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20. Instead of becoming insolent, a man of sense, under a consciousness of merit, is more medest. He behaves himself indeed with firmness, but without the least presumption The man who is ignorant of his own merit, is no less a fool than he who is constantly displaying it. A man of understanding avails himself of his abilities, but never boasts of them; whereas, the timid and bashful man can never push himself in life, be his merit as great as it will; he will be always kept behind by the forward and the bustling.

21. A man of abilities, and acquainted with life, will stand as firm in defence of his own rights, and pursue his plans as steadily and unmoved as the most impudent man alive; but then he does it with a seeming modesty. Thus, manners is every thing; what is impudence in one, is only proper assurance in another; for firmness is commendable, but an overbearing conduct is disgustful.

22. Forwardness being the very reverse of modesty, follow rather than lead the company; that is, join in discourse upon their subjects, rather than start one of your own; if you have parts, you will have opportunities enough of shewing them on every topic of conversation; and if you have none, it is better to expose yourself upon a subject of other people's, than on one of your own.

523. But be particularly careful not to speak of yourself, if you can help it. An impudent fellow lugs in himself abruptly upon all occasions, and is ever the hero of his own story. Others will cover heir arrogance with it may seem strange indeed that I should talk in this manner of myself; it is what I by no means like, and should never do if I had not been cruelly and unjustly accused; but when my character is attacked it is a justice I owe to myself to defend it.' This veil is too thin not to be seen through on the first inspection.

21. Others again, with more art, will modestly boast of all the principal virtues, by calling these virtues weaknesses, and saying, they are so unfortunate as to fall into those weaknesses.

I cannot see persons suffer,' says one of this cast, • without relieving them, though my circumstances are very unable to afford it--I cannot avoid speaking truth, though it is often very imprudent--and so on.

25. This angling for praise is so prevailing a principle, that it frequently stoops to the lowest object. Men will often boast of doing that, which, if true, would be rather a disgrace to them than otherwise. One man affirms that he rode twenty

miles within the hour: 'tis probably a lie; but suppose he did, what then? he had a good horse under him, and is a good jocky. Another swears he has often, at a sitting, drank five or six bottles to his own share. Out of respect to him, I will believe him a liar; for I would not wish to think him a beast.

26. These, and many more, are the follies of idle people, which, while they think they procure them esteem, in reality make them despised.

27. To avoid this contempt, therefore, never speak of yourself at all, unless necessity obliges you; and even then, take căre to do it in such a manner, that it may not be construed into fishing for applause. Whatever perfections you may have, be assured, people will find them out; but whether they do or not, nobody will take them upon your own word. The less you say of yourself, the more the world will give you credit for; and the more you say, the less they will believe you.

OF CHEERFULNESS.

1. I HAVE always preferred cheerfulness to mirth. The latter I consider as an act, the former as a habit of the mind. Mirth is short and transient, cheerfulness fixed and permanent. Those are often raised into the greatest transports of mirth, who are subject to the greatest depressions of melancholy on the contrary, cheerfulness, though it does not give the mind such an exquisite gladness, prevents us from falling into any pths of sorrow. Mirth is like a flash of lightning that breaks through a gloom of clouds, and glitters for a moment: cheerfulness keeps up a kind of day-light in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity.

2. Men of austere principles look upon mirth as too wanton and dissolute for a state of probation, and as filled with a certain triumph and insolence of heart, that is inconsistent with a life which is every moment obnoxious to the greatest dangers. Writers of this complexion have observed, that the Sacred Person, who was the great pattern of perfection, was never seen to laugh.

3. Cheerfulness of mind is not liable to any of these excep. tions; It is of a serious and composed nature; it does not throw the mind into a condition improper for the present state of humanity, and is very conspicuous in the characters of those who are looked upon as the greatest philosophers among the heathen, as well as among those who have been deservedly esteemed as saints and holy men among Christains.

4. If we consider cheerfulness in three lights, with regard to ourselves, to those we converse with, and to the great Author of our being, it will not a little recommend itself on each of these accounts. The man who is possessed of this excellent frame of mind, is not only easy in his thoughts, but a perfect master of all the powers and faculties of the soul; his imagination is always clear and his judgment undisturbed; his temper is even and unruffled, whether in action or solitude. He comes with a relish to all those goods which nature has provided for him, tastes all the pleasures of the creation which are poured about him, and does not feel the full weight of those accidental evils which may befal him.

5. If we consider him in relation to the persons whom he converses with, it naturally produces love and good will towards him; a cheerful mind is not only disposed to be affable and obliging, but raises the same good humor in those who come within its influence. A man finds himself pleased, he does not know why, with the cheerfulness of his companion: it is like a sudden sun-shine that awakens a secret delight in the mind, without her attending to it. The heart rejoices of its own accord, and naturally flows out into friendship and benevolence towards the person, who has so kindly an effect upon it.

