on eternal life whereunto thou art called. SERM. "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who VIII. 66 66 66 quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this Com"mandment without spot, unrebukeable, until "the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: "which in his Times he shall shew, who is "the blessed and holy Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords *” * í Timo cho vị. 14. 15, SERMON But godliness with contentment is great gain. THERE HERE are some dispositions which SERM. men are inclined to encourage, manifestly IX. to their own loss and discomfiture; revenge, for instance, is of this nature; all wrath, malice, envy, and hatred; covetousness, inordinate ambition; but, above all, discontent. (To begin with the most obvious argument on this head) supposing discontent to have some shadow of reason on its side, that is, supposing our condition was really perversely unfortunate; that all we most depended upon had failed; all we most desired and wished for been withheld, would a spirit of discontent mend our IX. SERM. our misfortunes, or lighten our griefs ? Certainly not; it would be (to speak by a figure) giving advantage to our enemy; to suffer, and not murmur, takes away all shame at once; but to suffer and to murmur too is only to add to our own distresses. But though this seems a palpable folly, yet nothing is more common. The least misfortune that befals us, throws us off our guard, and we immediately forget that no misfortune is greater than an uneasy mind; so, if our troubles arise from any injury that our neighbour has done us, either by actual violence, or through neglect, instantly a spirit of revenge arises; we are unquiet to the greatest degree, tilf we have either made him suffer in return, or till we have slighted him with equal coldness and indifference. In the meanwhile this is not to be done without great agitation of mind; every indifferent thing goes wrong till the final object of revenge and retaliation is accomplished, and when the whole matter comes to be wound up, the result is this, that having with much trouble IX. trouble suffered an injury, we put ourselves SERM. to a great deal more trouble to inflict an injury in return. This is certainly downright folly; and, like many other mistakes that men fall into, all "vanity and vexation " of spirit." Wrath and anger are of the same nature, though more sudden, perhaps, and less durable, than revenge in general, yet they are very turbulent passions, greatly discomposing and agitating both the mind and body; so far from leading to any good end, as commonly, by the confession of those most subject to them, exceedingly to increase the evils by which they are excited. Envy is a passion also no less troublesome than base, for ever interfering with our happiness, and lessening all our pleasures; leading us into comparisons productive always of pain, mortification, and despondency; hatred is equally distressing; and covetousness, forbidding us ever to be satisfied with present possessions, renders us a prey to intemperate desires, or gloomy apprehensions. All these passions evidently fail of their end; indulged |