in his Turn, when on a fudden he grew fo fluftered that he took all the Talk of the Table into his own Hands, abused every one of the Company, and flung a Bottle at the Gentleman's Head who treated him. This has given me Occafion to reflect upon the ill Effects of a vicious Modefty, and to remember the Saying of Brutus, as it is quoted by Plutarch, that the Perfon has had but an ill Education, who has not been taught to deny any thing. This falfe kind of Modefty has, perhaps, betrayed both Sexes into as many Vices as the most abandoned Impudence, and is the more inexcufable to Reason, because it acts to gra tify others rather than it felf, and is punished with a kind of Remorse, not only like other vicious Habits when the Crime is over, but even at the very time that it is committed,

NOTHING is more amiable than true Modefty, and nothing is more contemptible than the falfe. The one guards Virtue, the other betrays it. True Modesty is afhamed to do any thing that is repugnant to the Rules of right Reason: Falle Modefty is afhamed to do any thing that is oppofite to the Humour of the Company. True Modefty avoids every thing that is criminal, false Modefty every thing that is unfashionable. The latter is only a general undetermined Inftinct; the former is that Inftin&t, limited and circumfcribed by the Rules of Pru dence and Religion.

WE may conclude that Modesty to be falfe and vicious, which engages a Man to do any thing that is ill or indif creet, or which restrains him from doing any thing that is of a contrary Nature. How many Men, in the common Concerns of Life, lend Sums of Money which they are not able to fpare, are bound for Perfons whom they have but little Friendship for, give Recommendatory Characters of Men whom they are not acquainted with, bestow Places on those whom they do not esteem, live in such a Manner as they themselves do not approve, and all this meerly because they have not the Confidence to refift Solicitation, Importunity or Example?

NOR does this falfe Modefty expofe us only to fuch Actions as are indifcreet, but very often to fuch as are highly criminal. When Xenophanes was called timorous, because he would not venture his Money in a Game at

Dice: I confefs, faid he, that I am exceeding timorous, for I dare not do any ill thing. On the contrary, a Man of vicious Modefty complies with every thing, and is only fearful of doing what may look fingular in the Company where he is engaged. He falls in with the Torrent, and lets himfelf go to every Action or Discourse, however unjustifiable in it felf, fo it be in Vogue among the prefent Party. This, tho' one of the most common, is one of the most ridiculous Difpofitions in human Nature, that Men should not be afhamed of speaking or acting in a diffolute or irrational Manner, but that one who is in their Company fhould be ashamed of governing himself by the Principles of Reafon and Virtue.

IN the fecond place we are to confider falfe Modefty, as it reftrains a Man from doing what is good and laudable. My Reader's own Thoughts will fuggeft to him many Instances and Examples under this Head, I fhall only dwell upon one Reflection, which I cannot make without a Secret Concern. We have in England a particular Bafhfulness in every thing that regards Religion. A well-bred Man is obliged to conceal any Serious Senti ment of this Nature, and very often to appear a greater Libertine than he is, that he may keep himself in Countenance among the Men of Mode. Our Excefs of Modefty makes us fhamefaced in all the Exercises of Piety and Devotion. This Humour prevails upon us daily; infomuch, that at many well-bred Tables, the Mafter of the House is fo very Modeft a Man, that he has not the Confidence to fay Grace at his own Table: A Custom which is not only practifed by all the Nations about us, but was never omitted by the Heathens themselves. English Gentlemen who travel into Roman-Catholick Countries, are not a little furprized to meet with People of the best Quality kneeling in their Churches, and engaged in their private Devotions, tho' it be not at the Hour of Publick Worship. An Officer of the Army, or a Man of Wit and Pleasure in thofe Countries, would be afraid of paffing not only for an irreligions, but an ill-bred Man, should he be feen to go to Bed, or fit down at Table, without offering up his Devotions on fuch Occafions. The fame Show of Religion appears in all the Foreign Reformed Churches, and enters fo much into their Ordinary

Con

Converfation, that an Englishman is apt to term them Hypocritical and Precife.

THIS little Appearance of a Religious Deportment in our Nation, may proceed in fome measure from that Modefty which is natural to us, but the great occasion of it is certainly this. Thofe Swarms of Sectaries that overran the Nation in the time of the great Rebellion, carried their Hypocrify fo high, that they had converted our whole Language into a Jargon of Enthusiasm; infómuch that upon the Reftoration Men thought they could not recede too far from the Behaviour and Practice of thofe Perfons, who had made Religion a Cloak to so many Villanies. This led them into the other Extream, every Appearance of Devotion was looked upon as Puritannical, and falling into the Hands of the Ridiculers who flourished in that Reign, and attacked every thing that was Serious, it has ever fince been out of Countenance among us. By this means we are gradually fallen into that Vicious Modefty which has in fome measure worn out from among us the Appearance of Chriftianity in Ordinary Life and Converfation, and which diftinguishes us from all our Neighbours.

