from the dominion of unruly appetites, lusts, and passions. He must suppress envy, curb the excesses of self-love, and above all things labour to mortify and bring down his pride. Every lust, passion, or inordinate affection, tends to create discord, and to sow dissension. "From whence "come wars and fightings among you?" saith St. James: "come they not hence, even of your lusts c?" From lust of pleasure, which is sensuality; from lust of riches, which is covetousness; from lust of power and greatness, which is ambition or pride, the strongest and most contentious of any. "By pride only," says the Wise Man, "cometh " contention d;" meaning chiefly or principally. It is the pride of the heart which commonly begins and carries on a quarrel, and blows it up to the height: not but that envy, malice, hatred, and other vile affections, have a hand in most differences; but pride goes along with all, and helps to inflame them. This is that root of bitterness which lies deep in our nature, which seems in a manner to be born and bred up with us; which, like poison, spreads itself through men of all ranks and orders; which, of all other vices and follies, is the greatest and commonest; and of which every one almost, more or less, has a share. It is one of the first things that we take up, and the last which we lay aside. Easy it is to be infected with it, hard to discover it, and yet harder to cure it. Special care therefore must be taken to find out this lurking viper in our bosoms, and to cast it far from us. There can be no peace where this reigns. There will be strife, bitterness, and perpetual feuds, wherever persons of proud and haughty spirits meet. The peaceable man then must have a mind clear of all lusts and inordinate affections; but especially of pride, the Devil's sin, which made war in heaven, and does the like on earth, and will for ever foment the discord and fill up the misery of hell.

2. Besides this negative disposition in order to peace, a man must farther be endowed with a large diffusive

charity, having a tender love and concern for mankind. This will both incline him to peaceableness, and also fix its due bounds and measures, as before hinted. This will prevent his engaging as party in any contests, excepting only such as are for the glory of God and the good of men. One of this principle will have no quarrel with the men, but with their vices, no hatred to them, but to their faults. He will never commence a difference, but with reluctance; nor carry it on, but with justice; nor let it end, but in charity. He will not lengthen it beyond what is reasonable and necessary; nor push matters to extremities, but rather drop the contest than exceed in it. He will first consider what good may be done by it, and next by what fair methods it may most easily and speedily be attained. In fine, a lover of mankind will be meek and gentle, courteous and affable, just, humble, and merciful, which are all amiable qualities, and make for peace; contributing to the beginning, the growth, and the perfection of it. Having thus briefly considered what is implied in a peaceable temper, I come next to show,

2. Wherein consists a peaceable carriage. This is the superstructure, whereof the other is the foundation. If that be well laid, this will easily be built upon it, and requires only prudence to complete it. It consists of many particulars, as well as the former, which may, I think, be reduced to these three heads.

1. That we give no needless offence.

2. That we take none.

3. That, when any has been either given or taken, we put a stop to it as soon as may be. The two first are necessary for the preventing of differences; the last for composing them: which though it be needful only upon some failure in the former, yet will be needful enough, and what we shall frequently have occasion for.

1. I say, the man of a peaceable carriage must be cautious not to give offence when needless, or when it may innocently be spared. This implies that he be careful to injure no man's person by unjust violence; nor his repu

tation by reviling or slander; nor his outward condition and circumstances by deceit, fraud, or circumvention. And this is the lowest, though not the smallest part of a peaceable man's character. Farther, all arrogance, rudeness, and boasting are hereby condemned as enemies to peace. To which head may be referred the being too assuming, and forward in giving opinion or advice, intruding into things above him, or that do not belong to him, and being too hasty in reproofs, or too severe, at improper times, or to improper persons. To this we may add, that he should use great compliance and condescension in all matters indifferent, readily agreeing to every innocent usage, custom, fashion, or ceremony of the age, or the place he lives in: not affecting to be wiser in little things than others his contemporaries, or those before him; not to distinguish himself by singularities of behaviour, or other niceties of small consideration. In a word, in all matters of liberty he ought to yield and comply, avoiding the extremes of moroseness, rigour, and severity. If a superior, not to strain authority too high, not to carry it too far, nor to choose to effect by threats and menaces what may better be compassed by milder and gentler methods. If an inferior, not to insist on every nicety of privilege, nor rudely to reflect on and censure authority; not to dispute any point beyond what is just, decent, and modest; nor to be too severe in exposing the failings and prying into the real or imaginary mistakes of his governors. If an equal, not to affect a superiority in place, nor to be too critically exact in weighing his own pretences and merits; but to be complaisant and yielding in matters of ceremony and respect; in honour preferring others before him; and in any doubtful case, rather receding from what might strictly be his right, than insisting so far upon it as to endanger his charity. These and the like measures of conduct are very requisite, if we would live so as to give no offence

