God; yet no man knows whether he be worthy
of love or hatred: but all things are reserv'd
incertain for the time to come; because all
things happen alike to the good and to the bad.
As is the vertuous; so is the sinner; and as the
perjur'd, so he that swears the truth: by this
the harts of men are fill'd with malice and con∣tempt
while they live; and after are led away
into hell. I turn'd me to another thing and saw
under the Sun; that the race is not to the swift,
nor the batle to the strong, nor bread to the wise,
nor riches to the learned, nor favour to men of
skill: but time and chance in all things.
R. And sure 'tis fittest so: for what can an
infinite Power, and Wisdom, and Goodnes do,
but that which is best? Lord I submit and adore
thy Providence, which scatters these temporal
things with a seeming negligence; as trifles of
so litle importance, that they signifie neither
love nor hatred: * Nothing but heav'n is indeed
considerable; nothing but Eternity deservs our
esteem. Fix thou our steps, O Lord, that we sta∣ger
not at the uneven motions of the world;
but steddily go on to our glorious home: not
censuring our journy by the weather we meet;
nor turning out of the way for any accident
that befals us. * Nothing but —
Glory be — * Nothing but:
Pause. as page 17.