Book I. of J E s u s C H R I s T. 15-

Boaft not of Riches^ becaufe they are in your pre- fent poffeffioxT ; nor of Friends^ becaufe they have Power and Intereft j but if you will glory, glory in God, who is able to give all Things, and willing to give that which is better than all, even Himlelf And why fhould the Strength and Beauty of your Perfon puff you up with Pride, when it is in the Power of a veiy little Sicknefs, to bring upon you extream Weaknefs, and Odious Deformity ? If you be inclined to value your Wit and Addrefs above due meafure, remember from what Hand theie come , and do not provoke the Giver by abufing the Gift.
Fancy not your felf better than your Neighbours, for fear God, who knows what is in every Man, think the worfe of you upon that account. Nay, value not your felf even for what you have done well, for God judgeth not as Man judgeth ; and what we often are highly fatisfied with , he fometimes thinks not fit fo much as to approve. If you be confcious of any thing good in your felf, think that the fam.e 01 better Qualities may likewife be found in others : For while you allow Their Excellencies, it will be no difficult matter to preferve a modeft Opinion of your own. There can come no harm of fuppofmg every other Man better than your felf,- but the fappofing any one Man worfe than your felf, may be attended with very ill Confequences. The meek, fays the Scripture, ^ refrefied' in the mul- Pfal. xxxvii. titude of Peace ; but the Proud in Spirit ^f"*- ^^ii- is like a troubled Sea, perpetually tofl: and driven by the fierce Commotions of Anger and Emu- lation, and Envy, and Difdain , which never fuffer him to be eafy and compofed.
CHAP.
1 6 sDf tfte gimitation Book i.
Chap. VIII.
xigainft too general an Acquaintance , and inconve- nient Freedoms in Converfation,
OT^en not thine Heart to e^uery Man^ but make choice of prudent and religious Perfons to difclofe thy Affairs to. Frequent not the Company Eulus.vm.i^. Qf young Men and Strangers ; Flatter not the Rich_, neither affed to be feen in the prefence of great Men : but affociate thy felf with the Devout, the Virtuous, the Humble ,• and contrive that thy Difcourfe be profitable. Defire not the intimate Ac- quaintance of Women ; hut, inftead of thy Conver- fation, let them have thy Prayers : and recommend the Prefervation and the Reward of their Virtue to God. Converfe as much as may be with God, with his holy Angels , with thy own Confcience ,• and complain not for want of Company, nor think it an Unhappinefs to have but few Acquaintance , when thou haft fo good Company as this always at hand.
Our Charity indeed fhouldbeuniverfal, and extend to all Mankind : but it is by no means convenient, our Friendfliips and Familiarities fhould do fo too. We often finely ^hat a Perfon altogether unknown to us, comes recommended by a good Character, which makes us paffionately fond of his Acquaintance ,- and yet this very Man, when better known, lofes the great Opinion we conceived of him before, and grows palled and fiat upon our Hands. And this we may be fure is no lefs likely to prove our own Cafe ; For the Perfons, with whom we hope to ingratiate our felves by a freer Acquaintance, frequently difcover fome ill quality in us, which makes us lefs acceptable. And therefore, in Prudence and Tendernefs to our felves and others both, we fhould be fparing in our Intima- cies: