The Nature and Mischief of Envy. A SERMON Preached before the QUEEN, Aug. 20. 1693.  
BY JONATHAN BLAGRAVE, D.D. Sub-Almoner, and Chaplain in Ordinary to Their MAJESTY'S.  
Published by Her Majesty's Command.  
LONDON, Printed for John Southby at the Harrow in Cornhill, and Sold by R. Taylor near Stationers-hall, 1693.   
PROV. xxvii. iv. Latter part of the Verse. 
— Who is able to stand before Envy?  The whole Verse runs thus: 
Wrath is Cruel, and Anger is Outrageous: But who is able to stand before Envy?  
AND in these Words the Wise Man designs to set forth the great Evil of Envy, to show us how violent and mischievous a Passion it is; and to that end he compares it with two very exorbitant commotions of Man's mind, with Wrath, and with Anger, or FURY; for so it should rather have been Translated, the word in the Original, implying the highest degree, or utmost transport of Anger. Now, a man that is in Wrath or Anger against any one, forgets all kindness to that person; he will no longer be governed by any law of Love or Charity, in any of his Actions towards him. Therefore says the Wise man, Wrath is Cruel, all Kindness is lost in an angry, or wrathful man's heart.  
And yet perhaps such an one will not do a manifest wrong or injustice to the person he is Angry with: But then, when Anger rises to a great excess, it is rightly termed Fury; and one, that is possessed with it, is a Madman for the time. He hath no regard to Right or Wrong, he cares not what injury or mischief he doth, and therefore says the wise man, Fury is Outrageous.  
And yet worse than either of these, more unkind and uncharitable, more unjust, more violent, and much more mischievous than either of them, is Envy; There is neither any goodness, nor yet any strength, that is a sufficient guard against it. For,  
First, There is no man's Innocency, no man's Virtue, that can secure him from the direful strokes of Envy. Nay, many times the more Innocent, the more Religious, useful and beneficial a man is in his place and station, Envy increases the more against him. The Reputation, Dignity, or Profit, such a man gains by his good Qualities, inflames the hearts of the Envious, and makes them contrive and act all they can for his Ruin.  
When there were but two Brothers in the world, and there must be the strongest, and most engaging Tie between them, both of natural Affection, and Love of Society; yet Envy broke through all this, and made one of them inhumanly Murder the other; and that for no other reason, but because Abel, for the goodness and sincerity of his heart, was more approved of by God than Cain. This example of the violent and outrageous cruelty and injustice of Envy we have in the beginning of the World; we have another like it in the beginning of Gods choosing him a peculiar Church. There we find Esau would have killed his Brother, for no other reason, but because Jacob valued being the Father of the Faithful more than profane Esau did, and so God determined to have his Church in Jacob's offspring. And in that very offspring we have presently a strange instance of the blind and inexorable cruelty of Envy in the Patriarches, otherwise good men, who for no other reason, but because God had in Visions revealed his favour to Joseph, and his Father loved him, set themselves in the most bitter manner against the poor innocent child, and had no compassion on him, when They saw the anguish of his Soul; when he besought them, they would have killed him: The greatest pity they could show him, was, to sell their Brother to be a slave to Infidels, as St. Stephen says, Acts 7.9. The Patriarches moved with Envy, sold Joseph into Egypt.  
We have likewise a Signal Instance in the History of Saul and David, of the great Injustice and Vile Ingratitude of Envy; For certainly never was Master better served, than Saul was by David; never did one man receive greater Benefits from another; For first, the man, whom the whole Host of Israel feared was slain by David; the King's Enemies were often discomfited and destroyed by David. Saul himself was frequently refreshed and comforted by him, when he lay under the heavy oppression of a Melancholy and an Evil Spirit; His life also was divers times saved and preserved by him, David had married his Daughter, and was his son's friend; He never had done the least Injury either to him or his, but shown all kindness to the House of Saul; and yet Saul looking upon him with an Envious Eye, 1 Sam. 18.9. continually with great eagerness hunted after his life to destroy it.  
