and suffer ourselves to be carried away with the stream of the common opinion. And though the effects be not so sudden and observable, yet these discourses are still making some secret and insensible impressions,

upon us.

Thus also is our judgment corrupted about the qualities and endowments of the mind. Courage and gallantry, wit and eloquence, and other accomplishments of this nature, are magnified and extolled beyond all measure; whereas humility, and meekness, and devotion, and all those Christian graces which render a soul truly excellent and lovely, are spoken of as mean and contemptible things: for though men have not the impudence formally to make the comparison, and prefer the former; yet their very air, and way of discoursing about these things, sufficiently testifies their opinion. With what affection and concernment will they represent a gallant or learned man; but how faintly do they utter the character of a good man! And so, in censuring men's failings, they exaggerate the smallest instances of weakness or imprudence, but speak lightly enough of the greatest crimes. Drunkenness and whoredom are mentioned in such terms as express little sense of their heinous nature; and tend to lessen the horror we should have of them. Ambition and revenge, and such other plausible vices, are rather allowed than condemned. And while we converse in the world, and are accustomed to such representations of things, our judgments are thereby exceedingly corrupted, and we entertain false and pernicious maxims. And so hard it is to guard ourselves against the contagion, that we had better sit alone and keep silence, than be continually exposed to the temptation.

I shall mention but another of those evils wherewith our conversation is commonly attended. The most ordinary subject of our entertainments are the faults and follies of others. Itur in verba, sermo seritur, vita aliena, describitur: We meet and talk, and fall to describe the life and deportment of others. Were this one theme of discourse discharged, we would oft-times

find but little to say. I scarce know any fault whereof good persons are so frequently guilty, and so little sensible. They know perhaps the things are true, and they have no malicious design in reporting them; they tell them only as they do the public news, to divert themselves, and gratify their friends. But, would we consult our own hearts, and apply the great rule of righteousness, of doing unto others as we would be done unto ourselves, we should soon be convinced of a great deal more guilt and sinfulness in such discourses than we are wont to apprehend. How ill do we take it to have our own failings thus exposed, and to hear that any person hath made as bold with us as we are wont to make with others? Again, how loth would we be, that the persons of whom we speak so freely, should overhear our discourse, or be informed of it? Now, if the practice had nothing blamable in it, why should we be so shy to avow it?

I have only hinted at these things: but he who shall seriously ponder them, will acknowledge, there is no little prejudice even in those entertainments which pass for very innocent in the world; and that he shunneth much guilt and many snares who sitteth alone and keepeth silence. But solitude and retirement do not only deliver us from these inconveniences, but also afford very excellent opportunities for bettering our souls. Those hours we mispend in needless visits and idle talk, if rightly improved, might set us a great way forward on our journey to heaven. While we are too busy in making or entertaining acquaintance with men, we many times fall out of acquaintance both with God and ourselves.

The most profane and irreligious persons will find some serious thoughts rise in their minds if they be much alone. And the more that any person is advanced in piety and goodness, the more will he delight in retirement, and receive the more benefit by it. it is that the devout soul takes its highest flight in divine contemplations and maketh its nearest approaches to God. I find the vulgar Latin rendereth the words

