us happy, and with it, it is impoffible we fhould be miferable even in the worst.

SERMON XV. P. 16.

"

HUMILITY CONTRASTED WITH PRIDE.

WHEN

WHEN we reflect upon the character of
Humility, we are apt to think it stands

-

the moft naked and defencelefs of all virtues whatever, the least able to fupport its claims against the infolent antagonist who seems ready to bear him down, and all oppofition which fuch a temper can make.

Now, if we confider him as standing alone,— no doubt, in fuch a cafe he will be overpowered and trampled upon by his opposer ;-but if we confider the meek and lowly man, as he is—fenced and guarded by the love, the friendship and wifhes of all mankind,-that the other ftands alone, hated, discountenanced, without one true friend or hearty well-wisher on his fide ;—when this is balanced, we fhall have reafon to change our opinion convinced that the humble

ma

~ 11

h fuch an alliance, is far from

from being foovermatched as at firft fight he may appear;―hay I believe one might venture to go further and engage for it, that in all fuch cafes, where real fortitude and true perfonal courage were wanted, he is much more likely to give proof of it, and I would fooner look for it in fuch a temper than in that of his adversary. Pride may make a man violent,-but Humility will make him firm :-and which of the two, do you think, likely to come off with honour?-he who acts from the changeable impulse of heated blood, and follows the uncertain motions of his pride and fury, or the man who ftands cool and collected in himself; who governs his refentiments, instead of being governed by them, and on every occafion acts upon the steady motives of principle and duty.

SERMON XXV. P. 193

WITH regard to the provocations and of fences which are unavoidably happening to a man in his commerce with the world,—take it as a rule,—as a man's pride is,—fo is always his difpleafure; as the opinion of himself rifes,—so does the injury,-fo does his refentment: 'tis this which gives edge and force to the inftrument which has ftruck him,—and excites that heat in the wound which renders it incurable.

See

See how different the cafe is with the humble man: one half of these painful conflicts he actually escapes; the other part fall lightly on him: -he provokes no man by contempt; thrusts himfelf forward as the mark of no man's envy; fo that he cuts off the firft fretful occafions of the greatest part of thefe evils; and for those in which the paffions of others would involve him, like the humble fhrub in the valley, gently gives way, and scarce feels the injury of thofe ftormy encounters which rend the proud cedar, and tear it up by its roots.

SERMON XXV. P. 190.

PRID E.

THE proud man,

-fee!-he is fore all over;

touch him-you put him to pain: and though of all others, he acts as if every mortal was void of all fenfe and feeling, yet is poffeffed with fo nice and exquisite a one himself, that the flights, the little neglects and inftances of disesteem, which would be scarce felt by another man, are perpetually wounding him, and oft-times piercing him to his very heart.

SERMON XXIV. P. 174.

Pride is a vice which grows up in fociety fo infenfibly;fteals in unobferved upon the heart upon fo many occafions ;-forms itself upon fuch strange pretenfions, and when it has done, veils itself under fuch a variety of unfuf'pected appearances,- --fometimes even under that of Humility itfelf;-in all which cafes, Selflove, like a false friend, instead of checking, moft treacheroufly feeds this humour,-points out fome excellence in every foul to make him vain, and think more highly of himself than he ought to think;-that, upon the whole, there is no one weakness into which the heart of man is more easily betray'd--or which requires. greater helps of good fenfe and good principles to guard against.

SERMON XXIV. P. 177.

BEAUTY.

BEAUTY has fo many charms, one knows not how to speak against it; and when it happens that a graceful figure is the habitation of a virtuous foul, when the beauty of the face speaks aut the modefty and humility of the mind, and

the

the juftness of the proportion raises our thoughts up to the art and wisdom of the great Creator, fomething may be allowed it,-and fomething to the embellishments which fet it off;-and yet, when the whole apology is read,-it will be found at laft, that Beauty, like Truth, never is fo glorious as when it goes the plainest. SERMON XXIV..P. 187.

L

WISDOM.

ESSONS of wifdom have never fuch power over us, as when they are wrought into the heart, through the ground-work of a ftory which engages the paffions: Is it that we are like iron, and must first be heated before we can wrought upon or, Is the heart so in love with deceit, that where a true report will not reach it, we must cheat it with a fable, in order to come at truth?