But the greatest instance of all, of the most wicked Injustice and baseness of Envy, is in the Envy of the Scribes and Pharisees against our Saviour; who was purely Envied for the Reputation of his goodness, and nothing else; for he neither had nor sought any earthly Title or Riches; neither could they accuse him of any sin; And yet for Envy, as Pilate himself could see, They delivered him up to the most cruel and shameful Death.  
And as there is no Innocency so clear, no Goodness so perfect, that can preserve a Man from the soul Reproaches, the malicious Contrivances, and the ruining practices of Envy: So,  
Secondly, There is no Man so great or powerful, or of so secure an Estate or Fortune, but the Violence of Envy hath been capable of overthrowing him. Sometimes a private Envy hath been able to do it; but a common Envy hath seldom failed of accomplishing any Man's ruin. We have many Instances in Sacred Writ of Great Men destroyed by Envy; as Abner Captain of the Host of Israel, and Amasa Captain of the Host of Judah, both of them, as David observed, better Men than Joab, who through Envy slew them. And in Civil History, in the History of all Commonwealths, we find innumerable Examples of Great and Mighty Men, that have been overthrown and destroyed purely by Envy. Nay, we have Instances even of Princes themselves, when they have thought their Honour obliged them to stand between their Favourites and a general Envy, that have fallen together with them. There is no standing before a Common Envy; there is nothing to be done but to get out of the way of it, unless a Man will bravely resolve to become a Sacrifice for Truth, and the Common Good: For 'tis to no purpose for a Man to stand on his Innocency, to plead his Merit, to seek to oblige or gain favour, to oppose strength or interest in this Case. A Common Envy, like an Hurricane or impetuous Torrent, overturns and carries all before it; at least it doth so for a time, till the Truth of things comes to be known by some woeful experience; so that the Wise Man may well ask this Question in my Text, Who is able to stand before Envy?  
Having thus given you a Taste of the Evil Nature of Envy, whereby we may perceive it to be the most violent and unruly of all the Passions, to be indeed the very worst of all the Diseases of Man's Mind: That we may the better avoid it in ourselves, beware of it in others, and use proper Remedies to cure it, either in ourselves or others, I shall,  

First, Endeavour to give a just Description of it, that we may perfectly know it.  
Secondly, Particularly set forth the usual mischievous Effects of it, that we may the more hate and avoid it: And,  
Thirdly, Propose such Remedies as will effectually cure it; that so we may apply them, as we see occasion. And,   
1. To know what Envy is, we shall find, if we consider it, That it is a Displeasure or Trouble arising in a Man's mind from the sight or knowledge of another Person's prosperity, (of whatsoever sort that Prosperity be, whether it consist in Reputation, Honour, Riches, or any other like advantage,) which causeth a man to hate the Person, whose Prosperity he beholds, and to wish and contrive and endeavour what he can to lessen, if not to ruin that Person.  
And this commonly arises on the sight of the Prosperity of Inferiors, or Equals.  
Men are Envious, when they see such as they accounted much their Inferiors, begin to draw near them; Or those they accounted scarce their Equals get above them. And therefore Envy frequently breeds amongst Relations, near Neighbours, or men of a like sort. Men Envy that to others, which they think themselves as well or better to deserve.  
They seldom envy Things, that are far out of their Reach; or Persons that are very much above them. As for Instance, a Peasant or a mean Man never thinks of Envying the Greatness of Noblemen or Princes; But Nobleses are envied by such as come near them, and Monarches only by those of the same High Station, and that, by the way, gives an Advantage of peace and quiet to a Government that is under One; since if he takes care of his own Affairs, none can envy his Actions: Whereas, where many Governor, and the Governors are almost upon the Level with the Subject, Envy creates endless strife and contention.  
But, I say, Envy is amongst them that at least think themselves of equal Merit and Pretensions. And therefore we may observe in History, That the Course which Wise Rulers have always taken to prevent this mischief, hath been with great Care to proportion Favour to Merit. And tho' this hath not been always able to do it, because men are very partial Judges of their own merit, and some will ever be envious; yet this they found the best Expedient to keep ENVY from being propagated, or growing to a mischievous Height; for if Envious men can do so much hurt, when they only take an occasion, How much more will be in their power, when great Occasions are given them?  
