It is not " one : fome a low, and fome a high one. • he that acts the highest or moft fhining part on the ftage, that comes off with the greatest applaufe; "but he that acts his part best, whatever it be. To 'take care then to act our respective parts in life 'well, is ours; but to choose what part in life we fhall act, is not ours, but God's (r).—But a man can never act his part well, if he does not attend to it; does not know what becomes it; much lefs, if he affect to act another, which nature never defigned him. It is always felf-ignorance that leads a man to act out of character. Is it a mean and low ftation of life thou art in? Know then, that providence calls thee to the exercife of industry, contentment, fubmiffion, patience, hope, and humble dependence on him, and a refpectful deference to thy fuperiors. In this way thou mayeft fhine through thine obfcurity; and render thyfelf amiable in the fight of God and man: and not only fo, but find more fatisfaction, fafety, and felf-enjoyment, than they who move in a higher fphere, from whence they are in danger of falling. But hath providence called thee to act in a more public character, and for a more extenfive benefit to the world?-Thy firft care then ought to be, that thy example, as far as its influence reaches, may be an encouragement to the practice of univerfal virtue. And next, to fhine in thofe virtues especially, which beft adorn thy flation: as benevolence, cha (r) Epictet. Enchir. cap. 23.-Quomodo fabula, fic vita: non quam diu, fed quàm bene acta fit, refert. Sen. Ep. 69. ad fin Life is a ftage-play; it matters not how long we act, fo we act well.--Non eft bonum, vivere, fed bené vivere. Id. de Benef. lib. 3. cap. 31. It is not life, but living well, that is the blefLing. : rity, wisdom, moderation, firmnefs, and inviolable integrity with an undifmayed fortitude to prefs through all oppofition in accomplishing thofe ends which thou haft a prospect and probability of attaining for the apparent good of mankind. And as felf-acquaintance will teach us what part in life we ought to act, fo the knowledge of that will fhew us whom we ought to imitate, and wherein. We are not to take example of conduct from thofe who have a very different part affigned them from ours, unless in those things that are univerfally ornamental and exemplary. If we do, we fhall but expose our affectation and weaknefs, and ourselves to contempt for acting out of character; for what is decent in one may be ridiculous in another. Nor must we blindly follow thofe who move in the fame fphere, and fuftain the fame character with ourfelves; but only in thofe things that are befitting that character. For it is not the perfon, but the character, we are to regard; and to imitate him no farther than he keeps to that. This caution particularly concerns youth, who are apt to imitate their fuperiors very implicitly, and efpecially fuch as fhine in the profeffion they themselves are intended for; but, for want of judgment to distinguish what is fit and decent, are apt to imitate their very foibles; which a partiality for their perfons makes them deem as excellencies: and thereby they become doubly ridiculous, both by acting out of character themfelves, and by a weak and fervile imitation of others in the very things in which they do fo too. To maintain a character then with decency, we must keep our eye only upon that which is proper to it. D. 24 1 In fine, as no man can excel in every thing, we must consider what part is allotted us to act in the ftation in which providence hath placed us, and to keep to that, be it what it will, and feek to excel in that only. CHAP. V. Every Man fhould be well acquainted with his own Talents and Capacities; and in what manner they are to be exercised and improved to the greatest advantage. IV. A MAN cannot be faid to know himself, till he is well acquainted with his proper talents and capacities; knows for what ends he received them; and how they may be moft fitly applied and improved for thofe ends. A wife and felf-understanding man, instead of aiming at talents he hath not, will fet about cultivating thofe he hath; as the way in which providence points out his proper usefulness. As in order to the edification of the church, the fpirit of God at firft conferred upon the ministers of it a great variety of spiritual gifts, fo for the good of the community, God is pleafed now to confer upon men a great variety of natural talents; and every one bath his proper gift of God; one after this manner, another after that. And every one is to take care not to neglect, but to stir up the gift of God which is in him, because it was given him to be improved: and not only the abufe, but the neglect of it must hereafter be accounted for. Witnefs the doom of that unprofitable fervant, who laid up his single pound in a napkin*; and of him « who went and bid his talent in the earth §. It is certainly a sign of great felf-ignorance, for a man to venture out of his depth, or attempt any thing he wants opportunity or capacity to accomplish. And therefore a wile man will confider with himfelf, before he undertakes any thing of confequence, whether he hath abilities to carry him through it, and whether the iffue of it is like to be for his credit; left he fink under the weight he lays upon himfelf, and incur the juft cenfure of rafhnefs, prefumption, and folly. See Luke xiv. 28—32 (s). It is no uncommon thing for fome who excel in one thing, to imagine they may excel in every thing; and, not content with that share of merit which every one allows them, are still catching at that which doth not belong to them. Why should a good orator wish to be thought a poet? Why must a celebrated divine fet up for a politician? Or a ftatefman affect the philofopher? Or a mechanic the scholar? Or a wife man labour to be thought a wit? This is a weakness that flows from felf igno- . rance, and is incident to the greatest men. Nature feldom forms an universal genius; but deals out her favours in the present state with a parfimonious hand.. *Luke xix. 20, 24, (3) Juv. Sat 11. Nofcenda eft menfura tuæ, fpectandaque rebus -verfante diu quid ferre recufant Quid valeant Humeri. Hox. de Art. Poet. He that takes up a burden that is too heavy for him, is in a fair way to break his back. In every business consider, firft, what it is you are about; and then your own ability, whether it be fufficient to carry you' through it. Epia. Enchir. cap. 366 -Many a man, by this foible, hath weakened a well. established reputation (c.), C HA P.. VI. We must be well acquainted with our Inabilities, and thofe Things in which we are naturally deficient, aswell as thofe in which we excel. V. WE E muft, in order to a thorough felf-acquaintance, not only confider our talents and proper abilities, but have an eye to our frailties and deficiencies, that we may know where our weakness, as well as our ftrength lies.-Otherwise, like Sampfon, we may run ourfelves into infinite temptations and troubles. Every man hath a weak fide. Every wile man knows where it is, and will be fure to keep a double guard there. There is fome wifdom in concealing a weakness.. This cannot be done till it be firft known; nor can it be known without a good degree of felf acquaintance. It is strange to obferve what pains fome men are at to expose themselves; to fignalize their own folly; and to fet out to the most public view those things which they ought to be ashamed to think (c)non omnia poffumus omnes. Virg. Cæcilius, a famous Rhetorician of Sicily, who lived in the time of Auguftus, and wrote a treatise on the Sublime (which is cenfured by Longinus, in the beginning of his) was a man of a hasty and enterprising spirit, and very apt to overshoot himself on all occafions: and particularly ventured out of his depth in his comparison of Demofthenes and Cicero. Whereupon Plutarch makes this fage and candid remark: "If (faith he) it was a thing "obvious and easy for every man to know himself, poffibly the "faying, know thyself, had not paffed for a divine oracle."~~ Plut Liv. vol. vii. P: 347 |