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to look abroad for the Wickedness and SERM Mischiefs that are in the World, when we may find them nearer home, even in our own felves; and a little confideration would shew us, that we ourselves are the very Men we complain of. Complaints of this Nature imply what is not true, that all are wicked but ourselves; for tho' the Age be as wicked as one can imagine it to be, yet we should confider, that we ourselves help to make it fo; and therefore it is a great Folly and Abfurdity to complain of that, which we ourselves occafion: This is to complain of a Confpiracy, when we ourfelves are the Confpirators. 'Tis true

it is hard to make a covetous Man believe when he is talking against Covetousness that he is talking against himself; but then it is nevertheless true, whether he believes it or no.

"Tis a Truth much to be lamented, that we are too blind to ourselves, and too clearfighted to others: We look thro' a falfe Glass, that fhews us the beft fide of our own Qualities, and the worft fide of other People's; whereas we ought to view ourselves

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SERM. ourselves and others in the fame Light; and confider, before we complain of the Wickedness of other People, whether we have none of our own to be included; and if we have, then the Unreasonableness of murmuring at or upon the account of others plainly appears: For tho' we cannot help their Wickedness, yet certainly we can help our own; and it will be Time enough to murmur and complain, when we are found to be without Fault ourselves.

The Evils of Life, or what many Men call Evils, are for the most part imaginary; and have no other Foundation than in Fancy and Opinion: And yet Cuftom has made them look as frightful as if they were real. Hence every one is diffatisfied with his own Condition, because it is his own; and is for acting a Part that does not belong to him. One is much griev'd that he has not a plentiful Estate, another that he is not a Privy-Counsellor; the Mechanick would needs be a Gentleman, and the Gentleman a King. In short, every one would be what he is not, without confidering, that our Business is not

to

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to chufe what Part we will act in the SERM. World, but to perform that which is alloted us as well as we can. But when People give themselves up to Whim and Fancy, without being at the Pains to confider the Reafon of Things, it is no wonder if they are always uneafy, and they may thank themselves for it; for if they would but think, and fee Things as they are, thefe Evils would immediately vanish.

Whether the Stoical Opinion be right, that all Evils are imaginary, will justly admit of a Difpute; but that the imaginary are more than the real ones, I think is very certain. For tho' there be many things in Life, that have a Tendency to obstruct our Happiness, do what we will, yet we have no need to go out of our way for them; we have no occafion to add Evils of our own making, which we may avoid, to real ones, which cannot be avoided. We cannot chufe whether we will avoid real Evils, but we can chufe whether we will make them more Evils than they are: And this is the Cafe with the greatest Part of Man_ kind.

Ff

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SERM. kind. Why is that Man unhappy, whom you see bleft with a plentiful Estate? For want of more? No; for when he has it, he is still the fame unhappy Man, as before; and it is obfervable they generally complain most, who have the least Reason for it: It is not then for want of a greater Fortune, but a better Mind, which must be corrected, or elfe the Evils will be as many and great, as a corrupt Imaginaà tion is able to make them.

But Secondly, If these things, which happen to us in this Life, be what we cannot help, to murmur and complain will be found, after a little Confideration, to be as foolish and unreasonable, as it is in the former Cafe, about things we can help. Indeed it may be, objected by fome, that this is the very Reason for complaining; what we can help they eafily allow there is no reason to complain of, because the Remedy is at hand, and in our Power; but when a thing grows remediless, and not to be avoided, that is the very Reafon why we are uneafy: We are not uneafy, fay they, because it can, but because it can

not

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not be help'd. How plaufible foever this SERM. may appear, yet is it entirely false, even upon a Footing of Nature. For, First, it is the way to make a bad Matter worse, and to run into the fame Snare we would feem to avoid. Things will go on in the fame Course, whether we are in Humour, or out of Humour; and therefore fince Complaints won't alter the Nature of Things, it is unreasonable to make them: For this is making two Troubles where there was but one; and the thing will remain the fame, altogether as remedilefs, as it was before. Befides, this murmuring Temper will be just what it is, whether we can help these things or no: If it be a Vice, nothing in the World can justify it, or make it otherwife than it is. But it is unreasonable, Secondly, because it implies that we have Injuftice done us: befides the Vanity of thinking fo well of ourfelves, and fo ill of the rest of the World, this is fetting up ourselves, who are Parties, and that the worst Part of ourfelves too, as Judges in this Cafe; which is very abfurd and ridiculous.

F f 2

Now,

But