Of Peace and Contentment of Mind, Book 2 · Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAPTER I. The Deſigne of this Book, and the next.
THe ſence of our peace with God may be diſtinguiſhed from the peace with our ſelves, but not ſeparated; for the peace with God being well apprehended ſetleth peace in the heart betweene a man and his own conſcience, which otherwiſe is his inſeparable accuſer and implacable adverſary.
We have ſpoken in the firſt Book of the ground and principal cauſe of our inward peace which is alſo the end and perfection of the ſame, and that is our Union with God. We have treated alſo of the meanes altogether divine and effective of that end, which are the love of God and our neighbour, faith, hope, and a good conſcience active in good workes. We intend now, with Gods helpe, to ſpeake of thoſe ſubordinate cauſes and meanes, where Prudence is a ſervant of Piety, to keep peace and good order within. In this great work the handmaide ſhall often need her Miſtriſſes help; for reaſon not ſanctified by piety is as dangerous to uſe, as Antimony and Mercury not prepared.
The two great workes of ſanctified reaſon to keep inward peace and content, are theſe; Not to be beaten down with adverſity or corrupted with proſperity, going through both fortuns with vertuous cleare and equal temper, making profit of all things, and fetching good out of evill.
To frame that golden temper in our minde, we muſt lay downe before all things for a fundamental Maxime, That all the good and evill of mans life, though it may have its occaſions without, hath truly and really its cauſes within us; excepting onelyonly ſome few caſualties where prudence hath no place; and yet there is no evill but may be either prevented, or leſſened, or turned into good by a vertuous diſpoſition.
Hence it followes that not without but within us our principal labour muſt be beſtowed, to take an order for our peace and content. To keep us from falls in a long journey, if wee would ſend before to remove all the ſtones out of the way, we ſhould never have done; but the right courſe is to get an able and ſurefooted horſe and to ſit faſt on him. It would be a more impoſſible undertakeing in the wayfairing condition of this life to remove all temptations and oppoſitions out of our way; but againſt theſe two ſorts of obſtacles, we muſt provide a firme ſpirit, able to go through all, and ſtumbling at nothing; but keeping every where a ſure and eeven pace.
To that end let us acknowledge within us two generall cauſes of all our content and diſcontent, and all our order and diſorder: The firſt cauſe is the Opinion that we conceive of things; The ſecond is, the Paſſion moved or occaſioned by that opinion. Take a good order with theſe two cauſes, you ſhall be every where content, tranquil, wiſe, and moderate. But from the diſorder of theſe two cauſes, proceeds all the trouble of the inward polity of our minds, and all the miſrule and miſery that is in the world.
It muſt bee then our labour to order aright theſe two Principles of our good and evill within us, and in the order here ſet down, which is eſſential to the matter; Imploying this ſecond Book to get right Opinions of the things of this world, from which men uſually expect good or evill. And this will prepare us matter for the third Book, whoſe task will be to ſet a rule to paſſions. For that which ſets them upon diſorderly motions is the wrong opinion wherewith the mind is poſſeſt about the objects. And whoſoever can inſtruct his mind with right opinions, may after that, rule his paſſion with little labour.
CHAP. II. Of the right Opinion.
I Said that things exteriour are the occaſions of the good and evill of man, but the cauſes of the ſame are the interiour, Opinion and Paſſion. Now to treat of the cauſes we muſt alſo treat of the occaſions, as ſubjects of the opinion, and objects of the paſſion; Not to examine them all, for they are as many as things in the world and accidents in mans life; there is none of them altogether indifferent to us, but are conſidered either as good or evill. We will ſtay onelyonly upon the chiefe heads, and endeavour to finde the true price of things that men commonly deſire, and the true harme of thoſe things which they feare.
