ing meanly of thofe above whom they fate. 'Tis fuch a vain-glorious Affectation of the highest Seats, fuch a Defire of being honou rably distinguished from others in publick Affemblies, and fuch a fond Love of Preference, that Chrift condemns. If we defire to be great and honourable, we fhould feek to deserve our Honour, not by being haughty and imperious in our Conduct, and by ambitiously defiring the chief Seats and uppermost Places, but by being humble and charitable, and by being always forward to give others the upper-hand; if we have a mind to be great, we should be eminent for our Humility, and be ever ready to affift and serve all Men. And this is the way which our bleffed Saviour directs us to; we must stoop down and administer to the Wants and Neceffities of our Brethren, we muft feek the lowest Rank and Place of a Servant, and be ready to do the most mean and fervile Offices, if we would be truly great. Whofoever will be great Matth. xx. among you, faith he, let him be your Minister,

Δίωξον * ταπεινοφροσωω, ὡς ἐραςῆς αὐτῆς, ἐράπηκε αὐτῆς καὶ δοξάσι σε· ὅτω καλῶς ἐπὶ δόξαν ὁ δώσεις ἢ ἀληθῆ, τ ἐν ἀγγέλοις, ἢ τὰ Θεῷ. Bafil. Ομιλ. κβ'.

Οι ἢ ἐμοὶ μαθηταὶ ἀπὸ ταπεινώσεως τιμῶν, ὥτε καὶ ὁ μείζων θέλων ἔν) οφείλς διακονεῖν τοῖς ὑποδεετέροις, ὅπερ τ' ἄκρας ὅτι ταπεινώσεως· ἐν ἐμαυτῳ ἢ τότο δείκνυμι. Theophylat. in loc.

and

26.

and whofoever will be chief among you, let him be your Servant. The more we ferve, the greater we fhall be, and he shall be the greateft who is the Servant of all.

And this is the Deportment which the humble and charitable Man always delights in, he hath no high Thoughts of himself, but is full of Condefcenfion and Self-abafement, and therefore thinks no Office too low, no Work too mean, whereby he may be helpful and beneficial to his poor diftreffed Neighbour; he stands upon no Punctilio's of Honour, he makes no Scruples where Charity is concern'd, and if he can but be serviceable to any that need his Affiftance, he cares not what Pains he takes, or how much he fubmits himself that he may be so. Whereas the proud and haughty Man scorns to do any thing that looks mean and servile in the Eye of the World, and often neglects to do a good Work, because he thinks it much below him to do it. If in his Way he fees a poor Traveller robb'd, and ftript, and wounded, and just expiring upon the Place, he vouchfafes not to go to his Relief, but paffes by with a fupercilious Air, he difdains to touch a Man in fuch a dirty Condition, and can't endure the Thoughts of dreffing his Wounds for fear he should defile his Fingers. But the lowly charitable

33.

charitable Man, like the good Samaritan, no Luke x. fooner fees the poor Traveller in fuch a fad and piteous Condition, but he is moved with Compaffion, he haftens to him and assists him ; he regards not how low he ftoops, and how dirty the Work be, fo he do but raise and recover the half dead Man; he forthwith alights, and pours Wine and Oyl into his Wounds, and takes him in his Arms, and lays him upon his own Beaft, and carries him to an Inn, that all due Care may be taken of him. Thus low and condefcending is Charity; fhe never thinks herself too great to do Good, but is always willing to perform the meaneft Offices, that she may be useful and affifting to those who want her Help; her chief Delight is to do Good, and if she can but do that, she matters not how much she debaseth herself in doing it; in a word, her chief Ambition is to be humble, and fhe never looks fo big and fo great as when the appears in her she Littleness, and is employ'd in her most fervile Acts, when she is dreffing the Sores of the Indigent, and lifting the Poor out of the Mire. Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.

CHAP.

CHA P. V.

Charity doth not behave itself unfeemly.

V.

C

Harity * doth not behave itself unfeemly. Charity carefully avoids the doing any thing that is undecent or mifbecoming; fhe keeps us from ufing others unfeemly,either in Words or Actions; and in all our Converfe with Men difpofeth us to a Decency and Comelinefs of Behaviour. Many are the Faults and Indecencies which Men are guilty of in Converfation, by which they much offend against Charity; fo many, that to treat of them all would be a Task too big for my present Purpose; I fhall therefore only pick out fome few of 'em, which however may be enough to give us a large View of

* 'Our d'μove, non agit indecorè, Erafm. Sed modum ac decorum fervat, Calv. Indecorum id eft, quicquid fit Proximo præter officium, vel aliter quàm deceat. Non fe gerit impudenter, aut verbis, aut geftibus probrofis utens adverfùs fratres, Ham. Non eft contumeliofa, Bed. Cavit quicquam dicere, vel agere, quod vel opinione hominum turpe fit, Grotius. Cui contrarium videtur omnia cumμóvws agere, &c. Ham.

fuch

L

fuch a Behaviour, as is unfeemly, and is repugnant to Charity.

8.

1. Then, Our Behaviour is unfeemly, when we are abufive, and reproachful in our Language. The Tongue of Man is his Glory; Pfal. lvii. his Speech as well as his Reafon diftinguishes him from the reft of the Creation; this excellent Faculty of Speech was given us, as in the first Place, to praise and glorify our Creator, fo in the next to promote the Good of our Neighbour; to be an Inftrument of Succour and Delight, and Comfort to him. Now if one great Ufe of Speech be, to help and benefit our Brother, to advise and inftruct him in Difficulties, and chear him up in Adverfities, how ftrangely do Men pervert its Ufe, when they employ it to his Difgrace and Vexation? When inftead of healing him with their Tongue, and refreshing him with their Words, they moleft and disturb him with Calumnies and Reproaches; whetting their Tongues like Swords, and making their Words as fo many Arrows and fharp Spears. While they use this noble Faculty of Speech, after such a base and unworthy Manner, and let their Tongue run out in railing and reviling, they put the beft Member they have to the worst Use, and turn their Glory into Pf. cviii. Shame. Better were it for us to be without

Speech,

I.