : For some Clouds that were gathering out of the Sea , passing over our Vessel , rais'd in their passage , as is usual enough , a temporary Wind , that to such a slight Boat as ours was , might almost pass for a kind of Storm ; For then the old Man gave out his directions so ill , and the Youth was so little able to execute them punctually , that two of the Company offended at their unskilfulness , began by angry and unseasonable Expostulations and Clamours , to confound the already disorder'd Boat-man , and being got up , with no small hazard to the Boat , they would perchance , by crossing the VVater-men in their endeavours , have made it miscarry , had not Lindamor , whose Travels had made him well acquainted with such cases , earnestly requested them to sit still , and let the VVater-men do their own work as well as they could , affirming , that he had seen more than one of those easily over-set Boats cast away by the confused and disagreeing endeavours of the VVater-men and Passengers to preserve it : This counsel was thought very reasonable , since the greater the VVind was , and the less the Steerman's dexterity , the more necessary it appear'd , that we should be orderly and quiet , and by leaning our Bodies sometimes one way , and sometimes another , as occasion requir'd , do what in us lay to keep the Vessel upright , and herein we were so prosperous , that soon after the Cloud was passed , and the Shower it brought with it was over , the VVind grew moderate enough to allow us to make some calm Reflections on what had happened : This Lindamor , from the thanks that were given him for his advice , took occasion to do in these tearms : Since States-men and Philosophers are wont to compare a Common-wealth to a Ship , I hope the Reflection suggested to us by what had just now happen'd , will be the easier pardon'd . The skil of ruling Nations , is an Art no less difficult than noble ; for whereas Statuaries , Masons , Carpenters , and other Artificers work upon inanimate Materials , a Ruler must manage free Agents , who may have each of them interests or designs of their own , distinct from those of the Prince , and many times repugnant to them : And the Prizes that are contended for in Government , either are , or ( which is in our case all one ) are thought , so Valuable , and the concurrents are so Concern'd , and consequently so Industrious to drive on each his own design , that without mentioning any of those many other things which make good Government difficult , these alone may suffice to make it more our trouble than our wonder , that the Rulers of States and Common-wealths should oftentimes mis-govern them . But the publick Infelicities of declining States , are not always wholly due to the Imprudence of the Ruler , but oftentimes those that most resent such Imprudency , even by those very Resentments , encrease the publick Disorders they appear so much troubled at ; and it may be a question , Whether it be more prejudicial to Common-wealths , to have Rulers that are mean States-men , than to have a Multitude of Subjects , that think themselves to be VVise ones , and are forward to Censure what is done by their Magistrates , either because it is done by their Superiours , or because 't is not done by themselves . Yet it may well be doubted , ( says Eugenius ) whether the Reverence and Submission we owe to Senates , or Princes , extend to our very Reasons , and our inward Thoughts : For the Right , and the Skil to Govern , are two very distinct things ; nor does the one confer the other : A Crown , how pretious soever , adorns but the outside of the Head , without enriching the inside ; and its Splendour will scarce dazle a VVise beholders Eyes , though it but too often does theirs that wear it : No , the Tribunal of reason has a Jurisdiction that reaches to Thrones themselves , and what you well observed just now concerning the difficulty of avoiding faults in Government , will , I presume , make you think it excusable , if I confess that I think , Soveraigns do now and then do what you confess 't is so hard for them to avoid doing ; Nor is it more a Breach of Loyalty , not to think a weak Governour a Prudent one , than not to think him Tall , or Streight , or Sharp-sighted , if Nature have made him Low , or Crooked , or Purblind . A Senate or a Monarch may indeed command my Life and Fortune ; but as for my Opinions , whether of Persons , or things , I cannot in most cases command them my self , but must suffer them to be such as the Nature of the things I judge of requires ; and therefore , the thinking all things done with VVisdome that are done by Men in Power , is too great an Impossibility to be a Duty ; and besides , it would lessen the Merit of Obedience , which otherwise would not appear to be paid to the Authority of the Magistrate , since we readily obey the Injunction of Lawyers and Physitians , as long as we think them Prudently fram'd for our good , though we acknowledge not these Persons to have any right to Command us . But though ( continues Eugenius ) I take Reason to be so supream a thing , that as even the greatest Princes Actions should be regulated by it , so they may be judg'd by it ; yet I allow lawfull Authority a Jurisdiction over my Actions , that I deny it over my Opinions ; and though I can obey the Orders that have the Impresses of VVisdome , as well as the stamp of Authority , with more hope and alacrity , yet I can obey those wherein I think Power is unguided by Prudence , with no less Punctualness and Fidelity : I would not resist a Magistrate when I cannot esteem him ; and though I dare discern Folly even in the greatest Princes , yet I can reverence Authority in the weakest . I know Eugenius too well ( says Lindamor ) not to believe him : But though I confess , that to do what you say , is to do much , and to do that which I fear is not usually done , yet me-thinks it were well if we did somewhat more ; for whereas most humane Actions , especially about Matters political , are attended with great variety of Circumstances , according to some or other of which , they may be differingly considered , and estimated , as 't is not very difficult to make many , if not most Actions appear politick or unwise , according as they are Cloathed with those of their Circumstances , that may be applied to excuse them , or with those that are fit to discommend them ; so I would take a care to put the favourablest Constructions on those publick Counsels , that are capable of more Constructions than one , and use the Parents of my Country , as Noah's two dutifull Children did their distemper'd Father , whose Nakedness when they had once discovered , they covered too ; and that in such a way , as shewed they were unwilling to see more of it than was necessary to enable them to hide it . And I say this , ( continues Lindamor ) with Relation to Eugenius , and such as he ; for as to the Vulgar , who yet make up the far greatest and loudest part of those that would intrude themselves into State-affairs , upon the pretence of their being ill managed by their Superiours ; I cannot but think , that whatever the course of Affairs be , these cannot but be incompetent Judges of their being Politick , or the contrary : For to judge of things barely by success , were somewhat to forget that there is a supream and absolute disposer of Events , and has been a practice always rejected by the Wise , as both discouraging Wisdome and affronting it ; And as for the Counsels , by which indeed the Prudence or Imprudence of publick Actions is to be estimated , the Vulgar is rarely admitted to have such a Prospect into the true State of Affairs , as is requisite to enable them to judge of the Expedience or unadvisedness of them , being unacquainted with the frame and Motives of the Prince's Counsels and Designs : Ordinary Men may often think that Imprudent , whil'st they consider it only in it self , which its congruity to the rest of the Prince's designs may make Politick enough , and a private Whisper , or the Intimation from an unsuspected Spy , or an intercepted Letter , or divers other things unperceiv'd , and perhaps undreamt of , by those that are not of the State-Cabal , may make it wise to do several things , which to those that look only at the Actions , without knowing the Motives , may appear Unpolitick , and would indeed be so , were it not for these Reasons , which yet ought to be as little Divulged as Disobey'd : So that the Peoples forwardness , to quarrel with the Transactions of their Prince , is usually compounded of Pride and Ignorance , and is most incident to those , that do not sufficiently understand either State-affairs or themselves ; and whil'st they judge upon incompetent Information , even when their Superiours are in the fault , they may be so , for censuring them . I must not now dispute , ( says Eusebius ) whether such as you , Gentlemen , whom their Conditions , Parts and Opportunities qualifie to discern the Interests and Designs of Princes , may not be allowed to judge of their Counsels , and see their Errours ; As our late Astronomers , being assisted with good Glasses , are allowed to tell us , that they discern Spots even in the Sun it self . But certainly , the Ambition of Pragmatical Inferiours , to make themselves States-men , upon pretence that those that sit at the Helm do not Govern it as wisely as these would do , if they were in the same places , is a fault no less prejudicial to any State , than Epidemical in some of them : For whil'st the Government is thus Decryed , the same disadvantageous Representatations embolden Strangers and Forrainers to attempt the Subversion of a State , and make the dispondent Subjects despair of preserving it , little considering that there are scarce ever any Imprudences in a Government , that can prove any thing near so Prejudicial to the Generality of the Subjects , as would the Subversion of it , whether by Forain Conquest , or by Intestine Jarrs ; such changes seldome doing less than entail upon unhappy Countries the fears and mischiefs of Warr. And that though it be granted , that the right of Governing does not confer the Skil , yet 't is much better to stick to the former , than oppose or desert it , because it wants the latter : For a right to a Crown , is that , which for the most part manifestly belongs but to one , and is seldome plausibly pretended to by above two or three , whereas the Skil to Govern is so undetermined , and so uncertain a thing , that Mens Innate pride and Self-love would encline almost every Man to claim it for himself , especially , since by challenging that , he might put for no less than Soveraignty : And in a State thus abandoned to the craftiest or the strongest , there would never want disturbing Vicissitude of Governments , as well as Governours , since whoever could get Interest enough in the Souldiery , or the Multitude , would quickly devise and impose such a frame of Government , as may put the Management of Affairs into his and his Parties hands , and give them the Authority that have the Power . But ( resumes Eusebius ) I must remember , that not Politicks , but Divinity is my Profession , and therefore without enlarging upon the confusion that is inevitable in a State , where the right of Governing being not heeded , or at least not ascertained , every Man would pretend to Counsel or Command , and none would think himself bound to Obey ; I shall only mind you , that Magistracy having been instituted by God , for the good of Mankind , we may in obeying our Lawfull Magistrates , though perhaps less Wise than we could wish them , not only participate the Advantages naturally accruing from Obedience to Superiours , but divers peculiar Blessings that God oftentimes vouchsafes to our Obedience to his Vice-gerents , and his Institutions . Let Subjects therefore ( says Eusebius ) wish for wise Princes , but submit to those the Providence of God , and the Laws of their Country , may have given them : Let us , if by any just way we be called to it , assist a Prince with the wisest Counsels we can ; if not , let us assist him to make the best of the unwise Counsels he has taken , without adding our Factiousness , or our Passions to his Misgovernment , remembring that , at least in my Opinion , to the happiness of a Common-wealth , it is not only requisite that the Prince know how to command well , but that the Subjects obey well ; and that even weak Counsels , faithfully assisted , and as much as may be rectified or repaired by those that are to Execute them , may less prejudice the publick , than the froward and jarring endeavours of Men , that perhaps would be wiser Rulers if they had a right to be so . It may be ( continues Eusebius ) that affection and diligence in the publick Service , may , in spight of the Governments miscarriages , prevent , or at least retard and lessen , the Ruine of the State. But however , ( concludes he ) it will be no small satisfaction to an honest Man , and a loyal Subject , not to be conscious to himself of having contributed to the publick Calamities , either by his own Provocations , or his Factious indignation at the Princes faults ; if a Man have done his utmost to hinder the Ruine he comes to be involved in , the publick Calamity will be far lighter to him , being not clogged by private Guilt ; and he will support the misfortune of it with far the less trouble , if he be to support nothing else . Nay , since the Service we do to whatever Prince is rightfully set over us , upon the score of his being Gods Vice-gerent , is ultimately directed to that Supream , and as the Scripture calls him , Only Potentate , whose Manificence is as inexhausted as his Treasure ; we may safely expect , that whatever prejudice we here sustain upon the account of the Prince's commands , will hereafter be advantageously considered to us in the reward of our Obedience . DISCOURSE XII . Upon Clouds rising out of the Sea , and falling down in Rain not Brackish . THis Discourse had already lasted so long , that as well my Unwillingness that one Theme should detain us any longer , as my Desire to keep Eugenius from making any Reply , which on such an occasion might perchance have begot some Dispute , made me forward to divert the Discourse , by inviting the Company to take notice of a black Cloud that was coming towards us , which soon after , in its passage under the Sun , interpos'd betwixt our Sight and that gloriousest Object of it . Lindamor then having a while attentively enough consider'd it , took thence an occasion to say : This Cloud , Gentlemen , whensoever it shall fall down in Rain , will sufficiently shew that it was before but VVater , which whilst it lay mingl'd with the rest of the River , or the Sea , whence 't is Exhal'd , may be suppos'd as Clear and Limpid as any of the rest ; but now that the Sun has by its powfull Beams elevated this VVater in the form of Vapours , and drawn it near it self , we see it Composes a Cloud , which does no longer receive or transmit the Light , but robs the Earth of it , and eclipses the Sun that rais'd it , and sometimes too , produces dismal storms of Rain , and Wind , and Hail . Thus ( pursues Lindamor ) there are many , who while they continu'd in a low and private Fortune , were as blameless as others ; and yet , when by a peculiar Vouchsafement of Providence , they are rais'd from that humble state to a conspicuous height , they seem to have as much chang'd their Nature as their Fortune , they grow as much worse than meaner Men , as their condition is better than that of such ; and the principal things by which they make their Exaltation be taken notice of , are , the Prejudice they do to their Inferiours , and the Ingratitude they exercise towards that Monarch of the VVorld , that rais'd them above others . Of so perverting a Nature , is so high a Station , that the gaining of an Earthly Crown , is very far from being a furtherance to the acquiring of an Heavenly one : And many , whom an humble condition of Life kept as Innocent as Lowly , are , by the highest Advancement in point of Fortune , impair'd in point of Morality ; and these supreme Dignities , which the ambitious World so fondly Courts and Envies , do so often manifest those that have attain'd them , to be unworthy of them . I know not whether Eugenius imagin'd that Lindamor did in this Discourse make some little Reflection , upon what we had lately said on the behalf of Princes : But I afterwards suspected , that it was partly to reply to this Observation , as well as entertain the Company with a new one that he subjoyn'd . As this Cloud has furnish'd Lindamor with one Reflection , so that which lately brought us the Showr of Rain , whose marks are yet upon our Hats , may supply us with another , which may shew , that Themes of this Nature are applicable to very differing purposes , according as one or other of their Circumstances happens to be consider'd and employ'd : For as far ( pursues he ) as we can judge by the Neighbourhood of the Sea , and by that Cloud 's being driven hither by a VVind blowing thence , it consisted of the Sea-water rais'd in the form of Vapours . But though the Water of the Ocean is Salt and Brackish , Unpleasant and Unwholesome whilst it lies there Unelevated ; yet that Water which has the Advantage of being rais'd to the second Region of the Air , appears , when 't is turn'd into Rain , to have left all its Brackishness behind it , and proves both wholesome for Mens Bodies , and fertilizing to their Fields . Thus ( continues Eugenius ) we sometimes see , that Men , who in a private condition were subject to divers Vices , devest them when they are advanc'd to the honour of putting on Royal Robes , as Silk-worms leave their Husks behind them , when by acquiring Wings they turn into ( a nobler sort of Creatures ) flying Animals ; as most Men change , so some improve their Minds with their Condition , and seem to have mis-behav'd themselves in a lower Station , but because they were Born to a higher , and were , whilst beneath it , detain'd out of their proper Sphere . And indeed , as a Throne exposes those that sit on it to peculiar Temptations to Vice , so does it afford them peculiar Engagements to Virtue , as so Elevated a Station is apt to make Men giddy , so is it proper to make them circumspect , by letting them see that all the VVorld sees Them ; the Sublimity of such a Condition would make any Soul , that is not very mean , despise many mean things that too often prevail upon Inferiour persons . If Princes have any sense of Shame and Honour , it will be a great Curb to them , to consider , that , as there are too many Eyes upon them to let their Vices be secret , so their Faults can as little escape Censure as Discovery ; and Men will be the more severe to their Reputations , because 't is the only thing wherein Subjects can punish their Soveraigns . If they have any thing of Generosity in their Natures , their very Condition , by placing them above other Objects , will make them aspire to Glory , and that is a Mistress , that ev'n Monarchs cannot successfully court , but with great and good Actions . And if they have withall a sense of Piety , they cannot , but , in Gratitude to him , whose Vicegerents they are , endeavour to promote his Interests that made them so , and so make themselves as like him as they can in his other Attributes of Clemency , Justice , and Bounty , as he has vouchsaf'd to make them in his Power and Authority : And besides , that the actual Possession of an Earthly Grown leaves them nothing worth aspiring to but a Heavenly one : The consideration of the great Advantages they have above other Men of doing Good , and the Exemplariness and Influence as well of their Vices as of their Virtues , will make them tremble at the thoughts of the Account they must one Day render of so many Thousands , perhaps of so many Millions , ( of Subjects ) committed to their Charge , if , as they are sure it will be a great one , they shall not make it a good one . Nor ( pursues Eugenius ) is History altogether unfurnish'd with Examples of those whom a Throne has as well Improv'd as Dignify'd : Saul was not the only Person , who when he was created King had another Spirit , and became another Man ; That Titus , who was the Head of it , was justly styl'd the Darling of Mankind , though his Virtue and Nobleness did , more than his Crown , keep the greatest part of Posterity from taking notice of any thing in him , but an Obligingness proportionate to his Greatness : Yet I find in some antient VVriters , to whom Truth was more dear than ev'n this Favourite of Mankind , that before he came to that supreme Pitch of humane Dignity , his course of Life did not promise the Roman World the happiness it deriv'd from his Government ; His Life before he came to be Emperour , having not been so free from Blemishes of Lust and Blood : But that I may , in writing his Character , invert what the Roman Historian said of one of his Predecessours , and say , that Titus had been thought Indignus Imperio nisi imperasset . And , without going as far as Rome , our own History affords us a Henry the Fifth , who , before he came to the Kingdome , was scarce thought worthy to Live in it , and did so degrade himself to the Practices of the meanest Malefactors , that a Judge , that was then his Fathers Subject , was fain to use him at that Rate ; and yet this Prince , as soon as he had Seated himself in the Throne , did as suddenly as if the Place it self had some secret Virtue to improve those it admitted , behave himself as a Person worthy of it ; and not only Conquer'd France , but , which was a Nobler , as well as a more difficult Victory , his own Resentments too , by preferring that Judge , when King , that had Imprison'd him , when Prince ; and evincing by so memorable an Action , that he preferr'd Virtue above himself , and renouncing the Pleasure of Revenge , he scrupl'd not to promote one whom he could not commend without condemning himself ; were it not , that in this Prince , according to what I was saying , the King was become another Man than the Subject . And perhaps , ( concludes Eugenius , a little Smiling ) I could proceed to give you other Examples enough to keep it from being improbable ; that one main Reason , why there are but few good Princes , is , because there are but few Princes ; were it not that I see the VVater-man prepare to Land us : And in effect , we were now come so near the place , where the Fisher-man design'd to set us Ashore , that whether or no Lindamor had a mind to return any thing to what Eugenius had said , it would then have appear'd unseasonable , either to resume the Debate , or prosecute the Discourse . DISCOURSE XIII . Upon drawing the Boat to the Shore . WHen we were now come to the place where we were to be Landed , least the Boat should be carried away by the Stream before we could step Ashore , the Owner of it reach'd out his long Pole , and by means of the Crook , taking fast hold of the Bank , he drew the Pole towards him with all his might , and thereby brought the Boat to Shore . This endeavour of the VVater-man's , and the effect of it , inviting Eusebius to smile a little , gave me the Curiosity , as soon as we were Landed , to enquire why he did so : It is almost as ordinary , ( answers Eusebius ) for Men to think themselves wiser than God , as 't is impossible for them really to be so . Those that study nothing but to obtain their Ends , and that scruple at nothing they judge conducive to them , do oftentimes lay their designs and plots with so much Artifice and Subtilty , that they do not doubt , that , whatever may become of Gods designs , and of his promises , and threats , those which themselves have laid so Politickly cannot but succed . And even pious and well-meaning Persons , that have the opportunity to discern the Politick ways that these Men take to compass their Ends , are oftentimes tempted to needless Fears , that Divine providence will be puzzl'd and distress'd by them ; and to think , that for Reasons secret , though just , Providence may be put by these Mens craft to play an after-game in the VVorld to come . But in such cases , it often fares with these grand Designers , as it did just now with our VVater-man : He had fastened his Grapling-Iron to the Shore , and putting to his utmost strength , did so forcibly endeavour to draw it towards him , that one , that did not know that the Shore was fixt , might expect this Lusty Fellows endeavours capable to put into Motion whatever he so forcibly drew towards him : But the Shore being fixt , and immoveable , instead of making that come to him , his very strainings drew him and his Boat to that . Thus the contrivers of the proud Pile of Babel , whereby they meant ( not , as most imagine , to secure themselves against a second Flood ; the Text being silent as to that Aim , and a