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flave to every flattering and deceitful tongue, and reaps to himself a painful and uneafy mind. Which pain and uneafinefs is much increased by the disturbances and difquietudes and tortures of mind they are under, who, inftead of praife, meet with unexpected reproach. And if we look upon this fin in a chriftian fenfe, it will be found deftructive both of our prayers, almfgiving, and of every good work: for they, who only do good to be seen of men, must expect no other reward than the portion of thofe hypocrites, that love the praise of men, more than the praise of God; which is a folly in fo high a degree, as not only deprives us of eternal joy, but hurries us into endless miferies. And lastly, if we confider vain-glory in regard to fome indifferent actions, it not only endangers our eternal ftate, but it brings upon us the fcorn and contempt of the wife and virtuous in this life, which is fure to eclipfe all other actions, be they never fo deferving of praife.

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To avoid this fin of vain-glory, examine carefully whether thou haft done any christian duty for the fake of human applause; and check and refift every too gainft vaineager defire thereof in thy most indifferent actions. glory. But above all, let duty be the motive; and let reason always direct thee to please God, who is able to reward thee, rather than man, from whofe applaufe thou never canft reap any real good. And to conclude, let not thy heart be too much exalted even at the juft praise of thy virtues; becaufe, as they are the gift of God, their glory belongs to him alone. Andas for the praise given to indifferent and bad actions (the too common fubjects of worldly praife) the former, having no goodness in them, deferve no commendation; and our bad actions fhould make us tremble, and conftant in prayer, left we thereby incur that woe, which our Saviour pronounces againstall fuch, who make fin the subject of their glory, when he fays, Woe unto you when men fpeak well of you, for fo did their fathers to the falfe prophets. A total felf-loathing, however, would be as great a fault, as a clear and unmixed felf-liking: it would deaden all the powers of the foul, and fink it into a state of inaction. There is a medium between a juft fenfe of our abilities, and an exorbitant opinion of them. A juft

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A just consciousness of those talents, with which God has intrusted us, will give life and spirit to our undertakings, and be a powerful motive to thofe actions which may make us truly glorious: modesty and discretion will be a bar to thofe attempts, which being above our sphere may make us ridiculous.

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V. The next chriftian virtue is MEEKNESS; which imOf meek- plies a calmnefs and quiet steadiness of mind, and nefs. a chearful and abfolute refignation to God's providence, in oppofition to fretfulness and murmuring against his appointments. God may allow the complaints of nature under our burthens and exercifes: yet he expects we should check and fupprefs all complaints of him, and every impeachment of his juftice, wifdom, and goodness in his works. Wherefore the meek exercise themselves in a careful reAdvantages ftraint and regulation of their paffions, reducing them within the bounds of reafon and religion, and are of a sweet, courteous, and obliging carriage: the meek will not take offence haftily and without juft reafon, but be careful that they be not angry without a caufe. Neither will they rafhly fuppofe that a provocation is meant; that is, they do not judge by appearances. There may be the afpect, and yet no design of affront or prejudice; and if fo, what was not ill-intended, fhould never be ill-taken : therefore we should not give way to suspicions, which cannot be fupported with evidence, but put the best construction upon words or actions. Check all refentment, till the grounds for it be well confidered; fuch a precaution would prevent much paffion. Again, meeknefs will not refent higher than the merit of the offence given: fuppofing a real and great provocation, a meek man will keep a ftrict guard upon his own fpirit, that his mind be not inflamed by illufage, nor other people's fins draw him in to speak unadvifedly with his lips. It will make us careful not to render railing for railing, but to break the force of unreasonable anger by gentle anfwers: moderate replies turn away wrath. It alfo will avoid rough methods, to right curfelves even from confiderable injuries; it will difpofe us to try the mildest ways first, to try argument before punishment,

