great hindrance to the perceiving the things of God; and Humility is an excellent preparative and inftru- Mat. 11. 7. ment of fpiritual Wifdom. Thirdly, that pride hinders the acceptation of our Prayers; but Humility peir ceth the Clouds, and will not depart till the most High fhall regard. Fourthly, That Humility is but a fpeaking Truth, and all Pride is a Lye. Fifthly, That Humility is the moft certain way to real Honour, and Pride is ever affronted or defpifed. Sixthly, That Pride turned Lucifer into a Devil, and Humility exalted the Son of God above every Name, and placed him eteritally at the right hand of his Father. Seventhly, That Gd refifteth the proud, profeffing open Defiance Jam. 4. and Hoftility against fuch perfons; but giveth Grace to the humble: Grace and pardon, * Remedy and Relief against Mifery and Oppreffion, * Content in all Conditions, Tranquillity of Spirit, Patience in Afflictions, Love abroad,* Peace at home, and utter freedom from Contention, and the fin of cenfuring others, and the trouble of being cenfured themselves. For the humble man will not judge his Brother for the Mote in his Eye, being more troubled at the Beam in his own Eye; and is patient and glad to be reproved, becaufe himself hath caft the firft Stone at himfelf, and therefore wonders not that cthers are of his mind.

*

*

10. Remember that the bleffed Saviour of the world John 13, 19 hath done more to prefcribe, and tranfmit, and fecure this Grace than any orher; his whole Life being a great continued example of Humility, a vaft defcent from the glorious bofom of his Father to the womb of a poor Maiden, to the form of a Servant, to the miferies of a Sinner, to a Life of Labour, to a ftate of Poverty, to a death of Malefactours, to the grave of death, and the intolerable calamities which we deferved: and it were a good defign, and yet but reasonable, that we should be as humble in the midst of our greatest imperfections, and bafeft fins, as Chrift was in the midft of his fulness of the Spirit, great Wisdom, perfe& Life, and moft admirable Virtues.

11. Drive away all Flatterers from thy company,

and

and at no hand endure them; for he that endures himself so to be abufed by another, is not only a fool for entertaining the mockery, but loves to have his own opinion of himfelf to be heightned and che rished.

12. Never change thy employment for the fudden coming in of another to thee: but if modefty permits or difcretion, appear to him that visits thee the fame that thou wert to God and thy felf in thy privacy. But if thou wert walking or fleeping, or in any other innocent employment or retirement, fnatch not up a book to feem ftudious, nor fall on thy knees to feem devout, nor alter any thing to make him believe thee better employed than thou wert.

13. To the fame purpose it is of great ufe that he who would preferve his Humility, thould chufe fome fpiritual perfon to whom he thall oblige himfelf to difcover his very thoughts and fancies, every act of his and all his entercourse with others in which there may be danger; that by fuch an opennefs of fpirit he may expofe every blaft of vain-glory; every idle thought to be chaftened and leffened by the rod of fpiritual difcipline: and he that fhall find himself tied to confefs every proud thought, every vanity of his fpirit, will alfo perceive they must not dwell with him, nor find any kindnefs from him; and befides this, the nature of pride is fo fhameful and unhandfome, that the very difcovery of it is a huge mortification and means of fuppreffing it. A man would be afhained to be told that he enquires after the faults of his laft Oration or Action on purpose to be commended: and therefore when the man fhall tell his fpiritual Guide the fame fhameful ftory of himself, it is very likely he will be humbled, and heartily afhamed of it.

14. Let every man fuppofe what opinion he should have of one that should spend his time in playing with drum-fticks and cockle-fhells, and that thould wrangle all day long with a little boy for pins, or fhould ftudy hard and labour to cozen a child of his gauds; and who would run into a river deep and

dane

dangerous with a great burthen upon his back, even then when he were told of the danger, and earnestly importuned not to doe it? And let him but change the inftances and the person, and he shall find that he hath the fame reason to think as bad of himself, who pur:ues trifles with earneftnefs, fpending his time in vanity, and his labour for that which profits not; who knowing the Laws of God, the rewards of vertue, the curfed confequents of fin, that it is an evil spirit that tempts him to it, a Devil, one that hates him, that longs extremely to ruine him, that it is his own deftruction that he is then working, that the pleasures of his fin are bafe and brutish, unfatisfying in the enjoyment, foon over, fhameful in their ftory, bitter in the memory, painful in the effect here, and intolerable hereafter, and for ever: yet in defpite of all this, he runs foolishly into his fin and his ruine, meerly because he is a fool, and winks hard, and rushes violently like a horfe into the battle, or like a madman to his Death. He that can think great and good things of fuch a perfon, the next step may court the rack for an inftrument of pleasure, and admire a fwine for wisdom, and go for counfel to the prodigal and trifling grafs-hopper.

