To the much Honoured and truly Religious. L A D Y, THE Lady LETICE WENDY, O F Wendy in Cambridgeshire. MADAM, T WO or Three Reasons induce me to present this Discourse to your Ladyship, and to make choice of you for its Patronefs: First, Becaufe. I owe it to the Liberality of your honoured Brother, that I have this Leifure to write any thing. Secondly, Because alfo your many and fignal Favours, feeing I am not in a Capacity to requite A 2 them, them, feem to exact from me at least a Publick Acknowledgment, which fuch a Dedica tion gives me an Opportunity to make. Thirdly, Because of fuch kind of Writings, I know not where to chufe a more able Judge, or more candid Reader. I am fenfible that you do fo much abhorr any thing that looks like Flattery, that out of an Excefs of Modefty you cannot patiently bear the hearing of your own just Commendations; and therefore, fhould I enlarge upon that Subject, I know I should have but little Thanks for my Pains.. Indeed, you have much better Motives to do well, than the Praife of Men, the Favour of God, Peace of Confcience, the Hope and Expectation of a future Reward of Eternal Happinefs; and, therefore, I had rather write of you to others, to provoke them to imitate fo excel, lent an Example, than to Yourself, to encourage You in Your Chriftian Course, and to fortify You in Your Athletick Conflicts with the greatest of Temporal Evils, Bodily Pain and Anguish; tho' I do not know why. You fhould reject any Confideration that may conduce to fupport You under fo heavy Preffures, and of fo long Continuance; of which, to ingenuous Natures, true Honour, that is, the current Teftimony and Approbation of good Men, is not the meaneft. No lefs Man than S. Auguftin was doubtful, whether the Extremity of Bodily Pain were not the greatest Evil that Humane Nature was capable of fuffering Nay (faith he) I was fometimes compelled to· con confent to Cornelius Celfus, that it was so, neither did his Redfon feem to me abfurd; we being compounded of two Parts, Soul and Body, of which the firft is the better, the latter the worfer; the greatest Good must be the best thing belonging to the better Part, that is, Wisdom; and the greatest Evil the worst thing incident to the worfer Part (the Body) that is, Pain. Now, tho' I know not whether this Reafón be firm and conclusive, yet I am of accord with him, that of all the Evils we are fenfible of in this World, it is the foreft; the most refolute Patience being baffled and proftrated by a fierce and lasting Paroxyfm of the Gout, or Stone, or Colick, and compelled to yield to its furious Infults, and confefs itself vanquished, the Soul being unable to divert, or to do any thing elfe but pore upon the Pain. And, therefore, thofe Stoical Vaunts of their Wife Man's being happy in Perillus's Bull, I utterly reject and explode, as vain Rhodomontades, and chimerical Figments; for that there never was fuch a Wife Man among them, or indeed could be: Yet do I not fay, that the Patience of a Good Man can be fo far conquer'd by the sharpeft and severe Torments, as to be compelled to deny or blafpheme God, or his Religion; yea, or fo much as to complain of his Injustice, tho' perchance he may be brought with Job to curse his Day, yet not curfe his God, as his Wife tempted him to do. Now that the great 'Aywvoléτns, and ВpaßɛuTùs, the most just Judge and Rewarder, would be pleas'd fo to qualify and mitigate your Sufferings, as not to exceed the Measure of your Strength and Patience, or elfe arm you with fuch an high Degree of Chriftian Fortitude, as to be able to grapple with the most Extreme; and when You have finifh'd Your Course in this World, grant You a placid and eafy Paffage out of it, and dignify You as one of His Victors, with a Crown of Eternal Glory and Felicity, is the Prayer of, MADÁM, Your Ladyship's most Devoted in all Service, JOHN RAY. THE |
