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which their own guilty confcience tells them is due to their wicked lives.

BUT from these two evils, fo dreadful to many, bleffed be GoD, I have but little to fear; for, as for death, I have a joyful hope that that change, come when it may, will be glorioufly for the better; and befides, I truft, that HE whofe divine voice I have fo long obeyed, will graciously fupport and comfort his aged fervant in that trying hour. And as for fickness, I feel but little apprehenfion on that account, fince by my divine medicine TEMPERANCE, I have removed all the caufes of illness; fo that I am pretty fure I fhall never be fick, except it be from fome intent of Divine mercy, and then I hope I fhall bear it without a murmur, and find it for my good. Nay I have reason to think that my foul has fo agreeable a dwelling in my body, finding nothing in it but peace and harmony between

my

my reason and fenfes, that fhe is very well pleased with her prefent fituation; fo that I truft I have still a great many

years to live in health and in spirits, and enjoy this beautiful world, which is indeed beautiful to thofe who know how to make it fo, as I have done, and likewife expect (with God's affiftance) to be able to do in the next.

Now fince a regular life is fo happy, and its bleffings fo permament and great, all I have still left to do, (fince I cannot accomplish my wishes by force) is to befeech every man of found understanding to embrace, with open arms, this most valuable treasure of a long and healthy life; a treasure, which, as it far exceeds all the riches of this world, fo it deferves above all things to be diligently fought after, and carefully preferved. This is that divine fobriety, fo agreeable to the Deity, the friend of nature, the daughter of reason, and the

fifter of all the virtues. From her, as from their proper root, fpring life, health, chearfulness, industry, learning, and all thofe employments worthy of noble and generous minds. She is the best friend and fafeft guardian of life; as well of the rich as of the poor; of the old as of the young. She teaches the rich modefty; the poor frugality; men continence; women chastity; the old, how to ward off the attacks of death; and bestows on youth, firmer and fecurer hopes of life. She preferves the fenfes clear, the body light, the understanding lively, the foul brisk, the memory tenacious, our motions free, and all our faculties in a pleafing and agreeable harmony.

O MOST innocent and divine fobriety! the fole refreshment of nature, the nurfing mother of life, the true phyfic of foul as well as of body. How ought men to praise thee for thy princely gifts,

for

for thy incomparible bleffings! But as no man is able to write a fufficient panegyric on this rare and excellent virtue, I fhall put an end to this discourse, left I should be charged with excefs in dwelling fo long on fo pleasing a fubject. Yet as numberlefs things may ftill be faid of it, I leave off with an intention to set forth the reft of its praises at a more convenient opportunity.

CHAP. II.

THE METHOD OF CORRECTING A BAD

CONSTITUTION.

I

WAS born with a very choleric, hafty difpofition; flew into a paffion for the least trifle, huffed every body about me, and was fo intolerably disagreeable, that many perfons of gentle manners abfolutely

E 2

lutely fhunned my company. On difcovering how great an injury I was doing myself, I at once refolved to make this vile temper give way to reason. I confidered that a man overcome by paffion, must at times, be no better than a madman, and that the only difference between a paffionate and a madman, is, that the one has loft his reafon for ever, and the other is deprived of it by fits only; but that in one of these, though never fo fhort, he may do fome deed of cruelty or death, that will ruin his character, and deftroy his peace for ever. A fober life, by cooling the fever of the blood, contributed much to cure me of this frenzy; and I am now become fo moderate, and so much a master of my paffion, that no body could perceive that it was born with me.

It is true indeed, the moft temperate may fometimes be indifpofed, but then they have the pleasure to think that it

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