There is indeed a Commotion, that arises in men's Hearts upon the like occasion of seeing the Prosperity or Honour of another, which they think themselves as capable of; that is very different from Envy, and is termed by the Moralists Emulation; & is that Virtue, which St. Paul exhorts to in those words, Let us consider one another to provoke unto Love and to good Works, Heb. 10.24. Which doth not like Envy covet the Reward, but the work too; and which hath always this great Difference to distinguish it from Envy, or those Carnal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which are ill Translated Emulations in the 5 th'. of the Gal. that these are always joined with Hatred and evil-Will; whereas the virtuous Emulation always creates Love and Esteem of the persons whom we see in Honour and Prosperity, and a Desire to imitate them, that by a like Industry and Virtue, we may come to the same advantages.  
We have a lively Instance of the difference of these two Qualities in Saul and Jonathan upon the very same occasion of David's killing Goliath. Saul, we see, envied him for that great Action, and therefore hated and sought to destroy him; but Jonathan on the contrary emulated his Virtue, and therefore loved and admired the man, and desired to make him his Friend; and yet the Fame that David got by this Action, was no more, nay, rather less opposite to the Interest of Saul, whom David was never like to hurt, than it was to the Interest of Jonathan the Heir of his Father's Crown.  
There is then a wide Difference between noble Emulation and wicked Envy; the One of which ought to be rooted out, and the other cherished and cultivated as much as is possible; because it is the Spring and Rise of all Noble and Worthy Actions, and that on which all good Example works, and no great Genius was ever yet found without a great deal of Emulation.  
Plutarch in his Lives gives us two Notable Examples of the powerful working of Emulation in the hearts of two Famous Captains, Themistocles among the Greeks, and Caesar among the Romans. He relates that Themistocles complained to his Friends, that the Victory of Miltiades would not suffer him to sleep; And Caesar, when he read the Actions of Alexander, wept to think he was past his Age before he had done any thing memorable. These great Men had no ill Will to the persons they emulated; nor did they go about to lessen, but rather magnified their Deeds; and never grieved that others did well, but that they had not done the like themselves.  
Such a Gallant Emulation we often read of in the Histories of our Ancestors, and cannot but wish that the same Noble Spirit might revive again, when there is so much occasion for it, and these want not some great and eminent Examples to kindle it. For how much more honourable were it for men to emulate one another in valiant Actions for the Defence of their Country, than to spend their time in the little Intrigues of envy?  
Emulation is a Great & a Noble Virtue, but Envy a poor and a sneaking Vice: A Vice that always skulks & hides itself: For tho' men are sometimes so wicked as to boast and glory in other Vices, yet no man will own himself to be envious, which shows it to be an Infamous Quality in the eyes of all Men. A Man is afraid to be found in it, ashamed to own it. And therefore an envious man uses great Art to hide and colour his envy, and to make it look like something else: Sometimes he disguises it under a Mighty pretended Zeal for the Truth, sometimes under a great Love for the public Good and Welfare, sometimes under a Charitable Concern and great Tenderness for the Good or Credit of his Neighbour, whom he seems to pity, whilst he disparages; and, if you will believe Men's pretences, there is not a man living that has the least Envy in him. And yet if we inquire into the certain marks▪ and undoubted symptoms of this Vice, we shall hardly find any man wholly free from it; for if a man is grieved or troubled, when he hears of another's good Success; if he finds any Delight in his mind, when he hears of any Disgrace or Misfortune, that hath befallen his Neighbour; if he loves to hear of the weakness or miscarriages of those that are in prosperity; if he is glad to have an ill thing to tell of them; if he is out of Humour, when he hears their praise or commendation; if in relating their Actions he slily endeavours to lessen them, or when he does commend them, putteth in still some malicious Butts or Exceptions; if, as the Apostle in few Words expresses all this, A man rejoices in Iniquity, and not in the Truth. In iniquity, that is, to the Disgrace of any Person, and not in the Truth, that is to his advantage, That Man is certainly Envious. And how few than are wholly free from this Vice? In some indeed it grows to a most wicked and pernicious Height: but in all that have not wholly mortified their carnal Affections (amongst which S. Paul reckons this) there is some Taint of envy, according to the words of St. James, ch. 4. v. 5. Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us, lusteth to Envy? Without the powerful Grace of God to pluck it up, this Root of bitterness will grow in the hearts of all the Corrupt Children of Adam.  
