Occasional reflections upon several subiects, whereto is premis'd a discourse about such kind of thoughts

CHAP. I.

A Second Inducement to the Practice of making Occasional Meditations, is, that for an Exercise of Devotion, 'tis very delightful, and that upon sundry accounts.

For first, Variety is a thing so pleasing to humane Nature, that there are many things, which it, either alone, or chiefly, recommends to us, and 'tis rarely seen, that we love the same things very much, and very long; and of things that else would appear equally good, we usually think that the better, which happens to be another. Now, a Person addicted to make Occasional Meditations, may be suppli'd with Sub∣jects, whose Variety is scarce imaginable: For the works of Nature, and of Art, are not the onely Objects that often present themselves to our Reflector's Consideration;

The Revolutions of Governments, the Fates of Kingdoms, the Rise and Ruine of Fa∣vourites; and on the other side, the most slight and trivial Occurrences: And in short, all that he sees happen from the high∣est Transactions, to the slightest Circum∣stances, incident to humane affairs, may afford matter of Contemplation to a Per∣son dispos'd to it. The mind of Man is so comprehensive, and so active a faculty, that it can force its passage into those imaginary spaces, that are beyond the outermost part of the outermost Heaven, and can in a mo∣ment return back, to consider the smallest Circumstances of the meanest of humane affairs; so that the thinking faculty, being equally fit, and dispos'd to reflect upon the works of God, and the actions of Men, how unlikely is it, that it should want Va∣riety of Subjects to be imploy'd on, whilst the whole World makes but a part of its Object: And the several Productions of Nature, and Art, of the Providence of God, and the Will of Man, may be so many ways consider'd, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••riously compoun∣ded, that they may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be suppos'd ca∣pable of affording O••••••sions to Notions, and Reflections, far more numberless than themselves; so that the most vigorous, and the most active Soul, is in less danger of

wanting fresh Game, than Thoughts to pursue such endless Variety of it.

Besides, whereas Men are wont, for the most part, when they would Study hard, to repair to their Libraries, or to Stationers Shops; the Occasional Reflector has his Library always with him, and his Books lying always open before him, and the World it self, and the Actions of the Men that live in it, and an almost infinite Variety of other Occurrences being capable of proving Objects of his Contemplation; he can turn his Eyes no whither, where he may not perceive somewhat or other to suggest him a Reflection.

But, that which may much indear such Meditations, is, their suprizing ev'n him, whose Thoughts they are: For one of the chief accounts, upon which Wit it self is delightful, is, in very many cases, the un∣expectedness of the things that please us; that unexpectedness being the highest De∣gree of Novelty, which, as I freshly noted, does exceedingly gratifie most Men's minds. We need not in this case, as in most others, make an uneasie Preparation to entertain our Instructors; for our Instructions are suddenly, and as it were cut of an Ambus∣cade, shot into our Mind, from things whence we never expected them, so that we receive

the advantage of learning good Lessons, without the trouble of going to School for them, which, to many, appears the greatest trouble that is to be undergone, for the Ac∣quist of Knowledge. But though these Irradiations of Light, be oftentimes sudden, as that which we receive from flashes of Lightning, yet 'tis not always upon the single account of this suddenness, that the Instructions, presented us by Occasional Meditations, have an unexpectedness; for oftentimes, the Subject that is consider'd, appears not to be any thing at all of Kin to the Notion it suggests. And there are many of these Reflections, whose Titles, though they name the occasion of them, do so little assist, ev'n an ingenious Reader, to ghess what they contain, that if you tell him what is treated of, he will scarce ima∣gine, how such Thoughts can be made to have a Relation to such remote Subjects; And the Informations we receive from many Creatures, and Occurrences, are of∣tentimes extremely distant from what, one would conjecture to be the most obvious, and natural Thoughts those Themes are fitted to present us, though, when the Cir∣cumstances are throughly examin'd, and consider'd, the Informations appear proper enough: Thus, when a Navigator suddenly

spies an unknown Vessel afar off, before he has hail'd her, he can scarcely, if at all, con∣clude what he shall learn by her, and he may from a Ship, that he finds perhaps up∣on some remoter coast of Africa, or the Indies, meet with Informations concern∣ing his own Country, and affairs; And thus sometimes a little Flower may point us to the Sun, and by casting our eyes down to our feet, we may in the water see those Stars that shine in the Firmament or highest visible Heaven.