.. . • iJJ t!e Soul of J.Vlcm. r o-r and moil: fcrious day of our life, being expofed unto publick view, would render us either hateful or ridiculous. And now-, however we conceal our failings fron1 one another, yet fure we are confcious of then1 ourfeh·es j and fon1e ferious reflexion 'upon them, would.111uch qualify and allay the vanity of our fpirits. Thus holy n1en have come really to think worfe of thcn1felves, than of any other perfon in the world: not but that they know that grofs and fcan.– dalous vices are in their nature more heinous than the furprifals of temptations and infirmity; but bcc:mfe they were much n1ore intent on their 0\~' 11 n1ifcarriages, than on thofe of their neighbours; and did confider all the aggravations of the one, and every thing that Jnight be fuppofed to diminiih and alleviate the other. But it is well obfened by a pious writer, that the deepefr and tnoft pure hun1ility cloth not fo n1uch arife fron1 the con– fideration of our own Thoughts of Cod give us the lowdl: thoughts of our·· felves. [quits and defecrs, as fron1 a caln1 and quiet contemplatior: of the divine purity and .goodnefs. Our fpots never appear fo clearly, as \vben we place then1 before this infinite light j and-we never feem lefs .in our own eyes, than. when w·e look I 3 down.
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