We have seen then what envy is, Let us in the  
2 d. Place take a view of the usual mischievous effects of it, and see what Abundance of Evil it commonly does in the world; that we may be the more set against it, that we may avoid it ourselves, that we may beware of it in others, that we may use our utmost endeavours to quench this Flame, to dispatch this Hydra, to shut up this Pandora's Box, out of which mischief hath and doth continually fly over all the Earth, according to the words of the Apostle, Where Envy is, there is confusion, and every evil Work.  
For if we consult Histories, either Sacred or Civil, or the experience of any observing men, we shall find, that there hath been no Disturbance in the state, no Heresy or Schism in the Church, no trouble in any little Neighbourhood or private Family, but it is chiefly owing to envy.  
In the State, when one man is advanced to any Place of Trust, or Dignity, or Profit, presently those that think themselves as capable, or as deserving as he, raise a clamour, seek to disparage, endeavour to oppose him, lay plots for his Downfall and Ruin; and that many times for no other Reason, but because the man has obtained what they would gladly have had themselves. For a man that has so many Vices, that they cannot be reckoned up, when once he has a little got the start of his Neighbours in his Fortune, had been as good and as innocent a man as any one living, if he had continued upon the same Level with them, and joined in their envious Calumnies against others: But having got above them, they disparage, they hate, they endeavour to thwart him in all things, tho' it be to the hindrance and detriment of the Public Interest. In which, tho' they themselves have a common stake; Yet envy many times so blinds men's eyes, that they will rather hurt themselves, injure the common Good and Safety, ruin their Native Country, hazard all that is dear or precious, rather than not do what they can to pull down and destroy those whom they envy.  
And as envy hath and doth work continually such Confusion in the State, so it hath no less been a Disturber of the Peace of the Church.  
For though the Scriptures of the New Testament are full of Precepts against envy, such as that of St. Paul, Gal. 5.26. Let us not be desirous of Vain Glory, provoking one another, envying one another. And though our Blessed Saviour, both by his example and precept, taught all Christians not to seek Earthly, but Heavenly Riches and Honours, (the way to which could never be the same with that by which Satan fell from them) and tho' he gave to the Ministers of his Church the greatest Caution against vain Ambition, and would have those that are in the Highest Station be most humble and meek, and as officious to do good, as if they were the least, and servants of all, Mark 9.35. Yet nevertheless, because no Society can consist without Government, and there can be no Government without Subordination; for there is no Authority, and there can be no obedience, amongst those that are in all Respects equal; therefore our Lord himself did constitute different Orders; he ordained Apostles, whose Office is in the 1st. of the Acts, called a Bishopric; He likewise ordained Elders, who were not of so great Authority as the Apostles; and the Apostles, who were endued with Power from on high, ordained Deacons, all the Orders we now retain. Now, because Authority is that which all ambitious and worldly-minded men do seek; and it is impossible that any Church, or any Society here on earth, should be without any worldly-minded men in it: Thence hath arisen the Disturbance of the Peace of the Church, there have been men like Diotrephes, whom we read of in the 3d. Epistle of John, ver. 9 who loved Preeminence, and therefore envied the Possession of it by any other Persons; and as it is at the Tenth Verse, first began to prate against them, and then made Divisions from them  
This in all Ages of the Church, if we look into Ecclesiastical History, we shall find to be the first and chief Cause of all Heresies, Sects and Schisms. There were men that would fain have had the Preeminence, that were very angry that it fell to other men's Lots; and so first prated against them, and then made Divisions from them. Thus of Old, the Novation, Donatist, Arrian, and many other both Schisms and Heresies began: And therefore we must not think strange, if we see such things happen again in our Age. We have seen the effects of this, not only in Divisions in the Church, but also in Subdivisions among the Dividers themselves. For when a Proud man has made himself Head of a Sect, others of the same Sect, as Proud as he, have Envied that his Preeminence, and divided from him to make themselves Chief of other Sects, and in their turn have felt the same effect of Envy. For let men talk what they will of Parity or Equality, it is utterly impossible in any Society or Company that hold together, but that there will and must be some that will be more Eminent, and that will bear a greater sway than others, and in effect Govern; and wheresoever there is Superiority, that will be a But of Envy, and that Envy will be the Cause of Division; and Subdivisions are the easiest things in the world, because there is neither Authority nor Argument to restrain them, but what had been rejected before by the Dividers. So that if God should leave Human Nature to itself, as long as there is such a thing as Envy in it, there could be no Church-Government, there could be no Unity in the World.  
