The same befals men, who for want of Humility, do Arrogate (ascribe) to yms those things wch are God's; i. e. every thing that is good. 1198. Ingratitude for Favours, &c. This was Hezekia's crime for wch he sufferd. He forgat God, who had done wonders for him, and in ye Pride of his Heart, was lifted up, &c. 1199. Rules and Maxims of the Gospel : [p. 287.] Rash Judgmt. Luk. vi. 41. He who well examines him- [om. 4to.] self, will not be ready to find fault wth others. Why beholdest Thou ye mote, &c. We have then only a Right to Judge of ye Tree, w1 its Fruit appeares. v. 44. Purity of Heart. (Blessed are ye Pure in Heart.) Is neces- [om. 4to.] sary to know God, and to distinguish that wch proceeds from God, from, &c. Give me, O Lord, The true knowledg of the Spirit of [p. 291.] the Gospel. Finish, O my God, the work of Thy mercy wch Thou hast begun in me. Grant, O God, that I may employ and spend my Life for Thy sake. [om. 4to.] 1200. Important Questions. What assurance have I yt [p. 295.] I am in a State of Grace and Salv.? 1201. Manks Proverbs :— [om. 4to.] [p. 298.] Hig shen dty hguale-"That will meet you;" i. e. Here- [om. 4to.] after spoken of a Man's Good or Evil deeds. Ta'n seihe cabbal corragh-"The World is a Tickle Horser." ૧ [So Shakspeare, Measure for Measure, i. 3: "Thy head stands so tickle on thy shoulders, that a milkmaid, if she be in love, may sigh it off."Henry VI., pt. ii., i. I : "The State of Normandy Stands on a tickle point."] [Here end "Maxims of Piety and Morality," as contained in Bishop Wilson's MSS., numbered " Book V.," and "Book VI.," in the custody of Sion College.] SUPPLEMENT то MAXIMS OF PIETY AND MORALITY. [THE following pages are printed from a MS. in the possession of Sion College; a thick volume, in 12mo., made up, first, of portions of a Common-place Book (pp. 1-111; then, by a mistake of the binder, 225-284, then 112-168, omitting 168-225); secondly, of a much smaller portion, unpaged, with the title "Collectanea ;" thirdly, of the matter of two Sermons, or the greater part of them, nearly all in the Bishop's handwriting. On one of the fly-leaves at the beginning is an index to Texts of Scripture referred to in the Book; the heading in his own writing, the index itself in that of his friend and Vicar-general, Mr. Walker; and on the next leaf, in his own writing, "St. Luke xix. 14, 27, 'We will not have this Man to reign over us.' Deists, Infidels, all ungodly Christians, &c."] 1. Apollonius Tyaneus liv'd in the time of Domitian, and was accus'd for a Magician. Whoever pretends to magnifie [MS., p.1.] him must be one who has never read his Life, written by Philostratus; for that shewes him to have been an Impostor. His Miracles deserve not that Name, but are Impudent Forgeries, and even the Truth of these depends upon the Testimony of his Man Damis only, who tells us that he saw the chaines on Mount Caucasus with which Prometheus was bound, and many such like stories a. 2. Ad Clerum. A sure Rule by which a Prince may know whether or no he has a faithful Servant; If he is more careful of his own affaires than of his Master's, and all his Actions and designes tend that way, that man will never be a good minister. Machiavel's Prince, ch. xxii. pag. 2. [This entry might be occasioned by some of the Deistical writers of that time, who, like the old heathens, would compare Apollonius with our Lord. e. g. Charles Blount, the Author of the "Oracles of Reason," published in 1680, a translation of two books of SUPPLE- [p. 2.] [p. 3.] [p. 4.] 3. Tithes. An Acknowledgment that all we have is from God; and he loses the Advantage who pays not his Tithes with this thought. 4. Ad Clerum. God by the Prophet (Hoshea vi. 9) uses this terrible expression, "The Preists murder in the way by consent, for they commit enormities." Intimating that the ill examples of Preists are equal'd to ye greatest crimes of other men.-Pag. 10. 5. Attributes of God-Goodness of God in the Works of Creation. That Parents Love their Children and Children their Parents, is from an Instinct of Nature; it is from the same Instinct that Beasts Love their young ones, and these their Dams; Now God in Mercy to the Creature has so order'd this natural affection, that in Beasts it lasts but a very short while, otherwise it would be a Curse to them now they are under the Dominion of Man, who murders whole sholes of them for his Profit, Pleasure or Humour. When any Superior Power doth so to men, 'tis look'd upon as a grievous calamity indeed, and it would be so to the Beasts, but that God in kindness has made affection short. They soon forget they have lost their Relations, and are at ease. 237. 6. Atheism. If the Belief of God were an Error, the mind would be extremly rejoyced at the casting off of such a Belief; but the contrary appeares. Those that make a Question whether these things are true, do yet act as if they were sure they are false. As if their doubting certainly made them so. He that has no Religion has no Conscience; and therefore is not to be trusted, let his pretences be what they will. 7. Modesty. Of what great force and use this is, appeares from the Story of the Milesian Women (Plut., Of the Virtues of Women ), who were cured of an uncommon melancholy, which made numbers of them to hang themselves, by a decree of the Senate ordaining that every woman who should afterwards lay violent hands upon herself, should be carryed naked through the Streets. 8. Supper of the Lord. There is a laudable Custome in the Greek Church, that such as Communicate, before they [This and other like references indicate pages farther on in the MS.] [Opp. ed. Reiske, vii. 22. Lips. 1777.] MENT. approach the Lord's Table, they first go to the bottome of SUPPLEthe Church, and in these words speak to the Congregation, συγχωρεῖτε ἀδελφοί· ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἡμάρτομεν. If no man finds himself injured or agriev'd, the People answer, 'O eòs συγχωρήσει ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί.—Ricaut's State of the Greek Church, pag. 200.-Vid. pag. 19. 9. Confession of Sins. When the Penitent comes to Confession, the Priest saith to Him, Ορά· ἄγγελος Κυρίου παρίσταται λαβεῖν τὴν ὁμολογίαν σου ἐκ στόματος σου, καὶ βλεπε μὴ σιγῆς τι ἁμάρτημα αἰσχυνῆς ἕνεκα· ὅτι κάγῳ ἄνθρωπος εἰμὶ ἁμάρτωλος ὣς καί συ.—Ricaut, Of the Greek Church, p. 265. 10. Zech. viii. 16:-These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Here are many blessings Promised in this Chapter upon the Conditions here set down. We may guess at the reigning Sins of those [p. 5.] times, wch were Hypocrisie, Injustice, Malice, and Perjury. It will be sufficient at one time to speak of the first of these. 1. What is the Duty here required of us? 2. What are the Acts? 3. What are ye Advantages? 1. [and 2. (?)] The Duty is such a Plain and Honest way of expressing our thoughts, as men may not be deceived by us, or more particularly, That neith' by our Words or Actions we express more or less than what we really intend. 3. We shall never be believ'd if we do not do this, we shall be always apt to suspect others, and always be uneasie. We shall be forc'd to use unlawful asseverations to gain credit. If you would be believ'd, Promise nothing but what is in your Power to perform, as well as in your Intention. Then keep your word though it be to your disadvantage. Is it not a Reproch to us that a Sect of Men shall be sooner believ'd on their bare word, &c. Ceremony and Complement nãally leads to Insincerity. If I am not over ready to use oathes to gain credit; for this is the Origin of vain Oathes. 11. Origine of Unbelief. Acts iv. 13, 14, &c. Hence it appears that it is not always for want of Reasons that men |