In this ſearch, I deſire not to be accounted partial, if I labour to give a pleaſant face to the ſaddeſt things. It is my profeſt intention. For my work being to ſeek in all things occaſion of peace and content, why ſhall I not, if I can, borrow it even from adverſity? And is it any whit material whether I find it indeed or deviſe it, ſo I can make it ſerve my turne! Is it not prudence for one to be ingenious to content himſelfe, yea though he coſen himſelfe to his owne content? My readers may beare with me if I uſe them as I uſe my ſelfe, who, next to the care of pleaſing God, make it my chiefe ſtudy to content my mind, and in all the ſeveral byaſſes that God puts upon the rouling courſe of my life, ſtrive to behold all accidents by the faire ſide; or to give them one in my mind, if they have none. Wherein I hope to juſtifye the ingenuity of my dealing, to ingenious mind, and ſhew that I give no falſe colours to evill things to make them looke good. For ſince the good and evill of moſt things conſiſteth in opinion, and that things prove good or evill as they are taken and uſed, if I find good in thoſe things which others call evill, they become good in my reſpect. It is the great worke of wiſe men to turne all things to their advantage, ſubjecting exteriour things to their mind, not their mind to them, et ſibi res non ſe rebus ſubmittere.
This truth then ought to be deeply printed in minds, ſtudious of wiſdome and their own content, That they beare their happineſſe or unhappineſſe within their breaſt; and, That all outward things have a right and a wrong handle; He that takes them by the right handle, finds them good; He that takes them by the wrong indiſcreetly, finds them evill. Take a knife by the haft it will ſerve you, take it by the edge it will cut you.
Obſerve that all ſublunary things are of a compounded nature; Nothing is ſimple, nothing but may do good, nothing but may do harme. And ſo in moral goodneſſe or badneſſe. There is no good thing but is mingled with evill: There is no evill, but ſome good enters into the compoſition. The ſame truth holds in all perſons, actions, and events. Out of the worſt, a well compoſed mind endowed with the grace of God, may extract good with no other chymiſtry then piety wiſdom and ſerenity.
It lyeth in us, as we incline our minds, to be pleaſed or diſpleaſed with moſt things of the world. This may be exemplifyed in things material and of leſſe importance, which may be preſidents for things ſpiritual and of greater moment. One that hath fed his eyes with the rich proſpect of delicate Countryes as Lombardy and Anjou, where all the beauties and dainties of Nature are aſſembled, will another time take no leſſe delight in a wild and rugged proſpect of high bare mountaines, and fifty ſtories of ſteep rockes, as about the grand Chartreuſe, and the bottome Ardennes, where the very horror contributes to the delectation. If I have bin delighted to ſee the trees of my Orchard, in ſpring bloſſomed, in ſummer ſhady, in autumne hung with fruite; I will delight againe, after the fall of the leafe, to ſee through my trees new proſpects which the buſhy boughes hid before; and will be pleaſed with the ſight of the ſnow candied about the branches, as the flowers of the ſeaſon. This is better then to conſider in deſerts nothing but their hideouſneſſe and barrenneſſe, and in winter nothing but the rheumatique weather.
If a facile and well compoſed mind take delight in theſe varieties of nature, why not in the varietyes of his condition? When he is rich, he will delight in the ſervice of his men; When he falls to poverty, he will delight to help himſelfe, finding that he is the ſooner obeyed and more to his minde. If he hath children, he will delight to provide for them; If God take them from him, he will rejoyce that they are provided for. If he obtaine a beloved woman, he finds his content increaſed; If he miſs her, he finds his care diminiſht. If he be neere his friends, he injoyes gladly their love and preſence; If he be farre from them, he ſeeth no more their diſtreſſes. One time he loves health, becauſe it makes life ſweeter; Another time he will love ſickneſſe, becauſe it will bring a happy death. That mans patience was ingenuous, who having put out his eye falling upon his own ſtaffe, gave God thanks that his ſtaffe was not forked, ſo he might have put out both his eyes with that fall.
There is nothing where a well inſtructed minde may not find matter of ſome content and comfort. A truth preſuppoſed by St. Paul when he teacheth to rejoyce evermore, 1 Theſſ. 5.16. yea and glory in tribulations. Rom. 5.3. For when God multiplyeth his tryalls to his children he makes his comforts to abound much more. Of which they deprive themſelves who in their fortunes look onelyonly upon the ſad ſide, and are ingenious to vexe themſelves. The occurrences of this life having many faces, a wiſe man will alwayes entertaine the beſt. And in my opinion it ſhould not be a hard matter to obtaine of ourſelves, to give alwayes ſentence in our own favour.
