Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/95

 ourselves, and  not  as  a  thing  which  regards  others;  and  let  us not  act  herein  as  worldly  persons  ordinarily  do,  when  they  hear a sermon. A preacher  addresses  himself  to  them,  for  example, in this  manner — You  are  like,  says  he,  to  those,  whose  employment it  is  to  carve  at  great  men's  tables,  and  help  others,  without taking any  meat  for  themselves. When you  hear  me  say  this, you cry  out;  an  excellent  reflection  indeed,  and  very  proper  for such a  one! this is  quite  adapted  to  one  of  my  aquaintance! if such a  one  were  here,  O  how  it  would  answer  him! — and notwithstanding after  all  this  carving  for  others,  you  keep  nothing for yourself. In this  banquet  of  the  word  of  God,  I  would  have all of  you  to  be  of  the  number  of  guests,  and  not  of  the  carvers. " All  that  a  prudent  man  shall  hear,  that  is  good  and  profitable, he  will  practise,"  says  Ecclesiasticus,  "and  will  apply  it  to himself;  but  a  vain,  ambitious  man  will  not  hear  but  with  disgust, and  will  cast  it  behind  his  back." (Ecclus. xxi.  18.)  Let  us  then endeavour to  be  of  the  number  of  guests;  of  the  number  of  those wise men,  who  so  take  to  themselves  what  is  said,  as  if  it  were spoken to  them  alone,  and  to  none  else. For perhaps  that  which seems to  you  to  be  very  well  applied  to  another,  may  be  better applied to  yourself,  if  you  knew  yourself  better  than  you  do; and if  you  were  not  like  those,  who  can  "  Perceive  a  mote  in their  neighbour's  eye,  yet  see  not  a  beam  in  their  own." (Mat. vii. 3.)  But  though  in  effect  there  should  be  nothing  in  what  is said,  which  any  way  touches  or  concerns  you  at  present,  yet neglect not  to  hoard  it  up  in  your  mind  for  the  future;  perhaps you will  soon  come  to  stand  in  need  of  it,  and  by  this  means  you can never  fail  always  to  take  what  is  said  as  addressed  to  yourself only.

In the  fifth  place,  the  better  to  explain  what  we  have  said,  it is  fit  that  every  one  should  presuppose,  that  oftentimes  in exhortations  the  preacher  reprehends  certain  faults  not  as  though he actually  believed  them  practised  by  any  of  his  auditors;  but only with  a  design  to  hinder  the  practice  or  the  introduction  of such  imperfections  for  the  future. The physic  which  by  precaution is  given  to  prevent  diseases,  is  no  less  advantageous  than that which  is  given  to  cure  them. Wherefore in  our  exhortations, we  ought  to  have  regard  to  this,  following  the  counsel  of the  Wise  Man,  "  Before  sickness  comes,  make  Use  of  remedies." (Ecclus. xviii.  20.)  And  as  we  ordinarily  strive  to  apply  the remedy before  the  disease  is  formed,  or  comes  to  a  crisis;  so  we exhort  to  virtue  and  perfection;  we  blame  vice  and  remissness;