which we are used to regard him. The Senfe of it is as follows: Does a Man reproach thee for being proud or illnatured, envious or conceited, ignorant or detracting? Confider with thy felf whether his Reproaches are true; if they are not, confider that thou art not the Perfon whom he reproaches, but that he reviles an imaginary Being, and perhaps loves what thou really art, tho' he hates what thou appeareft to be. If his Reproaches are true, if thou art the envious ill-natur'd Man he takes thee for, give thy felf another turn, become mild, affable and obliging, and his Reproaches of thee naturally ceafe: His Reproaches may indeed continue, but thou art no longer the Person whom he reproaches.

I often apply this Rule to my felf; and when I hear of a fatirical Speech or Writing that is aimed at me, I examine my own Heart, whether I deserve it or not. If I bring in a Verdict against my felf, I endeavour to rectify my Conduct for the future in those Particulars which have drawn the Cenfure upon me; but if the whole Invective be grounded upon a Falfhood, I trouble my felf no further about it, and look upon my Name at the Head of it to fignify no more than one of those fictitious Names made ufe of by an Author to introduce an imaginary Character. Why fhould a Man be fenfible of the Sting of a Reproach, who is a Stranger to the Guilt that is implied in it? or subject himself to the Penalty, when he knows he has never committed the Crime? This is a piece of Fortitude, which every one owes to his own Innocence, and without which it is impoffible for a Man of any Merit or Figure to live at peace with himself in a Country that abounds with Wit and Liberty.

may

THE famous Monfieur Balzac, in a Letter to the Chancellor of France, who had prevented the Publication of a Book against him, has the following Words, which are a lively Picture of the Greatnefs of Mind fo visible in the Works of that Author. If it was a new thing, it be I should not be difpleafed with the Suppreffion of the firft Libel that should abuse me; but fince there are enough of 'em to make a small Library, I am fecretly pleafed to fee the number increased, and take delight in raising a

heap

beap of Stones that Envy has caft at me without doing me

any

barm.

THE Author here alludes to thofe Monuments of the Eastern Nations, which were Mountains of Stones raised upon the dead Body by Travellers, that used to caft every one his Stone upon it as they paffed by. It is certain that no Monument is fo glorious as one which is thus raised by the Hands of Envy. For my part, I admire an Author for fuch a Temper of Mind as enables him to bear an undeferved Reproach without Refentment, more than for all the Wit of any the finest fatirical Reply.

THUS far I thought neceffary to explain my self in relation to thofe who have animadverted on this Paper, and to fhew the Reasons why I have not thought fit to return them any formal Anfwer. I muft further add, that the Work would have been of very little ufe to the Publick, had it been filled with perfonal Reflections and Debates; for which reason I have never once turned out of my way to obferve thofe little Cavils which have been made against it by Envy or Ignorance. The common Fry of Scriblers, who have no other way of being taken notice of but by attacking what has gain'd fome Reputation in the World, would have furnished me with Business enough, had they found me difpos'd to enter the Lifts with 'em.

I fhall conclude with the Fable of Boccalini's Traveller, who was fo pefter'd with the Noife of Grafhoppers in his Ears, that he alighted from his Horfe in great Wrath to kill them all. This, fays the Author, was troubling himself to no manner of purpose: Had he purfued his Journey without taking notice of them, the troublesome Infects would have died of themselves in a very few Weeks, and he would have fuffered nothing from them.

L

VOL. V.

H

Fridays

No 356. Friday, April 18.

«Aptiffima quæque dabunt Dii,

Charior eft illis homo quam fibi

Juv.

T is owing to Pride, and a fecret Affectation of a certain Self-Exiftence, that the noblest Motive for Action that ever was propofed to Man, is not acknowledged the Glory and Happiness of their Being. The Heart is treacherous to it felf, and we do not let our Reflections go deep enough to receive Religion as the most honourable Incentive to good and worthy Actions. It is our natural Weakness to flatter our felves into a Belief, that if we search into our inmoft Thoughts, we find our felves wholly disinterested, and divested of any Views arifing from Self-Love and Vain-Glory. But however Spirits of fuperficial Greatnefs may disdain at first fight to do any thing, but from a noble Impulfe in themfelves, without any future Regards in this or another Being; upon ftricter Enquiry they will find, to act worthily and expect to be rewarded only in another World, is as heroick a Pitch of Virtue as human Nature can arrive at. If the Tenour of our Actions have any other Motive than the Defire to be pleafing in the Eye of the Deity, it will neceffarily follow that we must be more than Men, if we are not too much exalted in Profperity and depreffed in Adverfity: But the Chriftian World has a Leader, the Contemplation of whofe Life and Sufferings must adminifter Comfort in Affliction, while the Sense of his Power and Omnipotence must give them Humiliation in Profperity.

