cifm, of bigotry, or of fuperftition, deferves to be placed in the catalogue of "vices?" Or can you believe, that she "has been every where rejected by men "of fenfe?"

Was Addison then, was Milton, was Bacon, with many more of the greatest writers this country, or any other, ever produced were they not men of sense? Or would our late infidel, with all his affectation of fingularity and paradox, have ventured to affert, that they too rejected the quality we recommend; that they "placed it in the catalogue of vices," or at best deemed it " a monkish virtue?" Or had he forgotten, that the great poet just named did not deem even "humble de"precation" unbecoming man in the state of innocence, having introduced our first father ufing those very words in his conference with the Almighty, immediately after his creation; of which conference the amiable critic now mentioned pro

nounces the fentiments not inferior, in beauty or fineness, in delicacy or justness, to any part of that admirable poem; quoting particularly the lines where Adam expreffes himself in this ftyle of lowlinefs and abasement? In a prayer which was found among the papers of Bacon, written with his own pen, there is a strain of Humility worthy the enlightened mind of that wonderful man; whom we hear at once acknowledging, as the gift of Heaven, the virtues and talents he had been enabled to cultivate, and confeffing with contrition his innumerable fins on account of which he felt the hand of God heavy upon him.

It should not be forgotten here, that our author himself turns preacher in recommendation of a quality infeparably connected with the Chriftian grace we are inculcating: "Sometimes," fays he, “Mo"defty means that tenderness and nicety of honour, that apprehenfion of blame,

"that dread of intrusion or injury towards "others, which is the proper guardian "of every kind of virtue, and a sure pre"servative against vice and corruption. "But its most usual meaning is when it "is opposed to impudence and arrogance, "and expreffes a diffidence in our own "judgement, and a due attention and re6.6 gard to others." He adds, "In Young "Men chiefly this quality is a fure sign "of good fenfe, and is alfo the certain "means of augmenting that endowment, "by preferving their ears open to inftruc"tion, and making them still grasp after "new attainments." He fubjoins, "Were "the door opened to felf-praife, every "one is fenfible, that fuch a flood of

impertinence would break in upon us, "as would render fociety wholly into"lerable." Thus, you fee, Modesty is praised by the very man who reprobates Humility. But where did he learn that they were attributes of fo oppofite a nature, as to be justly one of them an object of

approbation, and the other an object of displeasure?—It is worth obferving, that, as this writer's joy was to perplex enquiry, and unfettle belief, fo the affronted majefty of Truth failed not, in the instance before us, and numberless others, to avenge her cause by leaving his wayward mind to the wanderings of metaphyfical fophiftry and felf-contradiction. Thus indeed it has ever fared with the pride of Philofophy, when, forgetting the frame and condition. of man, she has caft off all dependence on God, and affected to be only in the cool pursuit of argument, while she was eagerly hunting after the reputation of fuperior ability, in difputing opinions and ridiculing virtues cherished by the pious and the good. Who, that is not blinded by Pride, or by prejudice, can be ignorant, that Humility includes Modefty, as the greater comprehends the lefs; that the latter cannot be more repugnant to impudence, to arrogance, to indecent selfpraife, than the former; and that no man

can be truly modeft who is not truly humble?

But, after all that has been faid in behalf of this virtue, it may be asked by the fincerest friends to truth and piety, Is there not an honeft, a generous, a noble Pride? Yes, certainly, if you mean by thefe words an exalted fenfe of honour, or magnanimity in a man's principles and actions. We faw on a former occafion, that St. Paul experienced this conscious elevation in its full extent: "It were "better for me to die, than that any man "fhould make my glorying void." But the phrases I have just mentioned, though adopted by the beft judges of language, are yet a corruption of it. At least they want correctnefs, fince the temper intended to be expreffed by them is not in the leaft degree hoftile to that Humility which is literally and directly opposed to Pride. I cannot fee a reason why any worthy perfon may not be penetrated with