to fill the minds of the indolent, and to produce many

abortive expectations.

The catechism of the church of England teaches us, while we are children, that there is a certain state of life to which God by our birth or education is pleased to call us: we are to lay down a plan of living suitable to that state, and then we may be able to support it for the time to come. Even in our recreations, it is wise to provide a reserve, and keep up a future relish for them; lest they become insipid, and consign us over to remorse and melancholy. But, there are young people, headstrong and inconsiderate, with no experience of human life, and fascinated with ideas of self-indulgence, who enter upon the world, as if they meant to tear up pleasure by the roots, that it may never bear any fruit to them afterwards: and so their pleasures either end in untimely death, or leave them nothing but bitter herbs to feed upon for the rest of their life. Whereas, a little timely foresight, with regard to common sense as well as to virtue, would preserve to them all that can be enjoyed with wisdom and innocence: and nothing else, which this world hath to give, will be worth their seeking.

The second ingredient, in good economy, is prudence. The use of this virtue is to distinguish between good and evil, between causes and effects, between appearances and realities: and in consequence of a proper discrimination of things and persons, to choose the good, and avoid the evil. Prudence examines all things, rather in their consequences, than in themselves it judges of things, as the Gospel teaches us to judge of men, by their fruits. Many actions of mankind are of a doubtful nature; partly good and partly bad: good under some circumstances, and as bad under others: good in appearance, bad in effect: well

esteemed in the sight of man, but of no account, or even odious and abominable in the sight of God. The world hath virtues of its own manufacture, very expensive, and highly praised, and yet good for little at the bottom. When Satan has the vending of such equivocal virtues, he turns their white side uppermost: and men learn of him, to deceive one another by the like artifice. They praise some good thing, for the sake of some evil thing which is attached to it; or magnify one side of a man's character, which is good, or at least specious, to recommend the other which is bad. How agreeable it is to hear, that a man may be a libertine, and yet pass for a man of virtue! Such deceptions as these may have a very fatal effect upon our œconomy. We are captivated and flattered with fine ideas of liberality, generosity, hospitality, benevolence, and charity; which are indeed most excellent things, when they are found in the wise and prudent; but when they are affected by the vain or the inconsiderate, they change their nature, and become sometimes ridiculous, often mischievous, always dangerous. Real virtue will be sure to advance us sooner or later: spurious virtue may bring us to ruin, as it hath already brought many, whose profuseness, while upon its progress, did very little good to their neighbours or their country.

Prudence, therefore, is always to distinguish. It will teach us, that no man can be generous in his gifts, till he is just in his payments. It is no better than a specious fraud, to convert that into a gift, which is due elsewhere as a debt: to purchase the character of benevolence, by feeding one man with the bread of another: or, perhaps, by sending one man to gaol, for want of that money which buys another man out of it. Sometimes it is a much greater kindness to

prevent evil by timely and friendly admonition, than to cure it afterwards (perhaps very imperfectly) by giving money. It is a good thing to shew mercy to felons and debtors, in a prison: but it would be a much better thing to keep them out of it, by teaching them the happiness of sobriety and moderation, or restraining their excesses by a seasonable execution of the laws. It is good to relieve the poor, but the passion of feeding vagrants, encouraging idleness, or promoting debauchery, is so weak and unserviceable, that we may be called to an account for such kindness in the day of judgment. And here I must observe, moreover, that all fictitious virtue, being the child of vanity, is apt to raise an enthusiastic affection; and being chiefly resident in weak minds, who do not make proper distinctions, it has been found to eat deeper into men's fortunes, than the most heroic charity. Prudence, therefore, must save us from being cheated by specious but false virtues; to the power of which many noble and unsuspecting minds are exposed. Before we admit, we must prove them; as the wary prove their money, before they put it into their purse, by applying it to some touchstone: and there is none better than this of prudence.

To providence and prudence, we must add, above all things, order and method, for the regulating of our daily affairs. Persons of high spirits, and volatile dispositions, look down upon order, as a low thing, fit only for dull people. But, no man's life can be either useful or pleasant, who does not live by rule in the disposing of his time. We all see the absolute necessity of order, in the marshalling, leading, and governing an army; in transacting the business of a kingdom; in regulating the company of a ship, and carrying on the practice of navigation; without order

and discipline, these things cannot be done every man must have his post, and his work, and his time. And the reason is the same in common life: for every family is a lesser kingdom; life is a voyage, and a warfare; in which the undisciplined must expect to suffer the inconveniences of confusion and anarchy. Such is the dignity, propriety, benefit, and beauty of order, that it is from God himself, and shines throughout the whole world which he hath made. The sun rises every morning at his time; light and darkness. succeed regularly, for labour and for rest; the stars perform their courses with unerring certainty; the tides ebb and flow at their hour; there is a season for every change, and every change is in its season. Even brute creatures all follow their instinct in an orderly manner. Those that are made for pasture spread themselves over the hills with the rising of the sun; while those which are made for prey are then retiring to their dens. The stork in the firmament knoweth her appointed time; the turtle, the crane, and the swallow observe their seasons; the bees, the ants, are examples of the most exact order and œconomy. The heavens above, the earth below, the seasons and the tides, beasts, birds, and insects, all instruct us, that we are to live by rule, and be exact in allotting our time to the several works and functions of life. And let me tell all those who have such an opinion of the brightness of their parts, and depend so upon the agility of their minds as to think they are above rules, that they are the persons, who stand most in need of them; to reduce their motions to some meaning, and oblige them to a certain time, in doing those things, which otherwise their wandering heads would never do at all. Fluid mercury is very bright, and wonderfully active; but we can make no vessel

out of it for the service of a family. For all such purposes, the solid metal is better, as well as more valuable in itself. Yet good wits may be regular, without any impeachment of their sufficiency. Our great Alfred was a man of wit, learning, magnanimity and accomplishment; but, from his wisdom and piety, such was his self-government, that no man ever lived by more exact rules, or did more business by the force of them. We have seen another character of modern times; not an Alfred, but very great as a man of parts, and a prince, and a general; who made his time of incredible value, and did wonderful things, by the observation of an exact method in the œconomical application of his hours. It may be difficult at first to live by rule: all restraint bears hard upon the wildness of nature, like a bit in the mouth; but habit makes it pleasant, and they who have tried it find so much use in it, that they can never willingly depart from it; such is the facility with which it enables us to conduct our affairs; such the readiness with which we transact business, and pass through all the concerns of life. It renders our time of much greater effect and value a regular man will do more business in one day, and with less trouble, than another will in two. Kings are not ashamed of regularity: the want of it is the mark of a vulgar education, or a weak understanding, or an irreligious and vicious disposition. Where regularity prevails, the cottage becomes respectable; and without it, the palace itself is mean, unpleasant, and contemptible. Solomon, who is celebrated as the wisest man upon earth, was also the greatest and the most splendid, from the singular order of his kingdom, and the exact economy of his household. This produced such an appearance of prosperity and happiness, and was judged to be the