238 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 





that kingdom of heaven, by being humble and cheerful, 

 and content with what his good God has allotted him. 

 He has no turbulent, repining, vexatious thoughts that he 

 deserves better ; nor is vext when he sees others possest 

 of more honour or more riches than his wise God has 

 allotted for his share ; but he possesses what he has with 

 a meek and contented quietness, such a quietness as makes 

 his very dreams pleasing, both to God and himself. 



My honest scholar, all this is told to incline you to 

 thankfulness ; and to incline you the more, let me tell 

 you, that though the prophet David was guilty of murder 

 and adultery, and many other of the most deadly sins, yet 

 he was said to be a man after God's own heart, because he 

 abounded more with thankfulness than any other that 

 is mentioned in Holy Scripture, as may appear in his book 

 of Psalms ; where there is such a commixture of his con- 

 fessing of his sins and unworthiness, and such thankfulness 

 for God's pardon and mercies, as did make him to be 

 accounted, even by God Himself, to be a man after His own 

 heart : and let us, in that, labour to be as like him as 

 we can ; let not the blessings we receive daily from God 

 make us not to value or not praise Him because they be 

 common ; let us not forget to praise Him for the innocent 

 mirth and pleasure we have met with since we met 

 together. What would a blind man give to see the 

 pleasant rivers and meadows and flowers and fountains 

 that we have met with since we met together ? I have 

 been told, that if a man that was born blind could obtain 

 to have his sight for but only one hour during his whole 

 life, and should, at the first opening of his eyes, fix his 

 sight upon the sun when it was in its full glory, either 

 at the rising or setting of it, he would be so transported 

 and amazed, and so admire the glory of it, that he would 

 not willingly turn his eyes from that first ravishing object, 

 to behold all the other various beauties this world could 

 present to him. And this, and many other like blessings, 