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and conference before law, and private admonition before we make a publick example of our neighbour. And when at last our own fecurity, or the common good fhall determine us to feek publick justice against any one, meekness directs that it should be done without hatred, and merely with a view to reach those ends which are lawful and commendable. By this we shall be kept in a readiness to be reconciled, when an offence is acknowledged, and reasonable fatisfaction tendered; and if he should perfift in his ill mind, meeknefs will guard us against all malice, and make us ready to help the worst enemy in the common offices of life, if he need it; and heartily to pray for him, especially for his repentance unto falvation. It will teach us to moderate our affections and paffions, as not willingly to give offence; not to be over-bearing in company, full of one's felf, to the neglect of others; but to exprefs civility to all, agreeable to their stations, out of a sense of our duty to God, and love to one another. By this, fuch as are in any ftation of inferiority will be difpofed contentedly to fubmit to the duties thereof: and the fame excellent fpirit will form perfons in fuperior relations to a lowly and condefcending temper; a temper to which Christ has added a blefling, and promised that they who poffefs it fhall inherit the earth: for meeknefs preferves a man from danger; and while unbridled paffions tend to make all about us our enemies, they must be of a very brutish nature indeed, who will be outrageous against a man that studies to walk harmless and blameless, and to give no offence. At least the meek will be free from those vexations and troubles of life, which hafty froward people bring upon themselves, as the fruits of their own ill behaviour. And forafmuch as God's providence and promifes fecure to them as many good things of the earth as fhall be for their real welfare; fo if they meet with unjust and ungrateful returns, they may confidently rely upon God as their protector and avenger, who is ready to rife to judgment to fave the meek of the earth. So whether they have a larger or lefs fhare of outward good, they are prepared, by the maftery of their paffions, to enjoy more comfort in what they poffefs, than those who interrupt their enjoyment by the tumults of their own thoughts. Therefore

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Let us perfuade ourselves to feek after meekness, in oppoMeans of fition to the folly and danger of anger, and to look obtaining it. upon it as a matter of neceffity, that meekness fhould ordinarily have dominion over paffion and pride. It may be, there shall be much difficulty; but we are able by keeping a careful guard upon our hearts, and observing the beginning of anger in ourselves, to carry the conqueft: for it is much easier to extinguish it in the first fparks, than when it has got a-head. Let us fix it as a law to ourselves, that we will make a fhort pause upon the first rise of a resentment; this will stifle most paffions. Befides, if we would lower our inordinate esteem of ourselves, and of this world and its affairs, it would go a great way in removing the fuel of paffion and pride. To think often of our own frailty and liableness to offend, and how many indiscretions and weakneffes others have to bear within us, fhould cherish in us the spirit of meekness, by confidering ourselves, lest we alfo be tempted. We fhould often remember the indecencies and ill effects of paffion. For he that is in a transport of paffion appears to be in a fit of madness in every body's eye and that is the glass, in which we should fee our own face.

The mischiefs which paffion produces in the world are innumerable: the fins it caufeth are intolerable: and the shame and forrow for our paft follies, which attack us in our cooler hours, are most tirefome. He that has no rule over his own fpirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls; a city in this condition will be liable, at all times, to be entered by an army. And as long as we live in this world, there will be provocations, temptations to luft, and revenge, and envy; there will be croffes and disappointments; there will be doubtful and fufpected fayings; there will be fuel for our paffions administered in great abundance, wherever we converfe or have any business to transact; which, besides the uneafinefs they give to the mind, do feldom fail to shake the constitution of the body; to waste the flesh, and four the blood, and poifon the spirits; and by that means impair the health, bring on difeafes, and fhorten the compafs of man's life. The fad confideration of all is, that, by the influence of thefe,

these, we contract a vaft heap of guilt, and are liable to the angry justice of God, whofe authority we all the while contemn, and whose justice and holy precepts we break. Confequently meeknefs, and patience, and humility, and modesty, and fuch virtues of chriftianity, do not in reafon tend to difpirit men, and break their true courage; but only to regulate it, and take away the fiercenefs and brutifhnefs thereof. Experience teacheth that men of the trueft courage have many, times leaft of pride and infolence, of paffion and The cafe of fiercenefs, when they are fwayed by the principles paffionate of the gospel. And therefore fuch as by nature people. have a stronger proneness than others to be warm or peevish, should know that the duty of meeknefs is of perpetual obligation. And though it be more difficult to govern their pas÷ fion, yet this is abfolutely neceffary in the chriftian religion, and they must take more pains with their own hearts, and be the more earnest in prayer to God for his affiftance. Their distemper is not incurable by the heavenly physician: and they will have one pleasure upon a conqueft, above those of milder tempers, it will be more evident that their meekness is not forced. Or, fhould we confult reason, we must confefs that, when evil confequences may be forefeen, they should rather have fortified us against the tide of paffion, than paffion be made use of afterwards as a plea for its excufe. And a fincere chriftian will rather confider thofe effects of his paffion, as aggravations of the finfulness of it; and therefore be more watchful for the future, and diligent to grow in meeknefs; which will be a preparation for heaven, where neither pride nor paffion have any place, but all is calm and ferene, peaceable, meek, and happy.

VI. CONSIDERATION is a duty we owe to our fouls, by which our state and actions may be preferved from of confide evil. For, by the virtue of confideration, a man is ration. deterred from all rash undertakings, and confiders the subject well before he fixes any refolution; which The use of will prompt us to chuse and pursue what the un- confideraderstanding reprefents as good and advantageous to tion. us; and to fhun and avoid what is represented as evil and deftructive to eternal happiness.

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