Plain being a very improper place for such a purpose , but ) to make themselves a Name , and prevent Dispersion . These ambitious Contrivers , who had laid their Plot so hopefully , that they had engag'd no less than Mankind , and who probably had Designs as rais'd as their intended Fabrick , since those Expressions of him , that knew their Hearts , ( And this they begin to do , and now nothing will be restrained from them , which they have imagined to do ) seem'd me-thinks to warrant my Conjecturing , that those had designs very aspiring , that intended but to make a Rise to their soaring flight of a Tower , whose Top should reach unto Heaven . But the Policy of these ambitious Builders being contrary to the charitable decree of God , to have the Earth Peopl'd , he made use of that very conspiracy , that brought them together , to effect that which they conspir'd to prevent ; so , that now the remotest Parts of the Inhabited World are but the Colonies of Babel , whose scattered Architects have indeed made themselves a Name , but upon a quite contrary Account than they intended or expected . Thus the Purblind envy of Joseph's Brethren , having made them resolve to prevent his future Dreams of Superiority over them , made them think , that by Selling him for a Slave , they had taken sufficient Order he should never come to be their Master . And yet we see , that Joseph's being sold into Egypt , was made use of by the wise Orderer of humane Affairs , to make him in effect Lord of that rich and populous Kingdome ; and thereby , of his envious Brethren , Pharoah's Dreams having advantageously made him amends for the hardships his own had expos'd him to . So the proud Favourite of Ahasuerus questionless thought he could scarce miss his Ends , when , by the Counsel of his Friends , and , as he fondly thought , of his Gods too , he provided for Mordecai that fatal Gibbet , which probably he might have escap'd , if he had not erected it . Thus the High Priest and Sanhedrin of the Jews , seem'd to Act with much Policy , though no Justice , when they resolv'd upon the Death of our Saviour , least , as the Gospel tells us , the Romans should come and Destroy their Temple , and Nation , which whether indeed it did not rather procure than divert the coming of the Romans , the Church-History can inform you . Nay , the Old Serpent himself , that Arch-politician , that was the Instructer of those others I have been naming , even in his chiefest Master-piece , found himself the most Over-match'd by him , to whom the Scripture ascribes the taking of the VVise in their own Craftiness . For questionless , he highly applauded his own Subtilty , and seem'd to have taken the directest and most prosperous way to his impious Ends , that could be devis'd , when , having made Herod and Pilate Friends upon such tearms , that the Lamb of God should be the Victim of their new Confederacy , he had engag'd both Jews and Gentiles in a ruinous and tragick Conspiracy to Kill the Prince of Life , and by that unparallel'd Crime at once destroy the Divels chief Enemy , and make God theirs : And yet the Event has sufficiently manifested , that the Apostle might well affirm , that Christ by his Death destroy'd him that had the Empire of Death , the Divel , and that Satan's Kingdome never receiv'd so deadly a Wound , as that which pierc'd our Crucify'd Saviour's side . VVherefore in short , ( concludes Eusebius ) the Decrees of Providence are too solid and fixt to have Violence offered them by humane Attempts , how specious soever they be ; and those that think to bring God to their Bent , will find at long Running , that they have to do with One , whose Power and Wisdome are so Over-ruling , that not only he can frustrate their utmost endeavours , but make those very endeavours frustrate themselves , and employ Mens subtilest Policies to accomplish those very things they were design'd to defeat . DISCOURSE XIV . Upon Catching store of Fish at a Baited place . AS soon as we were come to the place the Fisher-man told us of , we found it as plentifully stor'd with Fish as he had fore-told us , and caught more in some few Minutes than we had taken in a whole hour before : But we did not half so much marvel at this , as we were pleas'd with it , because the Fisher-man inform'd us , that he had liberally Baited the place over-night with Corn , as well as VVorms ; whil'st this pleasant Exercise lasted , Eusebius marking how great a Resort of Fishes there was in that place , and how fast we drew them up , upon comparing what he saw happen , with the Occasion of it , thus acquainted us with the thoughts thereby suggested to him . Those ( says he ) that Yester-day in the Evening might see this Man ( pointing at the Fisher-man ) throw in his Baits by handfulls into this place , and then depart , as minding them no more , were probably , if they knew not his Design , and the Custom of Fishers , tempted to think him a wastfull Prodigal , or at best a venturous Fool , to bury his Corn in the River , and throw his Baits to be caught up by Fishes , that for ought he knew would never come back to thank their Host . But those that know ( what we now find ) how profitable a Course this is wont to prove , would , in stead of thinking such a practice a piece of Folly , look upon it as a piece of Pro●idence : For though he be sure not to recover in kind the things he cast upon the Waters , yet such a loss is wont to prove very gainfull unto him , whilst he loses but a Grain of Corn , or a Worm , to obtain Fishes of far more Value . Thus , though the purblind World may think a liberal Almes-giver , or a generous Confessor , a Fool , or a Prodigal , whil'st they only consider him as one that throws away what he has in present Possession , and seems not so much as to hope for the recovery of the same Goods , or any of the like Nature ; yet those whose Eyes being Illuminated with a Heavenly light , are thereby enabl'd to look into the vast and distant Regions of the future , and to descry there the final Issues of all Temporal things , will be so far from thinking him unwise , for parting with unsatisfying Trifles , to procure the highest and most permanent Goods , that they will think his Proceedings far more justifiable in point of Prudence , than we now think the Fisher-man's : Nor will the parting with a greater Fortune , as freely as with a lesser , any more alter the Case , than the Fisher-mans throwing in his bigger VVorms , and grains of Corn , with no more scruple than his lesser : For Heaven does as well incomparably outvaue the greatest , as the least Goods poor Morals can lay out for it ; and he , who has all things to give , and is infinitely more than all himself , has promis'd , that those that Sow plentifully , shall Reap so too ; and though the least of future Acquists would incomparably transcend the greatest Price that can be here given for it , yet the future Rewards will betwixt one another bear a proportion to the Occasions of them ; and as the Fisher-man is sure to lose what he throws into the Water , and is not sure to get by it any thing of greater Value than some Fishes ; the Christian-Adventurer , ( if I may so call him ) may hope , though not confidently promise himself , in this World the hundred fold mention'd by our Saviour , as well as in the VVorld to come Life everlasting . And therefore , if we do indeed in Saint Paul's Language , look , not to the things which are seen , which are but Temporary , but to the Invisible ones which are Eternal , we shall think that Exhortation of his very Rational , as well as very Pious , where , having Discours'd of the future and glorious State of the true Christians , he concludes , Wherefore , my beloved Brethren , be ye stedfast , immoveable , always abounding in the work of the Lord ; for as much as you know , that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. DISCOURSE XV. Upon the Magnetical Needle of a Sun-Dyal . WE had not yet dismiss'd the Waterman , when Eugenius chancing to express a Curiosity , to know what a Clock it was , when we had freshly begun to Angle at our new Station ; as Lindamor and the rest drew their VVatches to satisfie his Question , so the Boat-man took out of his Pocket a little Sun-Dyal , furnished with an excited Needle to direct how to Set it , such Dyals being used among Mariners , not only to show them the hour of the Day , but to inform them from what quarter the VVind blows ; upon the sight of this Dyal , my natural Curiosity invited me , after it had told me the hour , to try whether the Magnetick Needle were well touched , by drawing a little Penknife out of a pair of Twises I then chanc'd to have about me , and approaching it to the North point of the Needle , which according to the known custom of such Needles , readily followed it , or rested over against it , which way soever I turned the Penknife , or whereabout soever I held it still ; Eusebius seeing me give my self this Diversion , came up to me to be a sharer in my sight , which no Familiarity can keep from being a VVonder : But after a while , he look'd upon it in a way that made me think it presented him somewhat else than the hour of the Day , or the corner of the VVind ; and I was confirm'd in that thought , by seeing him apply to it the case of Lindamor's VVatch , and then a Diamond-ring pluck'd from his own Finger , and in effect , he soon began to tell me ; Me-thinks , Philaretus , this Needle may afford us a good direction in the choice of Companies : And that is a matter of such moment , that some Divines perhaps would question , whether or no the direction it gives Navigators to find the Poles , be of much greater Importance : For not only it has been truly observed , that the choice of ones Company does exceedingly discover whether a Man be Good , or Bad , VVise , or Foolish ; but I shall venture to add , that it does very much contribute to make him what others say it declares him : For an assiduous Converse does insensibly dispose and fashion our Minds and Manners to a resemblance with those we delight to converse with , and there are few that have so much Resolution , as to disobey Customs and Fashions , especially when embraced by Persons that we love , and would be esteemed by , and from whose Opinions and Practices we can scarce dissent constantly without impressing a Dislike , that threatens to make them dislike us . For my part , ( says Lindamor ) I have always thought there is great difference betwixt keeping Company with some Men , and choosing to do so ; For whilst we Live in this VVorld , we must often have to do with the Lovers of the VVorld : But though to be cast by the Exigencies of our Callings upon bad Company , be an Infelicity without being a Fault , yet certainly , to choose such Company , and prefer it before that of wise and good Men , is in a high Degree both the one and the other . And I confess , ( continues he ) I cannot think , that the proper use of Conversation is but to pass away our time , not to improve it . You are certainly much in the right , ( subjoyns Eusebius ) for though too many of those that are now cried up for good Company , do either so disswade us from good and serious things , or so divert us from them , that 't is oftentimes counted a piece of Indiscretion to say any thing that may either inrich Men's Understandings , or awaken their Consciences ; yet I cannot but think , that Conversation may be , as well as ought to be , rescued from being an Instrument to promote Idleness and Vice ; and , if Men were not wanting to themselves , I doubt not , it may be so ordered , that Conversation , which so often robs Men of their time , and so frequently of their Devotion , might be made a great Instrument of Piety , and Knowledge , and become no less Usefull than 't is wont to be Pleasant . To make Companies ( replies Lindamor ) such as you think they may be , they must grow very different from what most commonly they are : For , not to speak of those loose and profane ones , where Virtue and Seriousness are openly derided , and any thing , how contrary soever to Piety , or right Reason , may be used , not only with tolleration , but applause , if Men can bring it out , I say not in Jest , ( for they are seldome more in earnest ) but neatly wrapt up in Raillery ; even in those civiller sorts of Company , where Vice is not professedly maintained , you shall seldome , during a long stay , hear any thing that is really worth carrying away with you , or remembring when you are gone . And to Discourse of any thing that is Grave enough , either to exercise Men's Intellects , or excite their Devotion , is counted a piece of Indiscretion , that is wont to be more carefully avoided than almost any thing that is really such ; so , that even in such Companies , the Innocentest use that we are wont to make of our time , is , to lose it : And really , ( continues Lindamor ) when I consider how ensnaring the worser sort of Companies are , and how little , even those that do not openly defie Piety and Knowledge , are wont to cherish either of them ; I begin to be reconciled to Hermites , who fly from such Conversations as are so apt to make Men either Vitious , or at least Idle into those Solitudes , where they are not like to be Tempted , either to renounce their Devotion , or to suppress it , to entertain idle Thoughts , or stifle good ones : Nor could I without much Scruple , as well as Impatience , allow my self to spend some part of my time in such kind of entertainments as many spend most of theirs in , were it not , that looking upon Civility as a Virtue , and Hospitality as in some cases a Duty , and upon both of them as things of good report , I can think those hours they make me spend , may be justly cast upon their account , and that the Ceremonious and Insignificant conversations whereto they oblige me , may be undergone upon some such account as that , on which serious Parents converse and oftentimes play with their Children ; for , as though the things they do , are in themselves trivial , and useless , yet they may be justifiable Effects of a paternal care to still a Child , or keep him from harming himself ; so the Duty of exercising of Civility makes me look upon as justifiable , though unpleasant , those Expressions of it , which , in themselves considered , I could not Reflect on without Indignation , and could not but think very much below any Man , whom Education has fitted for the exercise of Reason , or whom Religion has elevated to the hopes of Heaven . But it may ( says Eusebius ) on the other side be represented , that since 't is scarce possible not to meet sometimes with Companies that are not of the best sort , we should look upon those Necessities , as calls of Providence , to improve those Opportunities for the advantage of them we are engaged to converse with ; for Nature , as well as Christianity , teaches us , that we are not Born only for our selves , and therefore , as we ought often to converse with the best Men , to acquire Virtue and Knowledge , so we must sometimes converse with others , that we may impart them , and learn how much we are beholden to God's Goodness , that has so much discriminated us from other Men ; and though we do not find that our Conversation does immediately and visibly reform those we converse with , yet it will not presently follow , that it is altogether ineffectual on them : For , besides that the seeds of Virtue and Knowledge , as well as those of Plants , may long seem to lye dead , even in those Soils wherein they will afterwards Flourish and Fructifie , there may be at present a Good , though not a Conspicuous , Effect of your Discourse and Example . For when Men are hasting to Hell , he does them no small Service , that does so much as Retard their course , as Cordials , and other Medicines , may do good even to decrepid Old men , whom they cannot perfectly cure . And trust me , Lindamor , 't is no such useless performance as you may think it , for a Man of known Piety and Parts , by conversing with the Children of this Generation , To dare to own Religion among those that dare to deride it ; To keep alive and excite a witness for God and Good things in their Consciences ; To let them see , and make them ( at least inwardly ) acknowledge , the Beauty of a pious , Industrious , and well-ordered course of Life ; To convince them , that it is not for want of knowing the Vanities they dote on , that he despises them ; To shew , that a Man , that denies himself their sinfull Jollities , can Live contented without them : And , ( to dispatch ) To manifest , by a real and visible Demonstration , that a virtuous and discreet Life is no unpracticable , no more than Melancholy thing , ev'n in Bad times , and among Bad men . And says , Eusebius , to me it seems very considerable , that our Saviour himself , the great Author of our Faith , and Exemplar of our Piety , did not choose an Anchorites , or a Monastique Life , but a sociable and an affable way of conversing with Mortals , not refusing Invitations , even from Publicans , or to Weddings , and by such winning Condescensions gained the Hearts , and thereby a Power to reform the Lives , of multitudes of those he vouchsaf'd to converse with . Other considerations ( pursues Eusebius ) might be represented to the same purpose with these : But since I promised you something of Direction , I suppose you will expect I should tell you , not what I could say , but what I do think . I will tell you then in few words , that though I think it as well possible as fit for Men of radicated Virtue , and fine Parts , to make sometimes a good use of bad Company , especially when their lawfull occasions cast them into it ; yet for others to be often engag'd in such Company , though it may be but an Infelicity , is a very great one ; and to choose such Company , is , what is worse than an Unhappiness , a Fault : But generally speaking , I would distinguish three sorts of Companies ; for there are some , that not only are unable to improve me , but are unwilling to be improved themselves ; A second sort there is , that are as well ready to learn , as able to instruct : And there are others , that , though they are not Proficients enough to teach me things worth my Learning , are yet desirous to be taught by me , the little that I know , and they ignore . Now , as the Magnetick Needle we were looking on , and which affords us the Theam of this Discourse , if you should apply a Loadstone to it , would be most powerfully attracted by that , because it can receive fresh Virtue from it ; and even , if you approach a piece of Steel to it , the Needle will , though not so studiously , apply it self to it , from which , though it receives no Magnetick virtue , it can impart some to it : But if you offer it the Silver case of your Watch , or the Gold that makes up your Ring , or the Diamonds that are set in it , none of all these , how Rich or Glittering soever , will at all move the Needle , which suffers them to stand by unregarded ; So I shall with the most of Cheerfulness , and Application , seek the Company of those that are qualify'd , to impart to me the Virtue or the Knowledge they abound with : Nor shall I refuse to entertain a Society with those few , that being such small Proficients as to need to learn of me , are also forward to do so . But those that can neither teach me any thing that is Good , nor are disposed to let me teach it them , how great a shew soever they make , among those that make choice of their Companions by their Eyes ; I may be cast-upon their Conversation , but shall very hardly choose it . DISCOURSE XVI . Upon the Quenching of Quick-lime . I Had almost forgot to relate , that not far from the place where we went on Shore , and which we had not yet quitted , we saw divers heaps of Quick-lime , some Smoaking , and some that had not yet been Drench'd in Water ; and upon Enquiry of those that look'd to it , we were soon inform'd , that the conveniency of the Neighbouring River , both for slacking of Lime , and conveying Mortar , had made the Owners bring their Lime thither , to be temper'd and made fit for the Reparation of some Houses that we saw a little way off : But while we were talking , one of the Workmen began to throw Water upon one of the heaps that had not yet been Slack'd , and afterwards pour'd on so much more as serv'd quite to drown the Lime ; and Eus●bius marking , both what he did , and what ensu'd upon it , took thence occasion to say to us ; He that should see only the Effect of the first Effusion of cold Water upon quick Lime , would think , that by a kind of Antiperistesis , the Internal heat of the Lime is rather encreas'd than suffocated by the Coldness and Moisture of the VVater ; for that which before was not taken notice of , to manifest any sensible warmth , as soon as its Enemy the VVater begins to invade it , acquires a new heat and new forces in the Conflict , and not only shews a great Impatience , or Enmity , to that cold Liquor , by acting furiously upon it , and throwing off many parts into the Air , but prevails so far as to heat that cold Element it self , to that degree , as to make it Smoak and Boyl . But this Conflict is seldome near so lasting as 't is eager ; for if you have but the Patience to stay a while , you shall see the Lime , after it has spent its occasional Ardour , and after its Fire is quench'd , lye quietly with , nay under , the VVater , as cold and as moveless as it . Thus , when a devout Man , ( especially if his Fervour be adventitious from Education , or Custom , as the Fire in the Lime from the Calcination ) first falls into the Company of Persons , either Profane , or otherwise grossly Vitious , we often see , that his Zeal , instead of being smother'd by such a rude and unaccustom'd Opposition , seems rather to be excited and kindl'd thereby , and possibly seems more likely to impart the warmth of his Devotion to its Enemies than to lose any of it himself ; but when he is constantly , or at least frequently , surrounded with such Company , you will too often see him lose as well his own Ardour as the endeavours of communicating it ; and with those very Persons , that did at first kindle and exasperate his Zeal , you shall at last see him Live very quietly , and perhaps manifest as little of Religious warmth as they ; and that which at first did so strangely exasperate and discompose him , becomes after a while so familiar , as not at all to move him . DISCOURSE XVII . Upon ones Talking to an Eccho . WE had possibly dwelt longer upon such Reflections , had I not been suddenly diverted by the repeated Clamours of a Voice , which each of us imagin'd he had very often heard : VVhereupon , as it were , by common consent , we began to look round about us , to see if any of our little Company were missing , and finding that Eugenius was so , we readily concluded the Voice we heard , though somewhat alter'd by distance , and other circumstances , to be his ; and accordingly we hasted towards the place , whence we judg'd the Voice to proceed , that in case he were in any Distress , or had met with any Disaster , we might rescue or relieve him : But when we came near , we could now and then distinctly hear him speak some words so loud , and yet so incoherent and unable to compleat a Sense , as if he meant that all thereabouts should hear him , and no Body understand him . This made us double our Curiosity , and our Pace , till at length we descry'd him all alone in a solitary corner , wherein yet his Loudness kept us from believing he sought privacy : But as soon as he discover'd us , he seem'd both surpris'd and troubl'd at it ; coming to meet us , he first begg'd our pardon , if having been Louder than he thought , he had put us to a trouble he did not intend ; and then Laughing , ask'd us , if we did not think him Mad : But Eusebius smiling , told him , that before we could answer that Question , we must ask one of him , which was , what he had been doing . VVhilst you , ( answers Eugenius ) were ( I doubt not ) better employ'd , my natural Curiosity seduc'd me to spend some time in Ranging about the places near the River-side , and as I was passing by this Field , the accidental Lowing of an Ox made me take notice , that this Neighbouring Hill and Wood , furnish this place with an excellent Eccho , which I at first try'd only by VVhooping and Hollowing ; but afterwards diverted my self by framing my Questions so , as to make that Babling Nymph ( for so you know the Poets will have Eccho to be ) to Discourse with me . For my part , ( says Lindamor ) I should by no means like her Conversation , because that two Qualities she has , which to me would very much discommend it : And to prevent our asking him what those Qualities were , One of them , ( says he ) is , that she vouchsafes to Discourse indiscriminally with all commers that Talk to her , provided