Having thus spoken of the Disturbance of Church and State that is given by Envy, I need say nothing of that Trouble and Vexation, that flood of Evil speaking, of Evil surmising, the multitude of Feuds and Quarrels, that Envy begets in every little Neighbourhood, in every private Family; since men's too common experience of this, to their Cost, will sufficiently excuse me from enlarging upon this Point; and indeed we have no Relation in History, Sacred or Civil, of the private Affairs of any Family, but we find therein some dreadful Marks of Envy.  
And to what end is all this Mischief done by Envious Men? What do they get by it? There is certainly a great deal of Labour, in contriving, in prosecuting, and yet hiding Envious Designs. There is much pain and anguish to the Envious Man, not only from a sense of the Gild of his Sin, but in the Sin itself, besides the punishment he must expect hereafter, which can be no other than what is inflicted upon the Devils, his Sin being the same with theirs.  
Envy is also its own Punishment; a Punishment so great, that when a man becomes extremely Envious, it even pines him away, it wastes his flesh, consumes his bones, eats his very heart; so that no man can find a greater Torment for a very Envious Man, than he inflicts upon himself. And what profit, I say, hath he for all this pain? His Envy is not only a discouragement to Worthy Men in the doing of their Duty, when they find so much ill-will for their pains; but is also an hindrance to himself, from treading in their steps, and taking the same Course to Virtue, and the Rewards of it: For when he has reproached others, he is ashamed, and too proud to imitate them; for which Reason Job charges the Envious with folly, as well as wickedness, saying, Envy slayeth the silly one.  
But suppose a Crafty Envy may sometime obtain its purpose, and pull down the man aimed at; 'tis but seldom that the Person, whose Envy chiefly procured this, has the fortune to step into his Place; or if he does, the Envy that he propagated against his Predecessor, often becomes as troublesome to himself, when he arrives at the same station; and so the Envious Man is very good at overturning or destroying any thing, but at building or settling of nothing.  
But since Envy is such a Plague to all the Earth, such a Disturbance to Society, such a Breeder of Discontent and Faction in the State, such a never-ceasing Cause of Schism and Division in the Church: It is a Wonder, some Man may say, that the good Providence of God endures Envious Men upon the face of the Earth, that the Divine Justice does not, as it did once in the Case of the Envious Levites, send them all down quick to those evil Spirits, whom they so nearly resemble, and not suffer them to trouble this earth any longer.  
But this is an Objection to be made by such as do not understand or consider the state of this present Life: We ought to know that this is an imperfect State, wherein evil must be mixed with good, of which there can be a perfect separation only in the future Life; that it is, as it were, the state of Infancy to good Men, who must be bred up here as Children in a School, for the state of Perfection; and therefore here they must pass through many Trials and difficult Methods of Discipline and Improvement, amongst which, the Envy both of Men and Devils, as 'tis managed by the Wise Providence of God, who can bring good out of evil, may very well be reckoned for one.  
For First, All Men are very apprehensive of shame and disgrace, to which the Envious stand ready, and are watchful, to expose men on any fault or miscarriage; and this doubtless keeps many Persons from being so bad as otherwise they would be.  