Then

of the text, Sedebit solitarius et tacebit, quia levavit se supra se: The solitary person will sit still and hold his peace, because he hath lifted up himself above himself: raised his spirit above his ordinary pitch. In solitudine (saith one of the fathers) aer purior, cœlum apertius, familiarior Deus: In solitude we breathe, as it were, in a purer air, heaven is more open unto us, and God is more familiar and frequent in his visits. To which purpose some have applied that of the Prophet Hosea, Behold I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and there speak comfortably unto her; or, as the original importeth, I will speak unto her heart. That rule which our Saviour giveth for our devotion, to enter into our closet, and shut the door behind us, is as necessary to preserve us from distraction, as from vanity and ostentation. When we have retired as much as we can from the world, we do still carry too much of it along with us. The images of things do sufficiently persecute and disturb us, though we be not exposed to the objects themselves. Our blessed Saviour thought not the mountains and deserts retired enough for his devotions; but would add the darkness and silence of the night. Little doth the world understand those secret and hidden pleasures which devout souls do feel, when, having got out of the noise and hurry of the world, they sit alone and keep silence, contemplating the divine perfections, which shine so conspicuously in all his works of wonder; admiring his greatness, and wisdom, and love, and revolving his favours towards themselves; opening before him their griefs and their cares, and disburdening their souls into his bosom; protesting their allegiance and subjection unto him, and telling him a thousand times that they love him; and then listening unto the voice of God within their hearts, that still and quiet voice, which is not wont to be heard in the streets, that they may hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, and visit them with the expressions of his love. No wonder if those blessed souls who have tasted the pleasures of holy retirement, and found themselves, as it

were, in the suburbs of heaven, grow weary of company and affairs, and long for the returning of those happy hours, as the hireling for the shades of the evening: no wonder they pity the foolish busy world, who spend their days in vanity, and know not what it is indeed to live.

But here I would not be mistaken, as if I recommended a total and constant retirement, or persuaded men to forsake the world, and betake themselves unto deserts. No, certainly; we must not abandon the stations wherein God hath placed us, nor render ourselves useless to mankind. Solitude hath its temptations, and we may be sometimes very bad company to ourselves. It was not without reason that a wise person warned another, who professed to delight in conversing with himself, Vide ut cum homine probo: Have a care that you be keeping company with a good man. Abused solitude may whet men's passions, and irritate their lusts, and prompt them to things which company would restrain. And this made one say, that he who is much alone, must either be a saint or devil. Melancholy, which inclines men most to retirement, is often too much nourished and fomented by it; and there is a peevish and sullen loneliness, which some people affect under their troubles, whereby they feed on discontented thoughts, and find a kind of perverse pleasure in refusing to be comforted. But all this says no more, but that good things may be abused; and excess or disorder may turn the most wholesome food into poison. And therefore, though I would not indifferently recommend much solitude unto all; yet, sure, I may say, it were good for the most part of men that they were less in company, and more alone.

Thus much of the first and proper sense of sitting alone and keeping silence. We told you it might also import a quiet and patient submission to the will of God; the laying of our hand on our mouth, that no expression of murmur or discontent may escape us. I was dumb, said the Psalmist, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. And the Prophet describeth our

Saviour's patience, that he was oppressed, and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. Indeed a modest and unaffected silence is a good way to express our submission to the hand of God under afflictions. The Heathen moralists, who pretend much to patience, could never hold their peace; but desired always to signalize themselves by some fetches of wit, and expressions of unusual courage. But certainly the mute and quiet Christian behaveth himself much better. Locquacissimum illud silentium: That eloquent and expressive silence saith more than all their vain and Stoical boastings. We cannot now insist in any length on this Christian duty of patience, and submission to the will of God; we shall only say two things of it, which the text importeth. First, that this lesson is most commonly learned in the school of afflictions: He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. In that forecited place of Jeremiah xxxi. 18. Ephraim bemoaning himself, acknowledgeth that he had been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; which maketh the greater reluctancy against it. Children that are much indulged, are the more impatient if they come to be crossed; and there is too much of the child in us all. The Apostle tells us, that tribulation worketh patience. Custom makes every thing more tolerable unto us; and if it please God to sanctify the first stroke, the second is received with the greater submission. The other thing I have to say on this duty, is, that this advantage of afflictions is very great and desirable; that it is indeed very good for a man to have borne the yoke in his youth, if he hath thereby learned to sit alone and keep silence when the hand of the Lord is upon him. There is nothing more acceptable unto God, no object more lovely and amiable in his eyes, than a soul thus prostrate before him, thus entirely resigned unto his holy will, thus quietly submitting to his severest dispensations. Nor is it less advantageous unto ourselves; but sweeteneth the bitterest occurrences of our life, and