2o6 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PARTI. 



tent in any of his houses, he must leave himself behind him ; for 

 content will never dwell but in a meek and quiet soul." And this 

 may appear, if we read and consider what our Saviour says in St 

 Matthew's Gospel ; for he there says, " Blessed be the merciful, 

 for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed be the pure in heart, for they 

 shall see God. Blessed be the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 

 kingdom of heaven. And, Blessed be the meek, for they shall 

 possess the earth." Not that the meek shall not also obtain 

 mercy, and see God, and be comforted, and at last come to the 

 kingdom of heaven : but in the meantime, he, and he only, pos- 

 sesses the earth, as he goes towards 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, and 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, 



