BECT. V.1 ANT) THE FAINT-NEARTEb ANSW$RED. is not teachable, and willing to learn what is necessary and proper to be known ? Ask thyself at last, art thou never humoursome and self-willed, never obstinate and unreasonably positive, answering thy superiors with wrath and rudeness? Art Thou never gloomy and sullen after a rebuke ? Is not thy spirit fretful when thy will is crossed, and thy humour thwarted ? Dost thou never meditate revenge ? And now tell me, O son or daughter of poverty, tell me, hast thou no pride ? Hast thou none of these symp- toms of this mortal malady ? No spots of this defilement of soul ? No share in this universal crime of the children of Adam ? Dost thou think that pride never inhabits a cottage, and never travels but in chariots and coaches? Art thou so weak as to imagine that a thread-baregarment must needs cover a humble heart? When thou hast honestly made all these enquiries which I have pointed out, I hope thy own heart will un- learn this mistake, and teach thee that thou hast not escaped this general guilt and folly. Some of the poorest of mankind have happened to be some of the proudest in my observation that I ever met with, and it is possible that others have made the same remark, though it must be owned their temptations to pride are less. Let us enquire next of the faint-hearted man, the coward of soul, who flatters his infirmity, and thinks him- self to be all humility and meekness. I own, saith he, I have a tenderness for myself, but I have no pride. If I am injured and reproached, I cannot well bear it, but I am all in tears ; I tremble, and answer not again ; my soul sinks within me at the words of slander, and I die at the voice of a proud oppressor, surely this heart of mine is humble. But tell me, Oman, if thou hadst courage and power to revenge the affront, wouldst thou be thus patient? If thou hadst wealth and dignity in the world to support thee, wouldst thou not retort the reproaches of thy ad- versary, and look down with a sort of disdain upon him who now disdains thee ? It is impotence then and cow- ardice, but not humility which makes thee imitate pa- tience and meekness. It is abjectness of spirit and want of power, and not christian lowliness, that renders thee so silent under injuries. Christ Jesus could command
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