After the use of these and fuch like inftruments and confiderations, if you would try how your foul is grown, you fhall know that Humility, like the root of a goodly tree, is thruft very far into the ground, by thefe goodly fruits which appear above ground.

Signs of Humility.

1. The humble man trufts not to his own discretion, but in matters of concernment relies rather upon the judgment of his friends, counsellors or fpiritual guides. 2. He does not pertinaciously pursue the choice of his own will, but in all things lets God chufe for him, and his Superiours in thofe things which concern them. 3. He does not murmur against commands. Affai_comHe is not inquifitive into the reasonableness of in- manda chi different and innocent commands; but belives their alfaggio.

4:

command

ubbidifce

Verum huilem pati

entia often.

dit.

S. Hier.

command to be reafon enough in fuch cafes to exact his obedience. 5. He lives according to a Rule, and with compliance to publick cuftoms, without any affectation of fingularity. 6. He is meek and indifferent in all accidents and chances. 7. He patiently bears injuries. 8. He is always unfatisfied in his own conduct, refolutions and counfels. 9. He is a great lover of good men, and a ptaifer of wife men, and a cenfurer of no man. 1o. He is modeft in his fpeech, and referved in his laughter. II. He fears when he hears himself commended, left God make another judgment concerning his actions than men do. 12. He gives no pert or faucy anfwers when he is reproved, whether juftly or unjustly. 13. He loves to fit down in private, and if he may he refuses the temptation of offices and new honours. 14. He is ingenuou, free and open in his actions and difcourfes. 15. He mends his fault, and gives thanks when he is admonished. 16. He is ready to do good offices to, the murtherers of his fame, to his flanderers, backbiters and detracters, as Chrift washed the feet of Judas. 17. And is contented to be fufpected of indifcretion, fo before God he may be really innocent, and not offenfive to his neighbour, nor wanting to his juft and prudent

intereft.

SECT. V.

Of Modesty.

Modefty is the appendage of Sobriety, and is to Chastity, to Temperance and to Humility, as the fringes are to a garment. It is a grace of God that moderates the over-activeness and curiofity of the mind, and orders the paffions of the body, and external actions, and is directly opposed to Curiofity, to Boldness, to Undecency. The Practice of Modefty confifts in the following Rules.

Acts and Duties of Modefty, as it is oppofed to Curiofit Exup

σύνη.

1. Enquire not into the fecrets of God, but be con- Eccluf. 3. 21 tent to learn thy duty according to the quality of thy 22, 23. perfon or employment; that is, plainly if thou beeft not concerned in the conduct of others; but if thou beeft a Teacher, learn it fo, as may best enable thee to difcharge thy Office. God's Commandments were proclaimed to all the world, but God's Counfels are to himself and to his fecret ones, when they are admitted within the veil.

2. Enquire not into the things which are too hard qui ferutá. for thee, but learn, modeftly to know thy infirmities for eft Ma and abilities; and raife not thy mind up to enquire primetur à jeftatis op into myfteries of State or the fecrets of Government or gloria, difficulties Theological, if thy employment really Prov. 25. be, or thy understanding be judged to be, of a lower" AUT

rank.

το φίλισος φεῖν, αἴσθησ τις τας ιδία

ἡγεμονικό, πῶς ἔχει μετὰ γὰρ τὸ γνῶναι ὅτι ἀσθενῶς, ἐκ ἴσι θελήσει χρήσθαι αὐτῷ apis od plz15a. Arrian. lib. 1. cap. 26.

Et plus fapere in erdum vulgus, quod quantum opus eft fapiat. Lactant.

3. Let us not enquire into the affairs of others that concern us not, but be bufied within our felves and our own spheres; ever remembring that to pry into the actions or interefts of other men not under our charge may minister to pride, to tyranny, to uncharitableness, to trouble, but can never confift with modelty, unlefs where duty or the meer intentions of charity and relation do warrant it.

lettera ne,

chi in fecreti

4. Never liften at the doors or windows: for befides Eccluf. 7.25 that it contains in it danger and a fnare, it is also an Ne occhi in invading my neighbour's privacy, and a laying that mano in tafe open which he therefore enclofed that it might not ca, ne orec be open. Never ask what he carries covered fo cultrui. rioufly; for it is enough that it is covered curioufly. Hither alfo is reducible, that we never open Letters without publick authority, or reasonably prefumed leave, or great neceffity, or charity.

Every man hath in his own life fins enough, in his

H

own