2137 Take Care, that thy Appetites be neither misplaced, nor difproportionate; and then they cannot hurt either thee or others.

2138 Affure thy felf, and fix it in thy Mind, that an unmoveable Quiet, and a lafting Peace, can be fet upon no other Foundation, but Vir tue and Holiness.

2139 I would have thee underftand, that most of our Miscarriages proceed from an undue Preference of ourselves, and an unequal confidering of other Mens Interefts.

2140 A good Death is the Confequence of a good Life; therefore live well, that thou mayest die well. And think often of dying, that thou mayeft live well.

2141 Opportunity is both fhort and uncertain; therefore by no means neglect it. Our Time is very fhort; but the Time of doing Good is much fhorter.

2142 Thou couldeft not but blufh oftentimes for thy very beft Actions; if the World did but fee all the Motives upon which they were done.

2143 In Affairs of Confequence, it commonly is not fo much thy Bufinefs to feek Occas fions; as to make the best of thofe that offer themselves.

2144 Be not in Converfation of a dogmati cal, and governing Spirit. An affected Superiority fpoils Company.

2145 Lean not too much to thine own Understanding; Men of the beft Judgment are always moft ready to confult the Opinion of others.

2146 If thou committeft a Sin, because thou art wilfully Ignorant; the Wilfulness of thy Ignorance makes thy Sin to be wilful.

2147 Thou oughtest to be thankful for Deliverances and Mercies paft: So fhall the Memory of them be able to put off the Senfe of prefent Miseries.

2148 If thou art one of an ingenuous Mind, and a true Penitent, thou wilt with more Difficulty forgive thy felf than God doth.

2149 If thou beeft alway affecting to fhew thy Wit, thou wilt feldom fail of letting the World know thou haft none.

2150 If thou weepest for that thou haft finned, and yet goeft on to fin more, thy wilful Guilt will defile thy Tears, but thy Tears will not wafh off thy Guilt..

2151 When Grief approacheth thee, if it be fmall, endure it, because it is easy to be born but if it be from a great Occasion still bear it, because thy glory is the greater vid vol and

2152 Slight not a Reproach, tho' it be ut terly falfe; for a good Name is no lefs wounded for the Time with that, than with a juft Crimination.

$2153 Thy firft Step is to refolve well, thy next to do well, the uninterrupted. Repetition of which will at length improve into an Habit of well doing.

2154 Thou little knoweft thy felf, if thou thinkeft thy felf able enough to preferve thy felf, wife enough to direct thy felf, and good enough 10 juftify thy felf.

2155 If thou art a good Man, without doubt thou wilt find more Sweetness and Satisfaction

in

in the Way to Heaven, than Sinners do in the Way to Hell.

2156 In publick Places of Divine Worship, avoid Singularity and Hypocrify, as well as Negligence and Profaneness.

2157 Study before hand how to fupprefs An-ger, and cure all Paffions, what to do, and what Evafion to make in Time of Danger, Fear, and Surprize.

2158 With not the Alteration of Things to thy Defires, but model thy Defires. This is in thy Power to effect, the other beyond thy Ability to obtain.

2159 Thou canft not be poor if thou haft enough; thou canst not be rich if thou defirest more; thou canst not be wife if thou art not content.

2160 It's grievous to Humanity to fuffer Injuries, but more grievous to keep them Secret. If thy Heart be full of Trouble, thy Remedy will be to unburthen it unto a Friend.

2161 It were Madness to fet thy Heart much on what 'tis impoffible for thee long to enjoy, altho' there were fomething here worth the enjoying.

2162 Learning and a good Life are both de firable; but if both cannot be obtained, endeavour more for a good Life than for Learning.

2163 When thou overshootest thy felf, thou may'ft make fome Ufe of thy Mistakes, and turn them into Leffons of Inftruction and Cau-tion.

2164 If thou haft but Guards within thy felf, ftrong enough to keep. Troubles from 3

C. 5.

breaking

breaking in upon thee, they can never take Pof feffion of thee.

2165 Since one true Friend is fo difficult to be found, if instead of chufing one thou wilt be seeking a Multitude, thou art foolish, and wilt be undone..

2166 Thou canst not long continue in the Refpect thou oweft thy Friend, if thou alloweft thy felf the Liberty to talk of their Faults.

21.67 'Tis a great Art to know how to defire rightly; unless thou beeft well verfed in this thou canft never live contentedly.

2168 'Tis better for thee to be wife and not feem fo, than to feem wife and not be fo: Yet Men, for the most Part, defire and endeavour the contrary.

2169 Thou needeft not fear all the Devils in Hell fo much as a falfe Friend; and let me tell thee, fuch are very common.

2170 If thou art wife, thou wilt take the true Value of every Thing, not from its Rarity or Difficulty, but from its Utility to thee in Life.

2171 If thou doft good principally for thy own Satisfaction, thou wilt not be much troubled to have Men judge of thy Actions contrary to thy Merit.

2172 With all thy Power keep thy felf from being of a froward, penfive Spirit, for that flips over all the Pleafures of Life, and feizes and feeds on nothing but Bitters.

2173 If thou haft known how to live with Conftancy, and in Quiet, thou fhalt know how to die fo too; for thy End will not eafily be different, from the reft,

2174 Take

2174 Take heed what thou afkeft, and beware what thou denieft; for if Discretion guide thee not, there may be a great Deal of Danger in both:

2175 Spit not thy Friend out from thy Tongue, nor laugh him into an Enemy. Gali in Mirth is an ill Mixture, and fometimes Truth is Bitternefs.

2176 Twill be Prefumption in thee, and not Piety, fo to truft a good Caufe, as not to ufe all lawful and likely means to maintain it.

2177 If thou doest the Thing that is good, and intendeft not that good which thou doeft, it is a good Action, but not well done.

2178 If thy Companion cannot make thee better, nor thou him good, 'twere better that thou leave him ill, than that he make thee worse.

2179 Do not dwell too long upon a weak Side. Touch and go away. Take Pleasure to

stay when thou canft commend.

2180 Let this Contemplation moderate thy Defires, that all Worldly Profit or Pleasure is correfpondent to a like Measure of Anxiety and Wearisomeness:

2181 Never venture to difpute against any Thing of Experiment, or Matter of Fact, which thou haft not feen, or art not very well affured of.

2182 Account the Pleafure of commending and being obeyed to be but in the fecond Rank of Pleasures, but that of loving and being beloved in the first.