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wilt afcend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne 13. above the Stars of God, I will fit upon the fides of the North, I will afcend above the heights of the Clouds, I will be like the most High. 'Twas for this that the Angel of Death drew upon Herod, not because he was pleas'd with the fineness and fuccefs of his Oratory, but because he was not fo juft to God as the People were to him, but lookt upon himself as the Headfountain of his own perfections, and fo gave not God the glory..

Acts 12-23.

But now if we take care to proportion our estimation of,and our Complacencies in our selves to the measure of our endowments, and if we look upon thofe very very endowments not as originary and independent but as derivative from the Father of James 1. 17. lights from whom every good and perfect gift defcends, and accordingly refer all to Gods glory and with the Elders in the Revelations take off our Crowns from our Heads and caft them at the foot of the Throne, we have not only the exprefs words of the Text, but likewife all the reasonin the world to warrant the Sobriety of our Opinions. For, this is but to have a right and exact understanding of ones fclf. And why may not a man be allow'd to take a true Estimate of himself as well as of another man? Or why fhould a man think an excellency lefs valuable because 'tis in himself? The Happiness

Rev. 4 10

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of God confifts in feeing himself as he is; he reflects upon the Beauty of his Effence, and rejoyces with an infinite Complacency, Now certainly that wherein confifts the Happiness of the Creator, cannot be a Sin in the Creature. Befides, I would fain know why a man may not as lawfully think well of himself upon the Score of his real worth, as defire that others fhould think well of him for the fame reason? And that he may do the latter is confefs'd as well by the Practice, as by the common Suffrage of Mankind. For otherwise what becomes of that good Reputation which Solomon says is rather to be chofen than great Riches, and of which Prov. 22. the Best and Wifeft men of all ages had ever fuch a tender, fuch a paffionate Regard? Nay tis look't upon as a very Commendable thing to be fo affected, and the contrary is cenfured as the mark of a diffolute and unmoraliz'd temper. Only there is a Mir Kavor to be obferv'd in this as well as in the former, and as we are not to stretch out our felves beyond our 2 Cor. 10. 14meafure, fo mult we take care with the great Apoftle, not to give others occafion to think of us above that which they fee us to be. Befides, 2 Cor. 12.6. if we may not be allow'd to take the full Height of our own Excellencies, how fhall we be able to give God thanks for them? The Elders muft know they mear Crowns before they can use them as Inftruments of Adoration, and Herod

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muft

2 Cor.10-13.

muft be conscious of the right Genius of his Oratory, before he can give God the Glory. Again in the laft place, if a man may not have leave to take Cognifance of his own Deferts and to value himself accordingly, what will become of that συνδήσεως αγαθής επερώτημα

Or Which the Apostle fpeaks of, the an& Peto 3.21. fwer of a good Confcience towards God, which is nothing else but a Sentence of Approbation, which a man paffes upon himself for the well managing of that Talent of Liberty which God has entrusted him with? Now this is the Reward of Vertue, and therefore certainly not contrary to it.

Neh. 6. 11.

Neither is this Self-esteem only the Reward of Vertue but also the Cause of it too, and confequently 'tis not only allowable, but also highly needful that we fhould think Honorably of our felves. 'Tis a frequent Obfervation among Moral and Divine Writers, That most if not all the Sins which men commit, proceed from want of a due sense of the Dignity of their Nature. And confequently a due reflection upon a man's own Worth, muft needs be a strong Prefervative against whatsoever would ftain its Glory. Shall fuch a man as I flee? Was the powerful confideration that buoy'd up the finking Spirits of Nehemiah. And 'tis one of the Capital Precepts of Pythagoras's Morals (and perhaps one

of

of the beft too that was ever given to the World)rmer 3 pánisa ásqubro barór. Above all things reverence thy felf. And 'twas the Saying of another of the Sons of Wisdom, Let not the Reverence of any man caufe thee to fin Which it certainly will do, unless we obferve the former Rule, and reflect with due Reverence upon our own Worth and Dignity.

From these confiderations (not to urge any more) it seems to me very evident, that 'tis not only lawful but in fome refpects highly Expedient, that our Opinions of our felves fhould rife up fo as to be of a Level with our Excellencies, whatsoever they are. Let one of the Scales be mounted never fo high, yet if there be a proportionable Weight in the Other, the Ballance moves regularly, and as it should do. We may then proceed fo far as this Standard.

But Secondly, We must not go beyond it. For all beyond this is Pride. Pride, that turn'd the Angels out of Heaven, Adam out of Paradice, and levell'd the great King of Babylon with the Beasts that perifhands which is nothing elfe but an Intemperate Opinion of our felves, which confifts either in affuming to our felves any Excellency which we have not, or, in OverTating what we have. Tho indeed in Strict

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Dan. 4.33°

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ne of Notion this latter falls in with the former, For to Over-rate what we have, is in deed to affume fome Degree of good which we have not, Here then begins our Restraint, the Reasonableness of which will appear from the Abfurdities and ill Confequences which attend the tranfgreffing of this Standard, and which in the third and laft place I come now to confider,

I shall obferve only the most notorious; and these I fhall reduce to thefe Three general Heads.

First, That it unqualifies us for the perform ance of many Duties,

Secondly, That it betrayes us into many fins.

And Thirdly, That it fruftrates all methods of Reformation. Of thefe very briefly.

First an exceffive opinion of our felves (and that is fo which furpaffes the measure of our real worth) unqualifies us for the performance of many Duties; and that both in relation to God, our Neighbour and our Selves. And do

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