fuffer a thousand Evils, which a little Caution and Pains might have prevented.

2090 The more thou practisest good Works, the more thy Faith increases. Thou doft not believe, if thou doft not live according to thy Belief.

2091 Confider not what thy Enemies promise, or threaten; but what in Reason they will do: and the nearest Conjecture thereunto is what is moft for their Intereft to do.

2092 Thou never waft fo good as thou fhouldeft be; if thou dost not strive to be better. And thou never wilt be better, if thou dost not fear to grow worse.

2093 If thou allowest thyself to go to the ut moft Extent of every thing that is lawful, thou art very near going further.

2094. The more thou feemeft to have borrowed from Books, the poorer thou proclaimest thy natural Parts, which only can be called thine.

2095 No Defign takes, unless God give it Leave; and whatever he pleases is beft therein thou oughtest to be contented.

and

2096 Over-talkativenefs will exprefs a great Vanity in thee, and implyeth a Believing that others are affected with thy Perfections.

2097 Infamy is according to the Receiver: if thou fretteft or stormeft at it, 'tis thine: if thou difregardest and contemneft it, 'tis his

2098 Contend not in Suit (when thou canst help it) with thy Superior; it's Madness: nor with thy Equal; it's doubtful: nor with thy Inferior; it's fordid and fhameful.

2099 If

z099 If in thy Converfe thou dost not inter change fober, ufeful Notions; thou fhalt at the best but traffick Toys and Baubles: and most commonly Infection and Poison.

2100 That which thou calleft thy own, is but lent thee: and what thou haft received gratis, thou oughtest to return without Complaint and Discontent.

2101 If thou wouldest Exercise a Power profitable to thyfelf, and grievous to no body; practise it upon thy Appetites and Paffions.

2102 Rather confider what thou thyfelf oughteft to do, than hearken after the Doings of others: And after News which little concerns thee.

2103 Examine thy Hope, and thy Fear; and where Things are uncertain, favour thyself; and believe that will, which thou haft rather should, come to pass.

2104 Slight not Reputation, it is of very great Ufe; for it ferves no less to Virtue, than Light does to a Picture, to make it appear.

2105 Read Men; and ftudy living Libraries: this is the most useful Piece of Learning for thee; if thou meanest to make one in the World.

2106 Generally speaking, it's better for thee to go to the Houfe of Sorrow, than of Mirth: for the Holy Days of Rejoycing are moftly the Vigils of Repentance.

2107 If thou diligently attendeft to thy felf thou wilt feldom fpeak much of others. Where art thou when thou art not with thyfelf?

2108 If thou ufeft thyfelf only to Books, thou'lt be fit for nothing but a Book: And if C 2 thou

thou converseft with no body, thou'lt be fit to converse with no body.

2109 Thou mayeft lofe more Reputation in one Day of Liberty and Jollity, than thou canst gain in a long Course of Seriousness.

2110 Thou wouldeft take any Pains to fave thy Body: and wilt thou not be perfuaded to take fome, to fave thy Soul.

2111 If thou diffemblest sometimes thy Knowledge of what thou art thought to know; thou fhalt be thought at another time to know what thou knoweft not.

Break

2112 In the Fit of Anger ufe no extream Bitternefs of Words. Reveal no Secrets. not off thy Bufinefs irrevocably.

2113 Thou fhouldeft publish and communicate thy Joy to thy Friend; but as much as thou canft, conceal and fmother thy Grief.

2114 Thou art not a wife Man till thou comeft to know thine own Weakneffes; and canft bear with them without telling others of them.

2.115 Every one lies open to Dangers; and thou canft do no more, but commit thyself to God, in thofe Things which humane Care is infufficient for.

2116 If thou must speak; it will be Prudence in thee always to speak laft: and fo thou wilt be Mafter of others Strength before thou discoverest thy own.

2117 Pay thy Debts; and thou wilt feel a kind of Pleasure like eafing thy Shoulders of a troublesome Weight; and a freeing thy felf from an Image of Slavery.

2118 Speak foberly, and advisedly; but not fo as if it appeared, thou hearkenedft to thy felf:

for

for all kind of Affectation and Self-conceit is naufeous.

2119 When thou comest to be fit to appear in Business, thou fhouldeft quit the Education of the College: for Action is the proper Fruit of Science.

2120 The more Business thou createft to thyfelf; and the more thou amplifyeft thy Poffeffions; fo much more doft thou expofe thyfelf to the Blows and Injuries of Fortune.

2121 Be fure leave other Men their Turn to fpeak. Nay if there be any among you that would reign, and take up all the Time, find. Means to take him off, and bring others on.

2122 Tho' thou canst not pull thy Paffions out by the Roots; yet it's in thy Power to hold them down, for a time at least.

2123 If thou pardoneft thy Enemy that injured thee, thou fhewest more Virtue, and Magnanimity in fo doing, than thou wouldeft, if thou hadft killed him.

2124 Thou art to rejoyce heartily, and thank God, that there are others in the World, that are better; and can do more good than thou.

2125 In Things that thou wouldeft not be feen in thy felf, it's a Piece of Cunning to fay, The World fays; or there is a Speech about.

2126 Which puts us to most Pains, to say nothing but well of others; or to be always finding fault; and continually fpeaking ill of them? 2127 Faithful Obedience, and not infolent Hope will commend thee to God. If thy Hopes be proportionable to thy Obedience, then they are regular.. 2128 If

2128 If thou feekeft only, and art fatisfied with the Praise of God and good Men; thou wilt look upon the Applause of the People, only as a Blaft of Air.

2129 A Mistake about Repentance is fatal, therefore know, that whatsoever falls fhort of a prefent, univerfal, permanent Change, falls as much fhort of Repentance.

2130 There may be as much Generosity fhewed in the handfome Acknowledgment of a Kindness; as there is in the conferring of that which deferves fuch an Acknowledgment.

2131 Do thou but take half the Care of thy Soul, that most Men do of their Bodies; and thou wilt be better than most Men are.

2132 Give not prefently, and upon flight Grounds, Credit to an Accufation, or infamous Report: it will make Men fufpect, thou art maHicious thyfelf, or foolish.

2133 Have Patience a while: Slanders are not long lived: Truth is the Child of Time, e're long, fhe fhall appear, to vindicate thee.

2134 It's true, thou mayeft not go to School to the Devil; but yet thou oughtest to receive Knowledge and Sapience from whence foever it

comes.

2135 If thou art well with a Great Man, never pretend, nor endeavour to understand those Affairs which he would keep fecret.

2136 Rob not for Burnt-offerings; nor lie for God. It's a greater Offence and Affront to his Majefty, than to rob for Rapine, and lie for Advantage..

2137 Take

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