Again; The best Men are but weak and frail, and the snares of the Devil manifold; so that by avoiding one sin, we often run into another; and the most perfect Men on earth, if they do not err on the left hand, yet are apt to err on the right, to fall into some unreasonable extreme or other: And good Men, when they have attained to any excellency, are apt to be puffed up with some degree of Vanity, and in some sort to despise and contemn others, and to become more remiss in their own Duties. And these Faults, though they cannot see in themselves, and the kindness of their Friends makes them overlook them, and perhaps Flatterers may commend as Virtues; yet the quick sight of the Envious presently discovers them, and they blow them up into great Crimes, and blaze them abroad, so that Men themselves can be no longer ignorant of their faults.  
And again, Though the Envious do often Calumniate the best Men, yet they never directly Calumniate them for their Virtues, but they find out some fault, or at least some appearance or probability of a fault to Calumniate withal: As we read in the First of Job, the Devil, when he could not find any disobedience to charge Job with, charged him with worldly and self-ends in his obedience: So Envious Men, who are the Devil's most apt Scholars, never plainly reproach a Man for his Piety, Justice, or Charity, Prudence or Diligence, Temperance or Fortitude, though it be for the Reputation and Rewards of these, that they envy him; but they will charge him with Vain glory, or Hypocrisy, or Self-endedness, or the like: And if they can find the least Colour of any of these Vices; they take this for a Discovery, and magnify it to the uttermost. So that in effect, Envious Men are the most curious and exact Censors of Manners; they keep the World in a great deal of Awe, and are oftentimes our truest Friends to discover to us those faults which otherwise we should have overlooked. They make us circumspect in every Action, and I believe, a great many may say by experience, That the Envy of their Enemies (though it is no thank to them) hath contributed more to the Reformation, and the perfecting of their Manners, than all the kindness of their Friends. This good use and profit of Envy, though in itself a very wicked thing, and dwelling only in the most wicked hearts, the Alwise and overruling Providence of God doth make; and every wise and good Man ought to make this Advantage of others Envy, he ought to grow the more careful and circumspect in all his ways, and so to profit thereby.  
But because the generality of the World are not wise, and the best Men on earth are but imperfectly so; therefore, when Envious Men raise slanders, contrive evil devices against those they Envy, the Persons envied are apt to retort them, to render evil for evil, and the standers-by take part with the one side or the other, according as their Envy or other Passions incline them; and so Quarrels are inflamed, Parties are formed, and it often ends in War and Confusion. The best way then to prevent so much Mischief, as Envy usually brings into the World, is to use what means we can to cure this evil Disease in men's Minds, which is the  
Last Enquiry, What are the proper Remedies for this Disease? And there are Four sufficient and effectual Remedies, if we will but carefully seek and Apply them. The  

First is, A Right Apprehension of the Nature of the things of this World, a true Understanding of the Value of them. The  
Second, A Due Submission to the Will of God in all things. The  
Third, A True Humility. And the  
Fourth, A Christian Charity.   
1. Then, A true understanding of the Nature, and the Value of the things of this present world, will be a powerful Remedy against Envy; For indeed, when Virtuous and Worthy men are envied, it is not for their Virtue, but it is for those worldly Advantages which they get by it. As for Virtue itself, 'tis in every man's power: He may have it if he will go to the Cost. But those Advantages which are the Rewards of it, are commonly in the Power of others. And men do not grieve for want of that, which it is in their own power to have, but for want of that, which it is in the power of others to give. This is plain in the Instance I mentioned of Cain's envying his Brother; for God told him, that he need not be cast down, since he might do well and be accepted; But he had no mind to do well, and yet he had a Mind to be Accepted, and to have the Benefit of it; so that he envied not his Brother's Goodness, which he might have had, if he pleased, but he envied God's Acceptance of him, and the Blessings that were like to follow thereupon. So likewise, in that other memorable Instance of the Envy of Saul 'gainst David; Saul envied not David's Courage in venturing to go against Goliath, for that he might have had himself; he might have gone against that Champion then, or afterwards against any of his Gygantick brethren, but Saul envied the praise, that David got by this, when the Women celebrated his Valour in their Songs, saying, Saul hath slain his Thousands, but David his Ten Thousands. He was very willing that David should have the Fight, but he would fain have had the praise.  
