pice, they either grow dizzy and stand trembling, or tumble down with a much greater Ruin. And as it is in these Inftances, fo it is proportionably with most of the other Defigns we purfue in this World, whether they be little or great.

So that, in truth, the Lot of Mankind, in this Life, is very hard. In all our Labours, we either hit, or mifs; we either fucceed, or are difappointed. If we be disappointed, we are certainly troubled : And if we do fucceed, for any thing we know, that very Succefs may prove our greatest Unhappiness.

4. But, fourthly, to go a little further yet; Let us fuppofe that we have brought no Inconvenience upon ourselves by our Choice. Let us fuppofe our Designs were reasonable, and they rightly fucceeded, and the Circumstances of our Condition are every way fit and proper for us: Yet, is this fufficient to procure us Content? May we then fay to ourselves, Soul, take thine Eafe, eat, drink, and be merry? Alas! there is too much Reafon to fear the contrary; for fuch is the Conftitution of this World, that let us be in what Circumftances we will, yet we shall meet with many Troubles and Inconveniencies that do neceffarily flow from the Nature of that Condition which we are in, tho' otherwife it may be the fitteft for us of all others. There is no State of Life, even the moft defirable, but

is

We

is attended with many peculiar Difadvantages of its own. Others poffibly, that are at a Distance, may not fee this. They may think us very happy. They may admire our good Fortune, that were born under fuch lucky Planets. They believe we live free from all manner of Inquietude and Difcontent. But we know other Things. We feel where our Shoe pincheth us. are fenfible, that if others faw into our State, as much as we do ourselves, they would not be fo apt to envy us. Nay, fo far are even the happiest among us, from pleafing ourselves in our Ways of Living, that we often think we fee others that are happier than we, and with whom, as to many Things, we would willingly change Conditions. Are we ingaged in a Life of Action and Bufinefs? How do we applaud the Happiness of thofe that live in Eafe and Privacy, and can command their own Time. Do we, on the contrary, live in Retirement, and have but few Affairs to mind? When then our Time lies upon our Hands, and we complain for want of Employment, and call only thofe happy that are Men of Bufinefs. Are we in great and fplendid Circumftances, above the Rank of common Men? Then we feel the Cares and Burthens that this brings upon us, and only cry up the fecure quiet State of thofe that live in a lower Sphere. But are we, on the contrary, in a low Condition? Who

then

then with us, but the great Men, that carry the World before them? Thus are we generally unfatisfied with the prefent Condition in which we are, and apt to like any other better than our own.

Now this Kind of Difcontent doth not always arise from the Inconftancy of our Minds, but from the particular Grievances and Inconveniencies that our State of Life is attended with; which we, being in that State, are extremely fenfible of: But we confider not that there are the fame, or as great, in other Conditions. Briefly, our Way in this World is all ftrewed with Briers and Thorns; we can tread no where but our Feet are pricked. There is no fincere unmingled Good to be met with. Every State of Life, as it hath fomething of Good in it, fo the best hath fome evil difpleafing Appendages infeparably adhering to it. Nay, perhaps, in true fpeaking, the worldly Happiness of any Man's Condition is not to be measured by the Multitude of Goods he enjoyeth in it, but rather by the Fewness of the Evils it brings upon him.

5. But, fifthly, to go further yet; Let us fuppose we find no Inconvenience in the Circumftances of our Lives: We will fuppofe we are poffeffed of many Goods, from the Enjoyment of which we may promife to ourselves folid Contentment and Satiffaction. These are our prefent Thoughts. But are we fure we fhall always continue in

the

the fame Mind? Are we fure that that which is now very grateful and agreeable, and affects us with a fenfible Pleasure and Delight, will continue always to do fo? On the contrary, have we not much Reafon to fear, that, in a little Time, it will grow dull and unaffecting; nay, poffibly, very irkfome and displeasing? Such is the Nature of Mankind, or the Nature of Things themselves, that no earthly Delight or Comfort can please us long. We are, indeed, very fond of them at the firft, and are much tickled and tranfported with them: But after we have a while enjoyed them, we are cloyed; our Appetites to them are gone, and we throw them behind us, as Children do thofe Play-Toys that at firft they were wonderfully fond of The greatest Bleffings of this World are to the Mind of Man, as any one Sort of Fare, tho' never fo delicious, is to a weak Stomach; by long Ufage they become flat and unfavoury, and have quite another Relish than they had at firft, when they were Novelties to us.

6. But I have not yet done with this Point. To all thefe Things let us add, in the fixth Place, the numberless daily Troubles and Discompofures of Mind, not peculiar to any Condition, as those I spoke of before, but common to all, arifing from Mens Minds and Tempers, and the Things and Perfons they converfe with in the

World.

World. It is a melancholy Confideration; but I believe the Experience of Mankind will make it good, that there is scarce a Day in our Lives, that we pafs in perfect uninterrupted Peace and Content, but fomething or other every Day happens that gives us Trouble, and makes us uneasy to ourfelves. Nor do I speak this only of the extremely vicious, or the extremely unfortunate, the greatest Part of whofe Lives is certainly very irksome and troublesome to them, but of thofe Perfons that are the happieft, thofe that have the leaft Reason to complain either of their outward or inward Condition.

Let any Man pick out any Day of his Life, and feriously obferve the particular Paffages of it, and the State of his own Mind under thofe Paffages, and, I am confident, he will find, that tho' the Evil of that Day doth not counter-balance the Good, yet it is fufficient to interrupt his Happiness, and to render him very unfatisfied, as to feveral Things. Either he finds himself dull, or out of Humour; or he is perfecuted by fome very unagreeable Company; or he faith or doth fomething that he afterwards feverely reflects on; or he is displeased with fome Language or Carriage of others towards him; or he is put out of his Temper by fome ill News, or the Miscarriage of fome of his Affairs; or he finds fome troublefome Paffion to arife