that they make Noise enough . You are much in the right , ( says Eugenius ) for that easiness of admitting all kind of Company , provided Men have boldness enough to intrude into ours , is one of the uneasiest Hardships , ( not to say Martyrdoms ) to which Custom has expos'd us , and does really do more Mischief than most Men take notice off ; since it does not only keep impertinent Fools in countenance , but encourages them to be very troublesome to wise Men. The VVorld is pester'd with a certain sort of Praters , who make up in Loudness what their Discourses want in Sense ; and because Men are so easie Natur'd as to allow the hearing to their Impertinencies they presently presume that the things they speak are none ; and most Men are so little able to discern in Discourse betwixt Confidence and Wit , that like our Eccho , to any that will but talk loud enough they will be sure to afford answers . And , ( which is worse ) this readiness to hazard our Patience , and certainly lose our Time , and thereby incourage others to multiply idle words , of which the Scripture seems to speak threatningly , is made by Custom an Expression , if not a Duty , of Civility ; and so even a Virtue is made accessary to a Fault . For my part , ( subjoyns Eugenius ) though I think these Talkative people worse publick Grievances than many of those for whose prevention , or redress , Parliaments are wont to be assembled , and Laws to be enacted ; and though I think their Robbing us of our time as much a worse Mischief than those petty Thefts for which Judges condemn Men , as a little Money is a less valuable Good than that precious Time , which no sum of it can either purchase or redeem ; yet I confess , I think that those of our great Lords and Ladies , that can admit this sort of Company , deserve it : For if such Persons have but minds in any measure suited to their Qualities , they may safely , by their Discountenance , banish such pitifull Creatures , and secure their Quiet , not only without injuring the Reputation of their Civility , but by advancing that of their Judgment . And I fear , ( continues Eugenius ) that those who decline this Imployment ( and indeed Improvement ) of their Titles , or other kinds of Eminency , do by their Remisness more harm than they imagine ; For though the Judgment and Company of such Persons , be not always the best grounded , or the best chosen , yet their Quality or Station in the VVorld makes it usually the most conspicuous , and the most consider'd . And I doubt not , there is no such Multitude of dis-interest Lovers of Good things , but that there will be the fewer found Studious to express VVit and Virtue in Conversation , when they see , that in the Estimate of those that are look'd upon as the chief Judges of what is or is not good Company , the most empty and impertinent Prattle with confidence , or loudness , procures a Man at least as good a Reception as the best and most rational Discourse without it . And , which is yet worse , that Tyrannous thing , which we misname Civility , has so degraded Reason , as well as displac'd Piety , in Conversation , that if there be never so many Persons together , entertaining themselves with rational or instructive Discourse , in case there come in but one impertinent Creature that is below it , all these shall sink themselves to his Level , and as much debase their Discourse , as if they believ'd it fitter , that all the rational Conversers should fore-go the Exercise and the Benefit of their VVit and Virtue , than that a Fool should not appear to talk as wisely as any of them ; and thus they seem'd asham'd of their Attainments , instead of making him asham'd of his Ignorance , and reducing him to improve himself into a capacity of being fit for their Company ; whereas , from a contrary practice , they might derive the great Advantage , either of freeing themselves from uninvited Companions , or of making them worth the having . But , ( subjoyns Lindamor ) I remember I told you there was a second Quality , that I dislik'd in the Nymph I found you entertaining , and that is , that , when I will , I can make her speak to me , just what I please . I know ( replies Eugenius ) that a moderate degree of Complaisance , is not only in many cases allowed us by Discretion , but necessary to keep up the Pleasantness , not to say the very Peace , of humane Societies ; For if all Men , at all times , spake their Minds freely , and did not soften one another by concealing their mutual Dislikes , and Dissents , and by certain outward Expressions of Kindness , or Respect , made by Complements and Gestures , Men have so many Imperfections , and so much Self-love with all , that scarce any two of them would endure one another ; Nay , and in spight of that Indulgence , which provident Nature has implanted in all Animals , for the preservation of their Species , in that of the Individuals that compose it , and as much as our own Faultiness has added to that Fondness ; yet , I doubt , we shall scarce find one Man of a thousand , that would endure so much as himself , if we did not for the most part exercise Complaisance within our own Breasts , and did not as much flatter our selves , and disguise our selves , to our selves , as we flatteringly disguise our selves to others . But , ( continues Eugenius ) when all this is said , I may endure , but I shall scarce choose and prize a Companion , that , like an Eccho , uses no liberty of his own , but allows me to direct whatever I would have to be answered me : And I know not whether I could not better like one that would ever dissent from me , than one that would never do so ; I cannot look upon him either as my Friend , or as Person worthy to be made so , who never evinces his being more concerned to advantage me , than to please me , by making use of the liberty of a Friend , and thereby shewing , that he considers not barely himself , but me ; besides , that as there is no true Friendship where there is not an Union of Affections , so methinks there can be no good Company where there is not sometimes a Dissent in Opinions . Eusebius , that was a Friend to Seriousness , without being an Enemy to Pleasantness , gathering from the long Pause made by his Friends , that they designed not the prosecuting of this Discourse any further ; Me-thinks , Gentlemen , ( says he , Smiling ) you are very severe to a harmless Nymph , who is so modest , and reserved , that she will never put you upon beginning a Conference with her , and so Complaisant in it , that 't is your own fault if ever she says any thing to you , that displeases 〈◊〉 , and for my part , ( continues he ) I have that opinion of humane things , that as I think there are very few so perfect , but that we may find something in them fit to be shunn'd , so there are not many so imperfect , but that they may suggest to us somewhat or other , that may not be unworthy of our imitation ; and as Lindamor has taken notice of two Qualities in our Eccho , which discommended it to him , so I have observed as many , that I rather approve than dislike . For , in the first place , 't is evident , that our Nymph ( however Eugenius has been pleased to mis-call her a Babler ) is much less Talkative than most of her own Sex , or indeed of ours ; for she never begins to talk with any Body , not speaking unless she be spoken to . He that considers how much of the Discourse that wastes Men's time , and entertains the most Companies with the most applause , consists of Talk that tends either to flatter those that are present , or detract from the absent , or to censure our Superiours , or our Betters , or to express our own Profaneness , or to excite the Pride or Carnality of others ; and he that shall consider , that though by these and many other ways we are extremely apt to offend in words , yet we must give an Account for that kind of words , what sort soever bemeant by them , which our Translators render Idle ones ; and that the Judge himself tells Men , that they shall by their words , as well as by their actions , be justified , or condemned ; will easily believe , that if Silence were as much in Fashion as 't is charitable to Mankind to wish it , the Regions of Hell would be far thinlier Peopled than now they are like to be . I could tell you , that Silence discovers Wisdome , and conceals Ignorance , and 't is a property that is so much belonging to wise Men , that even a Fool , when he holdeth his peace , may pass for one of that sort ; And I could easily add I know not how much in the commendation of this excellent Quality , if I knew how at the same time to praise Silence , and to practise it ; so that it may well pass for an excellency in the Nymph , whose Apology I am making , that she does not speak but when it is necessary she should , I mean , when she is spoken to , in such a way as does exact her answer . But this is not all the good qualities of our Eccho ; for as she rarely speaks but when 't is expected she should , so she seldome repeats above a small part of what is said to her ; this I account a very seasonable piece of Discretion , especially in such treacherous and fickle times as ours , where , almost as if he thought himself fit to be an universal States-man , such a one concerns himself very needlessly for almost all the publique Quarrels in Christendome , and shews himself zealous for a party which will receive no advantage by his disquiets ; and not content like a Merchant-venturer , his Passion may upon this account make him a Sufferer by what happens in the Remotest parts of the World ; In our own fatal Differences , ( which 't is almost as unsafe to speak freely of , as 't is unhappy to be involv'd in them ) he will on needless occasions declare , with his Opinion , his want of Judgment , and perhaps Ruine himself with those under whose Protection he lives , by spreading Reports , and maintaining Discourses , that rendred him suspected among those , who think that a Man must wish their Forces should be beaten , if he can think they may have been so ; Nay , I have known some , that , though put into considerable Employments , could not hold talking of their own Party , at a rate of freedome which those that have so much Innocence as not to deserve it , will scarce have so much Goodness as to support it : So that me-thinks , these Men deal with their Fortunes as Children oftentimes do with their Cards , when having taken a great deal of pains to build fine Castles with them , they themselves afterwards ruine them with their Breath . It may be a greater without being a more prejudicial price of Folly , to believe all that one hears , than to report all that one believes ; and especially , those are to be censured for want of our Nymphs reservedness , by whom it loses that name ; for though those kind of Men make sure by their way of Talking , to make others take notice how much they are confided in by their own party , yet sure they would take a discreeter course , if they did but consider , that the proof they give , that they are trusted with secrets , is , that they are unfit to be so . DISCOURSE XVIII . Upon a Giddiness occasion'd by looking attentively on a rapid Stream . THese thoughts of Eusebius suggested so many to Lindamor , and me , that to entertain our selves with them , we walk'd silently a good way along the River-side ; but at length , not hearing any more the Noise his Feet were wont to make in going , turning my self to see what was become of him , I perceiv'd him to be a pretty way behind me upon the Rivers brink , where he stood in a fixt Posture , as if he were very intent upon what he was doing . And 't was well for him , that my curiosity prompted me to see what it was that made him so attentive ; for , before I could quite come up to him , me-thought I saw him begin to stagger , and though that sight added wings to my Feet , yet I could scarce come time enough to lay hold on him , and , by pulling him down backwards , rescue him from falling into the River . The shrieck I gave at the sight of my Friends danger , was , it seems , loud enough to reach Eusebius's Ears , who , turning his Eyes towards the place whence the Noise came , and seeing Lindamor upon the Ground , made hastily towards us , and came up to us by that time I had help'd Lindamor up , and before I had receiv'd from him the obliging Acknowledgments he was pleas'd to make me for a piece of service that I thought had in it more of Recompence than Merit . Eusebius hearing what pass'd betwixt us , joyn'd his thanks to Lindamor's , and at the same time congratulated my Friend for his escape , and me for having , to use his Expressions , had the honour and satisfaction to be such a Person as Lindamor's Deliverer . But after our Expressions of Joy for his escape were over , Eusebius and I had both a curiosity to learn particularly the occasion of his Danger , which he told us in these words ; As I was thinking , Eusebius , on your last Reflection , I was diverted from prosecuting my Walk in Philaretus's Company , by happening to cast my Eyes on a part of the River , where the Stream runs far more swiftly than I have all this Day taken notice of it to do any where else , which induc'd me to stop a while , to observe it the more leisurely : And coming nearer , I found the Rapidness of the Current to be such , notwithstanding the depth of the Water , that I stood thinking with my self , how hard it were for one to escape , that should be so unlucky as to fall into it : But whilst I was thus musing , and attentively looking upon the Water , to try whether I could discover the Bottom , it happened to me , as it often does to those that gaze too stedfastly on swift Streams , that my Head began to grow giddy , and my Leggs to stagger towards the River , into which questionless I had fell , if Philaretus had not seasonably and obligingly prevented it . Something like this ( says Eusebius ) does not unfrequently happen in the unwary consideration of some sorts of sinfull Objects , especially those suggested by Atheism and Lust : For not only we oftentimes consider Atheistical suggestions , and entertain Libidinous fancies , without any intention to quit our Station , or the secure and solid Basis of Religion , and Chastity ; but we are often inclinable to think , that we converse with these Objects only to discern their Formidableness the better , and fortifie our Resolutions to shun them . And yet such is the pernicious Nature of Atheism , and of Lust , that they turn our Brains , and oftentimes , if Providence , or Christian prudence , do not seasonably interpose , we may unawares fall into the Mischief , even by too attentively surveying its greatness , and may be swallowed up by the danger , even whilst we were considering how great it is . To parley with such fascinating Enemies , though with a design to refuse them , and strengthen our Aversion to them , is against the Laws of our Christian warfare : And though it be not as criminal , may often prove as fatal , as to hold Intelligence with the Enemy . 'T is true , that the deformity of both these Sins is such , that all their Ugliness cannot be taken notice of at first sight : But the discovery is more dangerous than necessary , since a little knowledge of their Hideousness is enough to make every honest Heart abhor them . And since their less obvious Deformities are more dangerous to be pry'd into , than necessary to be known , let us fear to learn of these deluding Sins , more than we need know to hate them , and remember , that even those that are frighted by seeing Faces recently mark'd with the small Pox , may , notwithstanding that fear , catch the Disease with that sight . DISCOURSE XIX . Upon ones Drinking water out of the Brims of his Hat. WE were by this time come back to the Baited places we had left , when Eugenius , to whom his Rambling up and down , added to the heat of the Day , had given a vehement Thirst , spying a place where the Banks were very low , and almost level with the Surface of the Water , left us for a little while to repair thither ; and Kneeling upon the Ground , he took up with his Hat , which by Cocking the Brims he turn'd into a kind of Cup , such a proportion of Water that he quench'd his Thirst with it ; and carelessly throwing the rest upon the Ground , quickly return'd towards the Company , which he found he had not left so silently , but that our Eyes had been upon him all the while he was absent ; and that sight afforded Eusebius an occasion to tell us , Our friend Eugenius , might , if he had pleased , by stooping lower with his Head , have Drank immediately out of the entire River ; but you see he thought it more safe , and more convenient , to Drink out of a rude extemporary Cup ; and that this way suffic'd him fully to quench his Thirst , we may easily gather , by his pouring away of some remaining Water as superfluous : And 〈◊〉 he should tell us , that he could not have quench'd his Thirst with a sufficient quantity of Water , because he Drank it not out of the River , but out of his Hat ; I doubt not , you would think him troubl'd with a more formidable Distemper than Thirst , and conclude him in a greater need of Physick than of VVater . Thus ( resumes Eusebius ) to a sober Man , provided he have a Competency of Estate suited to his Needs and Condition , it matters not very much whether that Competency be afforded him by a moderate or by an exuberant Fortune , and oftentimes 't is more safe and convenient , and no less satisfactory , to receive this Competency out of that which is but a little , than out of that which is a great deal more than enough ; for not only the necessities of Nature are few , but her capacities are limited . And therefore , how much soever you have of Meat , and Drink , and the like accommodations ; the Body of a Man can enjoy but a certain , and that too no very great , Measure of them , proportion'd to the Cravings of our stinted Nature , by more than which 't is not the Body , but the unruly Fancy , that is Gratify'd ; as when the Stomach is satisfy'd , a Table full of untouch'd Dishes feeds but a Man's Eye , or his Pride ; and if he should Cram a little part of it into his Stomach , it would but be Nauseated at first , and afterwards breed ill Humours and Diseases . And accordingly , 't is no less than Solomon that says , When Goods encrease , they are encreas'd that Eat them ; and what Good is there to the Owners thereof , saving the beholding of them with their Eyes ? I dare not absolutely ( pursues he ) condemn those that think not the necessities of Nature the only Measures of a Competency of Fortune ; for though he that wants not them , wants a just cause to quarrel with Providence , yet Custom has so Entail'd some ways of Expence upon some Stations in the World , that since a Man can scarce Live without Them , and yet without Disgrace , there are but few who are so great Stoicks , or such mortify'd Christians , as not to think , that what is more than enough for one , may be less than enough for another , and as not to estimate their having or wanting a Competency , not only by the Exigencies of Nature , but by those of a Man's particular Quality , or Station . But ( subjoyns Eusebius ) he that has , in this liberal sence , a sufficiency of outward Goods , is me-thinks but ill advis'd , as well as unthankfull , if he repine at his Portion , because it is inferiour to those of the famously Rich : For though an unwieldy Affluence may afford some empty Pleasure to the Imagination , ( for to the Body it scarce affords any at all ) yet that small Pleasure is far from being able to countervail the Imbittering cares that attend an over-grown Fortune : For whatever the unexperienc'd may imagine , the frequent and sad Complaints of the Rich themselves sufficiently manifest , that 't is but an uneasie Condition , that makes our Cares necessary for things that are meerly superfluous ; and that Men , whose Possessions are so much spread and display'd , are but thereby expos'd the fairer and wider Marks that may be hit in many places by misfortune . Nor will Carelesness secure them , since a provident concern of a Man's Estate , though it be great , being by the Generality of Men look'd upon as a Duty , and a part of Prudence , he cannot suffer himself to be wrong'd or cheated of that , without losing , with his Right , his Reputation . For my part , ( says Lindamor ) I do the more wonder to see Men so greedy of Lading themselves , as the Scripture speaks , with thick Clay , that they Hoard up their Treasures from those uses which alone make Riches worthy the Name of Goods , and Live by a temper quite contrary to that of Saint Paul , As having all things , and possessing nothing . When I consider the things they pretend to by this as mean as unchristian Appetite ; The two chief of these , are wont to be , The keeping of a great House , and the leaving their Children great Matches . As to the former , though others are too much advantag'd by it not to extol it , and though it be sometimes indeed in some cases a decent , and almost necessary , piece of Greatness , yet 't is in my opinion one of the most unhappy Attendants that retain to it ; for the Laws of Hospitality , and much more those of Custom , turns him that keeps a great Table into an Honourable Host , subjects him to comply with the various and oftentimes unreasonable Humours of a succession of Guests , that he cares not for at all , and that care as little for him ; it brings him in a world of Acquaintance , to whom he must own himself oblig'd , because they come to Eat his Meat , and must really requite them , by giving them the pretiousest thing he has to part with , his Time : And a full Table , together with the Liberties that Custom allows at it , if not exacts there , tempt him both to Indulgence to his Appetite , prejudicial to his Health , and if they do not prevail with him to speak , do often at least to dispose him to hear , and to connive at , such free Discourses as are prejudicial to his Interests ; so that there is more than one account upon which a great Entertainer may be involv'd in David's Curse , against his mortal Enemy , of having his Table become a Snare . And for the design ( continues Lindamor ) of laying up vast Estates for a Man's Children ; if they be Sons , he thereby but encreases their Temptation to wish the Father Dead , and provides Incentives to their Vice , and Fuel for their Excesses , when he is so : And if they be Daughters , not to repeat the newly mention'd Inconveniences ; how many unhappy young Women have we seen , who , upon the score of the vast Portions left them by their Parents , have been betray'd , and sold by their Guardians , or by those Relations that should have been , as they were call'd , their Friends ? and how often have we also seen , that an unwieldy Fortune has been so far from Purchasing the Heir to it a good Husband , that it has procur'd her a Bad one , by making her think her self oblig'd and qualify'd to Match with some high Title , and procuring her to be Haunted by some , whose Vices perhaps alone have reduc'd him to Sell himself to redeem his Fortune , and to make an Address which aims but at the Portion , not the Person ; and accordingly , when he has got the one , he slights the other , and despises her for the want of that high Extraction she priz'd in him , and perchance hates her too , for confining him from some former and more than pretended Passion . I perceive then , Lindamor , ( says Eusebius ) that you are , as well as I , dispos'd to think him not a meer Fool , that pray'd God to give him neither Poverty , nor Riches , but to supply him with things suitable to his Condition , Prov. 30. 