Yet this muſt be uſed with ſome diſtinction. For in thoſe evils which conſiſt in our own fault, we muſt alwayes conſider the evill as great as it is, and give ſentence againſt our ſelves; for the way to be abſolved of God is, to condemne ourſelves before him. In that caſe he that is againſt himſelfe doth much for himſelfe. But as for the evills that come to us by accident or by the fault of another, wee muſt alwayes leſſen the evill and be partial for our ſelves through humility, meekeneſſe, patience, yea and forgetfullneſſe; for ſo ſhall we give judgement in our favour, the milde part being that which muſt worke our content. Whereas he that aggravates evils with his imagination, and makes his ſpite, and appetite of revenge to be as hammers to knock in deeper the arrowes that are ſhot againſt him, gives ſentence againſt himſelfe, and takes part with his enemies to work his own diſcontent.
Theſe conſiderations muſt be further inſiſted upon in their proper place. I uſe them here only as inſtances of the benefit of opinion when it is well taught, and the harme of the ſame when it followes a wrong information.
To get a right Opinion, the contemplation by which Epictetus beginnes and grounds his Book, of moſt rare excellency, muſt be maturely and diligently ſtudied. For if we beſtow but a little Chriſtian dreſſe upon it, it will be a perpetual & infallible rule for the right valuing of all things, and ſo will prove a ſingular help for the cleareneſſe and tranquillity of minde. Here it is.
In the univerſality of things ſome are in our power, ſome are not: Such as are in our power are Opinion, appetite, deſire, averſion, and all our inward and outward actions [By our power I meane not our meere naturall power, which is weak and prone to evill, but the regenerate power ſtrengthened with Gods grace, which aſſiſting our natural freedom gives it both to will and to do according to his good pleaſure. Phil. 2.13. Wherefore the Chriſtian hath more power over his opinions, paſſions, and motions then Epictetus, who had but the natural power.] The things that are not in our power, are money, glory, empires, and generally all things that are none of our workes.
Thoſe things that are in our power are free by their nature, and cannot be hindred by any but our ſelves, or at leaſt without our conſent: For although the world and the Devill ſeduce our opinions and tempt our affections, they cannot get any victory over us, unleſſe we lend our hand to it. But as for the things that are out of our power, they are weake, ſubject to ſervitude, expoſed to oppoſition and hinderances, and depend of the power of another.
We muſt then hold this for certain, that if we take things ſubject to ſervitude, to be free; and things that depend of another, to be ours; we cannot but meet often with oppoſitions and obſtructions in our deſignes. We ſhall lament and torment our ſelves, we ſhall accuſe men, and murmure againſt God. But if we account that onelyonly to be ours which is ours indeed as depending of us, and look upon all that depends not of us as being nothing to us, we can loſe nothing, we ſhall not afflict our ſelves for any thing in the world, the ſpoyling of worldly goods that are about us ſhall not wrong or deject us, for that cannot be taken from us which is none of ours.
That conſideration will do us great and good ſervice in this Treatiſe. And to beginne, let us make uſe of Epictetus his diſtinction for the diſtribution of the principal things about which we have need to rectifie our opinion, that we may be wiſe and tranquill every where.
The things that depend not of us are either the goods of fortune (as they are called) which are riches, honour, friends, and family; Or goods of the body, as beauty, ſtrength, health, pleaſure and life it ſelfe; As theſe things depend not of us, no more do their contraryes, poverty, diſhoner, enemyes, loſſe of friends, deformity, paine, ſickneſſe and death. When one hath thoſe former at will, that ſtate is called proſperity the latter, paſſe under the name of adverſity.
The things that depend of us, or rather of the grace of God in us, which becomes the beſt part of ourſelves are piety, honeſty, wiſedome, diligence, and their contraries depend of us, alſo, yet with ſome dependance from outward agents, the world and the Devill.
There be other things of a mildle rank, which partly depend of us, partly not, and therefore are ours onelyonly in part, as learning and capacity where induſtry and diligence may do much, but nothing againſt or without nature, and they are loſt by age and ſickneſſe, and other outward cauſes.
Let us review this order with more leaſure, and weigh the price and inconvenience of each thing; for without that, it is impoſſible to behave our ſelves about them with a judicious tranquillity. We beginne with things belonging to proſperity.