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SERVI.
XXI.
TRUTH,' SINCERPTY,
&C.
S5g
declaring their
own
sentiments
of
the most
difficult sub-
ject,
it
is
always as
clear to them
as
the
light, they
are al-
ways as
positive as
if
it
were divinely revealed,
and writ-
ten
in
the most express words
of
scripture.
Now
such
sort
of
speakers
will
often
find they
have
been mistaken
;
and
if
they have modesty
enough to
re-
tract
their
words,
it
is
well
:
but
for the
most
part
they
refuse conviction,
and
often
persist
to
maintain
their
own
error,
even
almost against
their
own
consciences.
In
short, it
appears
to
me,
that
a
man
who
dares fre-
quently
to
assert doubtful matters
with the most positive
air of
assurance, has
not
so
much
tenderness
about
his
heart; and
such a religious
fear
of
lying,
as
a good
christian ought
to
have.
There
are others
again
that
affect
to
tell you
nothing
that
is
common,
but
would always
surprize the company
with
strange things and prodigies,
and
all this
out of the
pride of their
hearts, and an ambition
to have
their
own
stories
applauded
and admired
by all
that
hear
them.
This sort of
affectation oftentimes betrays a person into
falsehood, and secretly and insensibly allures him
to say
things
that
are neither credible nor
true.
Sailors
and
tra-
vellers should set
a
special
guard upon
themselves in this
respect.
-
There
are a third
sort of
talkers,
that
when they
dis-
course
of
common
things,
are ever expressing
them in
exalted
and
superlative
language.
If
they speak
of
any
thing
small,
it
is
prodigiously small
;
if
they speak
of
any thing great,
it
is
incomparably great.
If
they name
a
man
of
wisdom, he
is
the
wisest man
in
the
world
;
or
a
woman
of
piety, she
is
the
only
saint
in
the nation. An
imprudent
man
with
them
is
the greatest
fool in
nature
;
and a little disappointing accident
in
life, is
an
intolera-
ble
vexation.
If
they
happen
to
hear
a
good sermon,
the
preacher
was
inspired,
not
an angel
could exceed
him
:
If
it
was
a
mean discourse, the wretch had
not
a
grain
of
'sense
or learning. Every opinion they hold
is
divine and
fundamental:
All
their
own
sentiments, even
in
lesser
matters, are
the
very sense
of Christ
and
his
apostles,
and
all
that
oppose them are guilty
of
heresy
or
nonsense.
Now
persons
who
have
accustomed
their
tongues to this
language
in
,common
discourse, seem to
want that due
caution
which
the strict rules
of
godliness may seem
to
2
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