8. ( That seeming to be the meaning of the Hebrew Phrase ; ) A pinching Poverty , and a luxuriant Fortune ( though different Extremes ) being liable to almost equal Inconveniences , and a Competency affording us enough to engage us to Thankfulness , without Administring such Temptations to Sensuality and Pride . DISCOURSE XX. On seeing Boys swim with Bladders . THe Sun was yet so near the Meridian , that if the Attention Eusebius's Discouses excited , had not diverted us from minding the heat of the VVeather , we should have found it troublesome ; and in effect , soon after we had left listning to the conferences I have been repeating , we begun to feel a heat , uneasie enough to oblige us to retire from it : But taking several ways , as Chance or Inclination directed us , to shun the same inconvenience , it was my Fortune to hold the same course with Lindamor , and both of us , by following no Guide , but the design of shunning all beaten Paths , and unshelter'd Grounds , that being the likeliest way to reach our double end of Coolness and Privacy ; after we had a while walk'd somewhat near the River-side , we were at length brought to a Shady place , which we should have found , as well as we wish'd it , a Solitude , if others had not concurr'd with us in the same hopes ; for the Expectation of Privacy had brought thither divers , whom the Suns scorching heat invited to that cool and retir'd part of the River , where they hop'd to shun all other Eyes , as well as that of Heaven ; among those Swimmers we observ'd some Novices , who , to secure their first Attempts , had Bladders ty'd under their Arms , to keep them from sinking any lower . This sight ( says Lindamor , after he had a while mus'd upon it ) hath Circumstances in it , that me-thinks are applicable enough to the Education of many of the young Ladies of these times ; of whose faults , the Excellent Celia , and all the others , that you and I can think worth our Concern , are free enough to let me entertain you without Rudeness of them ; the Commonness of these Blemishes ennobling those few that are exempted from them . You cannot then ( continues Lindamor ) but have observ'd with me , that many of those young Ladies , whose Parents , out of a mistaken Zeal , condemn that which at the Court was wont to be call'd good Breeding , and Principles of Honour , as things below a Christian , and insufficient to bring their Possessours to Heaven , are so unluckily Bred , and so ill Humour'd , as well as Fashion'd , that an almost equally unhappy Education is requisite to make their Company tolerable : Civility , which is almost as Essential to a compleat Lady , as her Sex , they are perfect Strangers to , or rude Despisers of it ; and not only their Minds are not Imbu'd with those Principles of Friendship , Generosity , and Honour , which make some of their Sex so Lovely , and so Illustrious in Story , and of which more Ladies would be capable , if more were taught them ; but these are utterly uninstructed in the Laws of what the French call Bein seance , and are altogether unpractis'd in that Civility , and suppleness of Humour , which is requisite to endear Conversation , and is so proper to the softer Sex. I must confess , ( pursues Lindamor ) that I never have been more puzzl'd how to behave my self then in their Company : The serious sort of Discourse , ( ev'n such as is to be found in our fresher and more polish'd Romances ) they are utterly incapable of ; And in the trifling and pitifull Prattle that alone is not above them , they are so Unsociable , so Indiscreet , and oftentimes so Bold , that in spight of the respect , such as Celia gives me for her Sex , I find in their Conversations as much Exercise for my Patience as my Chastity , and being tempted to put off the respect that belongs to Ladies , as they do the modesty , I find it more difficult to retain my Civility than my Liberty . The Bladders ( resumes Lindamor ) which young Swimmers use , are , 't is confess'd , but light and empty things , that are easily made useless ; nay , though they help beginners , they are Cloggs to skilfull Swimmers , and yet these Trifles are they that hinder Novices from sinking into the Mud : Thus Honour , though it be an Airy unsolid thing , nay , though it oftentimes proves a hinderance to great Proficients in Christianity , yet to Persons that have not yet attain'd to higher Principles , it is an excellent support , and hinders them from sinking into many Meannesses , and Miscarriages , into which , those especially of the fairer Sex , that want a due sense of Honour , are too apt to be precipitated : You know what Lord told his accused Lady , that he knew she was too proud to be a Whore. And certainly , though Principles of Gallantry include not all Virtues , yet they avert those they sway from grosser Vices : And though to be well Bred , be not to be a Saint , but incomparably inferiour to it ; yet to be both , is more desirable than to be the latter only : And they are very unwise , who , before they are sure their Children will admit the higher and more perfect Principles of Religion , neglect to give them that Education that may render Moral Accomplishments acceptable to Them , and Them to well bred Company , least by proving indispos'd to Spiritual graces , their not having been taught the Moral Ornaments of the Mind , leave them destitute of all good Qualities . THE TRANSITION Containing A DISCOURSE Upon the Sports being interrupted by Rainy weather . NOtwithstanding the Serenity and Promisingness of the Morning we came out in , we have already upon the Water had one proof of the unsettl'dness of the Weather , and now upon the Land we meet with another : For , by that time Lindamor was come somewhat near the end of his Discours , he was oblig'd to hasten to it , by the approach of a Cloud , whose Largeness and Blackness threatned us with an imminent Showr : Nor did it give us a false Alarm , for by that time we could recover the next Shelter , the Showr we fled from , began to fall violently enough upon the Trees , we were retir'd to . And this unwelcome accident reducing us all to look about us , we quickly saw , to our Grief , that not only the Rain but the Clouds were increas'd , and the Sky being almost every where over-cast , left us no way to escape the inconveniences it threatned us with , but the making with what haste we could towards the place , over which we perceiv'd smoke enough , to conclude there was some Village beneath it : And finding at our Arrival thither , as good an Inn , as we could reasonably expect in such a place , after we had a while dry'd our selves by the Fire , Eugenius ( to whom Exercise and the time of the Day had given a good Stomach ) mov'd the Company , that in spight of the meanness of the House , we might rest our selves there , till we had Drest the Fish we had taken , to make up the best Dinner the place would afford : This motion I did not alone readily assent to , but seconded it , by representing , that probably by that time we had Din'd , we should either recover some fair Weather , or lose the hopes of regaining it for that Day . To which I added other considerations to perswade the Company , though , That indeed which prevail'd with me , was , the expectation of having an opportunity while Dinner was providing , to retire , as I soon after did , into another Room , and set down in short hand , what I have hitherto been relating , least either delay should make the particulars vanish out of my Memory , or they should be confounded there by the accession of such new Reflections , as , in case a fair Afternoon should invite us to return to the River , Eusebius would probably meet with Occasions of presenting us . But before I could handsomely slink away , I happen'd to be entertain'd a while with some things of the like Nature with those I was about to set down : For this unwelcome change after so glorious and hopefull a Morning , did naturally suggest to all of us , some thoughts of the Mutability and Fickleness of Prosperity , and how easily , as well as quickly , we may be depriv'd of that we cannot easily part with . But whilst the rest of us were entertaining themselves with these thoughts , Eugenius , who was more concern'd than any other of us , for the sport he came for , having a good while look'd with melancholy Eyes upon this change , began to repine and murmur at the interruption , which the persisting Rain continued to give him in it : Whereupon Lindamor took occasion to say , for my part , if I could dissipate these Clouds with a wish , I should scruple at the Ridding my self of them , ev'n at so easie a Rate : For I see , that the Gaping clefts of the parched Ground do , as it were with so many Mouths , proclaim its need of the Rain you repine at . And I always ( continues he ) am ready to joyn with the Husbandman in his wishings , as well for Rainy as for fair Weather , and am so much a Common-wealths Man , that I had rather at any time not escape a Showr , than let him want it . You are I confess , ( says Eugenius ) now I think a little better on it , in the right , and have more reason to be discontented at my Impatience , than I at the Weather ; for we should , ev'n in these lesser Occasions , as well as on greater , Exercise self-denial , and prefer a publick good to our private conveniences : And indeed it were far better , that I should miss some Fishes , than that thousands of Families should miss of Bread. Eusebius , that had hitherto listen'd to what was said , being unwilling , that his Friends Ingenuity should make him any longer accuse himself , told him , ( to divert the Discourse ) This accident , Eugenius , was suggesting to me , a thought , wherewith I shall not scruple to acquaint you , and the Company . For ( continues he ) as pleasant , and as much desir'd , as fair Weather is wont to be , and as much as we use to be discontented at a lowring and dropping sky , yet the one is no less necessary nor useful in its season , than the other . For too uninterrupted a course of Heat , and Sun-shine , would make the season fruitful in nothing , but in Caterpillars , ( or such kind of Vermine ) and in Diseases , and is far more proper to fill Graves , than Barns : Whereas seasonable vicissitudes of Clouds , and cloudy Weather , make both the Ground fruitful , and the Season healthful . Thus in our outward Condition , too long and constant a prosperity is wont to make the Soul Barren of all , but such Wantonnesses as 't is ill to be fruitful of , and the interposition of seasonable Afflictions is as necessary , and advantageous , as it can be unwelcome . But ( persues Eusebius ) the consideration that chiefly entertain'd me , was this , That as here , to make the Earth fruitful , the face of Heaven must be now and then obscur'd , and over-cast , we must be depriv'd of the welcome pleasure of the Sun to receive the fertilizing Benefit of the Rain ; so such is our condition here below , that our perverseness makes it necessary , that God should often-times appear to frown upon us , to make us fruitful in those Works , to which he is pleas'd to vouchsafe his smiles . But , Oh! ( concludes Eusebius , lifting up his eyes and hands towards Heaven ) how happy shall we be in that glorious and everlasting Day , when our Condition shall be as blessed in not requiring Vicissitudes as in not being subject to them . When the Sun-shine alone shall perform all that is wont to be done here both by it , and by the Rain ; and the Soul , like Aegypt , being fruitful without the assistance of the Clouds , we shall not need to have our joys Eclips'd , to have our Graces kept from being so , or to make our Light shine the brighter : But each blessed Soul shall be emblem'd by that Vision in the Revelations , where St. John saw an Angel standing in the Sun , we shall not then need to have our Love wean'd from inferiour or undue Objects , by any Experience of their Imperfections ; since the clear Discovery that God will vouchsafe us of his own Excellencies will abundantly suffice to confine our Affections to them : And since the works wherein we are to be fruitful in Heaven will be but to admire and thank him , that is infinite in Beauty , and in goodness , the perfecter sight and fruition we shall have of his astonishing as well as ravishing Attributes , will but proportionably increase our Wonder , and our Praises , and will naturally make us as Grateful For such a state as happy In It. OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS . The V. SECTION . REFLECTION I. Upon the sight of N. N. making of Syrup of Violets . ONE that did not know the Medicinal Vertues of Violets , and were not acquainted with the Charitable Intentions of the skilful person , that is making a Syrup of them , would think him a very great Friend to Epicurism : For his Imployment seems wholly design'd to gratifie the senses . The things he deals with are Flowers and Sugar , and of them he is solicitous to make a Composition that may delight more than one or two Senses ; For in One Syrup he endeavours to please the Eye , by the loveliness of the Colour ; the Nose , by the perfume of the Scent ; the Taste , by as much sweetness as Sugar can impart . But he that knowing that Violets , though they please the Palate , can purge the Body , and notwithstanding their good smell , can expel bad humours , knows also that the Preparer of these fragrant Plants , in making their Juice into a Syrup , is careful to make it acceptable , that its pleasantness might recommend it , and invite ev'n those to prove its Vertues , who had rather continue sick , than make Trial of a disgusting Remedy ; will not blame his Curiosity , but commend his prudent Charity ; since he doubly obliges a Patient , that not onely presents him Remedies , but presents him Allurements to make use of them . If I see a person that is Learned and Eloquent , as well as Pious , busied about giving his Sermons , or other devout Composures , the Ornaments and Advantages which Learning or Wit do naturally confer upon those productions of the Tongue , or Pen , wherein they are plentifully and judiciously emploi'd ; I will not be forward to condemn him of a mis-expence of his Time or Talents ; whether they be laid out upon Speculative Notions in Theology , or upon Critical Inquiries into Obsolete Rites , or Disputable Etymologies ; or upon Philosophical Disquisitions or Experiments ; or upon the florid Embellishments of Language ; or ( in short ) upon some such other thing as seems extrinsecal to the Doctrine that is according to Godliness , and seems not to have any direct tendency to the promoting of Piety and the kindling of Devotion . For I consider , that as God hath made man subject to several wants , and hath both given him several allowable appetites , and endowed him with various faculties and abilities to gratifie them ; so a man's Pen may be very warrantably and usefully emploi'd , though it be not directly so , to teach a Theological Truth , or incite the Reader 's Zeal . And , besides what I have been alledging , there is a further and more principal Consideration which belongs to this matter . For ev'n wise men may prosecute the same design , without doing it all of them the same way ; and the several Means and Methods they imploy , notwithstanding a great Difference in other particulars , may agree in this , That the Respective Chusers of them had each of them a good Aim , and proceeded in a rational way . Though therefore I see a man of good parts , studious of learning , or of practising , the Precepts of Eloquence , and spend much time in reading florid Composures , or in making such ; I dare not be forward to censure him , for an effeminate or useless Writer . For there are so many things pious or laudable , and so many ways whereby some or other of them may either be directly promoted , or indirectly serv'd , by removing Objections , or other Impediments , that 't is not easie to be sure that a Rational Man cannot have as well a Rational as a well-meant design to instruct , if not reform , in those very Composures that seem fitted onely to delight . There being a Nicer sort of Readers which need Instruction ( and to whom 't is therefore a Charity to give it ) who are so far from being likely to be prevailed on by Discourses not tricked up with Flowers of Rhetorick , that they would scarce be drawn so much as to cast their eyes on them . A while before Esther made that generous Attempt , wherein , to rescue the people of God , she hazarded a Throne , to which above an hundred other Peoples paid homage , and ventur'd at once the greatest Crown and the fairest Head in the world ; One that had seen onely what she was doing , without knowing why she did it , would perchance have thought her emploi'd , more like a Disciple of Epicurus , than of Moses , whose People and her own was then in a forlorn and gasping condition . For the Scripture telling us , that she put on her Royal apparel , and the Tenour of the story intimating with what aim she did it , we may well suppose that she was not sparing in Jewels , and other of the richest Ornaments , on an Occasion where her Quality exacted that she should appear with a Magnificence befitting the greatest Princess in the world ; and that she was very curious in a Dress that was to heighten her Beauty , when by That , with the Giver's assistance , she was upon her knees to dazle the world's greatest Monarch on his Throne , and make Him pay Homage to her Charms , to whom above an hundred Nations had presented their fairest Productions , ( the brightest Nymphs of the East . ) And those that have read any thing of the Asiatick Luxury , will easily believe our pious Queen to have been also very sollicitous about the choice and ordering of her Sweet-meats , when she was to treat an Asian Monarch , who had treated the whole People of the chief City of the world for many days together , and as many Princes as made up the Noblest part of Mankind for above twenty times as long : and yet this Magnificent Queen , th●a seem'd busi'd about none but sensual Imploiments , had so commendable a Design both in her Ornaments and in her Banquets , that so meritorious an Imploiment of her Greatness shew'd her to be worthy of it ; and as it appear'd in the Event , that her Banquets did co-operate with her Fasts , and her Royal Robes with Mordecay's Sack-cloth and Ashes , to that happy rescue of her Nation , for which , after so many Ages , it doth to this day yearly celebrate her Memory . So whilst she seem'd busied to gratifie others sensuality and her own pride , her Disposition of Mind was so worthy the Success that crown'd her Attempt , that at the same time she was providing all that Pomp and those Delicacies , she was also providing to give them up , and sacrifize them , for the Interest of God's Church , and her People ; generously venturing for the service of Heaven a Height of prosperity , for whose loss nothing but Heaven it self could make her amends . REFLECTION II. Upon the sight of a Paper-Kite in a windy day . Eugenius , Lindamor . Eug. IF the Air were calm and quiet , this Kite would lie unregarded ev'n by those very Youths , that now look at nothing else . But the wind that blows away straws and feathers , and throws down leaves , does even by its being contrary , help to raise this Paper-Engine to that admired heighth , which makes it be gaz'd at by many others , than Boys , and not onely attract our eyes , but sometimes soar out of their reach . Thus , if a great Person , for Courage , or Parts , or both , have the ill fate to live in quiet , and peaceful times , he may long enough languish unregarded in an Age that needs him not . But if the times grow troublesome and dangerous , his generous spirit will not onely surmount the difficulties that are wont to attend them , but be rais'd by them , and turn them into steps to Glory and Preferment . Lind. Me-thinks , Eugenius , these Kites may afford us no less fit a resemblance of the fate of some Errours about Religion , especially if they chance to be maintain'd by Men that are resolute , and viceless . For there are some of these conceits so fond , and groundless , that they could not long subsist of themselves , and would soon cease to tempt a solemn Opposition , if they did not too soon meet with it . And as you were observing to another purpose , that these artificial Kites , which men take no notice of in calm weather , are both elevated and kept aloft by the blasts of contrary winds , so these erroneous Opinions I speak of , would , if they were let alone , grow quickly unregarded , whereas needless or ill manag'd Persecutions of Doctrine , not prejudicial to Government , ( for 't is onely such that I mean ) bring them into every body's Eye , and give them a Repute , that nothing else would have procur'd them , and make them be look'd upon as things of a sublime and celestial nature , that lead to that Heaven , they seem to aspire to . To thrive by Persecution , though it be a great Advantage , yet it is not the incommunicable Prerogative of Divine Truths ; And though it be certain that they get most by it , yet even Errors do often gain by it too , there being certain Advantages that accrue to Opinions , by being persecuted , without distinguishing whether they be true , or false . For men that are persecuted for their Religion , are generally careful to instruct themselves throughly in it , and furnish themselves with Arguments to defend it . The frowns of the Magistrate , and the watchful Eyes of their Adversaries , are strong Disswasives to them from doing any thing that may arm his hand , or provoke other's tongues against their Sect , to which they know their personal faults will be imputed . And above all this , their sufferings entitle them to popular commiseration , which is a thing that distress does so much invite , that even condemn'd Malefactors seldome want a share in it . And to some of these men Persecution is the more favourable , because it puts them upon fighting with the weapons they can best handle . For some are far better at Suffering , than at Disputing , and can more easily endure a Prison , than answer a Syllogism . And as this Constancy is often their best Argument , so is it an Argument , that the Generality of Men best understand , and consequently is likely to be most wrought on by , so that the more harsh than effectual way wherein they are dealt with , gives them the opportunity to display a Resoluteness , that makes most men think them well meaning , and in earnest , and their own Party cry them up for Martyrs , or at least Confessors ; which , in case that ( as it happens in most States ) scandalous sins be left unpunished at the same time , that Harmless Errours are so severely dealt with , gives them the fairer opportunity to insinuate into the minds of the people , that their Persecutors had rather see men vitious , than inquisitive . And , generally speaking , any personal sufferings that a well-meaning man undergoes for what he judges his Conscience , is but such a kind of burden to his mind , as feathers are to an Eagle , or a Falcon , which though in themselves consider'd they have a weight , yet instead of clogging him , they not onely help him to support himself , but enable him to soar towards Heaven , and reach a heighth that makes him prais'd or wonder'd at . REFLECTION III. Killing a Crow ( out of a window ) in a Hog's-trough , and immediately tracing the ensuing Reflection with a Pen made of one of his Quills . LOng and patiently did I wait for this unlucky Crow , wallowing in the sluttish Trough , ( whose sides kept him a great while out of the reach of my Gun ) and gorging himself with no less greediness , than the very Swinish Proprietaries of the Feast , till at length having guzzl'd and croak'd enough , when by hovering over his beloved Dainties , he had rais'd himself high enough , to prompt me to fire at him , my no less unexpected , than fatal shot , in a moment struck him down , and turning the Scene of his Delight into that of his Pangs , made him abruptly alter his Note , and change his triumphant Chant for a dismal and tragick Noise . This Method is not unusual to Divine Justice towards brawny and incorrigible Sinners , whose Souls no less Black , than this inauspitious Bird's feathers , do wear already the Livery of the Prince of Darkness , and with Greediness do the works of it , whose Delights are furnish'd ( as the Feasts of Crows are by Carrion ) by their own filthy lusts , or other people's faults , and who by the Oaths and Curses wherewith they offend Christian ears whilst they live , and by the ill odour they leave behind them when they are dead , do but too much justifie my resembling them to these hateful Creatures . Such sensual and obdurate Epicures , I say , God oft-times suffers to run on their long Carier , in paths of their own chusing , without checking them in the fruition of those Joys , which are to be their onely Portion , till at length their iniquity filling up the determinate measure , he cuts them off , in the heighth of their Injoyments , and employing oft-times their own sins for their Executioners , or at least Instruments of their Destruction , precipitates them headlong from the Pinacle of their Delights , into the bottomless Pit , which one of their Predecessors ( the rich man in the Parable ) call'd , as he sadly found it , the Place of Torment , where the luscious sweets of sin , are so dearly reckon'd for , and afford so much Bitterness in the latter end , that their sense sadly convinces them , of ( what their sensuality kept them from believing ) the folly of gaining any thing at the rate of losing their own Souls . Thus the Israelitish Prince found a Nemesis bold enough to violate the Sanctuary , even of his Mistress's arms , and ( regardless of its charms ) enter that lovely Circle , their Kindness clos'd him in , to snatch him thence , and extinguish the lustful flames that lighted him thither , with the cold blasts of Death . Thus the mutinous Loathers of Manna , and lusters after flesh , had their wish severely granted , for they had indeed Quails serv'd in by fieldsfull , but attended with so sudden and sharp a Reckoning , that whilst the flesh was yet between their teeth , ere it was chew'd , Death hindred them to swallow it , choak'd them with it , and devour'd them as greedily , as they did those Birds . Thus the insolent Philistins found themselves ill protected by their vainly celebrated God , and his ( much stronger ) Temple , though in the latter there were thousands of them , without any other Enemy , than one , they had sent for to be a friend to their Mirth . For in the very midst of all the Triumphs of a solemn Festival ( which had more properly been kept to Dililah ) whil'st they were insulting over captive Samson's Blindness , they could not see their own approching Destiny , though it were then so near , that the next fit of Laughter had not time to pass to their Mouths , ere an unexpected Vengeance ( the provok'd Deity lending an Omnipotent Arm to Samson's hand ) confounded in one Ruine , the Idol with the Worshippers , and suddenly turn'd the whole Temple into an Altar , with which the Priests themselves , fell surprized Sacrifices to that tragical Solemnity . And thus ( to hasten from so sad a Theme ) the revelling Belshazzar , in the midst of his Magnificent and Royal Feast , saw an intruding hand , which by its manner of appearing , as well as by what it wrote , was able to mar the Supper , without impairing the Dainties . And that Monarch , whom even a Siege could not reduce below a condition of Feasting , though he were carouzing in the consecrated Cups , had such a Brimmer of trembling put into his hand , as both presag'd and perchance began the Destiny approaching him under the Ensigns of the Noble Cyrus , whose Conquering Sword , guided by Providence , and made the Sword of Justice , did that very same night , let out his Wine , and Bloud , and Life together . Upon the same Subject . 