491 / 652
SECT.
ilia
IN REGARD
OF
MEN.
481
he prefers
his
neighbour
in
the honours of the invisible
world, while
in
all things visible
he
is
much
superior
to
him
:
Thus
he fulfils
the advice
of
St.
Paul
to the
Philip-
pians,
chap..
ii.
verse
3.
and
"
in lowliness
of
mind
esteems
others better than
himself."
Such
a
happy
spirit
as
this_reigning within
us will
ut-
.
terly forbid
us
to
fall in
with
a
word
of
scandal
'when
it
is
going
current
round
the
room
:
A
wretched
but
a
come
mon crime
!
Humble
souls
ever carry
about
them such
a
constant
sense
of
their
own
defects and
follies
that
they
dare not
help onward the
flying
reproach. They
find so
many
errors
in
their
own lives
that
they
cannot
dwell
with
delight on the
blemishes
of
their
fellow
-
mortals.
An
inward consciousness and shame blushes
in
their
bosoms,
and imposes
silence
upon
their
lips
:
Or perhaps
com-
passion awakens them
to
make some apology for
the
absent
sufferer, or to
strike
the scandal dead
with
a word
ofjust
reproof.
If
we
have a
low
opinion
of
ourselves,
our
eyes will
never
acquire
the disdainful
cast,
nor
learn the scornful
airs
of
those
who
are
full
of
self.
Our
lips
will
never
assume the haughty tone and the insolent language
of
the
proud
in
heart. " Speak
not
;"
say they to
their
infe
rior
friends,
"
we
do
not want your prattle,
while
I
am
here
:
Answer
not
when I
give
my
opinion: Do what
I
require,
be
silent and dumb
:
Do
you
not
know who
it
is
speaks
to you
?"
At
another
time they
will
forbid you
their
company:
"
go
out of
my sight,
avoid
my
presence,
it
is
not
fit
I
should
be seen in
your
company,
you
have
neither dress
nor
Manners
fit
to
appear.
",
go the
haughty
hypocrites
in
the days
of
Isaiah
the
prophet,
"
Stand
by
thyself for
I
am
holier and
better
than thou
;"
Is.
lxv. 5.
So
the
proud
mortals
of
every age publish
and
pronounce
their scorn
of
those, whom
providence has
placed
but
a
little
below them.
Such
sort of
language, indeed, should scarce ever be
used
by
masters
to
their
own
menial servants,
but
where
the
servant
is
very assuming,
:
or
intolerably impertinent.
But
for persons to
treat
lower friends or
acquaintance
at
this rate,:
gives
too
evident
a
signal
of
a proud
spirit.
Where
the
eyes
and
the lips have
learned
these
disdain-
ful
and imperious
airs,
it
is
exceeding
hard
to
unlearn
them. A
peacock may almost
as
soon be
untaught to
VOL.
III.
2
I