most Smooth and Oily, cuts the keener, and gives the deeper Wound. Now, fince of all the different Kinds of these Meddlers, in other Men's matters, there are none, no not the moft Innocent, but are highly offenfive, tho' not in equal Measure, both to God and Man; I fhall propound fome few Confiderations, which, if well apply'd to each of these several Sorts, may serve for fome Remedy against this Pragmatical humour, when we apprehend any danger of its growing up in us.

First then, let the first Sort of these Bufybodies, thofe I mean of us, who are fo free of our Counsel and Advice: whenever we feel this natural Itch of Meddling begin to infect us, confider what an infupportable Pride and Arrogance it is, to reckon Ourselves Wifer than every Body else, and to think no Man fit to manage his own Affairs, without our Advice and Direction. For, however we may cheatOurselves, when we are fo very forward to be doing every Man's Bufinefs, with the Pretenfions of Kindnefs and Good-Nature; if we examine the Reason of this our being fo over Officious, impartially, we fhall generally find it at the bottom to be nothing else but Vanity and Self-Conceit. It would be very feasonable alfo, to put the fame Queftion to ourselves, which the good Old Man in the Poet does

to

to his overkind Neighbour, that would needs force his Advice and Counsel upon him; Tantumne abs re Tuâ Otii eft Tibi aliena ut cures, eaque que nihil attinent? Have you fo much leifure from your own Affairs, that you must be quite Idle, unless you take care of other Men's? and things that don't at all belong to You? Let us therefore confider, before we engage in other Men's Matters, how much Bufinefs we have of our own to do; whether of Spiritual Concern, as the working out of our own Salvation; how many Sins to repent of, how many Lufts to mortify, how many evil Habits to correct, how many good Ones to acquire, or to improve; or of Temporal Concern, as the doing our Duty in that Eftate of Life, to which it has pleas'd God to call us; how many neceffary domeftick Cares attend us, how many indifpenfable Duties we lye under to those, that are fo nearly Related to us, that we can scarcely live without them? If we would thus turn our Eyes back upon Ourselves, we should find, that we had enough at Home to take up all our Time, nay more than all, and that we had very little need to look abroad for fuch Employment. But what should further prevail, with Men of Reafon or Understanding, is the Danger of this Practice. It is impoffible that he, that is always bufy

and projecting, should always fucceed. But if it is his own Business only, that by his means mifcarries, he who is the only Sufferer can forgive himself; but if, without Occafion or Asking, he has been obtruding his Advice on Others, and thereby brought them into any ill Circumftances, is it not highly reasonable, that he fhould bear, not only all the Blame, but all the Damage too? And how many Inftances are there of those, who, out of this meddling Humour, and a vain Affectation of bearing the Name of Men of Business, have thrust themfelves into Mischiefs, which, without great Management, and Art, and Diligence, they could never have brought about? And how little Pity does the World generally afford these Men? Does it not rather en- . cline to fay, What Pity it had been, if all their Endeavours had not had this Success? that they should not be ruin'd, who had fo industriously contriv'd it? What also is the Credit and Reputation, which to their Wit and Abilities, they hence acquire? for 'tis plain, that this they aim at, and would be thought notable, fhrewd, understanding Men, and of more than ordinary Parts: herein, too, they find themfelves miferably miftaken, if Solomon's Judgment may be regarded, as furely it ought, It is an Ho. nour for a Man to ceafe from Strife, but every

Fool

Fool will be meddling, Prov. 20. 3. But that which most of all fhould deter us from this Practice, is the Sin of it. It is the Son of Sirach's Advice, My Son meddle not with many Matters, for he that meddles much shall not be innocent Nay, St. Peter goes farther, and ranks an Offender in this Kind among the vileft Malefactors, even among those whose Crimes deserve Death, in the 4th Chapter of his first Epistle, and the 15th verse, But let none of Tou fuffer as a Murtherer, or as a Thief, or as an Evil-Doer, or as a Bufy-body in other Men's Matters.

But then, Secondly, let thofe whom I mention'd, of all the reft, to seem the most excufeable, those whofe Character agrees with that which St. Paul gives of the younger Widows, in the fifth Chapter of his first Epittle to Timothy, and the 13th verse, idle, wandering about from houfe to houfe, and not only idle, but tattlers alfo, and bufy-bodies; Let them also have a Care of flattering themfelves, that all this while they are Innocent. Let them confider, that in those most exact and nice Scales, in which God weighs all the Words and Actions of Men, even Lightness and Vanity itself has Weight enough to Sink us. Let them remember, what the Wife Man fays, Prov. 9. 19. That in the Multitude of Words there wanteth notSin, and that our Saviour, a Wifer than He, tells

us, that every idle Word is to be accounted for.

And tho' in their little Tales and Railleries, they mean rather to make Sport with, than to Mischief their Neighbour, yet let them confider alfo, what the fame Solomon fays, Prov. 14. 21. that He, that only defpifeth his Neighbour, finneth.

Laftly, as to what concerns the two last Sorts of thofe I mention'd, namely, the malicious Whisperers and Sowers of Strife, and the uncharitable Cenfurers of their Brethren, it is needlefs to go about to prove, how great is both their Sin and Danger, fince it is fo univerfally own'd, and fince they are fo generally condemn'd, by the Voice of God and Man. The firft of them is exprefsly reckon'd among those things that God hates, Prov. 6. 16. and that in more than One of thofe Instances which are enumerated there, Thefe Six things doth the Lord hate, yea Seaven are an Abomination to him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that fhed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mifchief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and him that foweth difcord among Brethren. And the Apoftle, in the first Chapter to the Romans, ranks Whisperers and Backbiters in that black Lift of thofe, whom God gives over to aReprobate mind,to do things that are not convenient, verfe 28. and which

thofe