I am rich, or in any other profperous condition, and begin to pride up myfelf, and to take upon me; presently a mind accuftomed to affume upon itfelf, by pre-apprehenfion, a contrary condition, will check that pride and vanity with fuch a kind of expoftulation as this: How unfeemly, imprudent, and vain is this? What if to-morrow I fhould be caft down from my greatnefs, or caft upon my bed of 'fickness, or under the cloud of difgrace, or it may be taken away by death? What will then become of this immoderation? Carry it along with me I can, not, for the change of my condition will not bear it; and if, with the change of my condition, I do, as I muft, put off thefe follies that attend me in this, 6 that which is now my excefs, my fin, will then be my shame, my forrow, and vexation.' 2. As a frequent pre-apprehenfion of disadvantageous changes, tutors the mind to a right use of the prefent condition, fo it admirably fits a man with fuch a temper of fpirit as becomes his changed condition: Doth his change require patience to bear it? contentedness under it, preparedness for it? He hath learned this in the theory, and hath laid them up ready to be put in ufe if occafion call for them: if there be no occafion to practise them, they are no burden; but if there be, he hath put himself to fchool to affliction by premeditation before it comes, and is ready to exercife thofe virtues when it comes. But, on the other fide, a man that being in a condition of profperity, never puts himfelf under the fad thoughts of a change of his present happiness, if fuch a change befals him, he is at his wits end; he is furprized and overwhelmed with it; he knows not how to bear it, but falls into impatience, or his very foul dies within him; he is taken before he is prepared, and none of thofe difpofitions, or rather distempers of mind, that were bred up upon his former condition, will at all ferve the prefent, but to distract, and difquiet, and perplex him, as his former pride, haughtiness of mind, greatnefs of fpirit, intemperate

nefs,

nefs, luxury; they are fo far from being at all ferviceable and ufeful to him, that they are as fo many rags and furies to torment him; and the things called patience, and contentednefs, and humility, and calmaefs of fpirit, which are of abfolute neceffity for his prefent change, he knows not how to attain or ufe. It is a miferable, or at least a very great improvidence, for a man to be learning thofe virtues, when the prefent neceffity calls for the ufe of them: it is like a thief who is to learn to read, when he is to pray his clergy,

1

5. It is therefore a moft useful and neceffary courfe for men in profperity to take up their frequent contem1lution fa change. Bilney, when the true profeffion of the Gospel in this kingdom was under profecution, was used to put his finger into the candle to inure himfelf the better to undergo martyrdom, which he at length fuffered, poffibly with more refolution and patience, than if he had omitted that experiment. And furely this practice of patience would be with more eafe, and no lefs advantage, if, in the time of our external happiness, we did fometimes, and oftentimes, take up fuch ferious contemplations as thefe, both in reference to death, and other external afflictions: I am now alive and well, but I cannot but know that I am mortal and muft die; but my own reason, and every day's experience, tell me, that my time is very uncertain and cafual: a finall diftemper. or diforder in any little vein or artery, a little cold, a little meat undigested, may caft me into a mortal difeafe; a crumb going afide, a contagious air, the Fall of a ftone on me, or of me upon a stone, may fuddenly take away my life. There are fuch infinite cafualties that may be mortal to me, that it is no wonder that I fhould die, but it is that I live. What if it fhould pleafe God, by any disease or accident, fuddenly to call me to account for my ftewardship, are my accounts ready? Is my peace made? Are fins pardoned? Is my pardon fealed? Is all as