'T Is hard on such an occasion to avoid making some Reflection upon the Mutability of worldly Conditions ! How little did this Crow imagine , a quarter of an hour since , that in so short a time , his Body should be as senseless , and as stinking Carrion , as that he was wont to feed it with ; that his feathers should wear so unlucky a kind of Mourning for his Destruction , and that I should write his Epitaph with one of his own Quils ! Sure since a few minutes can turn the healthiest Bodies into breathless Carkases , and put those very things into the hands of our Enemies , which were they that we principally reli'd on , for our safety , it were little less than Madness , to repose a distrustless Trust in these transitory Possessions , or treacherous Advantages , which we enjoy but by so fickle a Tenure . No ; we must never venture to wander far from God , upon the Presumption that Death is far enough from us , but rather in the very height of our Jollities , we should endeavour to remember , that they who feast themselves to-day , may themselves prove Feasts for the Worms tomorrow . REFLECTION IV. Upon a Glow-worm that he kept included in a Crystal Viol. IF this unhappy Worm had been as despicable as the other reptils that crept up and down the Hedge , whence I took him , he might , as well as they , have been left there still , and his own Obscurity , as well as that of the Night , had preserv'd him from the confinement he now suffers . And if , as he sometimes for a pretty while withdrew that Luminous Liquor , that is as it were the Candle to this small dark Lanthorn , he had continued to forbear the disclosing of it , he might have deluded my search , and escap'd his present Confinement . Rare Qualities may sometimes be Prerogatives , without being Advantages . And though a needless Ostentation of ones Excellencies may be more glorious , a modest Concealment of them is usually more safe : And an unseasonable disclosure of flashes of Wit , may sometimes do a Man no other service , than to direct his Adversaries how they may do him a mischief . And as though this Worm be lodg'd in a Crystalline Prison , through which it has the Honour to be gaz'd at by many Eyes , and among them , by some that are said to shine far more in the Day than this Creature do's in the Night ; yet no doubt , if he could express a sense of the Condition he is in , he would bewail it , and think himself unhappy in an excellency , which procures him at once Admiration and Captivity , by the former of which he does but give others a Pleasure , while in the latter he himself resents a Misery . This oftentimes is the fate of a great Wit , whom the Advantage he has of ordinary Men in Knowledge , the Light of the Mind exposes to so many effects of other Men's Importunate Curiosity , as to turn his Prerogative into a Trouble : The light that ennobles him , tempts Inquisitive Men to keep him , as upon the like score we do this Glow-worm , from sleeping : And his Conspicuousness is not more a Friend to his fame , than an Enemy to his quiet ; for Men allow such much Praise , but little Rest . They attract the Eyes of others , but are not suffer'd to shut their own , and find , that by a very disadvantagious Bargain , they are reduc'd for that imaginary good , call'd Fame , to pay that real Blessing , Liberty . And , as though this Luminous Creature be himself imprison'd in so close a Body as Glass , yet the Light that ennobles him , is not thereby restrain'd from diffusing it self : So there are certain Truths , that have in them so much of native Light or Evidence , that by the personal Distresses of the proposer , it cannot be hidden , or restrain'd ; but in spight of Prisons , it shines freely , and procures the Teachers of it Admiration , ev'n when it cannot procure them Liberty . REFLECTION V. Upon a Courts being put into Mourning . The I. PART . * Genorio , Eusebius , Lindamor . Genor . MEthinks , you look , Eusebius , as if the change that Blacks have made in this place , since I last saw you here , tempts you to question whether or no this be the Court. Lind. Yet , I fear , Eusebius will scarce doubt , that you , and these other Gentlemen are Courtiers , whil'st he sees how much you dissemble in personating sadness : For though your Cloaths look mournful , your Faces do not , and you talk to one another as unconcern'dly , as when you wore lighter Colours ; and your Grief is so slight , that it has not an Influence so much as upon your looks , and words , which yet are things that Courtiers are said to be able to disguise without an over-difficult constraint . Genor . But , I hope , Lindamor , I need not labour to persuade such as you , that , when we seem to mourn , without doing it , we may be thought guilty of dissimulation without being so : For what Duty is there , that you and I should be really troubled for the Death of a Prince , whose Subjects we were not , who never obliged us , and who perhaps did onely keep the Power of doing Good , which himself never us'd , from a Successor that had the will to employ it . But you will demand , why then we put on Black , To which , the Answer is easie , that Custom having establish'd that Ceremony in the Courts of Princes , in Amity with each other , the Omission would be look'd upon as an Affront , and be a Provocation . And therefore , the Blacks we wear , are not meant to express a Grief for the Dead , but a Respect to their living Relations : And thus , this as heartless as solemn shew of Mourning , is not put on by Hypocrisie , but by Prudence , or Civility . And in this case , I would appeal to Eusebius himself , but that I perceive some Object or other , has ever since we began to talk , engross'd his Attention , as well as seal'd up his Lips. Lind. I have taken notice of it , as well as you , Genorio , and I confess , I would give much to learn his Thoughts . Euseb . 'T is odds then , Lindamor , that you would over-purchase so worthless a Knowledge : And to satisfie your Curiosity , at an easier rate , I will tell you , that I was observing , how a Gentleman , who , it seems , does not much frequent the Court , chancing to come in a Colour'd suit , that , but last Week , would have been thought a fine one , was star'd at by all in the room , except your selves , whose Faces chanc'd to be turn'd from him , like a Man of another Country , ( not to say of another World ) which the poor Gentleman at length perceiving , he soon grew so sensible of it , that in spight of the Richness and Newness of his Cloaths , with many Blushes he slunk out of the Court , to which he found Men's gazing at him concluded him to be a Stranger . Lind. But this , Eusebius , is onely to tell us , what you observ'd , not what Reflections you made upon it , and you know , that which I was inquisitive after , was your Thoughts . Euseb . I will add then , Lindamor , since you will have it so , that I was considering , that there has been no Law made by the State to forbid any , much less Strangers , to appear in this Court in Colour'd cloaths : And those , which the Gentleman I was speaking of , had on , were such , both for fineness , and fashionableness , as would very well become a greater Court , if it were not in Mourning . But , now the Prince , and those that have the Honour to belong to him , or to frequent this place , have put themselves into Blacks , to appear in another , though in a finer Habit , is , to betray ones not belonging to the Court , nor using to come to it ; and among so many , that think they have a Right to give Laws in point of Cloaths , a Lac'd , or an Imbroider'd suit , though last Week in request , would now they have laid them by , make a Man look not so much like a Courtier , as a Player . And this Reflection invited me to consider further , what a strange Influence fashions have on Mankind , and what an happy change might be easily made in the World , if they , who have it in their Power to introduce Customs , would make it their Endeavour to introduce good ones . Lind. I am so much of your mind , Eusebius , that I confess , I envy not Princes so much for the Splendour and the Pleasures that they live in , nor for the Authority of raising Armies , nor perchance for the Happiness of making them Victorious , as for the power of imposing and reforming of Fashions . And I think it a less improvable Prerogative , to be able to coyn any Metal into mony , or call it in at pleasure , than by the stamp of their Authority to introduce good Customs , and make them current . Genor . But , do not Princes enough , when they take care to make good Laws , and see them well executed . Lind. I will not dispute , whether by That , they do all they ought , but sure I am , they do not all they may : For humane Laws being made for the civil Peace of humane Societies , they are wont to be fram'd not for the making Men virtuous , but the restraining them from being mischievous ; they consist far more of Prohibitions than Commands , and ev'n their Prohibitions reach but to a little part of what is ill ; the Business of Laws being to provide , not against all Evils , but those grosser ones , that are prejudicial to civil Societies : So that there are a thousand Rules of Reason , or Christianity , which States have not thought fit to turn into Laws . For Pride , Envy , Covetousness , Gluttony , Intemperance , Effeminateness , Oaths , Idleness , and I know not how many other Sins , contrary to the Laws of Nature , and of Christ , are so little provided against by humane Sanctions , that one may be a bad Christian , and a bad Man , without being a bad Citizen ; There being nothing more easie , nor I fear more usual , than for Multitudes to pass uncited before Man's Tribunal , to receive their Condemnation at God's . But though a Prince can scarce , as a Legislator , prevent , or suppress such Sins , yet , as a Pattern , he may do much towards it : For by his Example , his Opinions , his Encouragements , and his Frowns , he may reform an hundred particular things , which the Laws do not ( and perhaps cannot ) reach . His declar'd Esteem of such and such Practices , joyn'd with his particular Actions suited to it , and his profest dislike of those Sinful or Dishonourable courses , he finds the Rifest , back'd with a steddy and resolute discountenance of those that do not decline them , will , in a short time , bring those that are about him , to conform their Actions and Behaviour to what Men are satisfi'd , he desires , or likes . And those whom their nearness to Him , or their Employments , make the conspicuous and exemplary Persons , being thus model'd , their Relations and Dependants will quickly be so too , and then that which is in request at Court , being upon that very account look'd upon as the Fashion , it will by degrees be imitated by all those on whom the Court has Influence ; since , as we just now saw in the Instance of Eusebius's gawdy Gentleman , Men will be asham'd to be unlike those , whose Customs and Deportments pass for the Standards , by which those of other Men are to be measur'd . REFLECTION VI. Upon hearing of a Lute first tun'd , and then excellently play'd on . THe Jarring strings made so unpleasant a noise , whil'st the Instrument was tuning , that I wonder not at the Story that goes of a Grand Signior , who being invited by a Christian Embassadour to hear some of our Musick , commanded the Fidlers to be thrust out of his Seraglia , upon a mis-apprehension that they were playing , when they were but tuning . But this rare Artist had no sooner put an end to the short exercise he gave our Patience , than he put us to the Exercise of another Virtue : For his nimble and skilful Fingers make one of the innocentest Pleasures of the Senses to be one of the greatest , and this Charming melody ( for which Orpheus or Orion themselves might envy him ) do's not so properly delight as ravish us , and render it difficult to moderate the Transports of our Passions , but impossible to restrain the praises that express our satisfaction : So that if this Musitian had been discourag'd by the unpleasant Sounds that were not to be avoided , whil'st he was putting his Lute in Tune , from proceeding in his work , he had been very much wanting to himself , and to save a little pains , had lost a great deal of Pleasure and Applause . Thus , when the faculties and passions of the Mind , either through a native unruliness , or the remisness of Reason and Conscience are discompos'd , he that attempts to bring them into order , must expect to meet at first but an uneasie Task , and find the beginning of a Reformation more troublesome , for the time , than the past disorders were : But he is very little his own Friend , if he suffers these short-liv'd difficulties to make him leave his Endeavours unprosecuted : For when once they have reduc'd the untun'd Faculties and Affections of the Soul to that pass ▪ which Reason and Religion would have them brought to , the tun'd or compos'd Mind affords a satisfaction , whose greatness do's ev'n at present abundantly recompence the Trouble of procuring it , and which is yet but a praelude to that more ravishing Melody , wherein the Soul ( already Harmonious within it self ) shall hereafter bear a part , where the Harps of the Saints accompany the glad Voices that sing the Song of the Lamb , and the Hallelujahs of the rest of the Caelestial Quire. REFLECTION VII . Upon being presented with a rare Nosegay by a Gardener . Lindamor , Eusebius . Lind. HEre is indeed a Present , for which I must still think my self this fellow's Debtor , though he thinks I have over-paid him . 'T is pity these Rarities were not more suitably address'd , and worn by some of Natures other Master-pieces , with whom they might exchange a graceful Lustre , and have the Ornament they confer reflected back upon them . But one that had never been a Lover , would perhaps say , that that wish were more civil to the Flowers , than the Ladies , of whom there are few , which these soft polish'd Skins , and Orient Tinctures , would not easilier make Foils , than prove such to them : For ( not to name the Rest ) this Lovely fragrant Rose here , wears a Blush that needs not do so , at any Colour the Spring it self can , amongst all her Charming Rarities , shew . Yes , here are Flowers above the flattery of those of Rhetorick ; and besides , two or three unmingled Liveries , whose single Colours are bright , and taking enough to exclude the wish of a diversity ; here is a variety of Flowers , whose Dyes are so dexterously blended , and fitly checquer'd , that every single Flower is a variety . I envy not Arabia's Odours , whil'st that of this fresh Blusher charms my sense , and find my Nose and Eyes so ravishingly entertain'd here , that the Bee extracts less sweetness out of Flowers ; which were they but less frail , I fear would make me more so ( than yet I am . ) Surely this Gard'ner leads a happy Life ! He inherits nothing of Adam , but that Primitive profession that imploy'd and recompenc'd his Innocence , and such a Gay and priviledg'd Plot of his Eden , as seems exempted from the general Curse , and instead of the Thorns and Thistles that are the unthankful Earths wonted productions , brings him forth Lillies and Tulips , and gratefully crowns his Culture ( for Toil I cannot think it ) with chaplets of Flowers . Euseb . I perceive , ( Lindamor ) that you judge of the Delightfulness of this Man's calling , onely by these Lovely and Fragrant productions of it . And you see these curious Flowers in their prime , without seeing by what practices , and degrees , they have been brought from despicable seeds to this perfection and lustre . And perhaps , if you consider'd , that a Gardener must be digging in the violent heats of the Summer , and must be afraid of the bitter cold of the Winter , and must be watchful against surprising frosts in the Spring , and must not onely prune , and water , and weed his Ground , but must , to obtain these gawdy and odoriferous Flowers , submit to deal with homely and stinking Dung ; If ( Lindamor ) you would take notice of these and of some other Toils and Hardships that attend a Gardener's Trade , you would ( I doubt not ) confess , that his Imployments , like his Bushes , bring him Thorns as well as Roses . And now give me leave ( Lindamor ) to tell you , that this may be appli'd to the condition of some studious persons , that you and I know . For when we hear a Learned or Eloquent Sermon , or read some Book of Devotion , or perhaps some Occasional Discourse handsomely written , we are apt to envy the Preacher or the Writer , for being able to say some things thar instruct or please us so much . But alas , ( Lindamor ) though we see not these Productions of the Brain till they are finish'd , and consequently fitted to appear with their full Advantages abroad , yet to bring them to that pass , the Author may perhaps undergoe many a trouble that we dream not of . For he that has to do with difficult or weighty Subjects cannot present us a good Book , or a Fine Discourse , with the same ease that a rich man can present us a fine pair of Gloves , or a fine Collation , which may be had at an hour's warning from the next Milleners or Confectioners . For to be able to write one good Book on some Subjects , a man must have been at the trouble to read an hundred : To grow capable to give a better rendring of a Greek Text , he must perchance have perus'd Suidas , Stephanus , Hesychius , and I know not how many Lexicographers and Scholiasts : To be qualifi'd to make a Translation of an Hebrew Word or Phrase , that shall illustrate a dark Text , or clear a Difficulty , or more fitly agree with his notion , or accommodation of a place in Scripture , a man must have not onely like a School-Boy learn'd an Hebrew Grammar , and turn'd over Buxtorf's Schindler's , and other Dictionaries , but ( which is worse ) he must in many cases hazard his eyes and his patience in conversing with such Jewish Writings , not onely as Elias his Tishbi , and Kimchi's Michlol ; but to gain a little Rabbinical Learning , and find out some unobvious signification of a Word or Phrase , he must devour the tedious and voluminous Rhapsodies that make up the Talmud , in many of which he can scarce learn any thing but the Art of saying nothing in a multitude of words ; and in others , which are not so useless , the most he will find in I know not how many dull pages , ( written with as little Wit as Truth ) will perhaps be an Account of some wild Opinion , or some obsolete Custom , or some superstitious Rite of a generation of people , whose Fancies and Manners scarce any thing makes worth our inquiring after , but their having liv'd many Ages since . And even when a man sets himself to write those smooth Composures , where Eloquence is conspicuous , and seems to be chiefly design'd , the Author seldom comes by his Contentment on as easie terms as the Readers come by theirs . For , not to mention , that sometimes Periods that in a well printed Book look very handsomely , and run very evenly , were not in the written Copy without interlining and Transcriptions . Those that are Schollars themselves can hardly write without having an ambition , or at least a care , to approve their Discourses to them that are so too . And in the judgment of such Perusers , to be able to write well , one must not onely have skill in the Subject , but be well skill'd in the way of writing , lest the Matter be blemish'd by the manner of Handling it . And although to shew ones self a Master in treating of variety of Themes with a florid style , and even in those Composures that are design'd chiefly to express Wit and move Affections , one may think that Nature may be well let alone to supply any she has been kind to , with all they need , yet even in these cases there are some Toils and uneasinesses that are scarce to be avoided ; since a discreet man , though never so rich in Natures's gifts , will think himself oblig'd to study Rhetorick , that he may be sure he does not transgress the Laws of It. For though an Author 's Natural parts may make his Book abound with Wit , yet without the help of Art he will scarce make it free from faults . And to be well stock'd with Comparisons , which when skilfully manag'd make the most taking passages of fine Pieces , one must sometimes survey and range through the works of Nature and Art , which are the chief Ware-houses , where variety and choice of Similitudes is to be had , and to obtain those pleasing Ornaments there is oftentimes requir'd no less pains than to devise useful Notions . As one must search the Ditches amongst Briars and Weeds , not onely to find Medicinable Herbs , but to gather Prim-roses and Violets . So that ( Lindamor ) to conclude , if we consider the trouble that applauded Composures do oftentimes cost their Authors , we should be sensible we owe more than most men think we do to those to whom we owe good Books . But then unless they find some Recompence for their Labours , in the satisfaction of promoting piety , or in the well-natur'd Pleasure they feel themselves in pleasing others , I should scarce doubt but that some of the Writers , we think so happy , may rather deserve our Esteem than our Envy . REFLECTION VIII . Upon a Child that cri'd for the Stars . I Remember P. S. did once , upon just the like Theme , discourse to the following purpose . Amongst those numerous Eyes , that these fair Lights attract in so clear a night as this , there are not perhaps any that are more delighted with them , than this Child's seem to be . And those Persians that ador'd the rising Sun , could not be more charm'd with that glorious Object , than this Child is with these twinkling Lights , that need his absence to become so much as visible . But his is a pleasure , that is not more great than unquiet , for it makes him querulous , and unruly , and because he cannot by his struggling , and reaching forth his little hands , get possession of these shining Spangles , that look so finely , their fires produce water in his eyes , and cries in his mouth , that are very little of kin to the Musick the Platonists fanci'd in the Spheres he looks at . Whereas , though my inclinations for Astronomy make me so diligent a Gazer on the Stars , that in spight of my great Obnoxiousness to the inclemency of the nocturnal air , I gladly spend the coldest hours of the night in contemplating them ; I can yet look upon these bright Ornaments of Heaven it self , with a mind as calm and serene , as those very nights that are fittest to observe them in . I know divers men for whom Nature seems to have cut out too much work , in giving them , in an unconfinedly amorous Disposition of mind , strong Appetites for almost all the fair Objects that present themselves to their sight : These amorous Persons may be , I grant , very much delighted when they first gaze upon a Corstellation of fair Ladies , but the Heart commonly pays dear for the Pleasure of