'· Sixth Commandment. commenda<ion, and engaging .our Affi:Elions in T~ipgs h:tore we have bad Trial and Experience of them; wh1ch, afterwards provmg quae contrary to our Expc· Elations, the Difappointment will excite. our Choler, f:n But I !hall not infifr on thife. · Let us therefore proceed to lay down fame Rules for the Reftraining and Modera· ting of Anger: And that, · Firfl, In others. Secondlj, In our felves. Firjl !."others. It is an Heilifh Sport for us to irrirate and !lir up Anger in others 'only for us to laugh at or to make our Advantages by it; fcarce a lcfs Sin than to make them drunk 'that we may abufe them : for Prevailing Paffion is for the Time a kind of Drunkennefs; and both are a Degree of Frenzy and Madnefs. Thou oughteft not therefore unnecelfarily to exafperate thy Brother whom thou knoweft prone to this great Weaknefs. Otherwife he alfured that aU his Intemperate Speeches and Rafh Aaions lhall be imputed unto thee, and are thy Sins as well as his ; and whatfoever Revilings he difcbargeth again!t thee lhall at !aft alfo be charged upon thee: And what a Fooli!h Thing is it for thee to bear the Sting of them here, and the Punif!Jment of them hereafter ? The Wife Man bath told us, Prov. 14. 9. That they are Fools who. ma!u a Mock at Sin. And if thou for thy Recreation provokefl any to an Undece'nt and Misbecoming PaifliCn, know that fuch Laughter is deadly to thy felf, and thou art like thofe Poifoned Perfons who laugh themfelves ro Dearh. · Secondly, To prevent and fupprefs it in thy felf, (for there it doth moll Hurt, fioce another Man's Anger is none of my Gui!r, if I have neither been faulty in ftir~ ring it up, nor too eafie to catch the Flame from him,) take thefe following Rule$ and DireElions. Firjl, Labour and Pray for a Meek and Humble Spirit; think lowly of thy felf, and then certainly thou wilt not be angry if others confpire with thee IH thinK· ing and fpeaking of thee as thou doll of thy fel£ Moll commonly Anger (as I have faid) proceeds from an Opinion of being defpifed: Now do thou fir!! of all defpife thy !elf, and then all Reproaches and Injuries will fignifie no more to thte than that other Men approve thy Judgment; and that certainly can be no Caufe of Allger. Thou wilt not he angry for want of a Ceremony or Demonftration of Refpea which others impofe or exaEl:, nor wilt thou .quarrel with any for not relying on thy Judgment, or contradiEling thy Sentiments, when thou lhalt refjeil: upon thine own Ignorance and frequent Mi!lakes. They are the High Hills, whofe Heads are wrapp'd about with Clouds and Tempefls, when the HumbleValleys are calm and ferene; fo Humble Souls that lye low in their own Elleem remain undi· fturbed , when Lofty Perfons are flill mole!led with the Tempells of their own Paffioos. Stcondly, Confider how often thou givefl: Good Occafion to be angry with thee, which if he lhould take thou werr for ever undone. He bears many Affronts and Indignities at thy Hands: And who art thou? A Poor Vile Worm. And who is be? Even the great Almigh ty God, the Univetfal King of Heaven and Emh, th~t he !hould put up Wrongs at thy Hand~ And lhall God daily take Injuries from fuch a Wretched Nothing as thou an? God, who is thy Lord and Mafter, and wilt not thou bear them patiently from thy Fellow·f~rvaht, who, it may be, is in every refpea equal ro thee, but only iAferior to thee in this, that he provokes thee o!]juflly ? Certainly were We as tender towards our Brethren, as we all defire God lhould be towards us, could we forbear others as we our · felves would be forhorn, there would never be any Quarrel commenc'd, or if it were it would be foon compounded. What faith the Pfalmin ?' Pfalm ro;. 9· He will not alffJays chiJr, neither UJtll he ktep bis .Anger for ever. He bath not dealt with us after 011r Sint, nor rewarded us according to our Iniquities. Let ibis great Example be ours, not to be foon moved to Anger, or quickly to free our felves from it. Indeed many there are that are fi~w to Anger, and in that they imitate God ; but then they are tenacioui and retenttve of Wrath, and hardly placable again ; their Anger is li)<e an lm• preffion upon fame HJtd Mettal, very difficultly made, and as difficult to be elfaced. t ut
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