REES

UNI!

81

VICES AND ILL DISPOSITIONS TO BE AVOIDED.

in the sight of God and Man; and it is scarcely possible, that one guilty of these, should ever make a worthy or respectable Member of Society. Great Care is necessary, that we do not despise, or show Disrespect to any, on account of outward Circumstances, such as Poverty, Deformity, or any Misfortune. None should be despised, except for Vice or Folly; and such should be rather pitied than contemned.

RUDENESS, ROUGHNESS, ILL-MANNERS. These are all highly disagreeable and disgusting, and discover a culpable Disregard of all we associate with.

UNCHASTITY, in all its Forms, is a Vice which, for the most Part, not only destroys our Happiness, and that of others, in this Life, but greatly impedes and obstructs our Preparations for a better, and is, perhaps, more frequently mentioned and expressly forbidden, than any one Class of Offences in the apostolic Writings.

CARELESSNESS OF BEHAVIOUR, CAPTIOUSNESS, AFFRONTIVENESS. Carelessness of Behaviour, shows such a Disregard of our Associates as is very faulty, and is always disagreeable. But to be captious and prone to give Affronts, evinces an uncourteous and unsociable Disposition, disturbs the Peace and Harmony of Society, spoils good Company, and damps good Humour.

HAUGHTINESS, SUPERCILIOUSNESS, INSOLENCE,

ARROGANCE.

was reviled, he reviled not again, and submitted to the most contemptuous Treatment, without Threatening and without Resentment; herein, leaving an Example of consummate Meekness, which all his faithful Disciples will carefully imitate. It is a Disposition not only highly useful to the World, as it promotes, more than any other, the Peace and Harmony of Society; but as it is an Exercise of Benevolence, Charity, Kindness, Generosity, Modesty, and indeed of almost every Christian Grace and Virtue. And Condescension is a sister Grace. For Gentleness towards our Inferiours, and lowering ourselves to their Condition and Capacity, is not only universally pleasing, especially in those in the higher Orders of Society, and always popular; but shows great Goodness of Heart, and is an ornamental Part of the Christian Temper.

CAUTION IN SPEAKING OF OTHERS. The Good of Society seems to require, that the Characters of which it is made up, should be pretty well known, that so every one may be estimated and placed according to his Capacity, Fidelity and Benevolence; or his Deficiency in any of these Respects; for thus far the public Interest is concerned. But we should be extremely cautious in all our Comments upon the Conduct of others, lest we deviate from the Truth, That we assert Nothing to the Disadvantage of another,

ARROGANCE. As Meekness and Condescension are among the most amiable, pleasing and popular Virtues, so their opposite Dispositions, here enumerated, are some of the most disagreeable, disgusting, and unpopular; and have their Rise in Pride, Self-conceit, and Carelessness, or Contempt of the Opinions or Feelings of others. Persons of this Description are Disturbers of the Peace of Society, and act an odious and unchristian Part. Every one who has a proper Regard for his own Character, or the Peace and Good-will of the World, or the Approbation of him who was meek and lowly of Heart, will carefully guard against a Temper and Conduct, so contrary to those enforced in the Gospel. They are, perhaps, more apt to excite Resentment and Aversion, and even Hatred, than almost any we can indulge or pursue.

De

BACKBITING, SLANDER, DEFAMATION. tracting from the good Qualities of others; or misrepresenting their Actions, when apparently good, by attributing them to bad or mean or sordid Motives, when there is no palpable Reason for it, or when they may fairly be ascribed to worthy and laudable ones, is not only injurious to the Person traduced, but detrimental to Society at large, and demonstrates, moreover, great Defect of that Charity which we owe to every one, who has not by his

Actions

another, of which we have not full Evidence; and not only so, but that it be Something which the World ought to be acquainted with, in order to prevent the Mischief that may arise from its Ignorance. On the other Hand, the World may be equally injured by our attributing Virtues to a Man, that he does not really possess. The Sum of the Matter is this, that we deal in delineating the Characters of others, no further than the Good of Society is concerned, and that whenever it is, we never suffer ourselves to misrepresent. But of the Dead, we may speak more freely; always, however, strictly adhering to the Truth. The bad Conduct of such may, with Propriety, be held up to View, and scrutinized with all Freedom; provided the Living are not injured. For it is as much the business of History to record the Evil which bad Men have done in the World, as to celebrate the Virtues of those, who have been its Benefactors. The maxim, "to speak not of the dead, but in their praise," will therefore be rejected by the impartial Historian, for the Good of Society is of more Importance than the posthumous Fame of an Individual.

ADVICE, EXHORTATION.

Many Instances oc

cur, where kind, friendly Advice may be of the utmost Importance to our Neighbour; and it is our

Duty

* "De mortuis nil, nisi bonum."

Actions or Character forfeited all just Claim to it. Accusing another of Crimes, or Misconduct, or any faulty Behaviour, when we have no Foundation for it, is downright Lying; and all gross Misrepresentations, or false Colouring, of the Behaviour of others, is but little better. And the Temper which produces this Class of Vices, which arises from Envy or Party-Spirit, or some Malignity, is highly criminal, and deserves severe Animadversion, as it is offensive to God, injurious to the Community, and always hurtful, and often ruinous to our Neighbour. And although we may speak of the dead much more freely than of the living, yet we must never exaggerate, or deviate from the Truth.

WITHHOLDING OUR ADVICE, when we see our Friend or Acquaintance going on in any vicious Course, or about to do an Act of which he will probably repent, is certainly very faulty, and shows great Defect of that Charity we all owe to one another; but to uphold and encourage him in such Conduct, is grossly criminal, and the most unkind, unfriendly Part a Man can take, and at the same Time makes himself Partaker of his Neighbour's Errors.

WITHHOLDING