the Eye , and the eager desires that Beauty creates , are in such men excited too often not to be frequently disappointed , and are wont to be accompani'd with so many jealousies , and fears , and repulses , and difficulties , and dangers , and remorses , and despairs , that the unhappy Lovers ( if those that love more than one can merit that Title ) do rather languish than live , if you will believe either their own querulous words , or their pale and melancholly looks , which would make one think they were just entring into the Grave , or bad been newly digged out of it . Whereas a person that has his Affections , and Senses , at that command , which Reason and Religion require , and confer , can look upon the same Objects with pleas'd but not with dazl'd Eyes : He considers these bright and curious Productions , as fair animated Statues of Nature's framing , and contenting himself to admire the workmanship , adores onely the Divine Artificer , whose infinite amiableness is but faintly shadow'd forth even by such lovely Creatures . And therefore what has been said of Mistresses , may be more justly applicable to all the other Objects of Men's too eager Passions . To be short , looking upon these curiousest Productions of Nature , with a Philosopher's and a Christian's Eyes , he can cast them on those bright Objects with pleasure , and yet withdraw them without trouble , and allowing Beauty to contribute to his Delight , without being able to create him any Disquiet ; though it afford him a less transporting Pleasure than it sometimes do's the Amorist , yet , all things consider'd , it may afford him a greater Pleasure , by being more innocent , more untroubl'd , and more lasting ; And there may be such a Difference betwixt the Contentment of this calm admirer of Beauty , and that of a greedy and unconfin'd Prostituter of his Heart to it , as there is betwixt the unquiet Pleasure that the sight of the Stars gives to this Child , and the rational Contentment it may afford to an Astronomer . REFLECTION IX . Upon my Lady D. R. Her fine Closet . Lindamor , Eusebius . Lind. IS not this Closet strangely fine , Eusebius ? Here is such a variety of pretty and taking Objects , that they do as well distract the Eye as delight it ; the abundance , the choice , and the Order , do as well disclose the fair Posssessors skill , as Her magnificence , and shew at once , that she both has plenty , and deserves it , by knowing so well how to make use of it . Those things that are here solitary , or single , will scarce be elsewhere matched , and all the rest are so pretty , and so excellent in their several Kinds , that the number of fine things that make up this curious Collection , cannot hinder any of them from being a Rarity . And in a word , the Embellishments , that adorn and ennoble this delightful place , are such , that I believe the Possessor of them , as welcome as she is unto the best Companies , scarce ever looks upon finer things , than she can see in her Closet , unless when she looks into her Glass . But , me-thinks , Eusebius , you hear and view all this with a silent seriousness , which begins to make me suspect , that what I thought might be an Effect of your Wonder , may be so of your Dislike . Euseb . The Collection , Lindamor , is , I confess , very curious in its Kind , and such , as if the Mistress of it were less handsome than she is , might give her as well Cause to be jealous of these fine things , as to be proud of them , since a Beauty , that were but ordinary , could not divert a Spectator's Eye from Objects , whereof many are not so . But , Lindamor , I must freely tell you , that I like both the Lady , and the Closet , much better than the Custom ; such sights as these are introducing among Ladies of furnishing such Kind of Closets : I know that Youth may in certain cases , excuse some of the Impertinencies 't is wont to occasion ; And it is not strange to me , that Persons of the fairer Sex , should like , in all things about them , that handsomness for which they find themselves to be the most lik'd ; Nor would I forbid , ev'n such of them , as are not of a very high Quality , to have a retiring place so neatly adorn'd , as may invite them to be alone , and with-draw to it , to read , or meditate , provided these Ornaments be not so costly , as to rob Charity , or so gawdy , as to distract the Devotion they should but accommodate . And in case Circumstances should so conspire , as that Youth and Quality should be attended by such a plentiful Fortune , as that after all , that either Justice , Prudence , or Decency can challenge , there remains yet enough , both to relieve the Poor , and purchase Rarities themselves : I will not be so severe , as to condemn Persons so circumstanc'd , nor fall out with those that are able to reconcile Sumptuousness and Charity . But the number of such Ladies , especially so soon after a long civil War , must needs be but small , and I fear much inferiour to that of those , who will consider more what they see done before their Eyes , than they will the disparity of Circumstances betwixt their own Condition , and that of those they Aemulate : And the greater appearance of Ingeniousness , as well as Innocence , there is in the practice I am disapproving , the more dangerous it is , and the more fit to be examined and decri'd . For as the old Serpent has variety of Wiles , so he fits them to the various tempers of the Persons he assays to work upon ; and when he meets with Ladies virtuously disposed , since he cannot quite eradicate their inclinations to the best part of Religion , Charity , he will at least blast and render them fruitless ; and he justly thinks , he has reach'd no small part of his end , if though he cannot seduce them to do ill , he can at least hinder them from doing good . And this he has of late attempted but too prosperously , by persuading us to take those for the standard and examples of our Expences , that making none of the score of Piety , have the more left for their Vanities and their Appetites , which they gratifie at such high rates , that those that think themselves bound to imitate them in those Excesses , that are misnam'd Gallantry , shall have as little ability , as the other have will , to apply any considerable part of their Estates to those Uses , which chiefly God granted them those Estates for ; and by that time , the Lady her self , and the House , and the Closet , are furnished with all the Ornaments that Vanity and Emulation call for , there is nothing left for Charity to dispose of , nay , perhaps not for Justice ; the Creditor being oftentimes turned back empty as well as the Beggar , if not also made a Beggar by ruinous delays . And greater fortunes , than most Ladies have , may be exhausted , by gratifying such an ambition , as that of a Closet , to whose Costliness nothing can put limits , till Discretion do : Custom it self having not yet regulated a piece of Vanity , which , as imposing as Custom is wont to be , it has not yet dar'd to enjoyn . Lind. Me-thinks , Eusebius , you are somewhat forward to accuse those fair Creatures , that though they should want Innocence , would scarce want Advocates ; and you are to good a Casuist to ignore , that they are wont to alledge , that the Bravery you are so severe to , is no where expressly prohibited in the Scripture , and this unforbiddenness they think sufficient to evince , that the Sumptuousness you so condemn , is not absolutely , and in its own nature , Sinful . Euseb . I can readily believe , that Lindamor has Wit and Amorousness enough to make him find it more easie to defend fair Ladies , than to defend himself against them : And I know , 't is said , that these sumptuous Closets , and other Vanities , are not simply unlawful in their own Nature ; but I know too , that divers things , not in their own Nature unlawful , may be made so by circumstances , and if so , then I fear , That that can be no other than ill , which makes a Man needlessy disable himself to do good . The Apostle , that discountenanc'd Woman's wearing of Gold , or precious things upon their Bodies , would sure have opposed their having more sumptuous Ornaments upon their Walls : These cannot pray for us , but the poor and distressed , they keep us from relieving , may either successfully pray to God for us , or cry to him against us . The Scripture that represents Dives in Hell , without saying that he oppressed or defrauded any , gives no other account of his Doom , than that living at a high rate , and going richly dress'd , he neglected to relieve the starving poor . A few such Closets as this Ladies , might be easily enlarged , and contrived into an Hospital : A small part of these Superfluities would relieve the necessities of many Families , and a liberal Heart might purchase Heaven at an easier rate , than the furniture of this Closet cost the Owner of it . Nor is this practice so unallied to a fault , as to escape a punishment even in this World ; these Courtiers of Applause being oftentimes reduced to live in want , even in the midst of a plentiful Fortune ; these costly trifles so engrossing all that they can spare , that they must sometimes deny themselves things convenient , and perhaps almost necessary , to flaunt it out with those that are neither the one nor the other , and being frequently enough fain to immolate their own inclinations and desires , though perchance strong and innocent , to their Vanity . And those that have once found the happiness there is in making others happy , will think their Treasure better bestowed in feeding hungry Mouths , than idle Eyes : The costly Practice I am yet censuring , does not onely offend Charity , but starve it , by substracting from it that which should feed it , and enable it to act like it self . And for my part , I think , he that devises , and by his Example brings Credit to , a new Expensive way of Vanity , does really destroy more Poor , than if he usurped an Alms-house , or ruined an Hospital . And by the ill President he leaves , he takes the way to be uncharitable , even after Death , and so do harm , when Misers and Usurers themselves are wont ( by their Legacies ) to do some good . To conclude , 't is no very Christian practice to disobey the Dictates of Piety , without having so much to plead for so doing , as the pretence of following the Dictates of Custom : And 't is a great deal better to be without a gay Closet , than to be without Charity , which loveliest of Christian virtues , she must sure very much want , that will needlessly begin an new Example to give a bad one . REFLECTION X. Upon his seeing a Lark stoop to , and caught with , Day-nets . Eusebius , Lindamor . Euseb . POor Bird ! thou wert just now so high upon the Wing , that the tir'd Gazers fear'd thou hadst lost thy self in Heaven , and in thy fatal stooping seem'st to have brought us thence a Message , that so rellishes of that place , that I should be troubl'd to see thee so rudely entertain'd , if that Circumstance were not necessary to the Instructions of thy Message ; some Birds , you know , Lindamor , we usually beguile with Chaff , and others are generally drawn in by appropriated Baits , and by the Mouth , not the Eye . But the aspiring Lark seems compos'd of more sprightly , and refin'd Materials , she is ever a Natural , though no Native , Persian , and the Sun makes not a cloudless Visit to our Horizon , which that grateful Creature gives not a welcome to , both by Notes , which , could he hear them , he would think worthy of him , and by a flight as aspiring as if she meant he should hear them ; and , in a word , so conspicuous is this Creatures fondness of Light , that Fowlers have devis'd a way to catch her by it , and pervert it to her Ruine : For placing broken Looking-glasses upon a moveable Frame betwixt their Nets , the unwary Bird , while she is gazing upon that glittering Light the Glass reflects , and sporting her self in those Beams , which derive a new Glory from their very being broken , heedlessly gives into the Reach of the surprizing Nets , which suddenly cover her , and which the Light it self kept her from seeing . The Devil is like this Fowler , Lindamor , and you , or I , had perhaps resembl'd the unhappy Lark , if sometimes Providence did not both graciously , and seasonably , interpose , and ev'n when we were come near enough to have been cover'd by the Nets , rescu'd us from them ; for it has ever been that old Serpent's Policy , and practice , to take the exactest measure of our Inclinations , that he may skilfully suit his Temptations to them ; well knowing , that that Dexterity gains him a Devil within us , that conspires with him without us , to make us Instances of that Truth which represents Things divided against themselves as ruinous . If therefore , the Tempter find by Experience , that you are indispos'd to be wrought upon by common Temptations , to forget the Practice of Religion , that you have Unconcern'dness enough not to be much distracted with the empty and trifling Chaff , Youth is wont to be caught with , ( which perhaps seldome employ any of your Thoughts so much as those of Scorn , and Pity ) that the very Gain and solider Goods of this World ( for which many thought wise Men lose those of the next ) cannot make you so greedy , nor so fond of them , as he desires . If , I say , the Devil have sufficiently observ'd how uneasie it were to intice you with common Baits , he will alter his Method strait , and attempt to catch you with Light. He knows as well as I do , that you have a Curiosity , or rather a Greediness of Knowledge , that is impatient of being confin'd by any other Limits than those of Knowledge it self ; and accordingly , seldome , or perhaps never disturbing or frightning you , he will let you freely sport your self about the glittering Intellectual Glass , Men call Philosophy , and suffer you not onely to gaze upon all its pieces , and survey a pretty Number , but peradventure , pry into more than one ; and among so numerous , and delighting Objects , I fear , that if you will frankly own what my own Guilt makes me suspect you of , you must confess , That he had made you so share your Time , that you should scarce have left your self any for Heavenly Themes , and the Meditation of Death , ( which consequently might have then surpris'd you , had it invaded you ) if Providence had not mercifully snatch'd you out from between the Nets you were allur'd to , before you were quite involv'd in them ; and by Sickness , or else , by Means ( in other cases ) so unlikely , as outward Distractions , call'd your Thoughts home by driving them away from those enchanting Studies , whose Light might much likelier have betrai'd you into the Net , than have shewn it you . Lind. Though I am not surpris'd to hear Eusebius , yet I am glad to hear a Scholar talk at this rate , and believe with you , that many a one that was neither Crow , nor Wood-cock , has perish'd in this Snare ; and we have known but too many great Scholars , so intirely taken up with writing , and reading of Books , with learning this Science , and with teaching that , that by setting themselves such Tasks , as requir'd and imploi'd the whole Man , Death has undiscernedly stoll'n upon them , and unawares intruded into their Studies , where their restless Ambition to inrich the Mind never left them the leisure to prepare it , to leave the Body , but either made them surpris'd Instances of that sad ( but true ) Observation of Seneca , Plerosque in ipso Vitae apparatu Vita destituit , or else made their Condition like that of Archimedes , who was so busie in tracing his Circles , that he took no notice of that victorious Enemy that came to dispatch him . Euseb . I allow , that 't is the Innocence , as well as Pleasure of Knowledge , that deceives those Learned Men ; but they , as well as others , must remember , that ev'n the wholsomest Meats may be surfeited on , and there is nothing more unhealthy , than to feed very well , and do but very little Exercise . And I take it to be as true of the Intellectual , as the Material World , that it profits not a Man if he gain the whole World , and lose his own Soul. Whatsoever therefore Philosophers do tell us , of a wise Man , that he is no where banish'd , because he is a Citizen of the World ; I must think a Christian every where in Exile , because he is a Citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem , and but a Stranger and a Sojourner here . It was not absolutely in the capacity of the Father of Lies , that the Devil boasted , that the Earth was his Dominion ; for , as our Saviour himself stil'd him , The Prince of this World , I find , that he has all things here so much at his Devotion , that there is no place that he cannot lay an Ambush in , since he can pervert ev'n Light it self , to hide his Snares . Let us , therefore , hereafter indeavour still to stand upon our Guard , as remembring our selves to be in an Enemy's Country , where Distrust is the onely Mother of safety ; and since Providence has so graciously presented us a Lesson , our Books would not have taught us , against such a fondness of them , as is injurious to Piety , and dangerous to the Soul ; Let us justifie , better than this silly Lark has done , that saying of Solomon , Surely in vain the Net is spread in the sight of any Bird. Let not Philosophy any more take up our Life so , as not to leave us leisure to prepare for Death , and study a Science which shall most benefit us in another World , and which alone will do so there : No , we may visit Athens , but we should dwell at Jerusalem ; we may take some turns on Parnassus , but should more frequent Mount Calvary , and must never so busie our selves about those many things , as to forget that Unum Necessarium , that good part which shall not be taken away from us . OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS . The Last SECTION . REFLECTION I. Seeing a Child picking the Plums out of a piece of Cake his Mother had given him for his Breakfast . Eusebius . Lindamor . Euseb . THis Child is so much one in his humour , that despising meer Bread , though never so nourishing and wholesome , his Mother is fain to disguise the Materials of it into Cake , out of a belief that the toothsome , would make the nutritive part go smoothly down . But this lickerish Chit , I see , defeats her plot , and knows already how to nibble off the bait from the hook , and casting by the Meat , make his whole Meal of what was meant onely for Sauce , to give a Rellish to what he rejects for it . This puts me in mind of the unwelcome fate those Papers of mine , that treat of Devotion , have met with : For when I first was so unacquainted with the world , as to expect that Piety and Vertue were able , by their native charms , so much to endear my dress , as to win themselves adorers in a plain , or even a severe one ; I ventur'd some of them abroad , though not in Print , yet among my Acquaintance , in a careless Matron-like habit , in which I soon found they almost frighted most of those I had design'd them to work the quite contrary effects on . But when my Acquaintedness with the Genius of the Age had sadly taught me , that I was to alter my Method , that the Eloquence of Vertues Sermons was that which must attract an Auditory , and engage Attention to them ; and that those orders of hers , in which she employ'd not Rhetorick for her Secretary , could not be so much as listen'd to , much less obey'd , I endeavour'd to cloath Vertue , though not in a gawdy , in a Fashionable Habit , and devesting her not onely of her Sack-cloth , but her Blacks , where I saw she appear'd in them with Disadvantage , I endeavour'd to give her as much of the modern Ornaments of a fine Lady , as I could without danger of being accus'd to have dress'd her like a Curtizan . This Attempt having not prov'd so unsuccessful , but that many were pleas'd to assure me , I had not been unlucky in it , I spent some time in the self-denying Exercise of minding Words , and improving a Style , I hop'd to be able to improve to Virtue 's service , and subduing my Inclinations to be fit to Teach , as I had done to Learn , her Precepts ; I some times , for her sake , tri'd my Pen in a smoother , and more florid style , than that which the nature of the Studies I was most addicted to , made the most familiar to me , flattering my self with a Belief , that since my Writings had usually the good fortune not to be ill approv'd , I might so happily mingle and interweave Instructions with Delight , as to necessitate my Readers to swallow both together , or at least bribe them by the latter to entertain the former . Lind. You have better luck , as well as better skill , than many others , if you find it not often to fare with the Fishers of Men as it did with those other Fishers , that first were honoured with that glorious Title , when they complained to our Saviour , that we have toiled all the night , and have taken nothing . For I see that men are grown witty enough to elude what they cannot despise , and resemble the deaf Adder that stops her spiritual ears from hearkening to the voice of Charmers , be the Charmer never so cunning . And the best Reception that the moving'st Eloquence , that pleads for Piety , can obtain of them , is but such as may serve to make that applicable to the Preacher , which God once said to a Prophet , Lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice , and can play well upon an Instrument ; For they hear thy words , but they do them not . But the best is , that you serve a Master , that is as inclinable to reward , as able to discern , Intentions , and does not make his Estimates by Events , but judges of our Performances , not by the Effects they produce , but the Affections they flow'd from , and the Ends they aim'd at . Euseb . The Disciple is not above his Master , nor the Servant above his Lord. And therefore , Lindamor , as I dare not repine at the unsuccessfulness of my Endeavours , so I dare think , that whilst it proceeds but from the Obstinacy of others , 't is not likely to be imputed to me by Him that complain'd plain ' Himself , That all the day long he had stretch'd forth his hands to an unpersuadable and gain-saying people . Otherwise , I confess , I should not have much cause to be satisfi'd with the Return that all my Indeavours have hitherto brought me home . For I see that men can read a Book of Devotion as unconcern'dly as they do a Romance or a Play , in both of them culling out onely what they call Wit , and making no better use of it than either to exercise or improve their own . They hear the most pathetick Sermons , not as Christians but Oratours , and if in such Discourses they have been so just as to praise the Rhetorick , they think they may well be excus'd if they over-look the Divinity : In short , nothing but what gratifies their Fancy can leave any Impressions on their Memory , and that it self , if it tend to reform them , makes none on their Affections . And some whose happier Pens allow them to do it far more justly than I can , do complain , That if a devout Book have not good store of witty passages , they will not mind it at all , and if it have , they will mind nothing else . So that , Lindamor , I should sometimes be discourag'd from prosecuting Endeavours , which , though they now and then succeed , are oft-times so unprosperous , if I did not think , with you , that they who labour to win Souls to God , are set on work by him , that having no need of our Performances , seeks in our services but the opportunities of exercising his own Goodness . REFLECTION II. Upon the sight of Sweet-meats , very artificially counterfeited in Wax . THE shape and colours of the best Sweet-meats of these kinds , are here so luckily represented by a skilful Hand , that Art seems to have design'd rather to rival Nature , than barely to imitate Her , and a Lover of Junkets that approches not too near to these , must have much quickness of sight , or but little of appetite , if such inviting Objects do not tempt him both to mistake and to desire them . But , though at this distance these alluring Sweet-meats appear very pleasing ; yet if one should be so unadvis'd as to endeavour to eat them , instead of enjoying them more fully by the taste than he did by the sight , he would both spoil and disfigure them , and perhaps be so near choaking himself , that he would more earnestly wish them out of his mouth , than ever he wish'd them in it . There are some pleasures and conditions too in the world , which make so fine a shew at a distance , that in those that gaze at them aloof off , they frequently beget envy at them , and wishes for them ; and yet he that calmly beholds them takes the best way of enjoying them : since that which whilst 't is but aim'd at , is expected to be very satisfactory upon a nearer and fuller