feth up the Heart, ftirreth us for ward, carrieth us beyond our felves; and in this State it is where a Man lofeth himself, whereof we ought to take good heed: For when Fortune laugheth, and every thing happeneth to our defire, then fhould we fear moft, and ftand upon our guard, bridle our Affections, compofe our Actions by Reafon; and above all, avoid Prefumption, which commonly follows it for it has a flippery Pace, wherein a Man must take fure footing, for there is no time wherein a Man doth more forget God; and it is a rare thing to find a Man that doth humbly attribute the Cause. of his Felicity unto him; and therefore we ought to carry our felves as in an evil and dangerous way, and go with feas and doubt, O how many have been loft, and have perish'd miferably, for want of Difcretion to mo derate themfelves therein! We must therefore ftay our felves, or go for ward with a flower Pace. But in thefe times of Profperity, Adverfity is a Medicine, because it leadeth us to the Knowledge of our felves: But

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we must take heed of the common Opinion of Adverfity, which is erroneous, and differs from Truth and Reafon, (viz.) To difcredit and bring into hatred, all Adverfities and Af flictions, and call them Evils, Difafters, Mifchiefs, &c. Because fuch outward things in themfelves are neither good nor evil, neither do they make a Man wicked, but rather ferve as a means to amend those that are fo; for doubtless Adverfity, Afflictions, Croffes, and Accidents, are common to all, but they work divers Effects, according to that Subject on which they fall: To the Foolish and Impenitent, they may be a means to drive them to Despair or Distraction: To Sinners and Offenders (not harden'd) they are lively Inftructions, to put them in mind of their Duty, and to bring them to the Knowledge of God: To Vertuous People, they are a means to exercife their Vertue, and gain greater Commendation, and a nearer Alliance with God: To Wife Men, they are a matter of Good, and fometimes a means to mount up to Greatness an excellent Example hereof,

hereof, was Foseph the Son of a cob.

That a Man may the better defend himfelf in thefe Adverfities, and quit himself with advantage, a principal mean is to be an honeft Man, for a vertuous Man is more peaceable in Adversity, than a vicious Manvis in Profperity; and he that hath an evil Confcience is more tormentedy than he that hath a good one; for having the inward part found, outward things cannot hurt it; efpecially be ing oppos'd with a good Courage. Now fuch Adverfities, as are real, as Sickness, Pain, Grief, Lofs, &c. we may obferve are Natural unto Men from their Birth; then what doth af Aict us, being natural unto us, we cannot justly receiver Offence there by; for Offence is a Malady of the Soul, contrary to Nature, and ought not to come near us. There is not an Accident befals us, wherein Nature hath not prepar'd an aptnefs in us to receive it, and to turn it to our content: For it is the leffer part of Man that is fubject to Fortune; the principal part cannot be

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overcome without our confent: For tune may make a Man poor, fick, afflicted, but not vicious and dif folute, nor take from us Courage and Virtue; and if we confider aright, we have more reafon to be content with our good Fortune, than to complain of the bad. We fhould not fo torment our felves at our Miffortunes, as to forget our Comforts; for if the Evils that we fuffer fhould be compar'd with the Blessings we enjoy, the Divifion being equally made, we may fee, by the overplus of the Good, the Injuftice of our Complaint: And if we caft our Eyes abroad, and fee thofe that are in a far worfe Condition than us, (who would think themselves happy if they were in our Places) we might fo far confider their Condition, as to think, it is God's great Mercy to us, that ours is not fo bad; which, if weightily con fider'd by us, would keep us from murmuring, and bear patiently our Adverfities, &c. Charron.

That

That there is a Divine Providence

over us in Humane Things, appears from the following Quotations, viz. Gen. 24. 35. Exod. 21. 1, 3. 1 Sam. 2. 7. Job 1. 24. and 36. 22. Pfal. 107. 40, 41. Prov. 16. 33. Ecclef. 7. 14. and 9. 11, 12. Jer. 10. 23..

01

Because (as

Ecaufe the Sout of Man (as afores faid) is the most precious thing belonging to Man (the Image of God) and is Immortal; and the way for it to attain to Everlasting Happiness, is to abide in the Love and Favour of God; which is no other way attain'd to, but (by the affiftance of the Spirit of God) to follow and embrace Vertue, the feveral Branches whereof are in the following Chapter defined by the Philofophers.

CHAP.