The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

They cannot live in bad times. They carry that about them that will make the worst days good to them. Surely they can never be happy in the best times, that cannot be so in any. Outward prosperity is quite besides the ⟨p. 323⟩purpose to a distempered Soul, when nothing else troubles, it will torment it self. Besides, we cannot command at pleasure, the benign aspects of the world, the smiles of the times; we may wait a life's time, and still find the same adverse posture of things towards us from without. What dotage is it to place our blessedness in something to us impossible, that lies wholly out of our power: nd in order whereto we have nothing to do, but sit down and wish; and either faintly hope, or ragingly despair! We cannot change times, and seasons; nor alter the course of the world, create new Heavens, and new Earth. Would we not think our selves mocked, if God should command us these things, in order to our being happy? 'Tis not our business, these are not the affairs of our own Province (blessed be God 'tis not so large) further then as our bettering our selves may conduce thereto; and this is that which we may do, and ought 'tis our proper work, in obedience, and subordination to God, as his instruments, to govern, and cultivate our own spirits, to intend the affairs of that his Kingdom in us (where we are his Authorized Vice-Royes) that consists in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We can be benign to our selves, if the world be not so to us; cherish, and adorn our inward man; that though the outward man be exposed daily to perish (which we cannot help, and therefore it concerns us not to take thought about it) the inward may be renewed day by day. We can take care that our souls may prosper, ⟨p. 324⟩that, through our o•citant neglect, they be not left to languish, and pine away in their own iniquities. They may be daily fed with the Heavenly hidden Manna, and with the Fruits of the Paradise of God, they may enjoy at home a continual feast, and with an holy freedom luxuriate in Divine Pleasures, the joys wherewith the strangers intermeddles not, if we be not unpropitious, and unkind to our selves.

They cannot live in bad times. They carry that about them that will make the worst days good to them. Surely they can never be happy in the best times, that cannot be so in any. Outward prosperity is quite besides the