those who do, are worthy of Death, v. 32. Nor fhall we think it at all ftrange, that Solomon, as we but juft before have heard, fhould fo expressly declare, that God Hates fuch Men, whom we find by St. Paul here number'd among those that hate God, WhiSperers, Backbiters, Haters of God, V. 29, 30. The Other, namely the uncharitable Cenfurers of their Brethren, lye under this Severe Prohibition of our Saviour, Judge not, that ye be not Judged. And who, that confiders this, would dare,by fo offending, to provoke God, in whofe Sight no Man living can be justify'd, to enter into Judgment with him? Or if this being judg'd were meant by our Saviour of Men's Judgment only, yet what manner of Men ought they to be, in all Godlinefs and Honesty, that fet up fuch an Arbitrary Tribunal of their own over the reft of Mankind? How little obnoxious to be Judg'd by any, who Condemn all? Whereas it is too manifeft, that generally the most bitter Cenfurers are themselves the most Guilty As it is excellently exprefs'd and urg'd by a Learned Heathen, Pliny the younger; with whofe Words, out of one of his Epiftles, I fhall end this Head, Is it not, fays he, frequent to meet with Men, who, tho' themselves given up to all Manner of Vice, and Slaves to every Luft, are extremely angry against the Vices of Others? get fo, that it looks in them E 4

more

more like Envy than Anger, as if indeed they Envy'd them, they being ftill most fevere upon those whom they most imitate. When on the contrary, there is nothing fo decent, nothing so recommends and fets off even those whofeInnocence makes them ftand in need of no Man's Good-Nature or Pardon, as Gentleness and Candor. And we may well reckon him the most perfect and beft Man, who fo forgives Others, as if He him-. Self perpetually offended, yet so abstains from offending, as if he never forgave. Let us therefore, both at home and abroad, in our private, as well as publick Conversation, in Every condition or fort of Life, obferve this as a Rule, To be ever Severe and Inexorable to our Selves, but eafy to be entreated and to give Pardon to Others, even to those who give it to none but to themfelves, Plin. lib. 8. Ep. 22.

But if these busy Intruders into the petty Concerns of a private Family, or ordinary Conversation, or the little Dealings between Man and Man, are so offenfive and troublesome, how pernicious and how infupportable is the Infolence of those, that with equal Freedom make bold with the Mysteries of State, and the Councels of Princes? And yet this is an hereditary Dif ease, deriv'd down to us from our first Parents, an inordinate Luft of knowing what we should not, and meddling where we are forbid. We long to be stretching forth our

hands

;

hands to the interdicted Tree of Knowledge, and difdain to be less than Gods; that is, than those whom God himself often dignifies by the fame Name, Our Governours. We would be understanding what we han't Abilities to apprehend, and be managing what we do not understand; and if we can't arrive to do this; we think Our felves pretty well reveng'd, by Censuring thofe that do. Hence it is, that every place fwarms fo with Politicians, that Men fet up for more Understanding in Government, than in their own Trades and Profeffions that Matters of State are debated in the Streets, and the Shops, and the Market place,and wherever elle the judicious Rabble meet. Here 'tis agreed and concluded How well all things would be order'd, if They had the Management; How happy would the poor Nation be, if their Wil dom might be heard, and their Counsel taken? How smoothly would the whole Current of Publick Bufine fs run, if They were to cut out the Channel for it, and direct its Course? If fuch Minifters, that they could Name, were remov'd, and fuch Methods of Government alter'd for Others, that they have, for weighty Confiderations, prepared in their Stead? Thus are each Man's own Affairs neglected for the Publick, and as foon as ever they have ceas'd to fol

low

low one part of our Apostle's Rule in my Text, To do their own Bufinefs, they prefently proceed to go directly contrary to the other part of it, and make it their Study, not to be Quiet. For when they are refolv'd, that things fhall never go right 'till they please them, and will never be pleas'd till all Affairs are carry'd on according to their Model, when are they like to be at reft, or to meet with any Satisfaction? And when, out of their own wild Imagination and Fancy, they form dismal Apprehenfions and Fears of they know not what Evils, to happen they know not when, do not they truly and properly Study, not to be Quiet? do they not industrioufly Contrive their own Uneafinefs? But their own is not enough, to be Mad alone looks too much like doing only their Own Business, they inftill their Jealoufies and Sufpicions into Others, infecting all with whom they converse, with the Diseases of their diftemper'd Brains, and can't endure, like other Madmen, to be diftracted in the Dark, and without Company. If therefore we defire to keep Our felves fecure, from the mifchievous Practices of thefe more dangerous Bufy-bodies, if we would preferve our own Quiet (and by that we contribute as much as in us lies, or belongs to us, to preferve that of the Publick too) we ought to be very cautious, how we

let

let any of these restless and busy Spirits infinuate themselves into us. We ought to be extremely fufpicious of their First Ap. proaches, to confider what Sort of Men they are, whether they are not ufing us for their own Ends, and practifing upon our eafy Natures. Here all our Fears and Jealoufies are not only commendable, but neceffary; we must look upon 'em as our most pernicious Enemies, that would rob us of the most precious Jewel of human Life, the Happiness of being Quiet.

For Fears and Sufpicions, when once admitted, are like that Evil Spirit in the Gofpel, by which the miferable Wretch, that is poffeft, is thrown fometimes into the Fire, and fometimes into the Water; that is, is violently carry'd away into the most pernicious and dangerous Extremes. And we ought to be the more obftinately refolv'd against so much as hearkening to any of their Suggestions, by confidering how hard it is to stop when we are once in Motion, how hard it will be to recover our Footing, and be again fixt and ftedfaft, when we could not preferve our firft Station; for how much eafyer will they find it to push us on, that are going, than it was to move us, when we ftood still?

And this Refolution will be ftrengthen'd, and this Study to be Quiet promoted, by