my

• ready

ready as it becomes that hour? if it be, well; if not, it becomes me fpeedily to fet things in order, efpecially my great concernment; for as this tree of mine falls, fo it will lie to all eternity.' Such thoughts as thefe, often and feriously entreated, would not haften a man's death, but would much amend his life: It would put and keep the foul in right order and temper. Again, I am now in health and firength, free from difeafe and pains; if I am not cut off by an untimely ' end, I must expect that difeafe and pains will lay hold of me; it may be a burning fever, or a languifhing confumption, or fome fuch difeafe as may make the nights long, and the days troublesome, every place uneafy, all things I eat or drink infipid; every limb or vein, bone or finew, contributing fome pain or weaknefs, or faintnefs, or anguish, to the cominɔn ftock of that difeafe which I muft fuffer. How am 'I furnished with patience to bear it? Can I amend in myfelf that frowardnefs, unquietnefs, peevifhnefs, and impatience, that I behold in others in the like cafe?' Believe it, fickness is not the fittest time either to learn virtue, or to make our peace with God: it is a time of distemper and difcompofednefs: Thofe must be learned and practifed before fickness comes, or it will be too late, or very difficult, to do it after. Again, I am now abounding with wealth; but riches many times make themfelves wings and fly away; a thief or a robber, a plunder or a fequeftration, a false information, or a falfe oath, the change ' of times, or cafualties of fire or war, oppreflion from 'those above, or tumult from thofe beneath, the Chaldean or the Sabean, a word or action misunderstood, mifapprehended, or misinterpreted, and a thoufand 'contingences may take away all my wealth; fo that I may ftand and fee my fervants deferting me, my children utterly unprovided for, myfelf in extremity and want: So that I, that have relieved thousands, must be fain to gain bread for myself and my little children, either by the fweat of my own brows in

fome

fome low employment, or by the charity of others. This may be, and may be fpeedily: experience of thefe times have made it vifibly poffible, wherein 'thoufands that never dreamed of a change, have unexpectedly felt it. Can I come down to fo low a 'condition with quietnefs and ferenity of mind, without murmuring against Providence, or curfing, or ftudying revenge upon the inftruments of it? Nay, ⚫ can I entertain this change with patience? nay, with cheerfulness? nay, with thankfulness to God, that he gives me my evil things in this life? If he be pleafed but to blefs my afflictions to me, and to referve my portion of happiness for the life to come, can I still depend upon God, live upon him, and ⚫ bless his liberality, if he allow me and my poor children a piece of bread and a cup of water? Can I look through the darkness of my prefent condition, and behold that hope of eternity that is beyond it, gather more comfort in that hope than all the prefent difafters can give difcomfort? If I can do this, my lofs will be my gain; if I cannot, it should be my bufinefs, in the time of my profperity, to lay up 'fuch a stock and treasure against the evil day, which 'will be above the malice, and power, and reach, of men and devils to deprive me of.' 'Again, I am now in boncur and esteem in the world, my place 'makes me eminent, and if it did not, yet my reputation is fair, and clear, and great; it may be I can without vanity or oftentation, own as much esteem 'as Job doth in his xxixth chapter, The young men faw 'me and hid themselves, and the aged arofe and stood up; when the ear heard me, it bleffed me; and when the eye faw me, it gave witnefs to me:' But for all 'this my condition may be changed as his was, and my next complaint may be with him, chap. xxx. "But now they that are younger than I have me in derifion, whofe fathers I would have difdained to ' have fet with the dogs of my flock: and now I am their fong, yea, I am their by-words.' I may be

'branded

<

<

branded with the imputation of the highest crimes; nay, my very religion and piety to Almighty God, and my juftice, honefty, and fidelity, to men, may be covered with an imputation of the basest hypocrify and difhonefty under heaven; and though this part of my reputation hath been my darling, that I valued the higheft of any thing in the world, and confequently a blemish caft upon me in this be half, would wound me deeper than any worldly lofs; yet a confequence of greater importance would follow upon it, which I value higher than my reputa<tion, viz. the honour of God, the value and esteem • of religion would be wounded through this wound; < yet if this fhould befall me, I am in a train and temper of mind to bear it as I fhould. Can I be • contented to fit under reproach and infamy with patience and quietnefs of mind? Can I content myfelf with the fecret witnefs of my own confcience, attefting my innocence, though the imputations under which I fet are as black as hell? Can I cheer⚫ fully make my fecret appeal to the fearcher of hearts, and please myself with the ferenity of his countenance towards me? Though I am clothed with calumnies and reproaches, can I wait his time for vindication, and content myself, though the world never know my innocence, fo as my God and my confcience can attest it? If I have not arrived at this temper and pitch of mind, it fhould be my labour to attain it; for without it, I fink under my re'proaches and infamies: But if I have attained it, then, under the moft dark and cloudy ftorm of undeferved reproach and infamy, I enjoy a Gofben within myself, I have a beam of light that follows me in the blackest night, and I conquer my reproaches by fuffering them.'

5. But though this exercise of putting ourselves under notional afflictions, is of fingular ufe to habituate and fit us for fuch a temper as becomes fuch a change, yet this is not all; afflictions are not only

notional