503 THE PRETENCES OF THE POOR, &C. ANSWERED. [SECT V; -._.__._-._,_...__-- legions of angels to destroy his blasphemers; yet when he was reviled, he bore it patiently, and reviled not again: he endured the contradiction of sinners against himself. But tell me, friend, dost thou never revile those in secret who have reviled thee in public, and that without any plain call of providence, to publish their crimes or follies and to expose them ? Art thou not impatient and inwardly fretful under the hand of God or man beyond all reasonable degrees ? Are not thy lips open in slander where those whom thou slanderest cannot hear thee ? Art thou not ready sometimes to take offence at some innocent words that are spoken, and where perhaps an affront was never designed ? How dost thou bear a con- tradiction to thy sayings or opposition to thy will ? Dost thou not kindle into secret resentment, and let wrath burn inwardly on such occasions ? Doth not thy bosom swell with indignation at such a season, though thou art afraid to vent it ? WThat is it but an excessive tenderness for thyself, and undue love of honour and applause, and the high opinion that thou hadst formed ofthy worth, that makes thee bear contempt and reproach so ill, and die under a word of slander ? Say again, What is it but the pride of thy heart that tempts thee never to acknowledge a mistake, but always to colour it over with a semblance of truth ? Art thou a son or a daughter of Eve, and yet infallible and not capable of mistaking ? Canst thou ever look back and remember the time when thou didst readily confess any folly,- or say, I was mistaken or I acted amiss, and yet has not thy heart been sometimes sensible that thou wert in the wrong? What is it but pride then that makes these words so hard to be pronounced ? Is it not thy va- nity of mind, and unreasonable esteem of thyself that forbids thee even to see thy error, or to confess thy fault, while all that are around thee behold thy mistake and thy misconduct? Is it thy humility that makes thee abound so much in thy own sense? Is it humility that raises such an anguish of heart, and such a painful vexation within when thou art treated with small indecencies by thy fel- low-creatures ? Is it humility that ruffles thy temper, and tears thy spirit when thou art not esteemed and honoured according to thy worth ? Or is it not rather excessive arad criminal tenderness for self, and an over -value of thy
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