Man of the World, for the Humility of SERM. I. the Chriftian. Whereas he ought to confider, that we oft beat down thofe Vices which are flagrant and glaring, by others which are fecret and out of Sight. Thus we often get the better of Intemperance not by a virtuous Principle, but merely by a paffionate Fondnefs for long Life, by the Fear of Death or by Avarice. Thus we often facrifice our outward Pride to an inward one. We keep in our Infolence, be-cause a fupercilious and contemptuous Treatment of others would only make us contemptible. But Affability and a Complacency of Behaviour opens us a Paffage to the Hearts of Men, and gains us an advantageous Situation in their Minds. It may be a more artful Manner to engage that Refpect which we feem to decline. Men of this Turn may be very affable, not to do Honour to others, but as they take Affability to be an Honour to themselves.

It has been obferved, I fuppofe, by way of Compliment to the prefent Age, that one Vice at least, viz. that of Hypocrify, seems to be banished from among us: But alas! unless we could diveft human Nature of it's Weakneffes, no Vice will ever be

SERM. I. quite extinct, though it may appear under another Form. Thus a religious Hypocrify seems indeed in fome Measure to be no more: But in the Room of it, there has started up a genteel and polite Hypocrify, a certain Decency of Behaviour, which, by putting on the Appearances of every Virtue, prevents the Reality of any. What is foul and loathfom in each Vice, Men must keep out of Sight, unless they would be public Nufances: But then they only part with it's outward Deformity, without any Amendment of the Heart. Nay fome, I believe, confound the Ideas of Politenefs and Morality. They mistake the Aververfion, which they have in themselves, to whatever is ill-bred, unfeemly and offenfive in any Sin, for a genuine Love of Goodness: They imagine that to be a Virtue, which is only Vice refined.

The more a Man knows of the World, the more fenfible he will be, that he must conceal the odious Part of Pride, unless he would be odious himself. But then he may retire into himself to cherish each favourable and delightful Idea of his own Worth, that fooths and flatters his Vanity, shutting out all humbling and mortifying Reflections,

Reflections, that like so many plain-dealing SERM. I. Friends would put him out of Humour with himself, by fuggesting to him unwelcome, though neceffary, Truths. And yet this is the very Effence of Pride.

For Humility confifts in the inward Frame and Difpofition of the Mind, in a right Judgment, in the main, of ourselves: It is when we afcribe the Glory of our Actions to God alone, who gives us Power to act; like polished Veffels, which reflect back again the Rays of Light which they receive, inftead of abforbing, imbibing and detaining them. It is to have a deep Sense that God created us out of Nothing, and that Sin reduceth us to a State worse than Nothing without the Mercies of God, and the Merits of our Saviour.

Though there may be a Sincerity without Humility, yet a Simplicity of Manners is a neceffary Ingredient of it. For there is a Difference between Simplicity and Sincerity; or, in other Words, a Man may be very fincere without any Simplicity: He may not be ambitious to be thought what he is not; yet be too oftentatious of what he is: Unable to wait till others difcover, he is impatient to display his own Perfections with.

all

SERM. I. all the Advantages which Art and Address

can give them. Whereas Simplicity is free from every Alloy of Vanity, or any Thing of a fhewish Nature; it fhines forth with natural and unstudied Beauties, is not puffed up, feeketh not it's own, the Praise that is due to it; and it's chief Ornament is, that it does not affect any. And yet the true Sublime of Life, as well as of Writing, confifteth in the Simple. For noble Actions and noble Qualities, like noble Thoughts, fupport themselves, they have an inherent Greatness and a native Luftre, which needs not foreign Pomp and borrowed Ornaments. Nothing does them more Harm, than fetting them off too much and over-charging them with Decorations.

To obviate Miftakes and to remove Scruples, it will be neceffary to obferve that Pride is not merely to think favourably of ourfelves: For then indeed Pride, as fome late Authors have maintained, would be an univerfal Vice; every Body being, more or lefs, biaffed in his own Favour. But Pride is to think fo favourably of ourselves, as to exclude a modeft Diffidence of ourfelves, and a falutary Senfe of the Number of human Frailties, the Imperfection of

our Virtues, the Malignity of our Crimes, SERM. I. and our Dependance on God for every Thing

good in us and for us. A Man
A Man may think
himself fomewhat wifer and better than he
is ; who, notwithstanding, may have an
humble or low Opinion of himself upon the
Whole, as being far from thinking himself
wife and good enough: far from thinking
that he ftandeth collected in himfelf, and
therefore needeth not take Heed, left he fall.
A Man may not imagine himself quite fo
faulty as he is; (for who can tell how oft
be offendeth?) who yet may deferve the
Character of an humble Man'; if, at the
fame Time, that he endeavoureth to improve
in Virtue, and get clear of every prefump-
tuous Sin; he strives to detect, and begs of
God to cleanfe him from, his fecret and
unfufpected Faults. Pride is a Vice or mo-
ral Evil: And nothing can be Evil, any
further, than it is in it's genuine Tendency
productive of Evil. But what evil Effects
would an Opinion too favourable of our-
felves be attended with; provided it did
not rise to so high a Pitch, as to make us
think prefumptuoufly and fecurely of our-
felves, contemptuously and uncharitably of
our Fellow-Creatures, and behave irreve-

rently