Religio jurisprudentis, or, The lawyer's advice to his son in counsels, essays, and other miscellanies, calculated chiefly to prevent the miscarriages of youth, and for the Orthodox establishment of their morals in years of maturity / per Philanthropum.

XI. De Pace & Contentatione. Of Peace and Content.

THE Crown of all Earthly Enjoyments, is Quiet and Satisfaction; Man was ne∣ver contriv'd for a Hurli-burly or Storm. This is the Corner (as well as Top) Stone of all our Attainments.

Content is all we aim at with our Store, If that be had with little, what needs more?

This State or Temper of Mind doth not consist in Quantity but Quality; for we can't but observe, that generally they that enjoy the least in quantity have most Peace and Satisfaction.

Without Peace and Content, all that a∣ny Man is or hath, is irksom and trouble some; and if this be in conjunction with our Injoyments, we can't but be happy enough to pity Caesar—witness Alexander the Great his Distemper, Aestuat infoelix augusto in limite mundi; his unsatiable Hu∣mour could not be (at ease and) content∣ed with the whole Universe. We need not tell you, that he who is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Prince of Peace, gave this Bequest un∣to his dearest Friends in the World, whom he left at his Departure behind him, as the choisest Legacy he could think fit to leave with, and give to them And the blessed Ti∣dings

thereof unto Mankind, is called the Gospel of Peace, which Word in the Hebrew Tongue imports all manner of good.

To acquire which Thing, bad and good Men do frequently, we know, run the Risque of both their Lives and Fortunes for pax quaeritur Bello, 'tis the end of War; Rest or Peace is the Center of all kind of Fluctuations and Litigations, Military and Civil.

Whoe're would obtain this invaluable Gem, must have the Command both over his own Passions and Appetites also, and learn to divert (or cautelously extricate) himself from all Provocations unto Feuds or Animosities of all sorts. Prov. 14.44. A Man that once has arrived to this Tem∣per, will be satisfied from himself, if you'l believe the wisest Man in the World.

This is a Principle, will steer any Man that has it comfortably and confidently thorow any danger, and inable him with a decent Equanimity to en∣tertain good and ill Successes and Events, that happen to him in his Pilgrimage.

True Peace and Content, is Gods King∣dom within us. This was a principal Linea∣ment in the Portracture of Gods Image, imprest on Man in Paradise; till he broke that Peace, he maintained an excellent In∣telligence with his Lord and Master. Its im∣possible

to express this true Divine Peace and Content, because it surpasses all Un∣derstanding, and all other counterfei•…•… Peaces are meer Cheats. That's only true Hearts-ease, Content and Peace tha•…•… we mean and talk of, that is founded in a rational Sense of our Friendship with, o•…•… Reconciliation to our Creator, by the Pas¦sion and Intercession of our Redeemer and of the Enjoyment of his Love an•…•… Kindness, and Reciprocality of Return to him, by hearty Ejaculations towards, an•…•… Ruminations upon him; which Sentimen•…•… aforesaid, must be united to real sincerit•…•… of Mind, which makes us a good Consci∣ence, and gives us mighty Assurance i•…•… our Applications unto, or Conversation with both God and Man.

Note, that true Peace with God, an•…•… Discord with our Neighbours are incomp•…•…¦tible, without Peace on Earth, and Good∣will unto all Mankind; I can't imagine •…•…¦ny Man can be truly at peace with Go•…•…¦nor consequently content in his Min•…•… The former is an Argument rather of h•…•… latter; he that is not Friends with his Br•…•…¦ther, must needs be at Enmity with 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Maker; but 1 Cor. 6. St. Pauls Lesson h•…•… need of some Distinction to hold water (•…•… every general Rule has some Exceptions) •…•… that it's more adviseable to be defraud•…•… than to go to Law.

A peaceable and a wise man his Chara∣cter is, To hear all, to edifie by most, to reflect upon none, to determine nothing, nor be moved (except what we do our selves) at any thing. Jam. 3. The fruits of Righteousness are sown in peace, by all (that care for it.) It's an old and authentick Apothegm,

—Pacem te poscimus omnes! Pax animi! quam cura fugit.

Content and Peace are Correlatives; so that no body can be contented, that is not at quiet, and every body covets (or pre∣tends) to be at peace; and whoever is at rest and quiet in his own mind, (upon good grounds) is indisputably contented and satisfy'd, for he can't devise what fur∣ther he rationally ought to desire, or have a mind to.