fruition , would be so far from proving so , and would so little be as sweet to the palate as specious to the eye , that it would not onely cease to afford them any delight , but would make them wish they had let those deluding Sweets alone , and would make attainments more uneasie and troublesome than even desire was . REFLECTION III. Upon the eating of Oysters . Eugenius , Lindamor . Eug. WHilst every body else is commending these Oysters , either with his Tongue or with his Teeth , so that one of the Company sticks not to say , that they are as much worth as if they contain'd each of them a Pearl , you onely seem as unconcern'd a Spectator , as if you thought their proper use , like that of Flowers , were , rather to be looked on than to be eaten . Lind. I confess , Eugenius , that I found my self more inclinable to reflect on what you are doing , than to keep you company in it , and whilst I saw such persons so gustfully swallow these extoll'd Fishes , the sight lead me to take more notice than perhaps you have done of the strange power of Education and Custom . Eug. And what , I pray you , has Custom to do with Oysters ? Lind. You will soon know that , if I tell you , that I was considering , on this occasion , how forward we are to think other Nations absurd or barbarous for such practices , that either the same , or little better , may be found unscrupled at among our selves ; and I acknowledge it to be one of the chief advantages I account my self to have obtain'd by my Travels , that as I do not easily admire , so I am not forward to deride , the Practice of any People for being New , and am not apt to think , their Customs must be therefore worse than ours , because they widely differ from them . I could give you store of Instances to justifie this impartiality , but because the circumstances of eating and drinking are those which make men , with the greatest confidence , term other Nations Brutish and Barbarous , I will confine may self to some Examples of that nature . We impute it for a barbarous custom to many Nations of the Indians , that like Beasts they eat raw Flesh . And pray' how much is that worse than our eating raw Fish , as we do in eating these Oysters ? Nor is this a practice of the rude Vulgar onely , but of the politest and nicest persons among us , such as Physicians , Divines , and even Ladies . And our way of eating seems much more barbarous than theirs , since they are wont to kill before they eat , but we scruple not to devour Oysters alive , and kill them not with our Hands or Teeth , but with our Stomachs , where ( for ought we know ) they begin to be digested before they make an end of dying . Nay sometimes when we dip them in Vinegar , we may , for sauce to one bit , devour alive a schole of little Animals , which , whether they be Fishes or Worms , I am not so sure , as I am , that I have , by the help of convenient Glasses , seen great numbers of them swimming up and down in less than a Sawcer full of Vinegar . We detest and despise some other Nations , for feeding upon Caterpillars , Grass-hoppers , and other Insects ; and others , for feeding upon Carrion , and stinking food . And do not many of us do as bad , when we not onely eat , but extoll , rotten Cheefe , whose Livid Colour sufficiently betrays its Putrefaction , and whose odious smell offends most mens Noses , and turns some mens Stomachs ? Nay , when this Cheese is grown to that high degree of rottenness that our critical palats like it best in , we then devour whole hundreds of Mites , which are really crawling Insects , bred out of Putrefaction , and these too are so numerous and little , that our greediness makes us swallow many of them alive . Among the Savagest Barbarians we count the Cannabals , and as for those among them that kill men to eat them , their inhumane cruelty cannot be too much detested ; but to count them so barbarous merely upon the score of feeding on man's flesh and bloud , is to forget that woman's milk , by which alone we feed our sucking Children , is , according to the received Opinion , but blanched Bloud ; and that Mummy is one of the usual Medicines commended and given by our Physicians for falls and bruises , and in other cases too . And if we plead that we use not Mummy for food , but Physick , the Indians may easily answer , that by our way of using man's flesh , we do oftentimes but protract sickness and pain , whereas they by theirs maintain their health and vigour . And there is no reason why it should be allowable to eat Broth , for instance , in a Consumption , and be condemnable to feed upon it to maintain health . But lastly , as the highest degree of Brutishness , our Travellers mention the practice of the Soldanians at the Cape of Good hope , who not onely eat raw meat , but , if they be hungry , eat the guts and all of their Cattle , with the Dung in them . I will not answer , that I know several among us , ( and perhaps some fair Ladies too ) that to prevent the Scurvy and the Gout , drink their own or Boy 's Urine : nor that women themselves do oftentimes take Parmacitty inwardly , though the Latin name ( Sperma Ceti ) sufficiently declare what excretion of a Whale it is ( though perhaps mistakenly ) believed to be : nor yet that under the name of Album Graecum , Dogs dung is commonly given to Patients of all sorts and qualities against sore Throats : nor will I mention , that in Holland 't is usual , as I have seen my self , to mingle Sheep's dung with their Cheeses , onely to give them a colour and a relish : But I will rather demand , how much less we do our selves , than what we abominate in those Savages , when we devour Oysters whole , guts , excrements , and all ; nay , when not for Physick , but onely for Delicacies , our Courtiers and Ladies themselves are wont to make sawce for the bodies of Lobsters of that green stuff , which is indeed their Dung : And to these I could add other Examples , if I were not afraid to divert you too long from so much pleasure as the Company seems to take in eating raw Fish . Eug. You put me in mind of a fancy of your Friend Mr. Boyle , who was saying , that he had thoughts of making a short Romantick story , where the Scene should be laid in some Island of the Southern Ocean , govern'd by some such rational Laws and Customs as those of Utopia or the New Atlantis , and in this Country he would introduce an Observing Native , that upon his return home from his Travels made in Europe , should give an account of our Countries and manners , under feign'd Names , and frequently intimate in his Relations , ( or in his Answers to Questions that should be made him ) the reasons of his wondring to find our Customs so extravagant and differing from those of his Country . For your Friend imagin'd , that by such a way of proposing many of our practices , we should our selves be brought unawares to condemn , or perhaps laugh at them , and should at least cease to wonder to find other Nations think them as extravagant , as we think the manners of the Dutch and Spaniards , as they are represented in our Travellers Books . Lind. I dislike not the project , and wish it were prosecuted by some Body , that being impartial were more a friend to Fables . For when I consider , that the name of Barbarian was given by the two Noblest Peoples of the Earth , the Greeks and Romans , not onely to all the rest of the World , but to one another , though both those Nations were highly civiliz'd , and the courtly Persians , and other voluptuous Asiaticks , were perhaps no less so than they ; I doubt that most Nations in stileing one anothers Manners extravagant and absurd , are guided more by Education and Partiality than Reason , and that we laugh at many Customs of Strangers onely because we never were bred to them , and prise many of our own onely because we never consider'd them . And we may well believe that Custom has much a larger Empire than men seem to be aware of , since whole Nations are wholly swai'd by it , that do not reckon themselves among its Subjects , nor so much as dream that they are so . REFLECTION IV. Upon a Lanthorn and Candle carri'd by , on a windy night . AS there are few Controversies more important , so there are not many , that have been more curiously and warmly disputed , than the Question , Whether a publick or a private life be preferrable ? But perhaps this may be much of the nature of the other Question , Whether a marri'd life or a single ought rather to be chosen ? that being best determinable by the Circumstances of particular cases . For though indefinitely speaking , one of the two may have advantages above the other , yet they are not so great , but that special Circumstances may make either of them the more eligible to particular persons . They that find themselves furnish'd with Abilities to serve their Generation in a publick capacity , and Vertue great enough to resist the Temptations , to which such a condition is usually expos'd , may not onely be allow'd to embrace such an Employment , but oblig'd to seek it . But he whose parts are too mean to qualifie him to govern others , and perhaps to enable him to govern himself , or manage his own private Concerns , or whose Graces are so weak , that 't is less to his Vertues or to his ability of resisting , than to his care of shunning the occasions of sin , that he ows his escaping the Guilt of it , had better deny himself some opportunities of doing Good , than expose himself to probable Temptations . For there is such a kind of difference betwixt Vertue shaded by a private , and shining forth in a publick life , as there is betwixt a Candle carri'd aloft in the open air , and inclosed in a Lanthorn ; in the former place it gives more light , but in the latter 't is in less danger to be blown out . REFLECTION V. Upon the first Audience of the Russian Extraordinary Embassadour , at which he made his Emperour's Presents . I See the general Expectation that there will be here this night a Magnificent Appearance , has produc'd one . And as it often happens in publick Shews , that the chief part of them is made by those that come to see them : so here , besides them whose Duty obliges them to attend at the Solemnity , there is a greater concourse of fine people of either Sex , than any thing of this nature has for these many years occasion'd . And not onely many of the Ladies wear in their Ribbands little less vivid colours , than those of their faces , and are set out with Jewels almost as sparkling as their Eyes , ( which yet the Courtiers think were able to warm the Russian hearts , though all the Ice and Snow of their Country guarded them ) but the Men themselves are many of them as finely and as richly dress'd , as if even they came as well to be seen as to see . And if the Embassadour be , what a man of his Employment should be , ( and what some say he is ) a Person acquainted with the Manners of Men , he cannot but know , That we , as other's Nations , value our own Fashions enough , to look upon Men disguis'd by the Russian dress , as little better than Anticks , if not as some new kind of Northern Animals . But for all this Gazing throng of Gawdy spectators , that were able to put an ordinary Stranger out of Countenance , to appear in a Habit differing from theirs ; the Embassadour , and those that come along with him , think it not fit to decline the Russian habit or Ceremonies , for the English , but keep to the Ceremonies us'd in Muscovy , as strictly as if the Monarch of it that sent them hither saw them here ; and are not discourag'd from this Manly proceeding , by seeing themselves star'd at for it by a number of Gawly spectators , that wear Cloaths , and use Ceremonies , so differing from theirs . And what ever those may think of the Embassadour , that are wont to estimate Men by the fashionableness of their Cloaths ; yet the Wiser and more Intelligent do not blame him , for refusing to disparage the Fashions of his own people , by appearing asham'd of them ; but , do rather think it prudent in him , to prefer the pleasing of his Master , and his own Country-men , before the gratifying of Strangers , since 't is not here , but at home , that he expects the recompence of his Behaviour , and Embassy . Thus , when a Christian , who belongs to a Celestial King , and whose Citizen-ship is in Heaven , being but a Stranger upon Earth , converses among the Men of the World , though in Matters indifferent , there is oft-times requir'd by Prudence , as much of Compliance as is allow'd by Innocence ; yet , when there happens an Occasion , wherein he cannot comply with the deprav'd Customs of those among whom he Lives , without disobeying Him for whom he Lives , and whose Servant he is , or doing something that would derogate from the Dignity of a Person related to such a Master , he will then less consider what may be thought of him by a Multitude , than what Account he is to render to him , who has forbidden Men to follow a Multitude to do Evil. And , as he knows , That his reward would be much less than he reckons upon , if it were a thing to be receiv'd on Earth , not in Heaven : So , how strange and unfashionable soever his Conformity to the Orders of his own Soveraign may appear , he chuses rather to displease Men than God , and acts , as both seeing , and being seen by , Him that is Invisible . A Continuation of the Discourse . ANd this ought to be more easie to him , than their Singularity is to the Russians , I have been mentioning ; for whereas these , if they be knowing , and impartial , refuse our Modes and Rites , not because they are worse , but onely because they are other than those of their Country ; he refuses to conform to the forbidden fashions of this World , not for their being different from those of the Kingdome he belongs to , but for their being bad , and condemn'd by Him that cannot err : Whereas , of the opposite practices , the same infallible Judge pronounces by the mouth of a Person by him inspir'd , that these are the good things , and the profitable unto Men. And whereas , these Strangers see nothing in this magnificent Assembly , whose Fashions they decline , fit to be despised , but see some Persons in it , to whom they pay a great respect , and who deserve it upon another account , than that of their wearing Crowns ; those that are Loyal to Virtue , have cause to look upon those they refuse to be like , with a noble , and just Indignation , as Persons that have degraded themselves , and by unworthy Practices blemish'd , and almost forfeited , the Dignity of their Nature , and the nobler Title of Christians . And , whereas these Muscovites are morally certain , that we shall never prefer their Fashions to our own ; the Christian has as great an assurance , that those , whose Practices he dissents from , will one day repent , that theirs dissented from his , and will wish they had imitated what they now seem to scorn . And however , when he shall come to the celestial City he belongs to , he will be in no danger to be derided for the sake of Piety , since those , that deride Piety , will not be admitted there . And as these Russians could not take a better way than that of not sneaking , to avoid the having their Rites and Persons undervalu'd ; so for a Christian , not to blush at his unfashionablest Practices , seems the hopefullest way to keep them and him from being scorn'd , especially with those , who having themselves no Quality better than Confidence , value it most in others . And sure it were a very unlikely way to keep others from despising the Customs of the Heavenly Jerusalem , for him that belongs to it to appear asham'd of them himself . Nor have pious Persons cause to be out of Countenance , at the singularity ev'n of a strictly virtuous Deportment , since , being ( as the Scripture tells us such Men in general are ) fellow Citizens with the Saints and Domesticks of God , they cannot justly be blam'd , if they aspire to be as like as they can here , to those , whom they desire and hope to be perfectly like hereafter . And if the Angels ( as the Scripture in several places seems to intimate ) are witnesses of our Actions , the smallest number of unfashionable good Men , may , upon that score , say to one another , as the Prophet did to his Servant , upon the account of the Heavenly Host that surrounded him , Fear not , for they that be with us are more than they that be with them . And the approbation of these illuminated , happy , and glorious Spirits , is sure more considerable than that of mortal , and , which is worse , of sensual Men , whether we consider their Number , or their Judgments . And however , the Day will come , when those that despise his Singularity , will envy his Happiness ; one welcoming smile from Christ will make him amends for all the scornful smiles of Sinful men ; And the sentence of Absolution , and Bliss , solemnly pronounc'd before God , Angels , and Men , will not onely recompence him for the World 's Disesteem , but shew that he did not deserve it . REFLECTION VI. Upon the sight of Roses and Tulips growing near one another . 'T Is so uncommon a thing to see Tulips last till Roses come to be blown , that the seeing them in this Garden grow together , as it deserves my notice , so methinks it should suggest to me some Reflection or other on it . And perhaps it may not be an improper one , to compare the difference betwixt these two kinds of Flowers , to the disparity which I have often observ'd , betwixt the Fates of those young Ladies , that are onely very handsome , and those that have a less degree of Beauty recompenc'd by the Accession of Wit , Discretion , and Virtue : For Tulips , whil'st they are fresh , do indeed by the Lustre , and Vividness , of their Colours , more delight the Eye than Roses ; but then they do not alone quickly fade , but as soon as they have lost that freshness , and gawdiness , that solv indear'd them , they degenerate into things not onely undesirable , but distastful ; whereas Roses , besides the moderate Beauty they disclose to the Eye , ( which is sufficient to please , though not to charm it ) do not onely keep their Colour longer than Tulips , but when that decays , retain a perfum'd Odour , and divers useful Qualities , and Virtues , that survive the Spring , and recommend them all the Year . Thus those unadvis'd young Ladies , that because Nature has given them Beauty enough , despise all other Qualities , and ev'n that regular Diet which is ordinarily requisite to make Beauty it self lasting , not onely are wont to decay betimes , but as soon as they have lost that Youthful freshness , that alone endear'd them , quickly pass from being Objects of Wonder , and Love , to be so of Pity , if not of Scorn ; Whereas those that were as sollicitous to enrich their Minds , as to adorn their Faces , may not onely with a mediocrity of Beauty be very desirable whil'st that lasts , but notwithstanding the recess of that , and Youth , may , by the fragrancy of their Reputation , and those Virtues and Ornaments of the Mind , that Time do's but improve , be always sufficiently endear'd to those that have merit enough to discern , and value , such Excellencies ; and whose Esteem and Friendship is alone worth their being concern'd for . In a word , they prove the happiest , as well as they are the wisest , Ladies , that whil'st they possess the desirable Qualities that Youth is wont to give , neglect not the acquist of those that Age cannot take away . REFLECTION VII . ( Taken out of the 2 d Book of the * Martyrdom of Theodora , and turn'd into an Occasional Meditation . ) Upon the sight of a Branch of Corral among a great Prince's Collection of Curiosities . THE present and future condition of a Christian , especially of a Martyr , is not ill represented by what we take notice of in Corral ; for whilst that Shrub yet lives , and remains fastned to its native earth or soil , it grows in an obscure Region of the world , and is perpetually surrounded , and over-flown , by the brackish and unpleasant waters of the Sea , and oftentimes expos'd to the irregular agitations of its waves . Besides , the substance of this Plant ( as those that should know inform us ) is but soft and tender under water , and its colour but sad and unlively : nor is it , like the Tulip or the Rose-bush , adorn'd with any pleasant verdure , and much less does it flourish with gawdy colours . And whilst it remains under water , the excellency of it does so little disclose it self , that men sail over it without suspecting or dreaming they have any thing of precious under their feet ; and by the fishes , in whose Region , or rather Element , it grows , 't is pass'd by wholly unregarded : But when this unheeded Corral comes to be torn off from its root , and pluck'd out of his soil , and so is kill'd in the capacity of a Plant , it then exchanges the dark and unquiet place it was confin'd to , for a more elevated and lightsome Region ; and instead of sharing the fate of common Shrubs and Flowers , first to degenerate into fading colours and offensive smells , and then to perish , either by rottenness or fire , our Corral , by the violence offer'd to it , acquires a delightful redness , together with a solidity and a durableness , that makes it a thing so lovely and immortal , that it serves for an Ornament , for the Cabinets of the Curious ; and what stupid Fishes do not at all regard , those nobler Creatures , Men , do so highly prise , that oftentimes it finds place even among the Rarities of Princes . Thus , a true Christian , whilst he is yet confin'd to the Region of the Animal Life , lives oftentimes in an obscure and low condition , and far from that prosperous state wherein the world's Favourites are wont to flourish , he is almost perpetually expos'd to pressures and afflictions , and either most men consider him not at all , or those that look at his out-side onely are apt to despise him because it is so homely . And he is not onely in such a ( seemingly forlorn ) condition , as made the Psalmist complain of himself , that all the waves pass'd over him ; but ( like those Plants of Corral , that , not growing so near the shoar , are constantly cover'd with water , as well as sometimes disorder'd by storms ) the calamities that do , as it were , over-whelm him , are never altogether remov'd , even in the intervals of those tempestuous Fits which increase his Distresses : But when the violence of sickness , or the fury of a Persecutor shall have taken away his life , he must be then translated into a higher and happier Region , Afflictions and Distresses will be all left behind . And when the sensual Idolizers of their Bodies shall be condemn'd to have those as loathsome as were their Minds , and as restless as their guilty Consciences , His Body will obtain new and glorious Qualities like that of his Redeemer , and his Soul shall find no less happy a Transfiguration , * the mortal part will be swallowed up of life , that perfection which is but in part shall be done away . And these newly acquir'd Excellencies of the whole man , will never after vanish or decay . And he that liv'd unregarded by the stupid Inhabitants of the earth , shall be joyfully welcom'd into the blest society of Celestial Spirits , and , what is infinitely more , be graciously welcom'd and dignifi'd by the Son of God himself . Men should not therefore , by a Christians present state , take their measures of his future fate , but rather should remember that he who said of such , They shall be mine in the day when I make up my * special treasures , is one whose Estimate of Persons and Conditions we may safely rely upon , since he is able to make any of them infallibly such as he pleases to pronounce them , and consequently we may look upon the constant Christian 's differing condition , with his eyes that said , We are now the Sons of God , and it does not ( indeed ) yet appear what we shall be , but we know that when he shall appear , we shall be like HIM ; who would be like himself alone , did not his goodness vouchsafe to exalt those that love him , to a likeness , which makes them very unlike the gloriousest things we here admire , by incomparably transcending them . REFLECTION VIII . Upon the sight of the effects of a Burning-glass . IT is a fault incident to many good men , to be too much indispos'd to entertain the Precepts of Vertue , as such excellent things deserve , in case those that teach them do not practise them . There are too many that do not think themselves oblig'd to take even the wholesomest advice from those , whom they see more careful to give it others , than to follow it themselves . And some of them are so nice , that they will scarce read a Book of Devotion , unless it come , like that St. John eat in the Apocalypse , from the hand of an Angel. But for my part , though I hope I both value and desire Religious Preachers as much as the rest of my