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SERM, of them: it is wisdom therefore in fuch cafes to hold off, XXII. and to retain a kind of indifferency; to meddle with them Prov. xxvi. is, as the Wise Man faith, to take a dog by the ears; which he that doth, can hardly take care enough of his fingers.

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4. We should not interpose ourselves (without invitation) to be arbitrators in points of difference: we may cautiously mediate, perhaps, or advise to agreement; but not pretend as judges with authority to decide the con- troverfy: this favoureth of arrogance, this will work trouble to us, and bring the displeasure of both fides upon us; it is hard, in doing so, to avoid becoming parties, and offending one fide. Our Lord therefore did, we fee, wave this office, and put off the invitation with a Who made me a divider, or a judge between you ?

ται ἀπ' ἀμφοτέρων. Arifi.

5. If we would at all meddle in these cafes, it fhould be only in endeavouring, by the most fair and prudent means, to renew peace, and reconcile the diffenters; if we can by exhortation and perfuafion to peace, by removing misprisions, by representing things handsomely, by mitigating their paffions, bring them to good terms, this is a laudable meddling, this is a bleffed practice. So I leave this particular, and finish the directive part of my dif

course.

IV. I fhall now farther only briefly propose fome confiderations inducing to quietness, and diffuafive from pragmaticalnefs; fuch as arife from the nature, properties, causes, and effects of each; ferving to commend the one, and difparage the other.

1. Confider that quietnefs is juft and equal, pragmaticalnefs is injurious. When we contain ourselves quiet, and mind only our own business, we allow every man his right, we harm no man's repute; we keep ourselves within our bounds, and trefpafs not on the place or intereft of our neighbour; we difturb not the right order and courfe of things: but in being pragmatical we do wrongfully deprive others of their right and liberty to manage their bufinefs; we prejudice their credit, implicitly charging them with weakness and incapacity to dif

patch their affairs without our direction; we therefore, SERM. upon our own unequal and partial judgment, do prefer XXII. and advance ourselves above them; we affume to ourselves in many respects more than our due, withdrawing it from others. In fine, no man loveth that others fhould invade his office, or intrude into his bufinefs; therefore in justice every man fhould forbear doing fo toward others.

2. Quietnefs fignifieth humility, modefty, and fobriety of mind; that we conceit not ourselves more wife than our neighbour; that we allow every man his share of difcretion; that we take others for able and skilful enough to understand and manage their own affairs: but pragmaticalness argueth much overweening and arrogance; that we take ourfelves for the only men of wisdom, at leaft for more wife than thofe, into whose business we thruft ourselves.

3. Quietnefs is beneficial to the world, preferving the general order of things, difpofing men to keep within their rank and ftation, and within the sphere of their power and ability, regularly attending to the work and business proper to them; whereby as themselves do well, fo the public doth thrive: but pragmaticalness disturbeth the world, confounding things, removing the diftinction between fuperior, inferior, and equal, rendering each man's business uncertain; while fome undertake that which belongeth not to them: one bufy-body often, as we find by experience, is able to difturb and pefter a whole fociety.

4. Quietnefs preferveth concord and amity: for no man is thereby provoked, being suffered undisturbedly to proceed in his courfe, according to his mind and pleasure: but pragmaticalness breedeth diffenfions and feuds: for all men are ready to quarrel with those who offer to control them, or cross them in their way; every man will be zealous in maintaining his privilege of choofing, and acting according to his choice; and cannot but oppofe those, who attempt to bereave him of it; whence between the bufy-body affailing, and others defending their liberty, combuftions must arise.

SERM.

5. Quietness, to the person endued with it, or practifing XXII. it, begetteth tranquillity and peace; for he that letteth others alone, and cometh in no man's way, no man will be apt to difquiet or cross him; he keepeth himself out of broils and factions: but the bufy-body createth vexation and trouble to himself; others will be ready to moleft him in his proceedings, because he disturbeth them in theirs he that will have a fickle in another's corn, or an oar in every man's boat, no wonder if his fingers be rapped; men do not more naturally brush off flies, which buz about their ears, fit upon their faces or hands, and fting or tickle them, than they strive to drive away cla1 Pet. iv.15. morous and encroaching bufy-bodies. Let, faith St. Peter, none of you fuffer as a bufy-body in other men's matters; it is, he intimateth, a practice whereby a man becometh liable to fuffer, or which men are apt to punish foundly and fo the Wife Man, implying the fondness Prov. xxvi. and danger of it, He, faith he, that paffeth by, and meddleth with ftrife not belonging to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears; that is, without any probable good effect, he provoketh a creature that will fnarl at him and bite him.