Disquiet, Hurliburlies, and Discord, are the very Stings in humane Nature, and no body were or would be able to endure them, but in pursuance of Peace, Rest, and subsequent Harmony.

Peace and Content (which are synony∣mous) are truly Hieroglyphicks of eter∣nal Happiness, and in the opinion of a Ju∣risprudent, are bonâ fide Heaven in Effigie, because they include Love, Joy, and Satis∣faction to the brim. All which Ingredi∣ents do compound the Quintessence of this Creation, and as far as we can yet appre∣hend,

are the greatest Ingredients of the glorified State which is approaching: for we well know, that Veracity it self has as∣sured us, that a wicked man can have no Peace or true Content at all, let him say or do what he will. This topping Attain∣ment, as all other considerable Felicities, are founded in true Virtue and Religion, and is, as the Logicians say, Proprium quar∣to modo, that is, Convenit omni pacifico soli & semper: only, and ever, and to every such a person 'tis an inseparable Incident, or Es∣sential, as 'tis virtuous or religious, and to none other in the World; but always to all such, and only to such doth true Felicity appertain.

Grace and Peace was the Apostolical Benediction; that is, in other terms, God∣liness and Content; they are inseperable Adjuncts, so that he that is destitute of ei∣ther, wants both: Beati pacifici, said our blessed Saviour in his first Sermon that ere he preach'd. This is not only a wise man's Rav. but Coll. to allude to Jacob and Esau's Complements: when Jacob would have made his Brother Esau a Present, he re∣ply'd he had enough, Rav. when Esau would have presented Jacob, he reply'd, he had enough too, that is Coll. or All; so is this Grace and Peace the Summum totale, the whole Matter, or all in all. It was also a remarkable Valedictory of the Pri∣mitive

Christians, Peace be with you, Joy in Jerusalem, and Peace unto Sion; for Joy is a natural issue of Peace to all Mankind: whoever is satisfied, or really contented, and at ease, must of necessity be chearful and pleased.

A wise man takes no inordinate care for future supplyes of Subsistance or Accom∣modation, but an ordinate, De diein diem on∣ly; day by day his Bread for all his anxiety, can't make him one cubit the taller: if di∣vine Providence tells the very hairs of his Head, much more doth it ease him of the carking thoughts of Events and Effects, that lye buried in the Causes in an higher hand, where they are securely lodged. Our Con∣cerns ought to be for present Circumstan∣ces only, and that for Necessities, and not Superfluities of Life, but to secure our main Chance in Heaven, and all the rest will be cast into the Bargain; for he in whose hands are reserv'd the Issues of Life and Death, takes the present care of us also, and if we seek principally our proper and true Happiness, in our alliance to him, he will be sure to see us want for nothing that's fit for us, of which he is the most compe∣tent Judge: for Piety has the Promises both of this World and of the next; and on this Consideration dwells the best Method of our present Peace and Contentment, as well as of our future Happiness.

Time and Chance (or Providence ra∣ther) happening to all, and all our cark∣ing Cares and inordinate Contrivances be∣ing utterly unavailable, to superadd what we are absurdly apt to fancy we are short of. It's our wisdom as to this World to look but a very little way before us: if ever we'd be easie here, and happy hereafter, we shall want neither Grace, Glory, nor any thing else good for us.

He that regards the Main, must be un∣concern'd for Matters that are but by the By; that is, whosoe'r would be quiet and at peace within, and expects a better Place and Posture, (and that quickly) ought in common prudence to be contented with what he hath, because he has more than reasonably he deserves.

Our religious Jurisprudent is of such a Constitution, as a Constable ought to be, that is, to keep the Peace as far as he can, both in his own Breast, and between Man and Man; to propagate good will in the World, as far as possible, and to follow peace with all.

As the end and design of all Motion is to obtain Rest and Quiet at last, so is the design and drift of all wholsom Laws and sound Sages of the Law, to prosecute with all care and expedition Peace and Rest, as the ultimate end of all Litigations and Commotions moral; and as well and soon

as can be, to comprimize Feuds and Diffe∣rences between Party and Party, or pre∣vent all fiery Contests and froward Animo∣sities: A peculiar Benediction being an∣next unto men of that Profession, that do practise accordingly, viz. Beati pacifici, Blessed be all Advocates, or Lawyers, that is, Peace-makers, in the World. Patiens qui Jurisprudens, was Sir Edw. Coke his Motto.