Experience of Mankind. But this is part of that Vain Shew wherein Man walks; wherein I fay he Walks, but wherein he can never fit down and reft, every Step he makes presenting him with some new Appearance of Happiness, and drilling him on further, fo that he ftill walks on, till he comes to the End of his Walk, and then turns round upon the fame Enjoyments again; fo that he can never get out of the Inchanted Circle.

This is the Natural Vanity of Man, and thus far he is rather to be pitied than blamed, it being all founded upon the neceffary Weakness and Infirmity of his Nature. But to bring him defervedly under the feverest Cenfure, and to compleat the Character of his Vanity, he not only walks in a Vain Shew, but is withal fuch a Fool as to difquiet himself in vain; which is his Moral Vanity, and the next thing to be confider'd.

He difquieteth himself in vain. Innumerable are the Inftances wherein he does fo ; but I fhall briefly glance at a few, which I fhall bring within the compass of these two general Heads, Impossi bilities and Unneceffaries. The Impoffibilities are of two forts, Impoffible Truths, and Impoffible Goods. The Former impoffible to be understood, the Latter impoffible to be enjoy'd:

I. Man difquiets himself in Vain about Impoffible Truths, fuch Truths as are not poffible for him to Comprehend. So do all they, firft, who imploy their Studies, and it may be write Voluminous Treatifes, about fuch things whereof we have no manner of Idea, and of which Confe

J

quently

quently they can neither Affirm, nor Deny any thing to any purpose, or with any Satisfaction. As particularly about Spirits and Immaterial Subftances, whereof we know not enough to be ever in a Capacity of Learning more, as having neither Idea, nor Principle to proceed upon, and which therefore a Man may Study a thousand Years and be never the Wifer. And yet how much Study and Thought has there been imploy'd, how much Time wafted, how much Sleep and Health loft, how many Tedious Volumes Compofed,and how many fine Heads turn'd and crack'd upon this Defperate and unconquerable Theory!

So do they alfo, Secondly, who trouble their Heads and rack their thoughts about fuch things, which though they have fome Idea of, yet it is fo Obfcure and Imperfect, that they can never hope to have a full and clear Comprehenfion of them, either as they are fimply in themselves, or as they stand in relation with other things. Such Jare all the Inquiries and Disputes about Infinity and Eternity, about Space and Time, about the Divifibility of Quantity, about the Principle of Individuation, about Liberty and Neceffity, and the reconciling of Prefcience with Contingency, about the Ends of God, and the Reasons and Order of Providence, and the like. Thefe are the things of fo abftruse a Nature, and whereof our Idea's are so very Confuse and Obfcure, that we can never come to have any tolerable Comprehenfion of them, or Satisfaction about them, let us Study and Wrangle never fo long. And

yet

yet Man is fo Foolish and Vain as to difquiet himself (perhaps others too) in the search of fuch impoffible Truths; not confidering how much better it would become him,and how much more it would be for his ease,to learn the true Bounds that divide Opinion from Knowledge, to study the Extent of his own Capacity (which one would think should be quickly learnt) and to fit down in a quiet Ignorance of those things,to which his Understanding is not proportioned;and to know the Length of his own Line, fince he cannot all the Depths of the Ocean in which he Sails.

II. I fhould now fhew, Secondly, how Man Difquiets himself about impoffible Good, as well as impoffible Truth; but having given a pregnant Inftance of this already, in the conftant and eager Chase after Happiness, wherein Men both tire and delude their Souls, notwithstanding the many repeated Experiments and Convictions of the World's Vanity; I fhall ftay no longer upon this part, but go on to fhew how they difquiet themfelves about Unnecessaries, which again are of two forts, unneceffary Truth, and unneceffary Good.

1. Man Disquiets himself in Vain about unneceffary Truth. There is no other Truth neceffary to be made the Object of Human Study, but only that which ferves to the Moral Conduct of Man, to the Recollection of his Mind, to the Government of his Paffions, and to the Direction of his Life and Manners in fuch a way as may lead him to Eternal Happiness; that which in one word

the

the Apostle calls, The Truth which is after Godliness, Tit. 1. 1. This is the only Truth that Man is concerned either to seek after or attain, either to know himself, or to promote in others. For though other Truths abfolutely, and in themselves confidered, may be perfective of Human Underftanding (which was made for the Contemplation of Truth) yet confidering the present Station and Order of Man, he is concerned to trouble himfelf about no other than what ferves to the Regulation of his Life and Manners, that being the only Business he has to do in this World. 'Tis certainly both the Wisdom and the Duty of every Rational Creature, to employ his Study about thofe things only, to which his Capacity is proportioned, and which are of present Concernment to him to be informed of; thofe things that are Poffible,and Neceffary, to be known. And I know but of one fort of things, that have both these Conditions, viz. things of a Moral or Divine Nature, that relate to Life and Manners: Which are the only proper Objects for the Study of Man, as his Circumstances now ftand,while he is acting his Probation for another World. He is not therefore now to ftudy what will barely accomplish his Mind, but what will lead him to his End,this being the true Measure to be observed by Man in his Search after Learning and Knowledge, as I have more largely fhewn in a particular Treatife upon this Occafion. But now if this be a true Measure (as by all the Principles

224 now

*Reflections upon
the Conduct of
Human Life.

*

of

of Reason it must) I need not stand to reflec
how ill the General way of Study will bear it, or
how Vain the Thoughts and Meditations even of
the most awaken'd and thinking part of Man-
kind will be found to be, or about how many
unneceffary Truths they disquiet themselves. The
Subject is indeed at once too plain, and too ten-
der,to bear
any further Reflexion. And therefore
I fhall haften to confider,

2. How Man difquiets himself in vain about unneceffary Good. I might here go a very short way to work, fince our Saviour, who well understood both the Nature and the Neceffities of Man, does exprefly affure us, that there is but One thing Needful, and we have as much reason to believe it,as any part of the Gospel. And if there be but One Thing Neceffary, then how, infinite are the Unneceffaries, or rather Impertinencies,that. take up and torment the Thoughts of Men! But to take a little wider Compafs; do they not trouble and difquiet their Minds about the Superfluities and Luxuriances of Life, fine Cloaths and rich Equipage; things that are so far from serving any Neceffity, that they do not so much as add to the real and natural Convenience of Life, but rather to the Load and Burthen of it? Dothey not difquiet themselves about Phantastick and Imaginary Goods; which many Happy Men never have, and fome (the Wifer they) never defire; I mean Greatness, Dignity and Honour; which add as much to a Man's Happiness, or real Worth, as a high Shoe, or as a rifing Ground

does