IT is owing to the forbidden and unlovely Constraint with which Men of low Conceptions act when they think they conform themfelves to Religion, as well as to the nore odious Conduct of Hypocrites, that the Word Chriian does not carry with it at first View all that is great,

Wor

147 worthy, friendly, generous, and heroick. The Man who fufpends his Hopes of the Reward of worthy Actions till after Death, who can bestow unfeen, who can overlook Hatred, do good to his Slanderer, who can never be angry at his Friend, never revengeful to his Enemy, is certainly formed for the Benefit of Society: Yet thefe are so far from heroick Virtues, that they are but the ordinary Du ties of a Chriftian.

WHEN a Man with a steddy Faith looks back on the great Catastrophe of this Day, with what bleeding Emotions of Heart muft he contemplate the Life and Sufferings of his Deliverer? When his Agonies occur to him, how will be weep to reflect that he has often forgot them for the Glance of a Wanton, for the Applaufe of a vain. World, for a heap of fleeting paft Pleasures, which are ap prefent aking Sorrows?

HOW pleafing is the Contemplation of the lowly Steps. our Almighty Leader took in conducting us to his heaven ly Manfions! In plain and apt Parable, Similitude, and Allegory, our great Mafter enforced the Doctrine of our Salvation; but they of his Acquaintance, instead of receiving what they could not oppofe, were offended at the Prefumption of being wifer than they: They could not raife their little Ideas above the Confideration of him, in those Circumstances familiar to them, or conceive that he who appear'd not more terrible or pompous, fhould havei any thing more exalted than themfelves; he in that Place therefore would not longer ineffectually exert a Power which was incapable of conquering the Prepoffeffion of their narrow and mean Conceptions.

MULTITUDE'S follow'd him, and brought him the Dumb, the Blind, the Sick, and Maim'd; whom when their Creator had touch'd, with a fecond Life they faw, fpoke, leap'd, and ran. In Affection to him, and Admiration of his Actions, the Crowd could not leave him, but waited near him till they were almost as faint and helplefs as others they brought for Succour. He had Compaffion on them, and by a Miracle fupplied their Neceffities. Oh, the ecftatick Entertainment, when they could behold their Food immediately increase to the Distributer's Hand, H 2

and

No 356. and fee their God in Perfon feeding and refreshing his Creatures! Oh envied Happiness! But why do I fay envied? as if our God did not still preside over our temperate Meals, chearful Hours, and innocent Converfations.

BUT tho' the facred Story is every where full of Miracles not inferior to this, and tho' in the midst of those Acts of Divinity he never gave the leaft hint of a Defign to become a fecular Prince, yet had not hitherto the Apostles themselves any other than Hopes of worldly Power, Preferment, Riches and Pomp; for Peter, upon an Accident of Ambition among the Apostles, hearing his Mafter explain that his Kingdom was not of this World, was fo fcandaliz'd that he whom he had fo long follow'd should fuffer the Ignominy, Shame, and Death which he foretold, that he took him afide and faid, Be it far from thee, Lord, this fhall not be unto thee: For which he fuffered a fevere Reprehenfion from his Mafter, as having in his view the Glory of Man rather than that of God.

THE great Change of things began to draw near, when the Lord of Nature thought fit as a Saviour and Deliverer to make his publick Entry into Jerufalem with more than the Power and Joy, but none of the Oftentation and Pomp of a Triumph; he came humble, meek, and lowly; with an unfelt new Ecftafy, Multitudes ftrew'd his Way with Garments and Olive-Branches, crying with loud Gladness and Acclamation, Hofannah to the Son of David, Blessed is be that cometh in the name of the Lord! At this great King's Acceffion to his Throne, Men were not ennobled, but fav'd; Crimes were not remitted, but Sins forgiven; he did not beltow Medals, Honours, Favours, but Health, Joy, Sight, Speech. The firft Object the Blind ever faw, was the Author of Sight; while the Lame ran before, and the Dumb repeated the Hofannah. Thus attended, he entered into his own House, the facred Temple, and by his Divine Authority expell'd Traders and Worldlings that profaned it; and thus did he, for a time, ufe a great and defpotick Power, to let Unbelievers understand, that 'twas not want of, but Superiority to all worldly Dominion, that made him not exert it. But this is then the Saviour? is this the Deliverer? Shall this obfcure Nazarene command Ifrael,

and