upon the haughty daughters of Zion, Ifaiah iii. and on the proud prince and people of Tyrus, Ezek. xxvii. xxviii. Read thefe chapters, and measure this age by their fins, and what is coming on these nations, by their judgments. But at the prefent, I fhall only touch upon the first, viz. the exceffive value people have of their perfons; leaving the reft to be confidered under the last head of this discourse, which is luxury, where they may be not improperly placed.

§. II. That people are generally proud of their perfons, is too vifible and troublesome; especially if they have any pretence either to blood or beauty: the one has raised many quarrels among men; and the other among women, and men too often, for their fakes, and at their excitements. But to the firft: What a pother has this noble blood made in the world-antiquity of name or family, whose father, or mother, great grand-father, or great grand-mother, was best descended or allied what stock, or what clan, they came of-what coat of arms they gave-which had, of right, the precedence! But methinks, nothing of man's folly has lefs fhew of reafon to palliate it.

§. III. For, firft, what matter is it of whom any one is defcended, that is not of ill fame; fince it is his own virtue that muft raife, or vice deprefs him? An ancestor's character is no excufe to a man's ill actions, but an aggravation of his degeneracy: and fince virtue comes not by generation, I neither am the

H

better nor the worfe for my fore-father: to be fure, not in God's account; nor fhould it be in man's. Nobody would endure injuries the eafier, or reject favours the more, for coming by the hand of a man well or ill defcended. I confefs, it were greater honour to have had no blots, and with an hereditary estate, to have had a lineal defcent or worth; but that was never found: no; not in the most bleffed of families upon earth, I mean Abraham's. To be defcended of wealth and titles, fills no man's head with brains, or heart with truth: those qualities come from an higher cause. vanity then, and moft condemnable pride, for a man of bulk and character, to despise another of lefs fize in the world, and of meaner alliance, for want of them: because the latter may have the merit, where the former has only the effects of it in an ancestor: and though the one be great by means of a fore-father, the other is fo too, but it is by his own: then, pray, which is the bravest man of the two?

It is

S. IV. O, fays the person proud of blood, It was never a good world, fince we have had fo many upstart gentlemen! But what should others have faid of that man's ancestor, when he started first up into the knowledge of the world? For he, and all men and families, aye, and all states and kingdoms too, have had their upftarts, that is, their beginnings. This is like being the true church, because old, not because good; for families to be noble, by being old, and not by being virtuous. No fuch matter: It must be age in virtue, or else virtue before

age; for otherwife a man fhould be noble by the means of his predeceffor, and yet the predeceffor less noble than he, because he was the acquirer which is a paradox that will puzzle all their heraldry to explain. Strange! that they fhould be more noble than their ancestor, that got their nobility for them! But if this be abfurd, as it is, then the upstart is the noble man; the man that got it by his virtue; and those are only entitled to his honour, that are imitators of his virtue: the reft may bear his name from his blood, but that is all. If virtue then give nobility, which Heathens themselves agree, then families are no longer truly noble, than they are virtuous. And if virtue go not by blood, but by the qualifications of the defcendants, it follows, blood is excluded: elfe blood would bar virtue; and no man that wanted the one, fhould be allowed the benefit of the other which were to ftint and bound nobility for want of antiquity, and make virtue ufelefs.

No, let blood and name go together; but pray let nobility and virtue keep company, for they are nearest of kin. It is thus pofited by God himself, that best knows how to apportion things with an equal and juft hand. He neither likes nor diflikes by defcent; nor does he regard what people were, but are. He re

members not the righteoufnefs of any man that leaves his righteoufnefs; much lefs any unrighteous man, for the righteousness of his ancestor.

§. V. But if these men of blood please to

Ezek. xviii.

think themselves concerned to believe and reverence God in his holy fcriptures, they may learn, that in the beginning, he made of one blood all nations of men to dwell upon all the face of the earth; and that we all defcended of one father and mother. A more certain original than the best of us can affign. From thence go down to Noah, who was the fecond planter of human race, and we are upon fome certainty for our fore-fathers. What violence has raped, or virtue merited fince, and how far we that are alive are concerned in either, will be hard for us to determine but a very few ages off us.

S. VI. But, methinks, it fhould fuffice to fay, our own eyes fee that men of blood, out of their geer and trappings, without their feathers and finery, have no more marks of honour by nature ftamped upon them, than their inferior neighbours. Nay, themselves being judges, they will frankly tell us, they feel all thofe paffions in their blood, that make them like other men, if not farther from the virtue that truly dignifies. The lamentable ignorance and debauchery that now rages among too many of our greater fort of folks, is too clear and cafting an evidence in the point and pray tell me, of what blood are they come?

VII. Howbeit, when I have faid all this, I intend not, by debafing one falfe quality, to make infolent another that is not true. I would not be thought to fet the churl on the

• As xvii. 26

prefent gentleman's fhoulder; by no means: his rudeness will not mend the matter. But what I have writ, is to give aim to all, where true nobility dwells, that every one may arrive at it, by the ways of virtue and goodness. But for all this, I must allow a great advantage to the gentleman, and therefore prefer his ftation just as the apostle Paul, who, after he had humbled the Jews, that infulted upon the Chriftians with their laws and rites, gave them the advantage upon all other nations in ftatutes and judgments. I muft grant, that the condition of our great men is much to be preferred to the ranks of inferior people. For, firft, they have more power to do good: and, if their hearts be equal to their ability, they are bleffings to the people of any country. Secondly, The eyes of the people are usually directed to them; and if they will be kind, juft, and helpful, they fhall have their affections and fervices. Thirdly, They are not under equal ftraits with the inferior fort; and confequently they have more help, leifure, and occafion, to polish their paffions and tempers with books and converfation. Fourthly, they have more time to obferve the actions of other nations; to travel and view the laws, customs, and interefts of other countries, and bring home whatsoever is worthy or imitable. And fo an easier way is open for great men to get honour; and fuch as love true reputation, will embrace the best means to it. But because it too often happens, that great men do little mind to give God the glory of their profperity, and