to any.

2. Another part of the peaceable man's character is, not to take offence; especially in small matters, which are

hardly worth a wise man's notice. This perhaps is a harder task than the former. Many are cautious enough as to the matter of giving an affront, who yet know not how to take one; the reason of which seems to be this, that civil or genteel carriage, or a carefulness to offend no man, is creditable and reputable, and many would use it for that single reason: but to pass by an offence, or to bear an injury, however slight and trivial, according to the foolish maxims of the world, is thought a disparagement; and so bears hard upon any man who has not a very good sense of things, or has not conquered his pride: and hence perhaps it is, that many who would not willingly be the first occasion of a quarrel, yet come easily into one upon a slight provocation. This is certainly a great fault, and what should carefully be avoided by him that would “live "peaceably with all men." We are to bear one another's infirmities, and to pass by each other's failings. There can be no peace without this in such a world as ours is. The case is plainly thus; the generality of mankind will never be wise enough nor good enough to carry on an innocent, inoffensive, and unblameable conversation. Some flaw or other in their humour and conduct will discover itself frequently, which a good man will pass over, thinking it a greater fault to resent such matters than to offend by them. Some will be foolish and inconsiderate in discourse, rash and bold in their censures, rude and unmannerly in their reflections; others will be as disobliging in behaviour, not paying the respect which is justly due, nor observing a decency, or any rules of decorum. These and a thousand other such petty affronts and injuries a man must expect to meet with, who converses much in the world. And what should he do in such cases? Would it not be a vain and foolish thing to resent such trifles? Can there be any end of differences, if this be done? Is it not much better to pity and pardon all such slight and trivial provocations? Can all men be wise? Will ever all men be good? Should we not make allowances for education, for temper, for custom, for frailty? Have we not all our pas

sions and infirmities, our humours, our follies, which cannot perfectly be cured? We may as soon alter some men's complexions and features, as make them change their humour or manner. And perhaps something there is in most men particular to them, which they are tenacious of; and they have as much right to be so, as others have to censure them for it. In these and the like cases we are to remember the Apostle's rule, to bear the infirmities of the weak; and though they are neither so wise nor even so good as they should be, yet to have patience with them, and not to make them worse by indiscreet and rigorous proceedings. If any are too eager and passionate, give them time to cool, and consider farther: if they are stiff and untractable, wait till they may soften, and become more pliable if they are prejudiced and prepossessed, have patience with them till their understanding may clear up, and years may wear out their prejudices: instruction and gentle usage may help towards it, when opposition and severity would but rivet them the closer, and harden them the more in them. Let not any man be offended at a few foolish words, or a disrespectful look or gesture. A lover of peace will have so much good-nature as to impute them rather to the indiscretion than ill-will of the offender; and so much charity as to forgive such slight trespasses, though really designed and proceeding from some grudge and hatred. Nay, though reproached and reviled in some grievous manner, he will pity the offender, despise the malice, and return good for evil; as a kind physician, when he finds his patient disordered and raving, is not angry with him, but pities him the more, and takes the more pains to heal him. There is nothing in this procedure but what is just, equitable, and christian. If all men cannot be wise, let those that can, be so both for themselves and others, and supply their want of good-nature and prudence by the abundance of their own. Most quarrels might be prevented by a discreet management on either side; as the sending of a challenge would make no duel, were there none to ac