Shlohavot, or, The burning of London in the year 1666 commemorated and improved in a CX discourses, meditations, and contemplations, divided into four parts treating of I. The sins, or spiritual causes procuring that judgment, II. The natural causes of fire, morally applied, III. The most remarkable passages and circumstances of that dreadful fire, IV. Counsels and comfort unto such as are sufferers by the said judgment / by Samuel Rolle ...

DISCOURSE X. Of al stracting from fancy, and looking at those that are below our selves, rather than at others.

TRy if it be not a meer fancy and conceipt of thine, that thou dost want any thing. Put case no man in the world had any thing better than what thou hast: no better meat to eat, or cloathes to weare, or house to dwell in; wouldst thou then finde any fault with thine own? or would it not serve thy turn very well? If thy reall wants were unsupplied, thou wouldst be sensible of them, though every body else were under the same want. If there were a famine upon the Land, thou wouldst feel hun∣ger as much as if no body were depri∣ved of bread but thy self, when indeed every body were in the same case. But if thy condi∣tion be such, as doth therefore only seem bad; because others have that which is better; thou art but fancy-sick, and under self-created misery. Thou walkest in a vain shadow, and disquietest thy self in vain. Psal. 39.6. Thou wouldest be well enough, if thou couldst but see and believe it is so well with thee as it is. Crede quod habes & habes. Meer fancy causeth neither good nor

evil really to exist, no more than colours do in the Rain-bow, or those things which meet us only in our dreams. Are not the riches of rich men a strong tower in their imagination? but are they therefore really so? yea, are they not like birds that take wing and flie away? Let a melan∣cholly man read of all sorts of diseases incident to the body of man, and presently he conceits he hath them all: But is he therefore an Hospital, or a Pandora's box of all diseases, because he fan∣cieth himself so to be? Was that mad man in the Comedy robd of any reall happiness when cured, who in his distraction fancied himself a Prince, and therefore when he came to himself cried out, Rem me occidistis amici non servastis. You have not cured me, but undone me.

Fancy can make no man truly poor, or hungry, or naked, or deformed; though it may make them really miserable, by a false supposition of any, or all of these. For a man to think him∣self not to have enough, onely because others have more, is such a kind of deception, as if a man of sufficient stature standing by a giant, should think himself to be a dwarfe. If we have enough, what matter is it who hath more? Why should our eye be evil, because Gods eye is good? If you think that others having more eclipseth you (and therefore thou art afraid when one is made vich, and when the glory of his house is increased. Psal. 49.16. then it should seem thou art not content with the world for use, but wouldst have it for splendor, and to glory in. Now that is forbidden, Jer. 9.23. Thus saith the ••ord, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he under∣standeth

me, &c. If the world were any mat∣ter of glory, if men could really shine with the beames of the world, (as a wife is said lu∣eare radiis marits) it is the manifest pleasure of God, that so far forth they should out-shine us, to whom he hath given more of the world than to our selves. Either thou hast better things than those of this world to glory in, or thou hast not: If thou hast not, thou hast the one thing necessary to look after, instead of vying with others about the glory of this world (which is but a meer Scheme or fantasie, or piece of pure pageantrie.) And if thou hast interest in better things, thou dost out-shine many others in the sight of God, and in real worth; and therefore hast no cause to envie those (whom all things considered) thou dost out-shine; but to be very contented and thankful. If then thou wouldst be happy, abstract from fancie, undeceive thy self, know when thou art well. It is easier to fill thy belly than thine eye. Nature may quickly be satisfied: but fancy is insatiable.

Lord give me to make Agurs choice, and to be pleased with it when I have done, viz. not to have riches (which some have, and others thirst after) but to be fed with food convenient.