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 promotes mutual confidence, friendship, and benevolence: too often, that which personates it, is a refined dissimulation, whose end is to procure confidence.

4. It is true, indeed, that this amiable disposition is not agreeable to the world, as it will create enemies, and perhaps prevent our rising in life; but notwithstanding this, as dissimulation, cunning, and deceit, are all contrary to religion, truth, and virtue; we should constantly hate and avoid them; we should have courage enough to avow our sentiments, and to let our countenances and our tongue be the heralds of our hearts; this, good persons will be pleased with, and the bad we shall not seek to please.

PRUDENCE excels most of the other virtues as far as the sight of our eyes does the other senses. Prudence is an universal virtue, and enters into the composition of almost all the rest, for without this, love is indiscreet, fortitude weak, zeal blind, and knowledge almost useless.

2. Discretion, or prudence, is not only very commendable, but it is a virtue; it has to do with our spiritual as well as temporal affairs, and shews itself not only in the words but in the circumstances of action, and is like an under agent of Providence, to guide and direct us in all the concerns of life. There are none more shining qualities of the mind, but none so useful as prudence; it is this which gives value to all the rest, which sets them at work