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of meekness, and it shall be sent you. It is never right in any thing with us, till we attain to this-to tread on the opinion of men*, and eye nothing but God's approbation.

"To tread on the opinion of men"-that is, not to overvalue human estimation; not to make it the standard of our principles, or the motive of our conduct. (John v. 44. xii. 43.) There is, however, a lawful desire, possession, and use of "the opinion of men." Scripture gives us a view of this, in Proverbs xxii. 1; Ecclesiastes vii. 1; Philippians iv. 8. Let the following passages, from "The Account of the Good Steward," by Sir Matthew Hale, illustrate the subject:

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"I never affected the reputation of being rich, great, crafty, politic; but I esteemed much a deserved reputation of justice, honesty, integrity, virtue, and piety.

"I never thought that reputation was the thing primarily to be looked after, in the exercise of virtue; for that were to affect the substance for the sake of the shadow, which had been a kind of levity and impotence of mind; but I looked at virtue, and the worth of it, as that which was the first desirable; and reputation, as a handsome and useful accession to it.

"Though I have loved my reputation, and have been vigilant, not to lose or impair it by my default or neglect; yet I have looked upon it as a brittle thing; a thing, that the devil aims to hit in a special manner; a thing that is much in the power of a false report, a mistake, a misapprehension, to wound and hurt. Notwithstanding all my care, I am at the mercy of others, without God's wonderful overruling Providence. And as my reputation is, the esteem that others have of me, so that esteem may be blemished without any default [of mine]. I have, therefore, always taken this care, not to set my heart upon my reputation.”— EDITOR.

CHARACTER OF ARCHBISHOP LEIGHTON.

FROM BURNET'S HISTORY OF HIS OWN TIMES.

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He had so great a quickness of parts, and vivacity of apprehension, that he made very great progress in his philosophical and theological works. But that which excelled all the rest, was, he was possessed with the highest and noblest sense of divine things that could be seen in any man. He had a contempt both of wealth and reputation; and seemed to have the lowest thoughts of himself possible, wishing that all others should think as meanly of him as he did himself. He bore all sorts of ill-usage and reproach, like a man that took pleasure in it. He had so subdued the natural heat of his temper, that there was seldom seen in him any sign of passion; and he kept himself in such a constant recollection, that he was never, or seldom, guilty of speaking an idle word. There was a visible tendency, in all he said, to raise his own mind, and all he conversed with, to serious reflections. He seemed to be in a perpetual meditation; and, though the whole course of his life was strict and ascetical, yet he had nothing of the sourness of temper that generally possesses men of that sort.

He was the freest from superstition, from censuring others, or of imposing his own methods on them, possible; so that he did not so much as recommend them to others. He said, there was a diversity of tempers; and every man was to watch over his own,

and to turn it in the best manner he could. His thoughts were lively, oft out of the way and sur prising, yet just and genuine. And he had laid together in his memory the greatest treasure of the best and wisest of all the ancient sayings of the Hea thens, as well as Christians, that I have ever known any man master of; and he used them in the aptest manner possible.

His preaching had a sublimity of thought and expression. The grace and gravity of his pronunciation. was such, that few heard him without a sensible emotion: I am sure I never did. His style was rather too fine; but there was a majesty and beauty in it, that left so deep an impression, that I cannot yet forget the sermons I heard him preach thirty years ago : and yet, with this, he seemed to look on himself as so ordinary a preacher, that, while he had a cure, he was ready to employ all others. He did not punctually attend the Presbytery, but choosed rather to live in great retirement, minding only the care of his own parish. He preached up a more exact rule of life than seemed, to many, consistent with human nature. But his own practice did even outshine his doctrine.

There were two remarkable circumstances in his death. - He used often to say, that if he were to choose a place to die in, it should be an inn; it looking like a pilgrim's going home, to whom this world was all as an inn, and who was weary of the noise and confusion of it. He added, that the officious

tenderness and care of friends was an entanglement to a dying man; and that the unconcerned attendance of those that could be procured in such a place would give less disturbance. And he obtained what he desired; for he died at the Bell Inn, in Warwick Lane.

Another circumstance was, that, while he was bishop in Scotland, he took what his tenants were pleased to pay him; so that there was a great arrear due, which was raised slowly by one whom he left in trust with his affairs there; and the last payment which he could expect from thence was returned up to him about six weeks before his death; so that his provision and journey failed both at once.

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Richard Baxter.

(FROM THE SAINTS' REST"; AND, "NARRATIVE, &c."

season.

DEVOTIONAL HOURS.

CHOOSE for devotional exercises the most seasonable time. All things are beautiful and excellent in their Unseasonableness may lose the fruit of thy labour, may raise difficulties in the work, and may turn a duty to a sin. The same hour may be seasonable to one, and unseasonable to another. Servants and labourers must take that season which their business will best afford; either while at work or in travelling, or when they lie awake in the night. Such as can choose what time of the day they will, should observe when they find their spirits most active and fit for contemplation, and fix upon that as the stated time. I have always found that the fittest time for myself is in the evening, from sun-setting, in the twilight. I the rather mention this, because it was the experience of a better and wiser man; for it is expressly said, Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide. Genesis xxiv. 63.

The Lord's-day is exceeding seasonable for this

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