Now, besides that it is most unjust, that the work and the reward should be separated, or that they should desire the one, that have no mind to the other: I say besides this, if men would but inquire what there is in popular praise, in worldly Wealth or Greatness, they would find them so unfit and improper to give true Content or Satisfaction to man's Mind; so uncertain also, for they do not always happen to those that best deserve them; and if it be our hap to obtain them, they can be ours but so little a while; that a wise man would hardly spend one anxious or solicitous thought about them, much less torment his mind with so grievous and sore a passion (as Envy is) for them: Especially when that more substantial good of doing well, and performing our Duty, and what becomes us in all Circumstances, is always within our Reach and Power, the Grace of God waiting continually to assist us therein; and this, besides the unconceivable Comfort every good and generous mind must feel therein, will entitle us to Rewards, that are not empty, uncertain, and transitory, but unspeakably Happy and Eternal. The  
2. Remedy against Envy, is a dutiful Submission to the will and pleasure of God, by whose providence all things here below are ordered and disposed. If we consider how much it is our duty to submit to him, whose all things are, and even we ourselves, (and he cannot but have a just Title to do whatsoever he will with his own) we can never have an evil or an envious Eye at the Prosperity of any of our Brethren. For even this is wholly the Gift of God; So the Scripture saith, The Lord maketh rich, and maketh poor, he lifteth up and casteth down; and How dares man then, by his Envy, censure the Actions of his Maker, or say unto God, What dost thou? He hath wise Reasons for all his Doings, tho' we sometimes are not able to find them out. We know not the meaning of His Providence oftentimes, and why then should we presume to judge it? For we cannot, as Solomon says in the 9 of Eccles. ver 1. Judge either of God's Love or Hatred, by the things that are before us, by the disposal of worldly Advantages; for worldly Goods are not always Blessings, and God may in Judgement and Anger suffer some to be rich and great in this Moment of Life, whilst others, whom he loves better, may be mean and despised. Even, according to Natural Reason, and the Judgement of the Philosophers, those that are termed the good things of this World, are not good in themselves, but as they are used: A wise and good Man will be sure to use them well, and he were an ill Man that would envy him any thing. But Riches or Honours heaped upon a fool, or a wicked man, are rather a Mischief than a Benefit to him: They make him but more remarkably foolish, they greaten and show his faults more advantageously, and in a clearer light, they also blow up and inflame his Lusts and Passions: For either they lead him into Pride and Vanity, Riot and Excess, and so there is a quick dispatch both of the Man and his Fortune together; or else Covetousness seizeth him, and renders all his Substance useless to him, and fear of losing what he has, keeps him always in anxiety. Now who would envy a man in such a state of misery? This may cure Envy in the worst natured man living. How much more, if we consider what the end of all this is like to be? God may suffer wicked men to prosper in this World, to fill up the measure of their Iniquities; or they having placed their happiness in earthly things, he may in Judgement make them all their portion, as Abraham told Dives, they had been his. God may suffer them, as Job speaks, ch. 21. v. 13. To spend their days in wealth, and in a moment to go down into the Grave: Nay, below the Grave, to a Place, as David tells us, Psal. 33.19. where they are consumed with Terrors. And is this a Condition to be envied? Who can envy a moment's folly, that must end in never-ceasing Torment and Misery?  
3. Humility is also an Effectual Remedy against Envy: For Envy arises from Pride, Self love, and Self-conceit; and a man is never envious, who has humble thoughts of himself: He that looks carefully into his own Infirmities and Failings, will have but little heart to be ambitious or envious, or to censure others; he will find it so necessary to judge himself, that he will never think of judging his Neighbour; and seeing plainly how much weakness he himself might be liable to, if he were in place or power; he will be so far from envying others Advancement, that he will be glad, that he himself is not set in so slippery a place, where he knows not, whether he should be able to stand upright. It is therefore excellent Advice, that is given by the wise Son of Syrach, Seek not to be Judge, not being able to take away Iniquity. And if men would impartially examine their own fitness for the Stations they envy others, they might easily cure themselves of this troublesome Passion. But (as the Apostle speaks) men neither measuring nor comparing themselves, as they ought, are not wise, but fall into many foolish and hurtful Lusts and Passions.  
