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 muft ftand liable to all the Threatenings, 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 Juftice upon all Occafions, and fet forth the Good they are conscious 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 almoft impoffible to speak of ourfelves and our own Works with Pleasure, and to keep within the Bounds of Modesty and Discretion, and not to expofe 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 muft nevertheless call ourselves unprofitable Servants: And whether this Rule be obferved

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 feem good in our own Eyes fhould at least be kept from our Tongue's End, for fear we fhould be found in the Number of thofe, 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 suspected 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 Fraise 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 confcious to yourself of fome

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fomething that in Reason you judge ought to exalt you? If you labour to fhun the Praife of Men, it is plain you think you have deserved it, and your pretended Humility is the genuine Offspring of Pride and Vain-glory : For Humility will no more make a Shew of itself 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 induftrioufly 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, and few enter upon it, who come off clear either of Folly or Sin.

In the next Degree we place Cunning and Artifice, which make Men very forgetful of the Refpect that is due to Truth, whilft 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

ceed further generally than idle Words, and are out of the present Subject through an Excess of Lying, and falfifying their Words and Oaths, as may best ferve their Purpose.

But the Charge of idle Words lies against a Cunning, which is lefs defperate and malicious, and is the diftinguishing Mark of fuch Men, who deceive you by a Shew of Kindness which is not real. Now the Man who courts and careffes all that come near him must allow himself a great Latitude, fince he must often bestow his Smiles on the Perfon he does not love, and his Compliments on the Perfon he defpifes: In both which Cafes he ftands charged with Falfehood and Hypocrify.

This Man of general Civility and Address destroys the Credit of Language; for his Words have no Meaning; none at least that you can understand: He that fays the fame Things to every body, must be supposed to mean them of no body. But the Advantage these Men have is from the Folly and Selflove of Mankind; for moft People are fo well opinionated of themselves, that they cannot think a Man infincere, who commends and extols them: From whence it comes to pass, that a Man will swallow the Compliments,

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Compliments, when applied to himself, though they come from a Mouth which he knows makes no Diftinctions.

But what Account shall a Man give of himself for living perpetually in a Disguise; for deceiving all about him, and ufing the Speech, which God gave him for better Purposes, to impofe on the Weakness and Folly of Mankind? An Account he must give, unless he can fhew the Ufe and Benefit of his fair Speeches. Say, which is yet more than you can fay, that thefe Words are innocent and harmless: They are at the best then useless and infignificant; and think how your Excufe will found, when the utmost you will have to fay for yourself will be, that you em-ployed the Talent God gave you to no good End or Purpose, only you hope you did no Harm. But add to this, that you deceived the World; that by your fervile Compliance you puffed up the Vanity of the Proud, betrayed and exposed the Credulity of the Weak, and poffibly too have made a Gain of this Ungodlinefs; and then I think you need not be told what Sentence a God of Truth, of Righteousness and Justice, will pass against fuch Deceivers and Liers in wait for Men.

But,