he turn aside from the path of salvation, to bring him back again. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him: thus God spoke by his servant Moses, Lev. xix. 17. Exhort one another daily: this is a precept of St. Paul, Heb. iii. 13. To this may be added the declaration of St. James: If any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins, chap. v. 19, 20. But this duty would become a crime, were we to rebuke a neighbour with bitterness, were the reproof more satire than exhortation, were we to assume airs of haughtiness, and discover that we intended less to censure the vices of others than to display our own imaginary excellencies. It is not enough to rebuke a neighbour; it must be done with all those charitable concomitants, which are so proper to make the most bitter censures palatable; it must be done with that modesty, or, may I say, with that bashfulness which proves that it is not a spirit of self-sufficiency that reproves our neighbour, but that it is because we interest ourselves in his happiness, and are jealous of his glory.

IV. Our fourth maxim is, that an action good in itself may become criminal by being extended beyond its proper limits. It was said of a fine genius of the last age, that he never quitted a beautiful thought till he had entirely disfigured it. The observation was perfectly just in regard to the author, to whom it was applied; the impetuosity of his imagination made him overstrain the most sensible

things he advanced, so that what was truth. when he began to propose it, became an error in his mouth by the extreme to which he carried it. In like manner, in regard to a certain order of christians, virtue becomes vice in their practice, because they extend it beyond proper bounds. Their holiness ought always to be restrained, and after they have been exhorted to righteousness and wisdom, it is necessary to say to them with the wise man, Be not righteous over-much, neither make thyself over-wise, Eccles. vii, 17. an idea adopted by St. Paul, Rom. xii. 3.

Be not righteous over-much, neither make thyself over-wise in regard to the mysteries of religion. As people sometimes lose their lives by diving, so sometimes people become unbelievers by believing too much. It is not uncommon to see christians so eager to elucidate the difficulties of the book of Reve lation as not to perceive clearly the doctrine of evangelical morality.

neither make thyself The laws of equity or rather the laws of

Be not righteous over-much, over-wise in regard to charity. march before those of charity; charity are founded on those of equity. To neglect to support a family and to satisfy creditors, under pretence of relieving the poor, is not charity, and giving alms: but it is rapine, robbery, and iniquity.

Be not righteous over-much, neither make thyself ov er-wise in regard to closet devotion. So to give one's self up to the devotion of the closet as to lose sight of what we owe to society; to be so delighted with praying to God as not to hear the petitions of the indigent; to devote so much time to meditation as to

reserve none for an oppressed person who requires our assistance, for a widow who beseeches us to pity the cries of her hungry children; this is not piety, this is vision, this is enthusiasm, this is sophism of zeal, if I may express myself so.

Be not righteous over-much, neither make thyself over-wise in regard to distrusting yourselves, and fearing the judgments of God. I know, the greatest saints have reason to tremble, when they consider themselves in some points of light. I know Jobs and Davids have exclaimed, If I may justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? Job. ix. 20. Psal. cxxx. 3. I know, one of the most powerful motives which the inspired writers have used, to animate the hearts of men with piety, is fear, according to this exclamation of Solomon, Happy is the man that feareth alway, Prov. xxviii. 14. and according to this idea of St. Paul, Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, 2 Cor. v. 11. I know, the surest method to strengthen our virtue is to distrust ourselves, according to this expression, Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. x. 12.

However, it is certain, some fears of God proceed rather from the irregularity of the imagination, than from a wise and well directed piety. Fear of the judgments of God is sometimes a passion, which hath this in common with all other passions, it loves to employ itself about what favours, cherishes, and supports it; it is reluctant to approach what would diminish, defeat, and destroy it. Extremes of vice

touch extremes of virtue, so that we have no sooner passed over the bounds of virtue, than we are entangled in the irregularities of vice.

V. We said in the fifth place, that each ought to ponder his path with regard to that degree of holiness at which the mercy of God hath enabled him to arrive. An action good in itself, when it is performed by a man arrived at a certain degree of holiness, becomes criminal, when it is done by him who hath only an inferior degree. There never was an opinion more absurd and more dangerous than that of some mystics, known by the name of Molinists. They affirmed, that when the soul was lodged at I know not what distance from the body, that when it was in I know not what state, which they called abandonment, it partook no more of the irregularities of the body. which it animated, so that the most impure actions of the body could not defile it, because it knew how to detach itself from the body.

What kind of extravagance can one imagine, of which poor mankind have not given an example? Yet the apostle determines this point with so much precision, that one would think it was impossible to mistake it. Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, Titus i. 15. I recollect the sense which a celebrated bishop in the isle of Cyprus gave these words in the first ages of the church. I speak of Spiridion. A traveller, exhausted with the fatigue of his journey, waited on him on a day which the church had set apart for fasting. Spiridion instantly ordered come refreshment for him, and invited him by his

own example to eat. No, I must not eat, said the stranger, because I am a christian. And because you are a christian, replied the bishop to him, you may eat without scruple, agreeably to the decision of an apostle, Unto the pure all things are pure. 1 We cannot be ignorant of the shameful abuse which

some have made of this maxim. We know some have extended it even to the most essential articles of positive law, which no one can violate without sin. We know particularly the insolence with which some place themselves in the list of those pure persons, of whom the apostle speaks, although their gross ignorance and novel divinity may justly place them in the opposite class. But the abuse of a maxim ought not to prevent the lawful use of it. There are some things which are criminal or lawful, according to the degree of knowledge and holiness of him who performs them. "Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure." Would you then know how far to carry your scruples in regard to some steps ? Examine sincerely, and with rectitude, to what degree you are pure in this respect. I mean, examine sincerely and uprightly, whether you be so far advanced in christianity, as not to endanger your faith and holiness by this step.

Do you enquire whether you may, without scruple, read a work intended to sap the foundation of christianity? Examine yourself. A man arrived at a certain degree of knowledge, is confirmed in the faith, even by the objections which are proposed to him to engage him to renounce bis religion. "Unto