6. When I consider this cheerful state of mind in its third relation, I cannot but look upon it as a constant habitual gratitude to the great Author of nature. An inward cheerfulness is an implicit praise and thanksgiving to Providence under all its dispensations. If is a kind of acquiescence in the state wherein we are placed, and a secret approbation of the Divine will in his conduct towards man.

7. There are but two things which in my opinion, can reasonably deprive us of this cheerfulness of heart. The first of these is the sense of guilt. A man who lives in a state of vice and impenitence can have no title to that evenness and tranquility of mind which is the health of the soul, and the natural effects of virtue and innocence. Cheerfulness in an ill man deserves a harder name than language can furnish us with, and is many degrees beyond what we commonly call folly or mad

ness.

8. Atheism, by which I mean a disbelief of a Supreme Being, and consequently of a future state, under whatsoever title it shelters itself, may likewise very reasonably deprive a man of this cheerfulness of temper. There is something so particular

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ly gloomy and offensive to human nature in the prospect of non-existence, that I cannot but wonder, with many excellent writers how it is possible for a man to outlive the expectation of it. For my own part, I think the being of a God is so little to be doubted, that it is almost the only truth we are sure of, and such a truth as we meet with in every object, in every occurrence, and in every thought.

9. If we look into the characters of this tribe of infidels we generally find they are made up of pride, spleen and cavil; it is indeed no wonder, that men who are uneasy to themselves, should be so to the rest of the world; and how is it possible for a man to be otherwise than uneasy in himself, who is in danger every moment of losing his entire existence, and dropping in to nothing?

10. The vicious man and Atheist have therefore no pretence to cheerfulness, and would act very unreasonably, should they endeavor after it. It is impossible for any one to live in good humor and enjoy his present existence, who is apprehensive either of torment or of annihilation; of being miserable, or of not being at all.

11. After having mentioned these two great principles, which are destructive of cheerfulness in their own nature, as well as in right reason, I cannot think of any other that ought to banish their happy temper from a virtuous mind. Pain and sickness, shame and reproach, poverty and old age, may death itself, considering the shortness of their duration, and the advantage we inay reap from them, do not deserve the name of evils.

12. A good mind my bear up under them with fortitude, with composure, and with cheerfulness of heart-the tossing of a tempest does not discompose him, when he is sure it will bring him to a joyful harbor.

13. A man who uses his best endeavors to live according to the dictates of virtue and right reason, has two perpetual sources of cheerfulness, in the consideration of his own nature and of that Being on whom he has a dependence,

14. If he looks into himself, he cannot but rejoice in that existence, which is so lately bestowed upon him, and which, after millions of ages will be still new, and still in its beginning. How many self congratulations naturally arise in the mind, when it reflects on this its entrance into eternity, when it hesa view of those improveable faculties, which in a few years,

and even at its first setting out have made so considerable a progress, and which will be still receiving an increase of perfection, and consequently an increase of happiness.

15. The consciousness of such a Being spreads a perpetual diffusion of joy through the soul of a virtuous man, and makes him look upon himself every moment as more happy than he knows how to conceive,

16. The second source of cheerfulness to a good mind is, its consideration of that Being on whom we have our dependence, and in whom, though we beliold him as yet but in the first faint discoveries of his perfections, we see every thing that we can imagine as great, glorious or amiable. We find cur selves every where upheld by his goodness, and surrounded by an immensity of love and mercy.

17. In short, we depend upon a Being, whose power qualifies him to make us happy by an infinity of means, whose goodness and truth engage him to make those happy who desire it of hin, and whose unchangeableness will secure us in this happiness to all eternity.

18. Such considerations, which every one should perpetually cherish in his thoughts, will banish from us all that secret heaviness of heart, which unthinking men are subject to when they nder no real affliction: all that anguish which we may from any evil that actually oppresses us; to which I may likewise add those little cracklings of mirth and folly, that are apter to betray virtue than support it, and establish in us such an even and cheerful temper, as makes us pleasing to ourselves, to those with whom we converse, and to him whom we are made to please.

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DISCRETION.

HAVE often thought if the minds of men were laid open we should see but little difference between that of the wise man, and that of the fool. There are infinite reveries, numberless extravagancies, and a perpetual train of vanities, which pass through both. The great difference is, that the first knows how to pick and cull his thoughts for conversation, by suppressing some and communicating others; whereas the other lets them all indifferently fly out into words. This sort of discretion however, has no place in private conversation, between intimate friends. On such occasions the wisest men very often talk like the weakest; for indeed the talking with a friend is but thinking aloud.

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