Brethren , yet I think it would be much to the injury of Scripture and of Reason , if we should suffer the personal faults of men to keep them from doing that good , their nature fits them for . The Etymology of the Gospel importing its being welcome news , 't is pity that any one that teaches it should not have a title to the Character David gave Ahimaaz , of whom he said , that he is a good man , and brings good tidings . But my desirousness of piety in a Preacher is more for others sake than mine . For I know not why Truth , which is an intellectual thing , should lose its nature by any moral vitiousness in the Proposer . I know there is something extraordinary in the case of Noah , who awoke from his Wine and immediately prophesied , and yet the Event verifi'd his Predictions . Our Saviour instructing his Disciples about the Scribes and Pharisees , who sate in Moses's Chair , at the same time commands them to conform to their Doctrine , when he forbids them to imitate their Example . The Wise-men did not the less find Christ at Bethlehem , though the Priests and Pharisees sent them without accompanying them thither . And the Assyrian General was cured of his Leprosie by following the Prophet's prescription convey'd him by that Gehazi , who , by his unworthy carriage in that business , transplanted ( if I may so speak ) that foul Disease into himself and his posterity . I will therefore consider Sermons more than Preachers : For as in a Burning-glass , though the Sun-beams do but illustrate , not heat , it in their passage , they may yet , by its assistance , kindle subjects that are more disposed to receive their action : So those very Truths and Notions of a learned Preacher , which do but enlighten him , may inflame his Hearers , and kindle in their hearts the love of God. And as if a Perfume be set on fire by the Beams projected through a Burning-glass ( which they do not so much as warm in their passage ) the Scent is no less odoriferous and grateful , than if it had been produc'd by an actually burning coal . So neither is that Devotion which is kindled by the Eloquence of an indevout Preacher , any whit the less acceptable to God for their not being themselves affected with the Zeal they beget in others . And what the Book of Kings relates of Elisha's Bones , contains a far greater Miracle in the Historical , than in the Allegorical sense , in which 't is no such wonder to see a man rais'd to life by a dead Prophet . REFLECTION IX . Upon the finding a Horse-shoe in the High-way . THe common people of this Country have a Tradition , that 't is a lucky thing to find a Horse-shoe . And though 't was to make my self merry with this fond conceit of the superstitious Vulgar , I stoop'd to take this up ; yet now I observe in it a Circumstance that may , for ought I know , somewhat justifie the Tradition . For I take notice , that though Horse-shoes are by travelling worn out , yet if they had a sense of their own condition , it might afford them some consolation in it , that the same Journeys that waste them make them both useful and bright . Whereas , though the Horse-shoe I have taken up have not been consum'd upon the account of travelling , it has been eaten up by rust , which wastes it as well as Attrition would have done , but does not give it the lustre it would have receiv'd from that . I meet with many , who , very unmindful that He who was justly styl'd the Wise-man , whose counsel it was , that what ever our hand finds to do , we should do it with all our might , &c. make it the main business of their life merely to lengthen it , that are far more sollicitous to live long , than well , and would not undergo the least labour , or endure the least hardship , to do the greatest Good , but had rather lose an hundred opportunities of serving God , or obliging Men , than one Entertainment , or an hours sleep , and all this under the pretence of minding their Health , and complying with the Dictates of Self-preservation . But I have often observ'd too , that ev'n these jolly People that seldome have a serious Thought , but how to avoid serious Imployments , may , by making their whole Lives a Succession of Divertisements , or rather a constant Diversion from the true end of them , make their Lives indeed thereby useless , but not at all immortal . And truly , Feavers , Plurisies , and other acute Diseases , that are home-bread , besides those numerous fatal ones that are caught by Contagion , and a multitude of Casualties , do cut off so many before they reach old Age , in comparison of those , that the Diligence , and Industry , impos'd by Religion , or Curiosity , destroy , that I think so great a fear of using the Body for the interests of the Soul , and of him to whom we owe both , do's very little become his Disciples , who said , That 't was his Meat to do the Will of God that sent him , and to accomplish his Work. The trouble of Thirsting , and Sweating , and Undressing , would to an ingenious Man be but just recompenc'd by the bare pleasures of Eating , and Drinking , and Sleeping , to confine an honest and inquisitive Person from those , which he looks upon as the almost onely Manly employments , the exercise of Virtue , and the pursuit of Knowledge , by telling him , that such a forbearance may protract his Life , is , to promise a thing upon a condition that destroys the end and use of it ; and he will look upon it , as if you should offer him a Horse , provided he will not ride him , or a Perspective-glass , upon condition he shall not draw it out , for fear the Air should , as it sometimes do's , impair the Glasses . A Heaven-born Soul would scarce think it worth while to stay here below , if its work must be , not to imploy the Body , but to tend it . Those that are so unreasonably afraid to spend their Spirits , are in some regards less excusable than Misers themselves ; for though both hoard up things that cannot be better injoy'd than by being parted with , the chief uses for which they were intrusted with them ; yet in this , those I blame are more censurable than the Covetous themselves , since these , by their Niggardliness , can avoid spending their Money , but the others , by their Laziness , cannot avoid the Consumption of their time . I know a Man may be Prodigal of himself , as well as his Estate , and that both those Profusions are faults , and therefore fit to be declin'd . But if I could not shun both the Extremes , certainly , since we all must Dye , and the question is not whether or no we will Live for ever , ( for the most that can be hop'd for , is not to be priviledg'd from Death , but onely to be longer repriv'd ) but whether we will rather indeavour to lead a Life , mean , and unprofitable , a few more days , or a glorious Life , for a somewhat less number of them ? I should rather chuse to spend my Life quickly , than uselessly ; for he that lays out himself for Eternity , if he lose any Portion of his time upon that account , is the sooner put into possession of an Inexhaustible stock of it ; whereas those , who , that they may Live long , meanly forgo the ends of Living , and seek , by Laziness , to protract an insignificant stay on Earth , would , should they reach their Aim , add rather to their Years than to their Life . REFLECTION X. Upon the Shop of an ugly Painter rarely well stor'd with Pictures , of very handsome Ladies . Genorio , Lindamor , Eusebius . Genor . HEre is a deceitful Shop of Beauty , where many that come but to wonder , meet with Love , and ev'n when they buy , not what they like , pay their Hearts for it ; the Shop being so well furnish'd , that Beauty seems here to have assum'd all the variety of Features , and Complexions , she can be dress'd in , and so exquisitly to have fitted all Gazers , with proportionate and attractive Objects , that nothing but an absolute Incapability of Love , is here able to protect them from that Passion , which , not to resent among so many inspiring Wonders , were one . If in these Faces , the Originals equal the Transcripts , if Art have not flatter'd Nature , and attempted more to instruct than imitate her ; and if the Painter have not elected , rather to have his Pieces lik'd , than like , here are Apologies for Love , that can procure it , not onely Pardons , but Proselites . I must ( in that case ) add , that there are more Suns than one , whose Brightness , ev'n by Reflection , can dazle ; here are Princesses more illustrious for the Blood that lightens in their Cheeks , than for that which runs in their Veins , and who , like victorious Monarchs , can conquer at a distance , and captivate by Proxie . Euseb . I fear , Genorio ▪ that you are so transported with your Text , that you will quite forget ( if ever you intended it ) to make a Homily upon it : For you talk at such a rate , as if you were about to lose , to the Pictures of Ladies , the liberty , your Friend Mr. Boyle would be thought to have ever defended against their Originals , and fanci'd , that it might add to the other Resemblances you so admire betwixt them , if both of them were made Enemies to seriousness . Lind. I presume , Genorio will willingly allow me , to serve him at this turn ; for whether or no he meant us a Reflection , some charms or other he has met with in these Pictures , seem to have so arrested his Thoughts , as well as his Looks , that we shall not have them hastily deliver'd from so pleasing a Captivity ; and the Knowledge I alone , of us three , have of the Drawer of these Pictures , supplies me with a Circumstance , without which , I should not , when Eusebius is by , offer at an Occasional Meditation : But upon this advantage , I shall venture to tell you , That the thing I was considering , was , that though the Limner have drawn some Pieces , as handsome as Lovers think , or wish their Mistresses , and some ( as they tell me ) so like , that an actual Confrontation of the Artist's works , and Nature's , would scarce distinguish them , ( since the former would appear to differ from the later , but in that silence , which the laters admiration , to see themselves so perfectly represented , would impose ) yet is the Painter himself so deformed a Creature , that he might draw a lovelier Face ev'n than any here , by drawing one perfectly unlike his own . Alas , this discloses the difference there may be betwixt the being able to write fine Characters of Virtue , and the possessing of it . How ridiculous should I esteem this Limner , if with all this ugliness , he should esteem himself handsome , because his Pencil can draw Faces that are so ! As absurd were it for us , to grow proud of our devout Composures , and fancy Piety ours , because our Discourses can possibly inamour others of it . The Devil sometimes do's unmolestedly suffer us to write well , if he can but persuade us we need do no more , and that good Pens may dispense us from good Actions . Our Paper-warrs against Vices , are oftentimes like Alexander's , against the Neighbouring Nations , not out of Hatred , but Glory , not to Extirpate , but to Conquer them , and manifest to the World the sufficiency of our Parts , by a Victory , after which , we often treat the vanquish'd Enemy with greater Courtesie , than those whose Quarrel we undertook . Discourses against Vices , may be as well indited by Vanity , as by Zeal , and meant to express Wit , not persuade Piety . And if ( as it chanceth but too frequently ) we grow proud of them , we do , like Witches turning Exorcists , onely comply with Satan to cast out the Devil . Euseb . To second your pious , Reflection Lindamor , with some thoughts suitable to my Profession , I will add , that in the case you put , it happens to us as it once did to Gideon , who , of the spoils of God and Israels conquered Enemies , made an Idol , which prov'd , in the end , his , and his houses Snare . 'T was a most instructive Check , and divine admonition , that our Saviour gave his Apostles , when , in the account they brought him of their Embassy , they joyfully related their excercis'd power , of dispossessing Devils ; Notwithstanding ( answer'd Christ ) in this rejoice not , that Spirits are subject to you , but rather rejoice that your names are written in Heaven . In effect , though Judas were one of the Persons , invested with this miraculous power of casting Devils out of others , yet we read that Satan afterwards enter'd into Judas , and that it had been good for him , that he had never been born . And though , as Solomon tells us , He that winneth Souls , is wise , yet it is he only that shall do , as well as teach , the Commandments that shall be call'd great in the Kingdom of Heaven . And the Judge himself informing us , that , at the worlds last day , many will plead their having in his name not only prophesy'd or preach'd , but cast out Devils , and shall yet be disclaim'd by him ; sufficiently intimates , that 't is as possible , as unavailable , to do many wonderful works ( for Religion ) and to be workers of Iniquity . The true Christian should , Lindamor , be willing to impart any useful Discoveries that God shall please to vouchsafe him ; but he will ever consider the taking'st Notions he can frame of vertue , more as Engagments to it , than Arguments of it ; and since there is not any thing in which Charity ought more to begin at home than in devout Instructions , he will endeavour to make himself as much Piety's Votary , as Advocate ; to imitate those truly Wisemen , that as they inform'd those of Jerusalem , of the Starr they had seen in the East , did themselves follow it , till it brought them unto Christ ; to entitle himself to that of our Saviour , A good man , out of the good treasure of his heart , brings forth good things ; and ( finally ) to take his Celebrations of vertue from his Experience , not his Fancy ; as Nurse first feed themselves , to nourish their sucking Infants , to whom they give no meat , which they have not in their own Breasts first digested into Milk , lest ( like the Carpenters that toyl'd to build the Ark to save Noah from the Deluge , themselves perisht in , ) when he has preach'd to others , himself should prove a Cast-away . A Continuation of the Discourse . Genor . SUre , Gentlemen , 't is a happy thing to be able to convert the meanest things to the noblest uses , and make whatever one pleases , subservient to Piety , by skilfully imploying ev'n slight and unpromising Occasions , to represent her , which the Advantages of a vary'd and surprizing Dress , whereby you may procure that Vertue lovers , and your selves friends : For her Votary's are so ingenuous and disintress'd in their Amours , that they have as well as kindness for their Rivals , as their Mistress . Lind. I will not deny but that there may be Persons so inflam'd with heavenly Love , that their Devotion is able , like the last fire , that is to refine or destroy the World , to turn all things into Fuel for its victorious flames , and who , when they are once ingag'd in Meditation , can make their pious thoughts excite themselves and flame up higher , and higher , without the assistance of other Incentives , than what their own fervency procures them ; as 't is observed , that when the fire has seiz'd upon a Town , by how small a spark soever it have been kindl'd , if the flame come to be very great , though the air be very calm , the fire it self will produce a wind , that , without the help of Bellows , shall strongly blow it , and make it blaze the more , and aspire towards Heaven . But , Genorio , when-ever ( for I answer but for my self ) I shall meet with any such happy Contemplators , I shall have the Justice to be one of their Admirers , without having the vanity to pretend to be one of their number . Euseb . And I , for my part , shall tell you , Genorio , that though there may be divers charitable persons , besides your self , that by the Expressions it becomes me to use in some of my Meditations , and other composures of the like Nature , may be apt to fancy that I am my self , as devout as I indeavour to make my Readers , yet you must not imagine that my mind , like one of those Writing's , has no other thoughts than Religious , or at least moral ones ; For those may be the productions , not of a constant frame of mind , but of Occasional Fits of Devotion : And you may read a greater number of such Reflections in an hour than perhaps I have made in a month , not to say , in a year . And I must ingeniously confess to you , that I think it more easie to make ten good Sermons than to practise one , and to declaim against all sins than to relinquish any : There goes much lesse self-denial to conform to the Precepts of Cicero , than to those of Christ , and I find it so much less difficult to excite other mens passions , than to command my own , that if you will not suffer your charity too much to injure your judgment , You must look upon the devouter passages you may have met with among my Composures , as Expressions of what I aim at , rather than of what I practise . The End of the last Section . THE TABLE . A Discourse touching Occasional Meditations . 1 SECT . I. REFLECTION I. UPon his manner of giving meat to his Dog. 161 II. Upon his Distilling Spirit of Roses in a Limbeck . 163 III. Upon his being in great danger wandring , on Mendip hills , among cover'd Lead-mines that he knew not of . 167 IV. His Horse stumbling in a very fair way . 169 V. Upon two very miserable Beggars , begging together by the High-way . 172 VI. Sitting at case in a Coach that went very fast . 175 VII . Upon the sight of a Wind-mill standing still . 176 VIII . Upon his paring of a rare Summer-apple . 181 IX . Upon his Coaches being stopt in a narrow Lane. 182 X. Looking through a Perspective-glass upon a Vessel we suspected to give us Chace , and to be a Pyrat . 184 The II. SECTION , Containing Occasional Reflections upon the Accidents of an Ague . MEDITATION I. UPon the first Invasion of the Disease . 187 II. Upon the immoderate Heat and Cold of the Aguish Fit. 192 III. Upon the succession of the cold and hot Fit. 194 IV. Upon the being let Bloud . 199 V. Upon the taking of Physick . 202 VI. Upon the Syrups and other sweet things sent him by the Doctor . 206 VII . Upon the want of Sleep . 209 VIII . Upon telling the strokes of an ill-going Clock in the night . 214 IX . Upon comparing the Clock and his Watch. 216 X. Upon a Thief in a Candle . 218 XI . Upon the being in danger of death . 221 XII . Upon the same Subject . 226 XIII . A further Continuation . 229 XIV . Upon the apprehensions of a Relapse . 235 XV. Upon his reviewing and tacking together the several Bills fil'd up in the Apothecary's Shop . 237 The III SECTION . REFLECTION I. UPon the sight of some variously-coloured Clouds . 241 II. Upon his making of a Fire . 243 III. Upon my Spaniel's carefulness not to lose me in a strange place . 245 IV. Upon the prodigiously wet weather , which happen'd the Summer that Colchester was besieg'd . ( 1648 ) 246 V. Upon his being Carv'd to at a Feast . 250 VI. Upon the sight of a Looking-glass , with a rich Frame . 251 VII . Upon my Spaniel's fetching me my Glove . 256 VIII . Upon the taking up his Horses from Grass , and giving them Oats before they were to be ridden a Journey . 258 IX . Upon the making of a Fire with Charcoal . 260 X. Looking through a Prismatical or Triangular Glass . 261 The IV. SECTION . DISCOURSE I. UPon the being call'd upon to rise early on a very fair morning . 1 II. Upon the Mounting , Singing , and Lighting of Larks . 8 III. Upon the sight of a fair Milk-maid singing to her Cow. 13 IV. Upon Fishing with a counterfeit Fly. 27 V. Upon a Fish's strugling after having swallow'd the Hook. 30 VI. Upon the sight of ones Shadow cast upon the face of a River . 33 VII . Upon a Fall occasion'd by coming too near the Rivers Brink . 47 VIII . Upon the Good and Mischief that Rivers do . 50 IX . Upon the comparing of Lands , seated at differing distances from the River . 56 X. Upon a Fishes running away with the Bait. 64 XI . Upon a Danger springing from an unseasonable Contest with the Steersman . 67 XII . Upon Clouds rising out of the Sea , and falling down in Rain not Brackish . 80 XIII . Upon drawing the Boat to the Shore . 87 XIV . Upon Catching store of Fish at a Baited place . 92 XV. Upon the Magnetical Needle of a Sun-Dyal . 95 XVI . Upon the Quenching of Quick-lime . 105 XVII . Upon ones Talking to an Eccho . 107 XVIII . Upon a Giddiness occasion'd by looking attentively on a rapid Stream . 118 XIX . Upon ones Drinking water out of the Brims of his Hat. 122 XX. On seeing Boys swim with Bladders . 129 THE TRANSITION Containing A DISCOURSE Upon the Sports being interrupted by Rainy-weather . 133 The V. SECTION . REFLECTION I. UPon the sight of N. N. making of Syrup of Violets . 139 II. Upon the sight of a Paper-Kite in a Windy day 145 III. Killing a Crow ( out of a Window ) in a Hog's-trough , and immediately tracing the ensuing Reflection with a Pen made of one of his Quills . 149 Upon the same Subject . 153 IV. Upon a Glow-worm that he kept included in a Chrystal Viol. 154 V. Upon a Courts being put into Mourning . 156 VI. Upon hearing of a Lute first tun'd , and then excellently play'd on . 162 VII . Upon being presented with a rare Nose-gay by a Gardener . 165 VIII . Upon a Child that cri'd for the Stars . 171 IX . Upon my Lady D. R. Her fine Closet . 175 X. Upon his seeing a Lark stoop to , and caught with , Day-nets . 182 The Last SECTION . REFLECTION I. SEeing a Child picking the Plums out of a piece of Cake his Mother had given him for his Breakfast . 188 II. Upon the sight of Sweet-meats , very artificially counterfeited in Wax . 193 III. Upon the eating of Oysters . 194 IV. Upon a Lanthorn and Candle carri'd by , on a Windy night . 201 V. Upon the first Audience of the Russian Extraordinary Embassadour , at which he made his Emperour's Presents . 203 A Continuation of the Discourse . 206 VI. Upon the sight of Roses and Tulips growing near one another . 209 VII . Upon the sight of a Branch of Corral among a great Prince's Collection of Curiosities . 211 VIII . Upon the sight of the effects of a Burning-glass . 215 IX . Upon the finding a Horse-shoe in the High-way . 217 X. Upon the Shop of an ugly Painter rarely well stor'd with Pictures , of very handsome Ladies . 221 A Continuation of the Discourse . 227 FINIS . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A29010-e200 * 'T is the name given to the same Lady , in the II. Section of the following Meditations . Notes for div A29010-e360 It nigrum campis Agmen . * In the latter part of his Proeme , whereof the whole amounts not to one Page of this Preface . Would we but keep our wholesome Notions together Mankind would too rich . Bp. Hall in his Proeme . * So they call a certain Room , Arficially furnish'd with Pictures or other Images of things , whereby to help the Memory , Notes for div A29010-e2200 Prov. 16. 33. Nehemiah 6. 3. Matth. 20. 6. Jo. 8. 44. Psal . 119. 105. * So Junius and Tremelius translate the place , Quàm ampla sunt opera tua , O Jehova , quàm ea omnia sapienter fecisti ? and so the Original will bear , if the Hebrew Ma , be made applicable as well to the latter , as to the former part of the words . Ps . 104. 24. Ps . 144. 3. Psal . 8. 3 , 4. Mat. 15. 36 ▪ 1 Cor. 11. 3. Isaiah 53. 4. John 15. 2. * That is , Cultivator of the Ground . John 15. 2. Job 2. 3. Psal . 32. 1. 2 Cor. 8. 2. Luk. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Revel . 14. 13. 1 Pet. 5. 4. Psal . 16. 11. Judges 14. 8. Rom. 8. 28. Gen. 28. 12. Notes for div A29010-e4620 Sailing betwixt Roterdam and Graves-end on Easter-day , 1648. * A name often given by the Author to his excellent Sister R. who was almost always with him during his Sickness . Rom. . 8. 13. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . At Rhodes the Air is never so Dim and Cloudy , but one hour or other the Sun shineth out , Pliny , l. 2. c. 62. Where he also says the same of Syracusa . Merit 1. 12. Psal . 33. 9. Isaiah 40. 28. Revel . 10. 6. Hebr. 11. 8. Nehemiah the 9. and the 6. Psal . 104. 29 , 30. Ephes . 3. 10. James 4. 1. Judges 4. 29. 2 Cor. 15. 15. Hebr. 2. 14 , 15. 1 Sam. 10. 6. 9. Genes . 11. v. 6. Est . 5. 1. Gen. 15. 16 Luk. 16. 28 2 Sam. 2. 26. Num. 25 Num. 11. 33. Judges 16. At Lees. Hague 1648. * For there was a second part of this Reflection , but when it was to be sent to the Press it could not be found , nor would the Presses haste , and the Authors occasions , allow him either to stay till it were found , or write a new one . Thus in a Starry night fond Children cry For the rich Spangles that adorn the sky . Mr W. A. D. 1651. Luke 5. 5. Titus 3. 8. 2 Kin. 6. 16 ▪ * An unpublish'd Piece of the Author 's . * 2 Cor 5. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Mal. 3. 17. * Segullah . Joh. 3. 2. Joh. 4. 34. At the Hague . Judges 8. 24. 25. 26. &c. Mat. 5. 19. Mat. 7. 22. 23. Luk. 6. 45. 1 Cor. 9. 27.