can by Law or Justice deprive us of; and this is the only Property we can have in these things, a Property against all other human Claims: But nothing which can be taken from us, nothing which we must leave, is properly our own; for in a strict Senfe nothing is our own, but what is effential either to our Being, or to our Happiness. Creatures are Proprietors of nothing, not fo much as of themselves; for we are his who made us, and may unmake us again when he pleafes: But yet there are fome Things proper to our Natures, and that is all the natural Property we have; but what is thus proper to us, we cannot be deprived of, without ceafing to be, or being miferable.

And this proves that the Things of this World are not our own, that they are not proper and peculiar to our Natures, tho' they are neceffary to this prefent State of Life. While we live here we want them, but when we leave this World, we muft live without them, and may be happy without them too. There is a great Agreeableness between the Things of this World, and an earthly Nature; they are a great Support and Comfort to us in this mortal State; and therefore while we live in this World we may value the Enjoyments of it, for the Eafe and Conveniencies of Life; but we must neither call this Life, nor any Enjoyments of it, our own, because they are short and perishing. We are here but as Travellers in an Inn; it is not our Home and Country, it is not our Portion and Inheritance, B 4

but

but a moveable and changeable Scene, which is entertaining at prefent, but cannot last. Let us then confider how we ought to value fuch Things as thefe: And to make it as plain and felf-evident as I can, I fhall put fome eafy and familiar Cafes.

1. Suppose you were travelling thro' a very delightful Country, where you met with all the Pleasures and Conveniencies of Life, but knew that you must not tarry there, but only pass thro' it: Would you think it reafonable to fet your Affections fo much upon it, as to make it uneafy to you to leave it? And shall we then grow fo fond of this World, which we must only pass thro', where we have no abiding City, as to enflave ourselves to the Lufts and Pleasures of it, and to carry out of this World fuch a Paffion for it, as fhall make us miferable in the next? For tho' Death will feparate us from this World, we are not fure it will cure our earthly Paffions: We may ftill find the Torment of fenfual Appetites, when all fenfual Objects are removed. This was all the Purgatory-Fire St. Austin could think of, that those who loved this World too much here, though otherwife innocent and virtuous Men, should be punished with fruitlefs Defires and Hankering after this World in the next; which is a mix'd Torment of Defire and Despair. For though indeed it is only living in these Bodies, which betrays the Soul to fuch earthly Affections; yet when the Impreffion is once made, and is strong and vi

gorous,

gorous, we are not fure that merely putting off thefe Bodies will cure it; as we fee Age itself in old Sinners does not cure the Wantonness of Defire, when the Body is effæte and languid: And this I fhould think were Reason enough to convince every Man, who confiders that he is not to live here always, how much it concerns him not to grow overfond of present Things; for to contract an eternal Paffion for what we cannot always enjoy, must needs make us miferable.

2. If then we must not entertain a Fondnefs for those Things which we cannot keep, let us in the next place confider how we must use those Things which we have but a prefent and momentary Poffeffion of: for Ufe is apt to beget a Fondnefs. Suppofe then, again, that in your Travels abroad, you pass thro' fuch a delightful Country; what is it that prevents your Fondness, but only confidering that you are not at home, that you muft not always fee and enjoy what you now do? And therefore all the fine Things you meet with, you rather look upon as Curiofities to be remark'd in Story, or to be tried by way of Experiment, or to be used for prefent Neceffity, than as fuch Things which are to be enjoyed, which know they are not. And did we you ufe the World thus, we fhould never grow over fond of it. Those who marry, would be as though they married not; and those who weep, as though they wept not; and those who rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those who use

this

this world, as not abufing it; because the fashion of this world paffeth away. The World itself will not last long, though it will out-last us; but we are to continue here fo little a while, that we have no Reason to call it our Home, or to place our Enjoyment in it. It is an old and a good Diftinction, that fome Things are only for Ufe, and fome Things for Enjoyment. The first we value only for their Use, the fecond we account our Happiness. Now it is certain, that what is tranfient and momentary can be only for Ufe; for Man is a miferable Creature, if what is his Happiness be not lafting; and a very foolish Creature, if he places his Happiness in what is not lafting. Now this fhould make a vast Difference in our Affections to Things. We cannot blame any Man who lets loose his AffeЄtions upon that which is his Happiness; for there neither can, nor ought to be, any Bounds fet to our Defires or Enjoyment of our true Happiness; but what we account only for Ufe, we have no farther Concernment for, but only as it is of Use to us; and this confines our Defires and Affections to its Ufe: And were this the Measure of our Love to prefent Things, as it ought to be, we could not err, nor entertain any troublesome or vicious Paffion for them. As for Inftance: What is the natural Ufe of eating and drinking, but to repair the Decays of Nature, and preferve our Bodies in Health and Vigor? Now, as great Delicacies and Curiofities as there are

in Nature, both of Food and Liquors, if Men valued them only for their Ufe, they would never be guilty of Excefs, nor grow fo fond of them, as if they were only to eat and drink, and to judge of the Differences of Taftes. To value Things for their Ufe, is to value them no further than they are useful; and this is the only Value which is due to Things which we must leave; for they can be only for prefent Ufe: But when we come to place our Happiness, as all fenfual Men do, in Things which are defigned only for our Ufe, it both makes us extravagant in the Use of them, [which often proves a great Mifchief to us in this World] and creates fuch an unnatural Paffion for them, as they cannot answer; which makes them vain and empty, and unfatisfactory while we have them, and fills us with Vexation, and all the Restlesness of a furious Paffion and Appetite when we want them; as we must do at one time or other, either before, or, to be fure, when we leave this World.

3. Let us fuppofe again, That in our Paffage through foreign Countries, where we are not to stay long, we should not meet with all thofe Neceffaries and Conveniencies of Life, which we have at Home; that the Country is barren, the Way rough and mountainous, the Road infefted with Thieves and Robbers, but without any convenient Reception for Travellers, the People rude and barbarous, and infolent to Strangers; will a wife Man

be