HYPOCRISIE cannot indeed be too much detefted, but at the fame time is to be preferred to open Impiety. They are both equally deftructive to the Perfon who is poffeffed with them; but in regard to others, Hypocrifie is not fo pernicious as bare-faced Irreligion. The due Mean to be obferved is to be fincerely Virtuous, and at the fame time to let the World fee we are fo. I do not know a more dreadful Menace in the Holy Writings, than that which is pronounced against those who have this perverted Modefty, to be afhamed before Men in a Particular of fuch unspeakable Importance.

3

Saturday,

N° 459.

RE

Saturday, August 16.

-quicquid dignum fapiente bonoque est.

Hor.

ELIGION may be confidered under two General Heads. The first comprehends what we are to believe, the other what we are to practife. By those things which we are to believe, I mean whatever is revealed to us in the Holy Writings, and which we could not have obtained the Knowledge of by the Light of Nature; by the things which we are to practife, I mean all those Duties to which we are directed by Reafon or Natural Religion. The firft of these I fhall diftinguish by the Name of Faith, the Second by that of Morality.

IF we look into the more ferious Part of Mankind, we find many who lay fo great a Stress upon Faith, that they negle& Morality; and many who build fo much upon Morality, that they do not pay a due Regard to Faith. The perfect Man fhould be defective in neither of these Particulars, as will be very evident to thofe who confider the Benefits which arife from each of them, and which I fhall make the Subject of this Day's Paper.

NOTWITHSTANDING this general Divifion of Christian Duty into Morality and Faith, and that they have both their peculiar Excellencies, the firft has the Pre-eminence in feveral Respects.

Firft, BECAUSE the greatest Part of Morality (as I have stated the Notion of it,) is of a fixt Eternal Nature, and will endure when Faith fhall fail, and be lost in Conviction.

Secondly, BECAUSE a Perfon may be qualified to do greater Good to Mankind, and become more beneficial to the World, by Morality, without Faith, than by Faith without Morality.

Thirdly, BECAUSE Morality gives a greater PerfeAion to humane Nature, by quieting the Mind, moderating the Paffions, and advancing the Happiness of every Man in his private Capacity, Fourthly,

Fourthly, BECAUSE the Rule of Morality is much more certain than that of Faith, all the Civilized Nations of the World agreeing in the great Points of Morality, as much as they differ in thofe of Faith,

Fifthly, BECAUSE Infidelity is not of fo malignant a Nature as Immorality; or to put the fame Reafon in another Light, because it is generally owned, there may be Salvation for a virtuous Infidel, (particularly in the Cafe of Invincible Ignorance) but none for a vicious Believer.

Sixthly, BECAUSE Faith feems to draw its principal, if not all its Excellency, from the Influence it has upon Morality; as we shall fee more at large, if we confider wherein confifts the Excellency of Faith, or the Belief of Revealed Religion; and this I think is,

Firft, IN explaining and carrying to greater Heights, feveral Points of Morality.

Secondly, IN furnishing new and ftronger Motives to enforce the Practice of Morality.

Thirdly, IN giving us more amiable Ideas of the Supreme Being, more endearing Notions of one another, and a truer State of our felves, both in regard to the Grandeur and Vileness of our Natures.

Fourthly, BY fhewing us the Blackness and Deformity of Vice, which in the Chriftian Syftem is fo very great, that he who is poffeffed of all Perfection and the Sovereign Judge of it, is reprefented by feveral of our Divines as hating Sin to the fame Degree that he loves the Sacred Person who was made the Propitiation of it.

Fifthly, IN being the ordinary and prescribed Method of making Morality effectual to Salvation.

I have only touched on these several Heads, which every one who is converfant in Difcourfes of this Nature will eafily enlarge upon in his own Thoughts, and draw Conclufions from them which may be useful to him in the Conduct of his Life. One I am fure is so obvious, that he cannot miss it, namely that a Man cannot be perfect in his Scheme of Morality, who does not ftrengthen and fupport it with that of the Chriftian Faith."

BESIDES this, I fhall lay down two or three other Maxims which I think we may deduce from what has been faid.

Firft,