nours, but especially worldly and carnal pleasures, are greater in their expectation than they are in the fruition or enjoyment. They promise a great deal more than they perform. Many times these worldly pleasures, while they promise much contentment and satisfaction, they become great evils and crosses, but when they perform best, yet they come very short of what they promise, or what you expect.

Therefore take this allay with you in the pursuit of worldly pleasures and contentments. It will make you moderate and sober in your affections towards them, and will make you contented in your disappointments of them.

And as touching anger, you must be careful in these ensuing particulars.

1. Be not angry too soon if you receive a provocation, either by word or action: do not presently return reproach for reproach, or reviling for reviling, or stroke for stroke pause and consider before you give yourself leave to be angry, or to give an ill reply or return for the injury you receive: learn by heart these four verses, and repeat them to yourself before you give leave to this passion, and discover any effects thereof by word or deed, Proverbs xiv. 29. « He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding,

but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly" Prov. xvi. 32. "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city." Matt. v. 44. "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." Rom. xii. 19. “ Dearly beloved avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, and I will repay it, saith the Lord." Repeat these four verses to yourself privately when you are under a provocation to sudden anger; you will have these two advantages by this little, easy piece of advice; 1. The matter of them, and the authority of them that gave you and me these commands, will be a means to qualify and moderate your passions. 2. The delay that the very repetition of these verses will give to the rising of your anger, will cool it and put it by; for commonly passions of this nature take fire at first, and if their sudden rising up be stopped, they grow cool by a little delay, and the voice of reason and prudence may be heard when the man is a little cool, which the sudden tempest of passion drowns and overbears; commonly the greatest mischiefs are done upon a sudden in the

first firing of the passion, and delay and a pause, calms and allays it.

2. Be not angry too much. If you must needs be angry, be no more angry than the occasion or provocation deserves, and this also will give your anger a pause and delay, to take a due measure of the provocation given you, which, as before, will give leave to reason, and prudence, and discretion to be heard. It may be you receive it but at the second hand, and it may be a false report, and then you have no reason to be angry at all. But if there were really a provocation, yet it may be it was not intended as you take it. It may be, that he that now provokes you, or does you an injury, was first provoked or injured by you, or at least thought himself so. It may be the man that provoked you was disordered with drink, or with passion, or is a weak or a foolish man, and deserves your pity rather than your anger; and a thousand such circumstances may be found to abate the malignity of an injury or provocation, and therefore must give an allay to the measure or excess of your anger.

3. Be not angry too long, Eph. iv. 26, 27. "Be angry and sin not let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil." Anger, when it resteth long, hath these

two mischiefs attending it: 1. It gives a disquietness and disorder to the breast wherein it is lodged. 2. It ordinarily degenerates into a worse disposition, namely, hatred, malice, revenge, implacableness, which are always or most commonly attended with great mischiefs. And upon the same account be ready to take all opportunities of reconciliation, if you are injured; yet if the damages be not so great that your estate or condition is not able to bear it, let a small satisfaction serve the turn, even the confessing of the wrong, and a desire of friendship or reconciliation. It is your daily prayers that God would forgive you as you forgive others.

But if your damage be so great that your condition is not able to bear it, and the person that injured you be able but refuseth to make you satisfaction, yet be not your own avenger; let the laws and the magistrates of the kingdom make you reparation: yet while you seek your legal remedy, lay by all malice or anger, and do it with all moderation and desire of peaceableness and friendliness. And thus far concerning the moderation of your passions, which though it be a lesson too hard for childish age, yet as you grow up, it may be a useful lesson.

CHAPTER XIV.

Concerning Idleness and Employment.

Now I shall write some observations concerning idleness and employment.

One great means of corrupting the manners, and consuming the estates of this present age is idleness, and this especially reigns among those that are called the gentry, who for the most part think it below their rank and condition so much as to understand what belongs to a calling, business or employment. Heretofore it was the honour of the English gentlemen to understand their estates, to know how to manage them, to employ their time in husbandry, in planting, in raising flocks of sheep, cattle and horses, in understanding the state of the country where they live; to have a competent knowledge in the laws of the kingdom, and thereby to become able justices of the peace, and to be peace makers among their neighbours; to understand the kingdom and affairs of the kingdom.

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