SERM. sistance enabled to penetrate the former. 10. He that employeth them in that great work of governing the world, and maketh them instruments of his providence, is not wanting in affording to them direction and aid needful for the discharge of their duty; whence their judgments of things are somewhat more than human, and their words may with us pass Prov. xvi. for oracular; A divine sentence, the wise king said, is in the lips of the king; his mouth transgresseth not in judgment. According to the ordinary reason of things, they are best able to judge of such things, being, by reason of their eminent station, able to discern more and further than others; having by experience and constant practice acquired a truer insight into things, and a better skill to manage them: whereas we being placed beneath in a valley, can have no good prospect upon the grounds and causes of their resolutions and proceedings: we, for want of sufficient use and exercise, cannot skill to balance the contrary weights and reasons of things; to surmount the difficulties and rubs, to unfold the knots and intrigues, which occur in affairs of that kind; we cannot expect those special influences of light and strength from heaven toward judging of affairs, which do not properly concern us: wherefore we are altogether incompetent judges, and impertinent dealers about those things; it is great odds, that in doing so we shall mistake and misbehave ourselves; we consequently do vainly and naughtily to meddle with them. If the love of public good doth transport us, let us restrain ourselves. 3. We should not indeed so much as meddle with the affairs of our equals, (those I mean not who do equal us in dignity or worth, but all such who are XXI. not subject to our command or charge, however SERM. otherwise inferior to us: those, I say, we should not meddle with,) so as to control or cross them; to direct, or check, or censure their proceedings against their will, or without special reason engaging us thereto for this is also to usurp an undue authority, this argueth self-conceit, this containeth immodesty and arrogance. 4. We should not, without the desire or leave of parties concerned, intermeddle in the smaller temporal interests of others, upon pretence to further them, or with design to cross them; for every man should be left to himself to choose and to manage his own business, prosecuting it in the method he best liketh, (consistent with law and justice toward others,) without interruption or control: every man hath a right to do so, every man desireth it, every man commonly hath a capacity sufficient for it; for each man is apt to study his own business, to weigh his case, to poise his abilities with the circumstances in which he standeth; and thence is likely to get righter notions concerning the state of his affairs, to descry better ways of accomplishing them, than others less regarding them can do: every man is best acquainted with his own humour and temper, and thence can pick his business, and wind the management of it, so that it shall comply with them, or not grate upon them. However, as every man in point of interest and honour is most concerned in the success, and suffereth most by frustration of his endeavours, so it is equal that a free choice of his proceedings should be allowed him, without impediment or disturbance; which enjoying, he will more contentedly bear any disappointment that shall hap SERM. pen. This especially we say, in respect to matters XXI. of lesser consequence, (such as most worldly interests are,) by the ill success whereof our neighbour is not extremely damaged or hurt; for in such cases the immodesty and arrogancy of meddling, with the vexation and trouble it is apt to work, do commonly much outweigh any benefit we can presume by our meddling to procure. 5. We should not indeed ever in matters of indifferent and innocent nature so far meddle, as, without considerable reason or need, to infringe any man's liberty, to cross his humour, to obstruct his pleasure, however discordant these may be to our judgment and palate. Every man hath a particular gust for diet, for garb, for divertisements and disports, (arising from particular complexion, or other unaccountable causes,) and fit it is that he should satisfy it; it is enough that what he doeth seemeth good, and relisheth to himself: if we check him therein, we shall seem impertinent and troublesome, and therefore we shall really be so; for it is not our office to be tasters, to be dressers, to be masters of the sports to all men we in such matters would please our own fancy, and therefore we should not about them offend others; it is incivility, it is injustice to do it. 6. We should never offer to put a force upon any man's inclination, or strive to bend it unto a compliance with ours; in attempting that we shall commonly be disappointed, and we shall never come fairly off for some are so tough, they will never yield to us; none will comply against the grain, without regret and displeasure: if you extort a compliance with your desire, you thereby do lose their good opinion and good will; for no man liketh to be SERM. overborne with violence or importunity. 7. We should not in conversation meddle so as to impose our opinions and conceits upon others: in conversation with our equals, we have a liberty to propound our judgment, and declare our reasons for it; but if our judgment doth not take, nor our reasons persuade, we should have done; to press further is rude, to be displeased for it is vain, to be angry or violent is unjust; for by the law of conversation every man taketh himself to have an absolute right to use and follow his own reason; and he that affects to deprive any man thereof, will pass for a petty tyrant, a clown, or an idiot. To retain the satisfaction which our own persuasion affordeth, is enough to content a just and sober mind, without triumphing over the understandings of others. 8. We should not ordinarily in converse affect or undertake to teach; for this implies a pretence to a kind of superiority, and a preferring ourselves to others in wisdom; which argueth vanity, and is offensive to those with whom we converse, who care not to be dealt with as disciples or underlings. We may with our equals modestly dispute the case upon even ground, as fellow-students of knowledge, or advocates of truth; but we must not peremptorily dictate, or pronounce with authority, like masters or judges. XXI. agatur in alia per te 9. We should indeed be cautious of interrupting Nec quid any man's discourse, or of taking his words out of alia domus his mouth for this is a rude way of dispossessing noverit. men of that which by common law of society they suppose themselves to enjoy, speaking their mind. through, and perfecting their discourse; it is an im Hier. Ep. 2. XXI. SERM. plicit accusation of impertinency or weakness in their speech; it is an argument that we deem ourselves wiser than they, or able to speak more to the purpose it is therfore an unsociable and distasteful practice. 10. We should be careful of intrenching upon any man's modesty in any way, either of commendation or dispraise, so as to put him to the blush, or to expose him unto scorn. Sober men care not to be the subjects of talk; no man can endure to be the object of sport: we should not therefore thrust any man upon the stage; it is vexatious, and therefore always discourteous, sometimes very injurious. 11. It is good to be very staunch and cautious of talking about other men and their concernments, in way of passing characters on them, or descanting upon their proceedings for want of other discourse: this is the common refuge of idleness, and the practice of fiddling gossips, who, because they will do nothing themselves, must be reflecting upon the doings of others; and that they may not say nothing, will talk impertinently: prúapos kai #epiepyor, St. Paul well coupleth together, that is, frivolous tattlers and busybodies; and withal, saith he of such gossiping women, 1 Tim. v. 13. they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. To affect talking about others is indeed a great temptation to speaking Vid. Chrys. things which we ought not to speak, words of unjust and uncharitable obloquy. in Heb. xxxi. 3. Orat. 21. 12. Further; we should not be inquisitive into the designs of men; for this, beside the vain curiosity and impertinency of so doing, is to assail their mo |