understanding decreeing and declaring against them, disapproving and disliking them, upon good reason and strong resolution.

2. A fight and actual war against all the temptations and offers of sensual pleasure, in all evil instances and degrees: and it consists in prayer, in fasting, in cheap diet and hard lodging, and laborious exercises; and avoiding occasions, and using all arts and industry of fortifying the spirit, and making it severe, manly, and christian.

3. Spiritual pleasure is the highest degree of sobriety; and in the same degree in which we relish and are in love with spiritual delights, the hidden manna, with the sweetness of devotion, with the joys of thanksgiving, with rejoicings in the Lord, with the comforts of hope, with the deliciousness of charity and alms-deeds, with the sweetness of a good conscience, with the peace of meekness, and the felicities of a contented spirit ; in the same degree we disrelish and loath the husks of swinish lusts, and the taste of sinful pleasures.

TEMPERANCE.

(Holy Living, ch. 2. § 2.)

Never urge any man to eat or drink beyond

He that

his own limits, and his own desires. does otherwise, is drunk with his brother's surfeit, and reels and falls with his intemperance; that is, the sin of drunkenness is upon both their scores; they both lie wallowing in the guilt.

It is a good advice, that as we begin and end our times of eating with prayer and thanksgiving; so at the meal we remove and carry up our mind and spirit to the celestial table, often thinking of it, and often desiring it; that by enkindling thy desire to heavenly banquets, thou mayest be indifferent and less passionate for the earthly.

Mingle discourses pious, or in some sense profitable, and in all senses charitable and innocent, with thy meal, as occasion is ministered.

HUMILITY.

(Holy Living, ch. 2. § 4.)

Love to be concealed, and little esteemed; be content to want praise, never being troubled when thou art slighted or undervalued; for thou canst not undervalue thyself, and if thou thinkest so meanly as there is reason, no contempt will seem unreasonable, and therefore it will be very toler

able.

vices always by him to remember from whence he was nised; and Agathocles, by The furniture of his table, confessed, that from a porter, he was used to be the king of Sicily.

Nom weak anything directly tending to thy prajan on glory; that is, with a purpose to be commended, and for no other end. If other ends be mingled with thy honour, as if the glory of God, or Chanty, or necessity, or anything of prudence be thy end, you are not tied to omit your discourse or your design, that you may avoid praise, but purane your end, though praise come along in the company, only let not praise be the design.

When thou hast said or done anything for which thou receivest praise or estimation, take it indifferently, and return it to God; reflecting

upon Him as the giver of the gift, or the blesser of the action, or the aid of the design; and give God thanks for making thee an instrument of his glory, or the benefit of others.

Suffer others to be praised in thy presence, and entertain their good and glory with delight: but at no hand disparage them, or lessen the report, or make an objection; and think not the advancement of thy brother a lessening of thy worth. But this act of humility is also to extend further:

Be content that he should be employed, and thou laid aside as unprofitable; his sentence approved, thine rejected; he be preferred, and thou fixed in a low employment.

Never compare thyself with others, unless it be to advance them and to depress thyself: to which purpose we must be sure in some sense or other, to think ourselves the worst in every company where we come : one is more learned than I am, another more prudent, a third more honourable, a fourth more chaste, or he is more charitable, or less proud. For the humble man observes their good, and reflects only upon his own vileness.— But this rule is to be used with this caution, that

though it be good always to think meanest of ourselves, yet it is not always safe to speak it, because those circumstances and considerations which determine thy thoughts, are not known to others as to thyself; and it may concern others, that they hear thee give God thanks for the graces he hath given thee. But if thou preservest thy thoughts and opinions of thyself truly humble, you may with more safety give God thanks in public for that good which cannot, or ought not, to be concealed.

Be not always ready to excuse every oversight, or indiscretion, or ill action: but if thou beest guilty of it, confess it plainly; for virtue scorns a lie for its cover: if thou beest not guilty (unless it be scandalous) be not over-earnest to remove it but rather use it as an argument to chastise all greatness of fancy and opinion in thyself; and accustom thyself to bear reproof patiently and contentedly, and the harsh words of thy enemies, as knowing that the anger of an enemy is a better monitor, and represents our faults, or admonishes us of our duty, with more heartiness, than the kindness does or precious balms of a friend.