talking, and acting, may poffibly be juster than my own, which the mere force of custom and habit only makes me prefer to his. However, be it ever fo wrong, he may not have had the fame advantage of improving his understanding, addrefs, and conduct, as I have had; and therefore his defects herein are more excufable. And he may have many other kind of excellencies which I have not. But he is not only ignorant and unmanner'd, • but unfufferably vain, conceited and overbearing at the fame time.'-Why, that perhaps he cannot help. It is the fault of his nature. He is the object of pity rather than refentment. And had I fuch a difpofition by nature, I should perhaps, with all my felf-improvement, find it a difficult thing to manage. And therefore, though I can never chufe fuch a one for an agreeable companion, yet I ought not to harbour a dislike to him, but love, and pity, and pray for him, as a perfon under a great misfortune; and be thankful that I am not under the fame. But he is quite blind to this fault of his temper, and does not appear to be in the leaft fen'fible of it.' Why, that is a greater misfortune

ftill; and he ought to be the more pitied.

And as to the other pretended ground of difguft, he hath often offended and injured me.' Let me confider, (1.) whether any offence was really intended; whether I do not impute that to

ill nature, which was only owing to ill manners; or that to defign, which proceeded only from ignorance. Do I not take offence before it is given? If fo, the fault is mine, and not his; and the refentment I have conceived against him, I ought to turn upon myself (g).- ·Again, (2.) Did I not provoke him to it, when I knew his temper? The fault is ftill my Own. I did or might know the pride, paffion, perverfeness of his nature; why then did I exafperate him? A man that would needlessly rouse a lion, muft not expect always to come off fo favourably as the hero of La Mancha --But (3.) Suppofe I were not the aggreffor; yet, how came I into his company? Who led me into the temptation? He hath acted according to his nature in what he hath done; but I have not acted according to my reason, in laying myself so open to him, I knew him; why did I not fhun him, as I would any other dangerous animal that does mischief by inftinct? If I muft needs put my finger into a wafp's neft, why fhould I blame them for ftinging me?———Or, (4.) If I could not avoid his company, why did I not arm myself? Why did I venture defenceless into fo much danger? Or, (5) Suppose he hath done me a real and undeferved

g) For every trifle fcorn to take offence;

That always fhews great pride or little fenfe.
Good nature and good fenfe must always join;
To err is human, to forgive divine,

injury,

injury, without any fault or provocation; yet does not my difcontent aggravate it? Does it not appear greater to nie that it does to any body else? or than it will to me after the prefent ferment is over?And (lastly) after all, must I never forgive? How fhall I be able to repeat the Lord's prayer, or read our Saviour's comment upon it (Mat. vi. 14, 15.) with an unforgiving temper? Do I not hope to be forgiven ten thousand talents? and cannot I forgive my fellow-fervant thirty-pence? When I know not but he hath repented, and God hath forgiven him, whofe forgiveness I want infinitely more than my greatest enemy does mine*.

*A man defpifes me: what then? Did he know me more, he would perhaps defpife me more. But I know myself better than he can know me; and therefore defpife myfelf more. And though his contempt in this inftance may be groundless, yet in others it would be but too well founded. I will therefore not only bear with, but forgive it. Contemnendus eft ipfe contemptus, faith Seneca. - But fuch retorted fcorn is more becoming the character of a ftoic than a chriftian..

It has been reckoned a wife and witty answer which one of the philofophers returned to his friend, who advised him to revenge an injury that had been done to him: "What (says he) "if an afs kicks me, muft I needs kick him again?" And perhaps there is more wit than wisdom in that reply. It feems indeed to carry in it fomething of a true greatness of mind; but does it not at the fame time difcover a kind of haughty and contemptuous fpirit?.. The truth is (as a judicious writer obferves upon it)" it is at beft but a lame and "mishapen charity; it has more of pride than of goodness. "We should learn of the holy Jefus, who was not only meek, "but lowly. We fhould contemn the injury, and pity the "weakness; but fhould not difdain or defpife the perfons of our enemies. Charity vaunteth not herself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itfelf unfeemly." See Scougal's Duty of Loving our Enemies.

r

Such confiderations are of great ufe to foften our prejudices against perfons; and at once to dif cover the true fpring, and prevent the bad effects of them. And happy would it be for a chriftion, could he but call to mind and apply to his relief half the good things which that excellent heathen emperor and philofopher Marcus Antoninus could fay upon this fubject. Some of which I have, for the benefit of the English reader, extracted and thrown into the margin (h).