Lastly, A true Christian Charity is a most effectual Remedy against Envy; For this pluks it up by the very Roots, and plants in our Hearts what is most contrary thereunto. For he, that truly loves his Brother, can never Envy him, so says the Apostle, Charity envieth not. He, that loves his Neighbour as himself, Nay, that accounts his Neighbour to be himself, (for so the Apostles Words imply, Ye are members one of another, Rom. 12.5. And again, Ye are one Body, 1 Cor. 10 17.) will be so far from envying or repining at any good, that happens to his Brother, that he will find a sensible Joy and Delight therein; according to the Words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 12.26. If one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.  
It is a wonderful Alteration, that true Charity (if it once take possession of a man's heart) maketh in all the Passions and Affections of his mind. For nothing in our Brethren can be grievous to us, when we have Charity: Nothing can, but what is an Evil to them, and that also moves Compassion, and not Hatred; not only Hatred and Malice, and Envy, and all those troublesome and tormenting Passions, are utterly banished out of our hearts by Charity; but our hearts are thereby mightily enlarged; Our Joy and Delight are made more Noble and more Abundant; we have a Spiritual and Rational Delight instead of that, which is sensual and brutish, to which a man, that has a base Self-love, is only confined; neither is our Joy so poor and narrow, as to be limited within the Compass of one Particular. But he whose Heart is enlarged with Charity, partakes of Joy in all men's Happiness, which he accounts his own, because they are dear to him, and of the same Body. For as a man, that has natural Affection, rejoices in the Prosperity of his Children, or near Relations; or he, that hath a true sense of friendship, rejoices in the Happiness of his Friend; so a truly Charitable man, that accounts himself nearly related, and a friend to all men, rejoices in any good that happens to any man, if it be indeed a good to him.  
By planting this Noble Charity then amongst men, our Blessed Saviour hath countermined all the devices of Satan, hath destroyed the works of the Devil, which he chiefly promoted and carried on by Envy. And as the Devil by Envy first disturbed Heaven itself, and hath since wrought all manner of mischief and Confusion in the Earth, so our Blessed Saviour on the contrary, by Charity, of which himself was the Greatest and Noblest Example, and which he hath made his Chief Commandment, and taken the greatest care to instruct us in, and press upon us, hath restored all things, hath established the Blessed Angels in their Happy State, hath given Peace on Earth, and put us into a Capacity, if we continually walk in Charity, of coming to the same unalterable state of Glory and Happiness, that the Holy Angels are in; of coming to those Regions of Bliss and Joy, where all Rejoice in one another's Felicity; where mutual Love, and most sincere kindness, makes the Blessedness of all that Glorious Society, the Blessedness of every particular Member of it; where being most nearly united together in the most intimate concern for one another, in the straitest Bond of Friendship, and having, as it were, but one Mind and one Soul, they partake of one common and unexpressible Joy together.  
To which God of his Infinite Mercy, bring us all for Jesus Christ his sake. Amen.  
FINIS.   

Books Printed for John Southby at the Harrow in Cornhill, London.  
By the same Author, A Sermon Preached before the QUEEN at White-Hall, Aug. 23. 1691. published by her Majesty's Command.  


The Unworthy Non-Communicant: A Treatise showing the danger of Neglecting the Blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper; and rectifying the mistakes of many in this Age concerning it: The First part. The Third Impression Corrected, with Addition of Prayers before and after Receiving the Sacrament.  
The Benefit of Early Piety, recommended to all Young Persons, and particularly to those of the City of London. The Second Edition, part 1st.  
A Sermon preached before the Right Honourable, Sir Tho. Stamp Lord Mayor, the Court of Aldermen, and Citizens of London, Septemb. 29. 1692. at the Election of the Lord Mayor for the Year ensuing.  
These Three By William Smythies, Curate of St. Giles Cripplegate, London.    
The present War, No Burden to ENGLAND.