SECT. III.] IN REGARD. OF MEN. 487 than his pride : You will hear him sometimes acknow- ledging to his friend, " It is the frailty of my nature, this cursed passion ! I am of a warm and hasty temper : May God and man forgive me !" But you scarce ever hear him say, " This pride is my folly,, = this pride is my secret iniquity." Yet I was once acquainted with a christian of a hasty and passionate temper, who has many years since left his frailties in the grave, and he, would confess with freedom and with a becoming sense of his sin, that there was no passion without some degrees of pride. VI. If we maintain a mean opinion of ourselves we shall be much more ready to practise benevolence in a disinterested manner, and to deny ourselves for the con- veniency of those about us : We shall not be, ever pro- jecting to exalt and gratify self, nor shall we think it so hardor so painful a thing to be put out of our own way and our course a little, and abate of our own conveni- ence in some instances in order to give some greater con- veniency to our friends. Self- denial is one of the first lessons in the school of Chri,t. Mat: xvi. 24. " Ifanyman will come after me, let him denyhimself;" We must learn to mortify our own humour if we would be approved of Christ or *beloved of men. The proud and haughty man is generally so selfish that he can -never love his neighbour as he ought to love him, because his opinion of self rises so high as to deserve and engross all his kind affections. Let him make what pre- tences he will to friendship and goodness ; let him labour in works of beneficence, and feed the hungry and clothe the naked, yet in all his schemes, contrivances and labours' he has stiltssome secret design for his beloved self : As his.imagination swells with this dear idea, so his wishes and projects are ever full of it, even when he would fain appear to practise a disinterested zeal for the good of others. If self and what belongs to self is well, all is well : If self and family be rich and happy, all is right : the man is tolerably easy : But if any thing crosshis purposes and thewishes and humours of his heart, nothing is right, no- tlaing is well: His complaints shall be heárd aloud and the man can find no rest. ß.z4
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