(3.) The

(b.) In the morning remember to fay to thyfelf, This day perhaps I may meet with fome impertinent, ungrateful, peevifh, tricking, envious, churlish fellow. Now all thefe ill qualities in them proceed from their ignorance of good and evil. And fince I am fo happy as to understand the natural beauty of a good action, and the deformity of an ill one; and fince the perfon that difobliges me is of near kin to me; and tho' not just of the fame blood and family, yet of the fame divine extract as to his mind; and finally, fince I am convinced that no one can do me real injury, because he cannot force me to do a dishonest thing; for thefe reafons I cannot find in my heart to hate him, or fo much as to be angry with him. Marc. Anton. Medit. Book 2. § 1.

You are juft taking leave of the world: and have you not yet learned to be friends with every body; and that to be an honeft man, is the only way to be a wife one? B. 4. fec. 37. To expect an impoflibility is madnefs; now it is impoffible for ill men not to do ill things. Id. Book 5. § 17.

It is the privilege of human nature above brutes to love thofe that offend us; in order to this, confider (1) That the offending party is of kin to you; (2.) and acts thus, because he knos no better; (3.) he may have no defign to offend you; (4.) you will both of you quickly be in your graves; but above all, (5.) you have received no harm from him. For your mind or reafon is the fame as it was before. B. 7. § 22. Think upon your laft hour, and do not trouble yourself about other people's faults, but leave them there where they must be answered for. Id. Book. 7. § 29.

Do

(3.) The mind is ap tto be prejudiced against, or in favour of certain things and actions, as well as certain sentiments and perfons.

Do not return the temper of ill-natured people upon themfelves, nor treat them as they do the reft of mankind. Id. Book 7. § 55.

Tho' the Gods are immortal, yet they not only patiently bear with a wicked world through fo many ages; but, what is still more, liberally provide for it; and are you, who are juft going off the stage, weary with bearing, though you are one of thofe unhappy mortals yourself? Id. Book 7. § 70.

Never difturb yourself; for men will do the fame untoward actions over again, tho' you burft with fpleen. Id. Book 8. §4. Reform an injurious perfon, if you can: if not, remember your patience was given you to bear with him. That the Gods patiently bear with fuch men, and fometimes beftow upon them health, and fame, and fortune. Id. Book 9. § 11.

When people treat you ill, and show their fpite, and flan, der you, enter into their little fouls, go to the bottom of them, fearch their understandings; and you will foon fee, that nothing they may think or fay of you need give you one troublefome thought. ld. Book 9. § 27.

That is the best thing for a man which God fends him and that is the best time when he fends it. Book 10. fec. 2.

It is fometimes a hard matter to be certain, whether you' have received ill ufage or not; for mens actions oftentimes look worse than they are: and one must be thoroughly informed of a great many things, before he can rightly judge. Id. Book 11. § 18.

Confider how much more you often fuffer from your anger and grief, than from thofe very things for which you are angry and grieved. Id. Book 11. fec. 18.

When you fancy that any one hath tranfgreffed, fay thus to yourself: How do I know it is a fault? But admit it is, it may be his confcience hath corrected him: and then he ⚫ hath received his punishment from himself.' Book 12.

To thefe I fhall add two more quotations out of the facred writings, of incomparably greater weight and dignity than any of the aforementioned. Prov. xix. 11. The difcretion of a man deferreth bis anger; and it is his glory to pass over a tranfgreffion. Rom. xii. 20, 21. If thine enemy hunger, feed bim; if he thirft, give him drink; for in fo doing thou falt beap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, bys overcome evil with good.