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Show N . ;J o . ; (ContinucJ.) ; ; f CHAPTER VIII. j i That too much familiarity should be t shunned. j j i Lot not thy heart open to e'ery one, ' ; lut trust of thy affairs with the wise and such s feur God. Converse not much with the younff or with strangers. ! ;l Flatter not the rich: neither do thou j i appear willingly before the great. 1 Kcop company with the humble and ) & Fincle-hearied : with the devout and ? virtuous, and confer with them of those I things that may edify. Be not familiar I with an;' woman, but commend all I women in general to Gcd. Desire to be , I familiar with Cod alone and His An-': An-': .eels, and avoid the acquaintance of i men. I We must have love towards all, but j familiarity with all is not expedient, j l Sotm-tin(-it -fanelh out t'at a peril per-il sn vn known to us is much esteemed I i nf. from the good report given him by j if others; whose presence notwithstand-j U ing is not grateful. to the eyes of those j I who see him. ; We think sometimes to please "others . j ' by our society, and we rather displease j them with" those bad qualities which I thev discover in us. " I CHAPTER IX. I Of Obedience and Subjection. I It is a great . matter to live in obe-I obe-I dience, to be under a superior, and not iti(otietioiect9osgo(ii(i to be at our own disposing. It is much safer to obey than to govern. Many live under obedience, rather for necessity necessi-ty than for love: such are discontented and do easily repine. Neither can they ' j attain to freedom of mind, unless they ! I willingly and heartily put themselves under obedience, for the love of Cod. Go whither thou will, thou shalt find rest, but in humble subjection under the government of a . superior. Many have deceived themselves, imagining to find happiness in change. True it is, ! that every one willingly doeth that j which agreeth with his own liking, and ! inclineth most to those that are of his own mind. . But if God be amongst us, we must sometimes cease for the sa!'.e of peace i to adhere to our own opinion. Who Js ! so wise that he can fully know all thinss? Be not, therefore, too confident in thine own opinion; "but he-' willins to hear the judgment of others. If thy thought be gocd,. and yet thou ! partest with it for God. and followest the opinion of another, this shall turn to thy good. I have often heard that it is safer to hear and to take counsel coun-sel thin to sive it. It may also fall out that a man's opinion may be good, but to refuse to yield to ethers when reason or a special cause recuireth it, is a mark of pride and stiffness. (To be continued.) |