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6. Quietnefs is a decent and lovely thing, as fignifying good difpofition, and producing good effects; but pragmaticalness is ugly and odious. Every man gladly would be a neighbour to a quiet person, as who by the steady calmness and smoothness of his humour, the inoffenfive ftillness and sweetness of his demeanour, doth afford all the pleasure of conversation, without any cross or trouble. But no man willingly would dwell by him, who is apt ever to be infefting him by his turbulent humour, his obftreperous talk, his tumultuous and furious carriage; who, upon all occafions, without invitation or confent, will be thrusting in his eyes, his tongue, his hand; prying into all that is done, dictating this or that course, taxing all proceeding, ufurping a kind of jurifdiction over him and his actions: no man will like, or can well endure fuch a neighbour. It is commonly obferved, that pride is not only abominable to God, but loathfome to man an;

and of all prides, this is the moft offenfive and odious: SERM. for the pride which keepeth at home, within a man's XXII. heart or fancy, not iffuing forth to trouble others, may indeed well be despised, as hugely filly and vain; but that which breaketh out to the difturbance and vexation of others, is hated as moleftful and mifchievous.

7. Quietness adorneth any profeffion, bringing credit, respect, and love thereto; but pragmaticalness is scandalous, and procureth odium to any party or cause: men ufually do cloak their pragmatical behaviour with pretences of zeal for public good, or of kindness to some party, which they have espoused; but thereby they do really caft reproach, and draw prejudice upon their fide: if it be a good cause, they do thereby wrong it, making it to partake of the blame incident to fuch carriage, as if it did produce or allow diforder; if it be a bad cause, they wrong themselves, aggravating the guilt of their adherence thereto; for it is a lefs fault to be calm and remifs in an ill way, than bufy or violent in promoting it. Nothing hath wrought more prejudice to religion, or hath brought more difparagement upon truth, than boifterous and unfeasonable zeal; pretending in ways of paffion, of fierceness, of rudeness to advance them: a quiet fectary doth to moft men's fancy appear more lovely, than he that is furiously and factiously orthodox: the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit is, faith St. Peter, in 1 Pet. iii. 4. God's fight, of great price; and it is also very estimable in

the opinion of men.

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8. Quiet is a fafe practice, keeping men not only from Tẽ övri quíneedlefs incumbrances of bufinefs, but from the hazards Ti ó narà τὴν ἡσυχίαν of it, or being charged with its bad fuccefs: but prag- Bios xivdumaticalness is dangerous; for if things go ill, the meddler ἀσφαλὲς furely will be loaded with the blame; the profit and ixer Chryf. apud Plut. commendation of profperities will accrue to the perfons immediately concerned; but the difafter and damage will be imputed to those who meddled in the bufinefs; to excufe or ease themselves, men will caft the difgrace on those who did project or further the undertaking: he

SERM, therefore that would be fecure, let him be quiet; he that XXII. loveth peril and trouble, let him be pragmatical.

Ὁ πλεῖσα

πράσσων πλεῖσθ

agrán

βροτῶν. Eurip.

'Argy

9. It is confequently a great point of discretion to be quiet, it yielding a man peace and fafety without any trouble; and it is a manifeft folly to be pragmatical, it being only with care, pains, and trouble, to feek diffatiffaction to others, and danger to himself; it being also to affect many not only inconveniences, but impoffibilities.

Is it poffible for any man to grasp or compass an infinity of business? Yet this the pragmatical man seemeth to drive at; for the bufineffes of other men are infinite, and into that abyfs he plungeth himself, who paffeth beyond his own bounds; by the fame reason that he meddleth with any befide his own, he may undertake all the affairs in the world; fo he is fure to have work enough, but fruit furely little enough of his pains.

Is it imaginable that we can eafily bring others to our bent, or induce men to submit their business to our judgment and humour? Will not he that attempteth fuch things affuredly expose himself to disappointment and regret? Is it not therefore wisdom to let every man have his own way, and pursue his concernments without any check or control from us?

10. We may also confider, that every man hath bufinefs of his own fufficient to employ him; to exercise his mind, to exhaust his care and pains, to take up all his time and leifure. To study his own near concernments, to provide for the neceffities and conveniences of his life, to look to the interests of his foul, to be diligent in his calling, to discharge faithfully and carefully all his duties To adv. relating to God and man, will abundantly employ a man; Zenon. apud well it is if fome of them do not encumber and distract Chryfoft. him : he that will fet himself with all his might to perform these things, will find enough to do; he need not feek farther for work, he need not draw more trouble on him.

νας εἶναι ἐκκλίνειν γὰρ

Laert.

tom. ii.

Eth. 64.

Seeing then every man hath burden enough on his fhoulders, impofed by God and nature, it is vain to take

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