into the House of Mourning, fpreads a Meekness over the Mind, and creates a Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness; whilft Richness and Fulness place us in the Scorner's Chair, a Chair of the strongest Enchantment, which fcarce ever any Perfon was known to get out of again. To the Poor the Gospel was preached, by them it was received, the heavy-laden were refreshed with it: The Rich and the Righteous were fent empty away; they went away laughing; they neither wanted, nor fought, nor found any thing. The Idea we form of ourselves, will be the great Director of our Conduc and Manners in all Inftances: 'Tis our own Character of ourselves, which we make our chief Business to fupport, and exhibit to others, in all our Behaviour: It will strongly tincture all our Thoughts, Words and Actions. Now tho' Men do generally take up their Opinion of themselves upon a flighter Enquiry and Examination, than perhaps any other Opinion whatfoever, yet it is plainly of the utmost Impottance, and the most extensive Influence. A Blunder here makes our whole Lives a Mifery to our felves, and an Impertinence at leaft, perhaps a Plague to others. As to the Particular before us, this Fulness of Sufficiency of Mind, and the Glee of Complacency arifing from it, nothing can poffibly be more incompatible with our true Intereft, or more incongruous with respect to others. The belt and wifest of Men carry about them many Failings and much Ignorance, and whoever in his Account of himself overlooks all this, and makes it no Part of his Character, must not only form a wrong Judgment of himself, but fuch a kind of wrong Judgment as extends its Wrongness to almost all other Particulars; to all at leaft " leaft of a moral Nature. There can be no greater Mistake, than for an empty Creature to think himself full, and to act under that Presumption: And they must be the emptiest of all Creatures, who thus think and act. If we fay that we have no Sin, we deceive our felves in the groffeft manner, and the Truth is not in us: We have no Part, nor Lot in this matter, no Conformity to Truth. In our Intercourfe with others, we naturally make Comparisons betwixt them and our felves: Every Man may not do this in a formal explicit Manner, but we all do it in fome way or other. Now what fort of Comparifons muft they make, who fee nothing in themselves, but Excellencies, and in others, nothing but Defects? What can follow but Laughter and Infult, Mockery and Scorn? Some Degree of Self-Complacency is neceflary to us; Our Beings would would be insupportable without it: And perhaps there are not many Men, who do not improve their SelfComplacency into Self-Preference in fome Particular or other; and there may be no great Harm done in this: Because, whilst we have our Eye on fome fingle Accomplishment of our own, we shall be more diligent to improve it within our felves, as well as more industrious to exhibit it as an Example to others. Neither does it preclude us from obferving the Excellencies of others, and fubmitting our felves to them, except perhaps in that very Point upon which the SelfPreference is grounded. Here is fo far room for a fair and equal Correspondence to fubfift; we are contented to take our Turns in it. But where Fulness and Sufficiency of Mind, and their Offspring, Contempt and Ridicule take place, there is not only the most effectual Stop VOL. I. put put to all private improvement, but the Balance of Converfation and mutual Intercourse is entirely deftroyed. Such Men have no Patience of Mind to attend to long and difficult Refearches: Their Fulness is their Evidence in all Cafes; their firft Thoughts are their laft; if they are perfuaded, they are not convinced, because their Value of themfelves is far greater, than'; of Truth. They regard themfelves only; every thing is due to them: The rest of Mankind are made only to ferve, admire, and applaud them; if they pay this Homage, well; if not, the next Business is to make them feel their Refentment. How fuch a Conduct must affect the rest of Mankind, every one of whom have their feveral Merits and Ambitions, is no very difficult Enquiry; the Reafon of the thing, as well as our daily Experience will inform us. There will indeed be always fome |