Vanity or Deceit, which will comprehend the Pretences and plaufible Speeches of the Cunning, and the empty Boaftings of the vain-glorious Man. In both thefe Cafes there is a want of Truth, upon which we ought to build whatever we fay one to another. Truth and Falfhood have the Relation to each other of Good and Evil; and this is an effential Difference, as we may learn from hence, that Truth is the Attribute of God, and confe quently an effential Good, and its Oppofite, Falfhood, must be likewise an effential Evil, so that there always is Evil where there is not Truth. Truth likewife is a Part of natural Juftice which we owe to one another; for whenever we lye to our Neighbour, we lead him into wrong Notions either of Perfons or Things; and Mistakes in either kind may prove prejudicial to him: So that to speak Truth to our Neighbour is a Branch of that Justice by which we are obliged to do no Man any Wrong.

I know many nice Cafes have been put upon this Question, Whether we are always obliged to speak Truth? And though fome have maintained, that Truth may be difpenfed with, when it is evidently for our Friend's or Neighbour's Benefit, that he should be kept

kept in Ignorance; yet it never was pretended, that Vanity or Cunning were fufficient Excuses for the want of Truth.

Our Saviour tells us, that evil things proceed from an evil Heart. Now the Evil that lies at the Heart of the vain-glorious Man is Pride: He would fain appear to be fomething confiderable, and make a Figure; and therefore Truth fhall never stop him from fetting himself out, and afcribing to himself fuch Honours or Riches, fuch Wit or Cou

rage, as he thinks may merit Worship and Respect in the World.

There is no Attempt that Men are more generally unfuccefsful in, than in this of praising and extolling themselves. It is an headstrong Vanity, that will not be confined to the prudent Methods of Hypocrify and Diffimulation; but fhews itself fo openly; as hardly ever to escape being discovered, and consequently seldom fails of reaping the Fruit it juftly deferves, which is Scorn and Contempt. And yet, in fpite of the Sin and Folly and Difappointment that attend upon it, Pride will have its Work; and where-ever this Evil has rooted in the Heart, it will produce Sin and Folly in the Mouth, fuch Sin and Folly as fhall be remembered at

the Day of Judgment. For the Romances that Pride and Vain-glory lead Men to are capable of no Excufe; and therefore Offenders of this kind must stand liable to all the Threatnings, which are denounced against those who take Pleasure in a Lye.

But Vanity may fometimes be the Vice of Men otherwife good and virtuous; and tho' they will not lye to gratify their Humour, yet they will be very ready to do themselves Justice upon all Occafions, and fet forth the Good they are confcious of in themselves to the best Advantage. But even these are idle Words, and Men must answer for the Praise and Glory they affume to themselves. Befides, it is almost impoffible to speak of ourfelves and our own Works with Pleasure, and to keep within the Bounds of Modesty and Discretion, and not to expose the Good we have done to be ridiculed and evil-spoken of by those who observe our Vanity and Weaknefs.

It is dangerous at all times to speak of ourfelves: If we have done ill, either to excufe or deny it inflames the Account; if we have done well, our Saviour tells us that we must nevertheless call ourselves unprofitable Servants: And whether this Rule be observed

by

by those who boast, and are always talking of the Good they do, let any Man judge. Our Saviour's Advice about Charity holds in all other Cafes of the like Nature; our left Hand must not know the Charity our right Hand does; and whatever elfe we do that may seem good in our own Eyes should at least be kept from our Tongue's End, for fear we fhould be found in the Number of those who take to themselves the Praise that is due to God alone.

One aukward Way that fome Men have of letting others know what Good they have done, is by perpetually leffening and discommending in themselves what, in their private Thoughts, they think others ought to admire. But there is little Difference between Pride and affected Humility; and whenever Men delight to talk of themselves, it is to be fufpected that Pride and Vanity direct them to the Choice of the Subject, though it may appear perhaps in the Disguise of Meeknefs and Humility. If you think

that

you have done nothing worthy of Praise. or Admiration, whence arifes your Jealousy that the World should overvalue you? And why all this Care to leffen and debase yourfelf, unless you are conscious to yourself of fomething

F 3

fomething that in Reafon you judge ought to exalt you? If you labour to fhun the Praise of Men, it is plain you think you have deferved it, and your pretended Humility is the genuine Offspring of Pride and Vain-glory : For Humility will no more make a Shew of itfelf than of other Virtues; and, where Men are truly humble, they will not tell all the World of it; and therefore where they take Delight in induftriously undervaluing themfelves, it can proceed from nothing but their Defire of being thought humble: But to affect even the Praise of Humility is Pride and Vanity. So then, in respect to this Subject, the Rule of Prudence and the Rule of Virtue are coincident, that the lefs we talk of ourselves the better: It is a nice Theme, who come off clear

and few enter upon it,

either of Folly or Sin.

In the next Degree we place Cunning and Artifice, which make Men very forgetful of the Respect that is due to Truth, whilst they direct their Speech to ferve and fupport fome End or Design of their own. There are many Degrees of this Cunning: That which is fo grofs as to aim at making a Prize of the Ignorance of others needs not to be mentioned here. Men of this Principle pro

ceed