: VIII. OF ANGER. Montpellier, 1669. "HE that is slow to anger is better than the mighty," is an observation as ancient as Solomon's time (Prov. xvi. 32.) and hath been confirmed in all ages since he that can abstain from it, is master of most men, and seldom fails of any design he proposes to himself. A man that is undisturbed in what he goes about, will rarely be disappointed of his end whereas, on the contrary, anger is the most impotent passion that accompanies the mind of man; it effects nothing it goes about; and hurts the man who is possessed by it more than any other against whom it is directed. It exposes him to laughter and contempt, without any return in satisfaction and content, as most of the other passions do; it is a barren and unfruitful vice, and ouly torments him who nourishes it. The philosopher thought it so useless a passion, that he could not tell to what service to apply it; he would by no means suffer it in battles or actions of war, where one night believe it might be of most advantage, and carry men to the utmost daring, which is often very successful, and hath brought great and unexpected things to pass; but he found that it did naturally degenerate into rashness, "Et pericula dum inferre vult non cavet ;" and that the prevalent temper in those enterprises was, that "qui se diu multumque circumspexit, et rexit, et ex lento, et destinato provexit," which anger will never permit him. And surely, if it be not seasonable in those angry contentions, it is much more inconvenient in the more calm seasons of business and conversation in business he rejects all that is proposed by other men, and superciliously determines that his own advice is to be followed; in conversation he is full of unpeaceable contradictions, and impatient at being contradicted; so that, though upon some considerations, he be endured in company, he is never desired or wished for. "An angry man (if you believe Solomon) stirreth up strife;" he cannot only not be a friend, but not suffer others to be so: it is not possible for him to be at peace with others, when he hath a perpetual war with himself; people who are not like him, cannot or will not live with him; and if he be with those who are like him, neither of them can live long. Seneca thinks it a notable argument to men to avoid and suppress it," non moderationis causâ sed sanitatis," because "ingentis iræ exitus furor est;" but the truth is, he doth anger too much honour who calls it madness, which, being a distemper of the brain, and a total absence of all reason, is innocent in all the ill effects it may produce; whereas anger is an affected madness compounded of pride and folly, and an intention to do commonly more mischief than it can bring to pass: and without doubt of all passions which naturally disturb the mind of man, it is most in our power to extinguish, at least to suppress and correct, our anger. That we may not flatter ourselves with an imagination that anger may be commendable in us, and seem to have something of injunction to support it in Scripture itself, we shall find it with a restriction that quickly convinces us, that it is not of kin to our anger: "Be angry, but sin not." If we are sure that our anger is only on God's behalf, for some indignity done to him in the neglect of his service, or for the practice of some vice or wickedness that he hath prohibited: if we are offended, and feel some commotions within us, in seeing loose and indecent things done, and in hearing lascivious and profane things spoken; and break out into sharp and angry reprehensions and advice, where we may well do it; we shall never be ashamed of that anger: if we can be angry and charitable together, and be willing to do good to him with whom we are most angry, we shall have no cause to repent our anger, nor others to condemn it. But we have too much cause to doubt, that this warrantable anger will not give us content and delight enough to be affected with it; it will do us no good because it will do others no hurt, and so will give us no credit with other men. We shall do very well, if we do restrain and suppress and extinguish all other anger, and are only transported with this. If we do not, and are angry only to grieve and terrify others, and therefore angry that they may be grieved and terrified, and not for any thing that they have done amiss, but because we would not have had them done it; or if we suffer no bounds or limits to be prescribed to our anger, be the cause of it never so just and reasonable, by decency, reason, and justice; our passion is thereby the more unjustifiable, by the countenance we would draw to it from divinity, and ought to be the more carefully extinguished and extirpated by our shame and by our repentance. IX. OF PATIENCE IN ADVERSITY. Montpellier, 1669. If we considered seriously (and our observation and experience supplies-every man abundantly with matter for those considerations) the folly and madness and inconvenience and mischief of passion and impatience, the pain and agony that is begotten by it within ourselves, and the damage and disreputation abroad with other men, we should not need many arguments to persuade us of the benefit and ease of patience; and if we considered patience only as a moral virtue, as a natural sobriety and temper in subduing and regulating our affections and passions, as an absence of that anger and rage and fury which usually transports us upon ordinary and trivial provocations, we could not but acknowledge the great advantage men have by it. Solomon seems to require nothing else to make a wise man; "He that is slow to anger is of great understanding," Prov. xiv. 29. And indeed, there is nothing so much corrupts and destroys and infatuates the understanding as anger and passion; insomuch as men of very indifferent parts, by the advantage of temper and composure, are much wiser, aud fitter for great actions, and are usually more prosperous, than men of more subtle and sublime parts, of more quickness and fancy, with the warmth and choler that many times attends those compositions: "He that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly," says Solomon, Prov. xiv. 29; that is, so improves his folly, that he seems more foolish than in truth he is; he says things he does not intend to say, and does things he does not intend to do, and refreshes his enemies with the folly of his anger: whereas the temperate, unrash, and dispassionate man is always at home, and, by being unmoved himself, discerns all advantages whilst he gives none. "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city," Prov. xvi. 32. One translation renders it," qui dominatur animo suo, expugnator est urbium;" he that can suppress his passions is even the master of all cities, no strength can resist him. So that if we intended nothing but our own ease, and benefit, and advantage, we have reason to apply ourselves to and study this temper, in which the precepts of the philosophers give us ample instructions, and the practice of mere heathen men have left us notable and envious examples: but the obligations of Christianity carry us much farther; we must add to temperance patience, which is a Christian virtue of so high a qualification, that Tertullian translates that direction of our Saviour in the 21st chapter of St. Luke's gospel, ver. 19, "In your patience possess your souls," per tolerantiam salvos facietis vosmetipsos," you shall save your souls by your patience; which, if we could be persuaded in any degree to give credit to, we would not so much indulge to that licence of our impatient humour, as we do upon the least accidental crosses. 99 66 The exercise of this necessary Christian duty depends principally upon the attending and waiting God's own time and leisure for the receiving those blessings, which, upon the conscience of having according to our weak abilities endeavoured E |