few chofen, Matth. xx. 16. David conjures us not to defer repentance till the morrow, if we are called to day. To day if ye will hear his voice, barden not your hearts. Because a delay is dangerous, and an opportunity neglected feldom returns. For, in fine, every call is a favour God bestows upon us, not the payment of a debt and do we not provoke him by "refufing the gift? It is a kind of infult against his person, and a contempt of his kindness: and the ordinary punishment is a withdrawing of his favours, a diminution of his grace. Indeed, he never refuses what is fufficient: yet tho' this gives us the power to repent, it gives not repentance.

Save then my foul, O God, at the expence not only of limb, but life! Strike me with blindness like Tobias, or with a leprofy like Job. He fees enough, who can find the way to heaven; and it is better to fly from a dung-hill into Abraham's bofom, than from a bed of down to fall into hell. Lead me the most troublesome way, if it be the most secure. Heaven cannot coft too much it is above price; but not above the extent of thy liberality.

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I. EPISTLE of St. Peter, Chap. v. Verse

6. Humble your felves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. 7. Cafling all your care upon him, for he careth for you.

8. Be fober, be vigilant; because your adverfary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, Leeking whom he may devour.

9. Whom

9. Whom refift, ftedfaft in the faith, knowing that the fame afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have fuffered a while, make you perfect, ftablish, frengthen, fettle you.

11. To him be glory and dominion for ever and Amen.

ever.

The MORAL REFLECTION.

T. Peter exhorts all Chriftians to the prac

tice of humility. This is the darling virtue of our bleffed Saviour; the foundation of all others ; and therefore the Son of God invites all mankind to imitate his example: Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. His whole life indeed was a leffen of morality, fays St. Auftin, but he propofed his humility for our special

imitation.

If you afk, what is humility? St. Bernard will answer, It is a virtue, whereby a man, out of a most true knowledge of himself, becomes vile in his own eyes. It confifts not therefore in faying we are poor, wretched, and miserable creatures, worthy of contempt, and unworthy of praife, but in reality thinking fo. Those expreffions may confift with pride, and are often fpoken to draw esteem and applaufe; but an interior acknowledgment of our own baseness, is not fubject to illufion.

Nothing helps more to acquire this low opinion of ourselves, than a perfect knowledge of our baseness and indigence and therefore fpiritual men exhort all thofe, who aim at the acquifition of this virtue, to ftudy their nature, the miseries of their body, and the ungovernable paf

fions of their foul. And when once they have attained a perfect infpection of themselves, they will not be much tempted to entertain towering thoughts of their own excellencies, but rather confefs they have nothing great, but humbling infirmities in their bodies, and fhameful paffions in their fouls.

What am I, O Lord? My body is made of the fame clay with the vileft infect; my life is fhort; my pains continual; my beginning is fhameful; my end disastrous: the small advantages of beauty, wit and courage are the pure gifts of him, who made me; they are not owing to my deserts. For alas! what right had I to be? and confequently what right to any thing that supposes a being? I am therefore of felf nothing; I have nothing: all I poffefs, is a meer gratuity of my Creator.

my

My foul indeed is a fpirit, immortal, eternal: it had a beginning, but will never end. It is invested with the glorious qualities of reafon and liberty. By thefe I resemble my Creator, and have on my forehead ftamp'd fome fmall beams of his greatness. But alas! this noble part, which fhould be the glory of our fpecies, is by our pride become the infamy. It is enslaved to paffion; always unquiet, always uneasy: it runs from defire to defire; continually craving; never fatisfied: it racks us with fears; torments us with hope it wishes to-day for those things, it feared yesterday; and will again hanker after those very objects, it once trembled at.

But, O who can exprefs the darknefs of our understanding, and the perverfeness of our will? That judges by appearances, and, deceived by fenfe and falfe lights, leads this away to precipices, from which God only can deliver us. O! How often have we offended his Majefty! How

often

often has his mercy pardoned our offences! How often have we deserved hell! How often has his goodness reprieved us from the punishment! We know we have been finner's, but are uncertain of our repentance; and yet more ignorant, whether we shall expire in grace or in fin.

What man, fure of his crimes, doubtful of his pardon, placed between a hell below, and a heaven above, ignorant which will be his lot, can have the vanity to pride in his greatnefs ? to look big on the brink of fuch a precipice, and at the fight of fo threatening a misfortune? No, no, my God, I fee not one motive of pride, but a thousand of humility. My nature perfuades me to it, as well as thy commands; and the abuse of all thy favours forces me to confefs, that I am a compound of ingratitude and bafeness; a proud worm, a vile nothing.

For the practice of this virtue: Firft, never fpeak any thing that may tend to your own commendation. If God has furnished you with excellent qualities, receive them with thankfulness ; employ them with difcretion; expofe them not for pomp and applause. The praife of the vulgar is a fmall reward for a good action; and to labour for the encomium of a man, when you may receive a recompence from God, is a great folly.

Secondly, If you overcome the defire of praife, you will foon mafter the fear of contempt; at leaft fo far, as to bear it with patience. For whofoever is not ambitious of applaufe, fets no great value upon the esteem of men: and then it is easy to fet as little upon their fcorn. Quell then all inordinate conceit of your own worth, and you will not affect a vain reputation: convince yourself, you deferve contempt, and you will fupport it with patience. You have in

curred

curred by your fins the fcorn of the faints and angels, and, by want of due repentance, fupported it without concern. You may then, with eafe, bear that of your neighbour, without complaint.

Thirdly, Carry this noble virtue to the highest pitch; and, like your Mafter and Saviour, undergo reproaches and infamy with pleasure. He has fet you this pattern: he invites you to imitate it: Learn of me; for I am meek, and lowly in heart. And although it feems hard, believe the Son of God, rather than fancy and depraved nature, who affures you, you will find reft to your fouls, Matth. xi. 29. pleasure rather than pain; and, instead of trouble, a fweet calm, and an inexpreffible tranquillity.

I know, O Lord, this is unknown language to the world, which can neither give quiet to the foul, nor even understand how a creature can find peace and fatisfaction, in a life exposed to contradictions and reproaches; but thy apoftle St. Paul confeffes, upon his own experience, that humiliation, fuffered for thy fake, brings more pleasure than pain: I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation, 2 Cor. vii. 4. The sweetness and confolation, he felt in his foul, drown'd all the bitterness, and ungrateful fenfation, he should have felt in his body; and he was rather overfet with joy, than fenfible of his fufferings.

But St. Peter propofes another motive, to perfuade Chriftians to the practice of humility: That he may exalt you in due time. Is it then true, my God, that thofe, who humble themfelves before men, fhall be exalted before all thy faints and angels? That they fhall receive praife from thy mouth, when the proud fhall hear the fentence of damnation? Oh! the punish. ment of pride! Oh! the recompence of humility! VOL. II. H

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