Body to an untimely Grave, The Sorrow of this Worldworketh Death. (8.) There are Inftances, not a few, wherein immoderate Grief hath prevailed fo far as to hurry Perfons into Despair of the Mercy of God, and armed their own Hands against themselves to put an End to their miferable Life on Earth, by plunging into Eternity with a venture of everlafting Mifery.

11th Direction. When your Thoughts have meditated or all these dismal Attendants of immoderate Sorrow, fet your Will and your Hands at work, as well as your Mind. Endeavour to employ yourself in fome Bufinefs, though your Sorrow would plead for Sloth, and would let all things run at Random. Instead of wasting Life in fruitless Moans and Complaints, do fomething (if poffible) toward the Relief of your prefent Affliction, and the Removal of that Burden which over-preffes you. Arife and shake off this heavy Clog, break thefe Fetters of the Soul, constrain yourself to Activity of fome kind or other, if it be but in a Way of Amusement: Divert the Mind this way from the dark and mourn

ful

ful Ideas that prefs upon it. Many a Perfon had gone down mourning to their Graves, for the Lofs of fome dear Friend or Relative, if the neceffary Duties and Bufinefs of Life had not given them a conftant and powerful Relief.

12. Read over the Commands of Scripture, to rejoice in the Lord, and make Confcience of fulfilling that Duty, as well as any other: True Religion gives a fufficient Foundation for conftant Joy, and the Joy of the Lord fhall be your Strength, to discharge many other Duties of Righteousness.

If a Spirit of Melancholy feize you, there may be feveral useful Advices found in Mr. Rogers's Treatife on Trouble of Mind, 2d Edit. 1706. and Mr. Baxter's Account of Melancholy, and his Directions about it, gathered out of his Works, by Mr Samuel Clifford, and reduced to order in a little Book, 1716.

SECT..

SECT. XXIII.

Rules to govern our Anger, and to prevent the finful Effect of it, namely, 1 Revenge.

ANGER confidered in itself is not

an unlawful Paffion. If we ourfelves were perfect and innocent, and were to converfe only with innocent Creatures, perhaps there would be no occafion for the Exercise of it. But fince we dwell in a World where Vice, Folly, Impiety, Oppreffion, Injustice and Wickednefs abound, there will be frequent and juft Occafion for Anger. We have Reafon, too often, to be angry with ourselves, when we indulge Iniquity and Folly: And we may lawfully express our Refentment against the Crimes and Vices of others. Their Offences against God, against Men, against ourfelves, may raise in us a righteous Refentment. Bold Impiety against our Maker, or Injuftice and Cruelty against our Fellow-creatures, stir up our juft Indignation and Wrath. Infolence, Oppreffion and Mischief, practised or attempted against ourfelyes, or our

Friends,

Friends, awaken the Powers of Flesh and Blood for fudden Self-defence, or the Relief of the Sufferer. These Fer

ments and Commotions of Nature were defigned to be a strong and fenfible Rebuke to Iniquity of every kind, and a Means to prevent the Repetition of it. Our bleffed Lord himself, who was meek and holy, and humble in Perfection, yet found Reafon fometimes, here on Earth, to give a loose to his facred Refentments: We also are exprefly permitmitted to be angry, if we take heed of Sin.

But, alas! our Natures are fo perverfe and corrupt, that it is very hard for us to give a loose to any angry Paffion against Men, without running into fome Sentiments of Malice or Revenge, and thereby finning againft God. Our Anger is very apt to kindle about Trifles, or upon mere Sufpicion, without juft Caufe; or fometimes it rifes too high where the Cause may be juft; or it continues too long, and turns into Hatred: And in either of these three Cafes it becomes finful.

It is therefore with the utmoft Caution that this Paffion fhould ever be fuffered to arife: And unless we quickly suppress it again, we fhall be in great Danger of bringing Guilt upon our Souls. The bleffed Apoftle therefore wifely connects the Permiffion, the Caution, and the Restraint together, Eph. iv. 26. Be angry, and fin not: Let not the Sun go down upon your Wrath.

The violent Efforts of this Paffion are fo frequent and dangerous, that I fhall dwell longer upon the Regulation of it. Let me first lay down Directions to moderate and reftrain our Anger, and then propose some Confiderations to enforce the Practice of them.

Directions to moderate and restrain

Anger.

1. Be not nice or humourous in the common Things of Life, viz. Meats, Drinks, Clothes, Forms of Civility, Attendance, &c. If we indulge exceffive Nicenefs and Curiofity in thefe. Things, we shall meet with daily and hourly Vexations. Be not therefore greatly pleased, or greatly difpleafed with little Things.